A Star Wars Icon Helps With A Sneaky Rebel Assist In Ahsoka Episode 7

This article contains spoilers for "Ahsoka" episode 7, "Dreams and Madness."

"Ahsoka" season 1 aired its penultimate episode on Disney+, and it brought a bonafide "Star Wars" legend along for the ride to help set things straight for Hera Syndulla. Before the title card even comes up, none other than C-3PO shows up in a truly crucial scene. More than a crowd-pleasing cameo from one of the franchise's most enduring characters, this was a meaningful and important appearance from the beloved droid.

The episode opens with Hera being put through an inquiry led by Hamato Xiono regarding her mission to help Ahsoka and Sabine, which was in violation of a direct order. Things were looking rather bleak as Hamato had it out for Hera. Then, in chimed the familiar voice of actor Anthony Daniels, who has been playing C-3PO since 1977, when "A New Hope" hit theaters. He waltzed into the chamber and delivered a message directly from Leia Organa, who has not made an appearance in the flesh in the show but has been a looming presence of sorts at times. The message from Leia absolved Hera of her alleged crimes against the New Republic.

For one, the appearance served as a bit of fan service, as C-3PO has been present in just about every "Star Wars" thing ever at this point. From appearing in every movie, except for "Solo," as well as shows like "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels," he continues to be an anchor for fans of all sorts. For what it's worth, Daniels did tease his return to "Star Wars" earlier this year in an Instagram post. Perhaps this is what he was referring to? Either way, this marks yet another important corner of the franchise he's now touched. But his appearance also solved a problem that's been hanging around from the very beginning.

Sadly, Carrie Fisher passed away in 2016, meaning she would never be able to reprise her role as Leia beyond "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." J.J. Abrams repurposed unused footage of her for "The Rise of Skywalker," which is how Leia was still able to round out the sequel trilogy. Beyond that, though, Lucasfilm has been left with a bit of a dilemma in that department. Could they justify recasting Leia for a show like "Ahsoka," which is set several years after the events of "Return of the Jedi," long before her return in "The Force Awakens" in 2015? Maybe they will one day, but that decision doesn't have to be made just yet, as C-3PO was able to serve as a proxy for Leia for the time being.

The fact of the matter is that Leia was a giant part of the New Republic and a significant figure in this period in the galaxy. She's also one of the most beloved characters in all of "Star Wars." It's impossible to outright ignore her presence in a show like this when she's so intrinsically tied to the New Republic's struggle to gain order in the galaxy against the looming threat of the remnants of the Empire. Writer/producer/director Dave Filoni wisely found a way to address the Leia of it all without having to actually have her on screen.

It makes sense that Leia and Hera would be in close contact at this time. It also makes sense that Leia would be worried about the possible return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. And it's all too appropriate that she would support assisting Ahsoka and Sabine during this challenging time, especially with a sneaky bit of helpful deception. At the same time, she would be incredibly busy and can't be everywhere at once. So it does make sense to have C-3PO stand in for her in this instance. C-3PO has helped her many times before, and he did so once again.

"Ahsoka" returns for its season 1 finale on Tuesday, October 3 on Disney+ at 9pm ET/6pm PT.