The future has many paths – choose wisely.
Upon returning from a successful mission, the Jedi Council praises Ahsoka for the skill and courage she's shown. Anakin is sent away to stop a Civil War, and Ahsoka is ordered to stay at the Temple, the Council requiring a full report of her mission. However, things change when Ahsoka begins to have visions of the future, visions showing her that Padmé Amidala is in grave danger...
Tropes:
- Air-Vent Passageway: Aurra Sing takes to the vents twice while attempting to assassinate Padmé.
- Anachronic Order: This episode is set after "Lethal Trackdown" (2:22), but also takes place before "Hostage Crisis" (1:22).
- Big Ego, Hidden Depths: This is one of the few times when Ahsoka shows just how insecure of her own abilities she is and how her overconfident and snippy personality is just a façade.
- Body Double: Ahsoka has a BD-3000 luxury droid in a heavy cloak attend the conference as Padmé's stand-in so she'll be out of danger, broadcasting her speech through the droid. Unfortunately, Aurra sees through the deception and attacks Padmé in her quarters anyways.
- Call-Forward: Ahsoka has nightmares about Padme and goes to tell Yoda about them, is what her master would later do in Revenge of the Sith, though unlike Anakin, Ahsoka tells the full truth to Yoda, allowing them to work through the problem more efficiently.
- Civil War: Anakin is sent to deal with one on Balith.
- Cold Sniper: Aurra Sing is this.
- Continuity Porn: There are so many Call-Backs and Forwards in this one episode that it certainly qualifies:
- In "Downfall of a Droid", Anakin told Ahsoka that first hand experience is the best teacher. She tries to convince Anakin to let her go with him by recounting this lesson to him.
- Bannamu's picture from "Lightsaber Lost" appears in the library scene when Ahsoka is looking over the profiles of various criminals.
- Ahsoka and Padmé play dejarik. Afterward, Padmé recounts how insecure she felt early on during her reign as Queen before she Took a Level in Badass.
- When Padmé's ship arrives on Alderaan, Leia's theme is played.
- The Alderaanian guards have the same helmets as those of the Alderaanian Consular Security troopers in A New Hope and the Rebel soldiers (in Alderaanian uniforms) on Yavin 4 and the Profundity in both Rogue One and A New Hope.
- Alderaanian women are seen dressed in outfits and hairstyles reminiscent of Princess Leia's classic appearance.
- In her speech at the conference, Padmé recounts the events of the invasion of Naboo, including the death of Qui-Gon Jinn.
- After Ahsoka foils her second attempt on Padmé's life, Aurra Sing recognizes her as the "brat who left her for dead" in "Lethal Trackdown" and explains that she survived because Hondo Ohnaka rescued her.
- Aurra's employer turns out to be Ziro the Hutt, wanting revenge against Padmé for putting him in prison for his crimes in the pilot movie.
- Cool Big Sis: Padmé acts like this towards Ahsoka.
- Damsel out of Distress: Continuing her role, Padmé is prepared for an assassination attempt by hiding a blaster in her arm sling.
- Designated Girl Fight: After "Lethal Trackdown" teased us with it, Ahsoka and Aurra finally get their own showdown.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Ahsoka's first visions of the assassination attempt come in the form of dreams.
- Dream Within a Dream: On Padmé's ship, Ahsoka has a dream of herself being watched in her sleep and awakened by Aurra Sing.
- Fanservice: There are a couple of inexcuseable shots of Aurra's butt and Ahsoka bending over while talking with Padmé on the balcony of the Alderaan castle.
- Foregone Conclusion: As Padmé appears in Revenge of the Sith, she will not be assassinated in this episode.
- Guns Akimbo: At the end, Aurra uses two blaster pistols against Ahsoka and injures her with them.
- In the Hood: The BD droid that stands in for Padmé is disguised by a large cloak in this fashion.
- Loose Lips: Ziro, after Ahsoka lies to him that Aurra has confessed to being hired by him, accidentally blubbers out this line:Ziro: She told you what? Impossible. I should've hired someone better. Oops...
- Neck Lift: In Ahsoka's first vision, she's on the receiving end of one from Aurra.
- Neck Snap: Aurra kills a Senate Commando this way before her first attempt on Padmé's life.
- Not Quite Dead: Aurra was presumed to have been killed when she crashed with Slave 1 in "Lethal Trackdown". In this episode, she's revealed to be very much alive.
- One-Word Title: "Assassin".
- Only a Flesh Wound: Both Padmé and Ahsoka's wounds.
- Shout-Out: The black markings around Aurra's eyes are very similar to the ones painted around the eyes of Daryl Hannah's character in Blade Runner.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Subverted. While it's easy to guess the nature of Ahsoka's plan, it isn't revealed to the audience... until midway through the speech, when the camera suddenly pans across to confirm that, no, that's not actually Padmé. This acts as Five-Second Foreshadowing to Ahsoka realising that the plan hasn't actually worked.
- You Cannot Kill An Idea: Played with and invoked. Everyone assumes Aurra was hired for the assassination because someone wants to silence the peace activists. After the first failed attempt, Padmé gives a speech about how futile it is because even if they manage to "strike my voice down, a chorus of thousands shall rise up in its place". However, as it turns out, Aurra's employer has a much simpler reason.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Ahsoka's visions play out exactly as she pictured them, with Ahsoka arriving too late to stop Aurra from shooting Padmé, and the senator collapsing to the floor. However, Ahsoka is able to use the Force to throw off Aurra's aim at the last second, meaning Padmé only sustains a flesh wound.
