Ahsoka Just Brought A Fan-Favorite Character One Step Closer To Canon

After Disney bought Lucasfilm, countless "Star Wars" characters were swept out of the canon and into the vague limbo of the so-called "Legends" timeline. For those who'd followed the Expanded Universe fiction for decades, it was a particularly sad day. Over time, many of the most popular EU characters have slowly been brought back into the fold, with Grand Admiral Thrawn returning in "Star Wars Rebels" and Darth Revan's name being invoked in "The Rise of Skywalker," among others. Still, most of the Legends characters remain relegated to the fringes of the noncanonical Outer Rim.

The first two episodes of "Ahsoka" bring one of those characters a few steps closer to a comeback. The show follows eponymous former Jedi Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in a battle against the mysterious Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), who seeks to bring Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) back from his distant exile. In addition to the two dark Jedi Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) and Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), Elsbeth employs a number of battle droids the likes of which we've never seen in live action.

"Ahsoka" Episode 2 identifies these fearsome soldiers as HK-class assassin droids. If you've played the beloved 2003 video game "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic," you'll be very familiar with that designation. The deadpan assassin droid HK-47 is arguably the most popular character from the entire game, and while "Ahsoka" doesn't bring him back exactly, the series does inch him one step closer to the new canon.

The HK droids in "Ahsoka" aren't exactly the same model as HK-47. Their build is different, their heads are different, and as of yet, they haven't shown anything close to the same aptitude for sarcastic comedy. But even still, their appearance restores the HK class to the main "Star Wars" canon in a big way.

Technically, HK droids have been canon for a few years, as they've been mentioned in a few extraneous "Star Wars" books since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. But "Ahsoka" is the first time that they've been named and shown on screen.

Of course, HK-47 was a droid during the Old Republic era, ages before the events of "Ahsoka." That could explain why the new droids look so different, and it also means that we won't be seeing the fan favorite on Disney+ any time soon. Still, re-canonizing this variety of assassin droids could ultimately lead to HK-47's return. Disney is putting more effort into building out older eras of the "Star Wars" timeline, such as the creation of the Jedi Order, and new stories set in the Old Republic seem inevitable. For now, it's fun just to get a little Easter egg in "Ahsoka." "Knights of the Old Republic" fans will have to cross their fingers that the original HK eventually comes back too.