Star Wars: The Clone Wars Ending EXPLAINED

Of course, that's not all the episode included. After that haunting shot of Ahsoka watching over the clones' graves, we flash forward an undisclosed amount of time into the future, where Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, is investigating the remnants of the crash. He stumbles to the gravesite, and finds Ahsoka's lightsaber, igniting the blue crystal he had installed in his padawan's old weapon, which is significant for a whole host of reasons.

Before Season 7 came around, fans had pondered why Ahsoka's lightsabers had been changed from green to blue - especially since it contradicted the Ahsoka novel, which took place after the Siege of Mandalore. Dave Filoni explained the other week why they were changed to blue, and with this scene in mind, it makes perfect sense.

"As far as the story goes, I wanted to show a clear connection between the master and apprentice relationship... [Anakin] tinkering with her lightsabers while she's gone shows that he was always thinking of her... His changing of the colour can also be seen as him exerting control, or being too protective, which is very Anakin. He means well, but often takes things too far when trying to express how he feels. Changing the sabers, modifying them, improving them, shows his care, but also his ego - something that Ahsoka is familiar with. So the simple adjustment of the lightsaber colour serves as many aspects of the relationship between the two characters."

That in mind, the whole scene is made even more tragic. Even though we can't see underneath Vader's helmet, the way he lingers on the lightsaber before taking it away screams pure anguish. It's a memory of the man he once was and the padawan he'd once taught; both seemingly lost along with the Republic.

Immediately afterwards, we get this gorgeous shot of Vader's reflection in the visor of a weathered clone trooper helmet. It's the perfect visual motif to illustrate the transition from the prequels into the Original Trilogy, and of Anakin's fall - while the act of taking Ahsoka's lightsaber shows that he's still there, waiting one day to finally bring balance to the Force.

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