Heartwarming / Ahsoka

In General

• Not only has Sabine made the communications tower on Lothal her home, she's since adopted a pet loth-cat that she's clearly fond of. Try not to smile whenever she interacts with the little furball.

Season One

Part One: Master and Apprentice

• Ryder (who has resumed the governorship of Lothal after the death of Pryce) does his best to make sure the efforts of the Ghost family in leading the Liberation are not forgotten. He holds an annual ceremony and specifically commemorates Ezra, the boy who gave everyone hope and who everyone from smugglers to ex-Imperials to his adopted family rallied behind to save Lothal. The iconic painting of the Ghost family is also revealed to have been commissioned by Ryder for this specific anniversary. Ungrateful, Lothal is not.
• Ezra admits in his holographic recording that Sabine had become a surrogate sister to him during their time together.

Part Two: Toil and Trouble

• There's a tiny bit of Fridge Heartwarming in Sabine and Huyang's conversation at the hospital. Yes, he's incredibly blunt (therefore hurtful) in outright stating that her aptitude with the Force is dismal compared to every other Padawan he's ever met, but notice: Huyang never, not for one second questions if Sabine is a Padawan or if she's worthy of becoming a Jedi. He implicitly treats it as a fact that she is, the only question being if she continues her training - which he also, just as bluntly, encourages her to do.
  • And she finally does. She dons her armor and meditates in front of her helmet. She is a Child of Two Worlds, born to the Mandalorians and adopted by Kanan and Ahsoka. And She's Back.
• Hera gives Sabine a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech. When Sabine retorts that she should be telling this to Ahsoka, Hera says she does but notes that right then Sabine is the one who needs to hear it. Hera remains the adoptive mother to Sabine after all these years.

Part Three: Time to Fly

• Ahsoka might not be the most nurturing teacher, but she's displeased when she learns Huyang told Sabine that she was the worst Padawan he'd met in his long life.
• Jacen Syndulla's live action debut. Not only is he clearly close to his mother and Chopper, he idolizes the Jedi and considers Sabine an Honorary Aunt.
• Ahsoka and Sabine initially struggle to work together against Shin and Marrok's fighter squadron. Their teamwork vastly improves once Ahsoka stops trying to control Sabine's actions and instead asks her "What do you need?"

Part Four: Fallen Jedi

• When Ahsoka and Sabine prepare to confront Morgan's army, Huyang asks them to stick together since that's always been how they worked best. At the end of the episode, in his distress, Huyang also actually refers to the women by their first names. He's been a hardass on Sabine in particular and has gotten on Ahsoka's nerves, but he truly does care about them as his friends.
• Hera leads a small offshoot of rebels to go take down the Eye, Hamato Xiono and the Senate be damned. One of her recruits is none other than Carson Teva, always ready to help fight the good fight regardless of the rules.
• Baylan is seemingly completely honest to Sabine about being willing to help her reunite with Ezra once she gives him the map. When Shin tries to choke her out of petty spite (or assuming her master was lying), he scolds her to let go, insisting he is truly going to keep his word to Sabine.
• Ahsoka and Anakin finally reuniting in the World Between Worlds after having spent so much time apart. The last time Ahsoka has ever spoken to Anakin (not counting the time she confronted him as Darth Vader) was The Clone Wars season 7 episode "Old Friends Not Forgotten". Seeing Ahsoka smiling right before the episode ends on a cliffhanger says it all.
  Hello, Snips.

Part Five: Shadow Warrior

• Hera and Jacen connecting with one another as they listen to the waves and Hera hears what Jacen hears: the sound of clashing lightsabers. With renewed hope that they can find Ahsoka and Sabine, Hera makes sure to let Jacen know that she's proud of him.
• Carson mentions that Leia is currently busy defending Hera's actions to the New Republic Senate.
• In the flashback to the early days of the Clone Wars, Ahsoka lays a comforting hand on the hand of an injured trooper. The trooper then lays his other hand on hers, returning the feeling and giving her some comfort in return.
• It's kind of funny considering it's Chopper, but seeing him play a game of chase with Jacen shows that his close bond with Hera definitely extends to her son.
  • The fact that Chopper, the grouchiest^note and second most homicidal astromech in existence, is just as sweet and kind with Jacen as he was with Hera in her youth. When Hera tells Jacen to get down and he hides behind Chopper, the droid shields the young Syndulla with his body without hesitation.
• Ahsoka promises Hera that she'll find "them". As in, not just Sabine, but Ezra as well.
• When a just-recovered Ahsoka comes out of the ship to see Jacen, Hera, and Chopper, Jacen runs up to hug her upon noticing her to be alive and well. After their hug, she then tells him that she owes him her thanks.
• While Anakin's further teaching varies between brusque, mysterious, and at points nightmarish, dropping Ahsoka into PTSD inducing flashbacks of the Clone Wars and outright attacking her as Vader, he is genuinely pleased to see her and they banter back and forth, and the whole point of the at times harsh lesson is to get her to overcome her guilt and baggage - which she does.
  • When Ahsoka seems about to kill Vader with his own lightsaber, we see a flicker of genuine fear/concern slip from behind the mask of 'Vader' for just a moment. . .but when she throws away the lightsaber (just as Luke did) and chooses to live, Vader sags. . . .and opens his eyes to reveal a very relieved Anakin, who gives Ahsoka one of his wry half-grins. The pride in his voice is palpable.
    Anakin: There's hope for you yet.
  • There's also something heartening to see about the fact that in his afterlife, Anakin has finally come to terms with his mixed legacies—both the good of his glories and sacrifices as a Jedi Knight, as well as the sheer horrors and evils he committed as Vader. Even his invocation of his Vader persona seems less about the Dark Side still at risk of corrupting him and more something he is willingly using as a cautionary tale for Ahsoka. Honestly, this is the most psychologically stable he has ever been compared to his whole life.
    Anakin: Ahsoka, within you will be everything I am. All the knowledge I possess. Just as I inherited knowledge from my Master and he from his. You're part of a legacy.
    Ahsoka: But my part of that legacy is one of death and war.
    Anakin: But you're more than that, because I'm more than that.
  • Indeed the fact that not only is he proud of how Ahsoka grew during the Clone Wars but that there's still some of the old challenge seeking Anakin present, especially in how he looks around the Siege of Mandalore vision as if longing to have been present.
• The implication that the final lesson Anakin has for Ahsoka was inspired by Luke, and that he was guiding her to make the same decision of throwing away her lightsaber. This shows that Anakin sees Luke as the new ideal for what a Jedi should be, which is probably the highest level of esteem one could get from The Chosen One.

Part Six: Far, Far Away

• When Sabine goes to seek Ezra on Peridea, she is given a mount, a horse-sized, wolf-like creature called a "howler." The creature acts like a scolded puppy after Sabine berates it for running away during her fight, and whines and shuffles along behind her until making happy eyes and pants when she forgives it and rubs its muzzle.
• Sabine's long awaited Big Damn Reunion with Ezra Bridger. After losing her entire family to Gideon's Mandalorian Purge and then seemingly had to watch her Jedi master fall, it's refreshing to see Sabine finally smile upon finding her long-lost friend still alive after fearing the worst. When Ezra demands to know how she managed to find him, Sabine just wants to take a breather and catch him up before filling him in on Thrawn's plan.
  • What's more, Ezra's very first line in the show is, "I knew I could count on you," in a call-back to his message to Sabine in the Rebels Finale. Even after a decade apart, he never lost faith that she would find her way to him.

Part Seven: Dreams and Madness

• Mon Mothma seems genuinely happy to see Threepio when he shows up at Hera's hearing.
• Leia shows how much she trusts Hera by sending Threepio with a message that retroactively authorizes Hera's rogue mission (while also sticking it to Xiono). And Mothma shows how much she respects Leia by going with it and ending the hearing.
• The fact that Anakin made a series of hologram to impart his teachings to Ahsoka, the last one stating while he may not always be there to fight at her side, he know she can do it. Ahsoka bows to the image of her master, who bows in return before deactivating. Ahsoka lets a curious Huyang know Anakin recorded over twenty of these lessons for her. The fact that she kept them, even after learning who Anakin became after the Clone Wars, speaks volumes. Her words to Huyang and her tone indicate she finally made her peace with the memory of Anakin Skywalker:
  Ahsoka: He was a good master.
• Despite the struggles they've had with one another Ahsoka and Sabine are able to connect with one another through the Force. Cementing their master and apprentice relationship. As well as proving that Ahsoka was right, that Sabine can connect with the Force.
• Ahsoka asks the outmatched Shin to put away her lightsaber before offering to help her, hoping for a chance to redeem the Dark Jedi and bring her to the light. Shin chooses to retreat instead, but points for trying.
• While she may have spent the prior episodes trying to get Sabine comfortable with the possibility that they may need to abandon Ezra to prevent Thrawn's return, Ahsoka still never lost the hope that Ezra could be found, and her Big Damn Reunion with him is just as heartfelt as Sabine's was in the previous episode.
  Sabine: I thought you are dead.
  Ahsoka: And miss this reunion? (turns around to Ezra and gives him a hug)
• Ezra has been stuck on Peridea for ten years. Upon seeing Ahsoka's ship, he has but one thing to say:
  Ezra: Guys, I'm getting a feeling. Think I might be going home after all.

Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord

• Huyang gifting Ezra the same type of emitter Kanan used in his lightsaber, feeling it appropriate that his only spare should be given to the apprentice of the man who had the first one.
• Ahsoka embraces one of the greatest lessons Anakin could teach her. He always stood by her, no matter what. And now she will do the same for her own student.
• Hera and Ezra reunite. In addition, it was Chopper who seemed to sense who was in that armor first, and goes over and gets a friendly pat from Ezra like a beloved pet. When Ezra takes off his helmet, Hera has to ask if it's really him, both out of disbelief and out of his changed, aged appearance since she last saw him. Ezra has a very, very light "Hi, Hera" that is obviously a stand-in for "Hi, Mom".
  • The final shot of the two of them is a wide shot, with the Ghost filling the screen beside them.
• The final shot of Anakin’s Force ghost, smiling with approval at Ahsoka like he did to Luke in Return of the Jedi. He is finally at peace.