'Ahsoka' Season 2 Trailer Brings Back 2 Versions of Anakin Skywalker

Hayden Christensen‘s return as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka Season 1 was one of the Star Wars Disney+ series’ biggest talking points back in 2023, and almost three years later, he’s also being framed as one of Season 2’s most potent appeals. While the recently unveiled Ahsoka Season 2 trailer provides plenty of other reasons to get excited, the fact that Anakin is being given a hugely expanded role this time around is one of the biggest takeaways.

After taking over from Jake Lloyd in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Christensen’s performance as Anakin was initially criticized by huge portions of the fan base. He found his feet more solidly as the character in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, but it wasn’t until the generation that grew up watching the prequels started to voice their love for the actor that the unfair comments about him started to fade away. Today, Christensen is the definitive Anakin Skywalker actor, and any news about his return to the franchise is always celebrated. That’s why Ahsoka Season 2 is such a special occasion.

‘Ahsoka’ Season 2 Expands Upon Both Versions of Anakin From Season 1

Ahsoka Season 1 focused on Anakin from two eras of his life, both directly relevant to the show’s title character. Not only did Rosario Dawson’s version of Ahsoka Tano meet the Force Ghost of her late master, but Ariana Greenblatt’s younger iteration of the iconic Togruta also stepped in to explore more of Ahsoka’s time as Anakin’s Padawan during the Clone Wars era. The mind-being storytelling decision served Ahsoka’s arc well, and showrunner Dave Filoni has clearly decided more of that is required.

The Season 2 trailer focuses quite heavily on present-day Ahsoka being guided by Force Ghost Anakin. He even urges her to complete her training so that she can finally become a Jedi Knight. Meanwhile, it also looks like we’re going to get some flashbacks to when Anakin was flesh and blood, and engaging in some previously unseen traditional tutelage of his loyal Padawan. While it could be argued that Anakin doesn’t deserve such a huge role in a show named after a different character, the connection between them both is a defining part of their respective arcs. There is clearly a thirst and a need for more Anakin, and Filoni is finding logical ways of delivering.

What Else the ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2 Trailer Reveals

There is quite a lot to parse in the trailer itself, although knowledge of the wider Star Wars franchise helps contextualize a lot of the brief flashes from the densely packed 90 seconds. The return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelson) was already a given, considering how Season 1 ended, but to see him attempt to bring the Empire back to power and rebrand the New Republic as the Rebel Alliance sets up a clever retelling of the Heir to the Empire arc from the once-canon Legends novels.

We also get our first glimpse of Rory McCann (Game of Thrones) as Baylan Skoll, in his first time out as the character played by the late, great Ray Stevenson in Season 1. While it’s obviously unfortunate that Stevenson can’t return, McCann looks great in the role from what little the trailer reveals of him. Other poignant shots reveal Star Wars‘ first use of the planet Dathomir in live-action, a heartfelt reunion between Zeb (Steve Blum) and Ezra (Eman Esfandi) for the first time since Rebels ended, and Professor Huyang wielding four lightsabers at once like a certain legendary laser sword collector. In short, Ahsoka Season 2 looks like it’s going to be more than worth the wait, and January 2027 can’t come soon enough.