WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5, "Chapter 13: The Jedi," streaming now on Disney+.
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, "Chapter 13: The Jedi," Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano is found waging war on Corvus, trying to bring down the magistrate, Morgan Elsbeth, who's enslaving citizens to live what seems to be a lavish life while they're stuck in squalor.
However, it's all part of a bigger mission to take down Thrawn's syndicate and find the tyrant once and for all. Interestingly, as Ahsoka goes about the job, eagle-eyed loyalists spotted a key moment where she recreates an iconic scene from her battle with Darth Vader in Star Wars Rebels.
In Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka journeyed to Malachor with fellow rebels Ezra and Kanan to a Sith temple. There, they learned more about the past war between the Jedi Order and the Sith, not knowing Ezra was being manipulated by Darth Maul. It turns out the Dark Side of the Force was reaching out to Ezra as well, with Vader landing on the planet to confront his enemies. He was shocked to see Ezra so in tuned with the darkness and wanted his knowledge on unlocking holocrons, which led to the showdown with Ahsoka.
She tried to reason with Vader, beckoning to Anakin's soul, but soon enough, she realized her former master was gone. It's at this moment she placed her two lightsabers together and drew the hilts away, igniting them as if she were unsheathing the white-hot glowing blades like swords. It was a pretty cool sequence as we didn't usually see such a classy style and elegant aesthetic to sabers being ignited, adding flair to a fight that would end in a stalemate as the temple collapsed.
Years later, Ahsoka performs the move again on Corvus, with many identifying it as a badass signature. As she carries out her crusade in the magistrate's area, Ahsoka is pursued by soldiers and droids. As the droids seek out the former Jedi, she appears behind them in a dark alley and performs the same move, igniting the weapons and cutting them down. It's a nice nod from Rebels showrunner and Ahsoka co-creator Dave Filoni, who directed this episode as well, reminding us how much of an Ahsoka fan he is.
Ahsoka always did show attitude in the field, and this stealthy yet cheeky move goes to the essence of the character, which Filoni has always treated with a degree of bravado. It's something she learned from Anakin, ironically, and we're glad it's finally made its way to the live-action realm.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, with guest stars Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Horatio Sanz and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the second season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.