Dave Filoni Teases Anakin Skywalker's Future in "More of an Ob-Wan Role" and Hayden Christensen Talks Darth Vader's Return

Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Davie Filoni and Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen recently talked about the return of Anakin / Darth Vader in the Ahsoka series and teased the character’s future in the franchise.

It was really cool to see Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader reunite with Ahsoka Tano in live-action. It was something that I never thought that we’d see, and it was a great moment in the series. It’s believed that the two characters reunited in the World Between Worlds. But, the location was never confirmed so fans were left to interpret whether they had actually reunited in the afterlife or simply imagined him during a near-death experience following her clash with Baylan Skoll.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, Filoni talked about why he chose to further explore the relationship between the two characters in the Ahsoka series, saying:

"While I had introduced in Rebels the idea that she came to understand that Anakin had become Darth Vader, I never really dealt with the fallout from that. How does that affect somebody when a person that they really admire and looked up to turned out not to be the person they thought they were? Are we all just capable of a fall from grace? And what is forgiveness? What shape does that look like? Did I take the good parts of this person with me as well as the bad, or am I just the good? I thought there were a lot of interesting challenges for her.

He then went on to tease the future of the character in the franchise and described Anakin’s place in the story in more an Obi-Wan role:

"My feeling about Anakin is that George resolved everything about Anakin. I don’t think I have anything to do there. I’m not trying to add anything to that. Everything Anakin’s involved with is about her. It’s about her point of view on Anakin. It’s about what Anakin taught her. He’s there in more of an Obi-Wan role that we saw in the old movies."

Hayden Christensen also played coy while sharing his thoughts on the Anakin and Ahsoka reunion, saying:

"That’s the beauty of how the episode is constructed, in my opinion. Inevitably, the audience has to question what it is they’re watching. Is this really the World Between Worlds? What is the World Between Worlds? Is this actually the spirit of Anakin Skywalker, or is this all in Ahsoka’s subconscious and we’re just going down the yellow brick road as she’s drowning and fighting for her life? I think that the episode provides a few really good clues, but it doesn’t spell it out for you.

"There’s a lot there to unpack, potentially. I was getting to play a version of this character that I hadn't before, and that was the all-knowing, all-powerful Jedi master who could wield both sides of the force - light and dark - at will, and maybe has the power to save Ahsoka’s life, which also is very interesting because that’s the power that he was trying to achieve when he pledged himself to the dark side."

I personally believe that the two actually did meet because the series ended with Anakin returning as a Force Ghost. For some reason, Filoni was reluctant to confirm or debunk any fan theories but he did confirm that Anakin is with Ahsoka and Sabine Wren on Peridea:

"Anakin...of course he’s there with her. He’s always been there with her, but she just couldn’t see it. She couldn’t feel it. She didn’t know. She had isolated herself and made herself alone because she was afraid."

"He has done a great deal to alleviate that fear in her. And so there’s a moment. I think he’s proud of her in the end. He sees that she’s going to be a better mentor. I debate Force ghosts with people all the time. To me, what they are mainly is inspiration. You have people in your life that I’m sure have inspired you. And you feel that all the time. You feel that when you need it."

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Anakin, and I believe that he will play a key role in wherever the story is headed, especially in regards to the Mortis Gods as they come into play. Things are going to get really interesting with that.