Ahsoka Episode 5 Gives Two Major Star Wars Characters Their Live Action Debut
Contains spoilers for "Ahsoka" Episode 5 — "Part Five: Shadow Warrior"
The last several years of "Star Wars" have seen a slow procession of animated characters be brought to live action. More than a decade of "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" brought tons of new faces to the franchise, many of whom became fan favorites. From Ahsoka Tano herself to Bo-Katan Kryze, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Hera Syndulla, some of those beloved characters have made the jump to the live-action "Star Wars" shows on Disney+, occasionally even being played by their original voice actors.
"Ahsoka" Episode 5 adds two new characters to that list: the stalwart clone commander Captain Rex and the brutal Mandalorian warrior Gar Saxon. Both characters appear in the Clone Wars flashbacks that Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) experiences in the World Between Worlds — the strange Force realm outside of time and space where she reunites with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Neither Gar nor Rex are named, but they're easily identifiable by fans of the animated series due to their distinctive armor.
Captain Rex appears in both Clone Wars flashbacks
If you've seen any of Dave Filoni's animated "Star Wars" universe, you probably both know and love Captain Rex. The de facto clone protagonist of "The Clone Wars," Rex is the leader of the 501st, Anakin's clone battalion for the duration of the war. He manages to survive Order 66 with his autonomy intact and goes on to fight for the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War.
Rex isn't named in "Ahsoka" Episode 5, but he does speak. During the first flashback that Ahsoka experiences, we see him fighting side-by-side with Anakin in a battle on an unknown planet (which is probably Ryloth). Later, he consults with Anakin at a makeshift battlefield camp, likely planning a strategy for the next phase of the campaign. You can tell it's Rex by three details: the plate-like shoulder guard that sets his armor apart from normal clones, his "kama," or armored battle skirt, and the fact that Anakin speaks with him specifically.
Rex appears again in the second flashback, which takes place during the Siege of Mandalore. Fans will remember that Rex technically leads that mission, with Ahsoka accompanying him as a military advisor after leaving the Jedi Order. We hear him speak during the second flashback, and it's the voice of Temuera Morrison, who's played Boba Fett, Jango Fett, and all live-action clones in the modern "Star Wars" era. Dee Bradley Baker voices Rex and the other clones in the animated series, so it's interesting to hear another actor take the helm.
Gar Saxon can be seen during the Siege of Mandalore
Rex isn't the only live-action "Star Wars" debut in the Siege of Mandalore flashback of "Ahsoka" Episode 5. We also see Gar Saxon, a fearsome Mandalorian warrior and a minor villain in both "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels." Like with Rex, we don't see Saxon's face, but his armor gives him away.
As Ahsoka battles Mandalorians with her blue lightsabers — weapons she only ever uses during this particular campaign — there's a shot of Saxon aiming a blaster at her. You can tell him apart from other Mandalorians because of his helmet, which has horns arranged around the top to mimic Darth Maul. Maul is the ruler of Mandalore at the time, albeit from the shadows, and the super commandos loyal to him emblazon their armor with black and red accents in his honor. As the leader of this faction, Saxon takes his devotion one step further by adding the horns as well.
What's curious is that in the "Ahsoka" flashback scene, several of the Mandalorians have the horned helmets. We even see Ahsoka take one down, despite her not defeating Saxon personally in the "Clone Wars" version of the battle. In the animated series, Saxon is the only Mandalorian with that particular armor detail, making this aesthetic decision a bit confusing. Maybe the dream sequence is altering history, turning every Mandalorian Ahsoka fought into a copy of Saxon. Or maybe Dave Filoni just thought it would look cooler in live action if all of the Mandalorians had the horns. Either way, this represents Saxon debuting outside the animated world. He doesn't speak, though, so technically he still hasn't been cast in live action. In the animated shows, he's voiced by the late Ray Stevenson, who plays Baylan Skoll in "Ahsoka."