Fan service is a common term that gets thrown around whenever people want to criticize a moment in movies or TV for showing a nostalgic moment purely for the moment, so fans can remember what came before. It's a criticism that argues that the moment is just a cheap form of pandering, and is done without any understanding of what made the original moment great. And it's a term that people have used to describe and discredit the Star Wars series Ahsoka, especially Episode 5.

The series as a whole has been criticized as pandering to fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. But just because a moment is put into a show to appeal to fans doesn't mean that it's pointless, worthless, or unnecessary. In the case of the fifth episode of Ahsoka, she needed to go back to face Anakin Skywalker and her past once more, and have some introspection about the journey she's currently on. Sometimes going backward is the only way to go forward, and "Shadow Warrior" proves this.

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Ahsoka Needed to See Anakin Again

Episode 5 of Ahsoka brought Ahsoka into contact with Anakin Skywalker for the first time since she realized that he was Darth Vader in Rebels. She had come to terms with the fact that her master had fallen to the dark side of the Force but hadn't had a chance to confront Force Ghost after Anakin was redeemed. Ahsoka blamed herself for what happened to Anakin and held onto the past. Seeing him again allowed her to face the past and confirm to herself that she wasn't the reason for Anakin's fall, confront the darkness within her and let go of what happened all those years ago. There's a clear difference between Ahsoka's character before and after she fell into the World Between Worlds.

Another reason why Ahsoka needed to see Anakin again was to complete her training. In a conversation with Hera Syndulla, she mentioned that Anakin never got to finish her training. This set up the possibility that Anakin might return in some form to finish Ahsoka's training. While this could have been achieved with Anakin visiting Ahsoka as a Force Ghost, Ahsoka's final lesson wouldn't have had the same impact as seeing Ahsoka in the flesh again, and it was done in a way that called back to Ahsoka's animated roots.

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Ahsoka Needed to Return to Its Animated Roots

Ahsoka is a character that first and foremost originated in animation. In The Clone Wars, fans eventually grew to love Ahsoka, even though she started as being disliked by most of the fanbase. Her journey from an inexperienced teenager to a competent adult has resonated with fans. These stories told in animation formed the basis for Ahsoka's character, and inform many of the choices that she makes in Ahsoka. It makes sense for these defining moments to be shown on screen. And the way this was achieved saw the return of the weirdest place introduced in Rebels, the other series Ahsoka draws most of its story.

If these battles weren't shown or if the World Between Worlds wasn't included, then it might have felt like Ahsoka, the series that owes everything to what's been established in animation, was ignoring what came before. Fans would have felt ignored. That would also mean that Dave Filoni would have to suppress his roots, as he too got his start in animation. So it's only right that both Ahsoka and Filoni got the chance to revisit the shows that helped to pave the way for their success.

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The Clone Wars is Beloved and Fans Wanted it in Live-Action

It's no secret that Star Wars fans love The Clone Wars. Many have been clamoring to see Captain Rex and their favorite battles in live-action, and it's because fans want to relive the moment again. And it's something that the creatives at Lucasfilm are well aware of, so, unsurprisingly, they want to capitalize on it. But it's not pandering in the soulless corporate kind of way, misunderstanding the moment it's showing, it's done with passion and energy because the era means a lot to the creative team behind Ahsoka as well. And the fan reaction to the live-action sequence shows this is true. These flashbacks show what The Clone Wars means to people.

The two battles that appeared, the Battle of Ryloth and the Siege of Mandalore, are incredibly popular. But they also serve to illustrate key points in Ahsoka's life. The Battle of Ryloth is the first fully realized planetary invasion in the show, and is where Ahsoka learns the cost of leadership. The Siege of Mandalore holds an ever higher place in the hearts of fans of The Clone Wars. With Mandalore now appearing in live-action, and The Mandalorian showing the extravagant styles of Mandalorians, it's unsurprising that showing the Siege of Mandalore is one of the go-to moments, but it also illustrates Ahsoka's character. It was the culmination of her arc in the series, and the culmination of The Clone Wars as a whole. If any other battles were picked, the meaning would be lost. But Filoni understands which battles will serve Ahsoka's character, and didn't pick any random ones to get a cheap reaction from fans.

Fan service and nostalgia are powerful tools in any writer's arsenal, especially when they're creating shows and films in a long-running franchise. It's something that can be used for both good and for bad. The way the term is used in film discourse only represents the bad half of that. But this forgets the times were fan service helps to drive a character forward, pay homage to where the character came from, and how much the moment was earned. Ahsoka's fifth episode features several moments that are used to evoke nostalgia and moments that will shock audiences as they view what's unfolding. But it's done to propel Ahsoka's character forward, have her reborn after her defeat at Baylan's hands and concludes her training. The Clone Wars flashbacks are ones that are earned from 15 years of storytelling, done in a setting taken from Rebels, which itself took four years to conclude. And all of this is done with creatives who truly understand what both mean to fans, resulting in a satisfying episode for everyone to enjoy.