‘Ahsoka’ Replaces Anakin Skywalker with Hated ‘Star Wars’ Character

Ahsoka is replacing Anakin Skywalker, the most important figure in the entire Star Wars franchise, with a character that fans are already rejecting.

Star Wars has been struggling in recent years, to say the least. Lucasfilm seems to have transformed one of the biggest box office draws in cinematic history into a streaming-only television franchise, and fans have increasingly been vocal against it. Although The Mandalorian initially premiered to massive ratings and critical acclaim, the succeeding shows have not been met with the same enthusiasm, likely because none have the secret weapon that is Grogu, AKA Baby Yoda.

Now, Star Wars fans are beginning to turn against even The Mandalorian, after the last few seasons have drifted away from Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin in favor of highlighting characters like Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). Both characters were co-created by The Clone Wars mastermind Dave Filoni, so it’s no surprise that he would find a way to increasingly dominate Star Wars with his work.

Related: ‘Ahsoka’ Star Breaks Silence After Being “Replaced” for New TV Show

Dave Filoni recently became the new Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm, basically putting the entire Star Wars series into his hands, and it appears that the plan is to remake the franchise in his own image, even to the point of getting rid of Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader himself.

Hayden Christensen has returned to portray Anakin several times in the last few years, first in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series alongside his old co-star Ewan McGregor, and then in Ahsoka to reconnect with his old Padawan from beyond the grave in the World Between Worlds, another Filoni creation.

While fans were overjoyed to see Hayden Christensen return to the role, it very much seems that the plan is to discard Anakin after the Ahsoka episode. Filoni has openly said he has no interest in returning to the character, telling Vanity Fair that his “feeling about Anakin is that George [Lucas] resolved everything about Anakin. I don’t think I have anything to do there. I’m not trying to add anything to that.”

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Is Done With Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker

However, it appears that Ahsoka is looking to replace the role that Anakin Skywalker played in the title character’s life with someone else: Sabine Wren. As portrayed by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, the character has begun training as a Jedi Knight under Ahsoka Tano, but the actress herself makes it clear that she’s basically a new version of Anakin.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo told Vanity Fair, “Part of the reason Ahsoka originally had issues trusting Sabine was because I reminded her so much of her master in some ways, in terms of the internal struggle I was going through.”

Although Sabine Wren was a popular part of Star Wars Rebels and Forces of Destiny (where she was voiced by Tiya Sircar), her live-action counterpart has not had the same warm reception, similar to Ahsoka Tano herself. Many Star Wars fans have been upset by the show’s depiction of her, and it likely won’t help anything to have her basically acting as the new rebellious, hot-tempered fill-in for Anakin.

Do you think Star Wars can ever replace Anakin? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.