Star Wars: The Clone Wars freshens up Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker dialogue from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The eleventh episode of season 7, “Part III: Shattered”, continues to overlap with the events of the third prequel film. Anakin’s fall to the dark side and the command of Order 66 are well underway, meaning the formation of the Empire is imminent. This time the narrative is told largely from Ahsoka Tano’s perspective, who gives a new account of the events. Through a Force vision, she is made aware of her former master’s turn, where she hears a very familiar sentence with a twist.
The Siege of Mandalore is over after a hard-fought battle between the Republic and the Shadow Collective. Darth Maul and his forces are in custody and are set to be tried by the Jedi Council. Ahsoka, Commander Rex, and their clone companions depart for Coruscant to deliver the Sith Lord. All appears well on their voyage, but there is a sense of unease throughout the scene. The message from Darth Sidious arrives moments later, officially commencing the Jedi purge, which Ahsoka narrowly survives. She senses something through the Force just before it happens, alerting her that Anakin is in a dire situation.
As she stands on the bridge of the Republic capital ship, she hears the voices of Mace Windu, Chancellor Palpatine, and Anakin. Longtime Star Wars fans know this is the scene where Palpatine reveals himself as Darth Sidious, kills Windu, and takes Anakin under his wing as Darth Vader. The dialogue is ripped straight from Revenge of the Sith, for the most part, until it gets to “What have I done?” Hayden Christensen originally uttered this line in episode III, however, The Clone Wars altered it for the end of season 7. Matt Lanter, the voice actor for Anakin in the show, took over for a quick moment to redub the line.
Using Lanter ties The Clone Wars closer to the prequel trilogy with more than simple story beats. It serves as a reminder that the two different Anakin performances are the same regarding their journey to the dark side. Ahsoka also wasn’t seen in Revenge of the Sith (although she was present in one of its scenes), so connecting her to Christensen’s version wouldn’t be as emotionally resonant. Immediately after he said, “What have I done?“, she recognized the voice as belonging to Anakin. She formed a tight bond with Lanter’s rendition, even attempting to speak with him before his downfall.
Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader did not only affect him but those closest to him as well. Obi-Wan Kenobi fought him to the (presumed) death on Mustafar and Padme watched as the love of her life descended into a tyrant. Ahsoka was not free from such pain, seeing her former master lose his way and become a Sith Lord. It will be even more heartbreaking when the time comes for their duel in Star Wars: Rebels, which The Clone Wars is setting up.
