10 Years Ago Today, This 10/10 Star Wars Masterpiece Finally Gave Us the Darth Vader Fight We All Wanted

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However, a fair number of brilliant Darth Vader fights have now happened in Star Wars TV shows, including animated shows, as well. One such animated duel, which came out 10 years ago today, on March 30, 2016, on Star Wars Rebels, is absolutely among Vader’s best, not only because of how well-executed the duel itself is but also because of its narrative significance.

Star Wars Rebels’ “Twilight of the Apprentice” Duel Was A Masterpiece

The season 2 finale of Rebels was released as a two-parter, comprising “Twilight of the Apprentice: Part I” and “Twilight of the Apprentice: Part 2.” The season had been building toward a highly-anticipated confrontation between Ahsoka Tano and her former master, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Until her appearance on Rebels, Ahsoka didn’t know that Anakin was still alive, much less that he had become the fearsome villain Darth Vader. That news actually shocked her so badly that she passed out.

This revelation and the unfinished business between former master and apprentice culminated in an epic showdown, which saw Vader and Ahsoka going head to head. Ahsoka actually managed to get some solid hits on Vader, so much so that she cracked half of his mask at one point (just as Obi-Wan would later go on to do in Obi-Wan Kenobi). It almost seemed as though Ahsoka might get through to Anakin, despite his fate being predetermined by the original trilogy.

Sadly, that wasn’t the case, and Vader ultimately told her she would die—undercutting every time Anakin had told her he couldn’t let her die before he fell to the dark side. In addition to this being a genuinely thrilling duel to watch, it also carried incredible emotional weight. Ahsoka had been holding onto the guilt and grief of all that had transpired with Order 66 and her departure from the Jedi Order even before that, and this forced her to confront that history head on.

Ahsoka And Anakin’s Relationship Became Pivotal

Ahsoka is now one of the most popular Star Wars characters, and she has become increasingly important since her Star Wars: The Clone Wars debut. Yet, when she was introduced, there was significant backlash because many felt Anakin didn’t need a Padawan. Nevertheless, for seven seasons of The Clone Wars, whether she was there or not, Ahsoka had a massive influence on Anakin’s path. In fact, the way the Jedi Council treated her when she was falsely accused of murder and her decision to leave the Order were major steps in Anakin’s fall to the dark side.

The Jedi Council’s abandonment of Ahsoka during this situation caused Anakin to lose significant faith in them, and Ahsoka leaving no doubt made the attachments he did maintain—particularly his romantic attachment to Padmé—even more intense for him. Ahsoka’s importance and her connection to Anakin has also continued to grow even in stories set after Anakin’s death. For one, Ahsoka was shown to be helping Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett as he worked to build a new Jedi Order, and she even told him how much like his father he was.

More recently, her own show, Ahsoka, saw the return of Anakin himself, first in the World Between Worlds, during which he taught her one final lesson (“live or die”) and then in the season 1 ending, when he appeared as a Force Ghost on Peridea, watching Sabine Wren and Ahsoka. This actually sets up the next on-screen reunion of Anakin and Ahsoka, which is already confirmed.

This Master And Apprentice Have At Least One More Story

Ahsoka season 2 has already wrapped filming and is expected sometime later this year, which will mean the next (and potentially final) on-screen reunion of Anakin and Ahsoka. As mentioned, the end of Ahsoka season 1 revealed that Anakin was on Peridea as a Force Ghost. While that didn’t guarantee Anakin and Ahsoka directly interacting again, Hayden Christensen is confirmed to be appearing as Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming season, which means they almost certainly will.

What this story will entail remains anyone’s guess at this point. There were heavy hints that the Mortis Gods—a trio of Gods who represent balance in the Force itself and were introduced in The Clone Wars—would be important in this new season, but that remains speculation for now. Even so, audiences should expect to see this former master and apprentice duo on screen together again, perhaps with even more direct interaction between Ahsoka and Force Ghost Anakin than last time.

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