Which Star Wars Battles Appeared in Ahsoka Episode 5?

Ahsoka Episode 5, "Shadow Warrior," revisits two surprising battles from Ahsoka's past that have significance for her character growth going forward.

Episode 5 of Ahsoka hugely delivers on fan expectations, finally giving audiences moments they've wanted to see in live-action for decades. After Episode 4 ended with Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds and meeting Anakin Skywalker again, audiences finally get to relive moments from Star Wars: The Clone Wars in live-action. Audiences get two glimpses of how brutal the war truly was at different points in Ahsoka's life.

The two battles that were chosen have important character significance for Ahsoka, beyond just being fun inclusions for audiences to witness. The first flashback takes place on the besieged world of Ryloth, a planet that experienced heavy fighting during the Clone Wars and throughout the Imperial era. The final flashback takes audiences to Mandalore, a planet that's steadily grown in importance in Star Wars throughout recent years. On both of these worlds, Ahsoka learned the cost of command, and what it truly meant to be a leader during wartime.

The Battle of Ryloth Sees Ahsoka Take Command for the First Time

In the first flashback, Ahsoka is running in a sandy world with many clones getting shot around her. AT-TE walkers and Republic Gunships can be seen blasting away at droids, attempting to support the beleaguered clones. While it looks like the second battle of Geonosis, the presence of Twi'leks strongly hints this is Ryloth, a world that was under constant Separatist attack. Early in the Clone Wars, the Republic undertook a massive campaign to free it from Separatist control, something that took a lot of lives and political compromise. Ahsoka witnessed this death and destruction personally, leading to the fight to break the Separatist blockade above the planet. This would take a heavy toll on her.

Her first attempt led to the destruction of most of her squadron, the Venator-class Star Destroyer the Redeemer, and the Venator-class Star Destroyer Defender becoming damaged beyond repair. This early battle would cause Ahsoka to reflect on her actions, and realize that she would have to be more careful with the lives she was entrusted with. The flashback shows that this lesson would continue on the surface of Ryloth, with Ahsoka mourning the loss of clones. It marked a turning point in Ahsoka's growth and resulted in her becoming slightly less reckless when lives were at stake. This was one of the battles that would help her realize the brutality of war.

The Siege of Mandalore Completes Ahsoka's Clone Wars Journey

Another battle that made Ahsoka reflect on the horrors of war was the Siege of Mandalore. She was entrusted with part of the 501st Legion and Captain Rex to liberate the planet from Darth Maul, and the Mandalorians that followed him. Ahsoka had to put all of her training into action here, from her dueling skills and strategy to get a win. This was especially the case as the Mandalorian warriors were more difficult to defeat than battle droids. After all, the clones were based on a Mandalorian. Eventually, Ahsoka prevailed, but shortly after she would be tested even further, and be forced to fight her men. It's only thanks to her unconventional training from Anakin Skywalker that she survived.

In a situation that was supposed to be one of celebration with the capture of Darth Maul, Ahsoka faced even more conflict. Order 66 was called while Ahsoka and Rex were on the Venator-class Star Destroyer Tribunal. Rex and all the other clones turned against Ahsoka, but apart from the initial two on the bridge, Ahsoka refused to kill any of the soldiers. This showed the compassion she had learned from the other Jedi she had served under like Plo Koon and Tera Sinube. She and Rex stunned as many men as they could, before eventually escaping in a Y-Wing. It's here where Ahsoka proved that she was the perfect vision of what a Jedi should be, attempting to preserve as much life as possible.

These Two Battles Signify Ahsoka's Growth

Across the many battles of the Clone Wars, the Battle and Ryloth and the Siege of Mandalore are the two most important in Ahsoka's life. The Battle of Ryloth gave Ahsoka her first test of command, and while she initially wasted the lives of her men, it forced her to consider the cost of war and to remember that her soldiers weren't blessed with the Force. By the end of the space battle, she gained a better understanding of how she should conduct herself as a leader, and that she should value the lives of the men who trusted her. This pivotal moment also reflected a real-world change, as it was then that fans began to look at Ahsoka as less of a cocky and annoying character, and she started to become a fan favorite.

By the time the Siege of Mandalore came, Ahsoka had demonstrated her proficiency as a warrior. She could hold her own against skilled saberists such as General Grievous after previously struggling, and taking on dangerous assignments like at the Separatist prison, the Citadel. Most importantly, she had earned the trust of her men, visually represented when some of the clones under her command painted her facial markings on their helmets, to signify that they were part of Ahsoka's unit, the 332nd Division. This was them honoring that Ahsoka had been alongside them in their toughest battles, leading from the front. Ahsoka had become a beloved character by the time the Siege of Mandalore was released, in no small part because of her growth. Fans no longer viewed her as a whiny brat due to the character growth she' received and the battles she had endured.

While the Battle of Ryloth wasn't the first battle Ahsoka found herself in, it was the first battle where she had to reckon with the consequences of her actions. Christophsis and Teth might have been where Ahsoka first experienced the onslaught of Separatist battle droids, but it wasn't until Ryloth that she understood what that truly meant for her fellow clones. It started Ahsoka's journey to becoming a true Jedi, learning important lessons of compassion and patience.

Ahsoka might have been trained to be a warrior during the hardest conflicts that the Clone Wars had to throw at her, but she proved that being a warrior is more than just being good at defeating the enemy. The various hardships that she went through shaped her as a Jedi, and these two battles showcased the two most important struggles that she faced. It's why these were the battles chosen to be shown during the flashback moments.

Ahsoka debuts new episodes on Tuesdays at 9 PM Eastern on Disney+.