Anakin’s passcode is a callback to the beginning of The Clone Wars

The passcode Ahsoka uses to unlock an important coded message in this week’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode isn’t just a random series of numbers.

Finding Easter Eggs in Star Wars media is just the kind of challenge long-time fans can’t resist. Some are more obvious than others. And some of these connections between stories are so bittersweet it almost hurts.

In this week’s episode of The Clone Wars, Dave Filoni and his team tried to sneak in a callback just subtle enough that you may have almost missed it.

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Rushing to find out the truth about Fives and what’s happening to the clones, Ahsoka gets help from her old master to unlock a sealed file from Rex.

“Try Anakin’s passcode. 8-1-0-8.”

These aren’t just random numbers — you probably guessed that but were too panicked to figure out what their significance might be. The good news is, the Star Wars community has already figured it out. And the truth is a direct hit to our already aching hearts.

It’s been almost 12 years since The Clone Wars first came to us. Just days away from the end of it all, it only makes sense to look back to where it all began.

August 10, 2008 – 8-10-8 – just happens to be the date the original Clone Wars movie was first released in theaters.

Are you sad yet?

The Clone Wars didn’t get off to a great start. Many fans were skeptical of an animated Star Wars movie geared toward kids. People didn’t care for Ahsoka. The nickname “Skyguy” didn’t seem like it would stick. And to turn the whole thing into a series with multiple seasons? Ridiculous.

And yet here we are, holding on to hope that the finale isn’t really the finale at all and we don’t REALLY have to say goodbye AGAIN to one of the best projects that has ever come out of the Star Wars franchise.

Over the years, the series has had plenty of ups and downs, as all shows do. But it’s 2020. We never thought we would get a seventh season. We never thought we would have to suffer through Order 66 all over again.

But we are, and we’re OK with it. Because if this show proves anything, it’s that stories and characters — and yes, animation too — can all evolve if you just give them time.

Stream Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+.

Imagine if we’d just gotten one movie, one August 10 premiere, and that was it. Star Wars would not be what it is today without seven seasons all leading up to the moments we’re seeing play out in front of us right now.

This callback — a tribute to where it all began — couldn’t have been more perfect.

We’ll save most of our thank-yous to Filoni and Lucas, et al. for after the finale. But it’s hard not to praise even the tiniest details for reminding us how far we’ve come.

What other Easter Eggs have you found in this week’s episode?