It’s finally come. The episode we’ve all been waiting for: adult Ahsoka dusting off her lightsabers and kicking some serious ass.

“The Future of the Force”, besides having one of the most heart-pounding titles of any Rebels or Clone Wars episode ever, is the most pleasing episode of the season so far. Not only are we treated to Ahsoka, a fan favorite character whose connection to Darth Vader is tantalizing (to put it mildly), putting her sword-slinging skills to bear against her former master’s lackeys, fans are also treated to a delicious glimpse at perhaps how Inquisitors came into existence.

Ahsoka discovers a bit of information emanating from Mustafar (“Where Jedi Go To Die” according to Kanan and fans who remember Anakin’s fall) tasks Kanan and Ezra to head off Vader’s Inquisitors on Ithor. The Rebels quickly discover that the Inquisitors came to Ithor in search of a child. But not just any child. A child with a connection to the Force.

In Clone Wars, Ahsoka and Anakin foiled a plot to capture Force-sensitive children and to bring them to Mustafar. It seems Palpatine never let that little side project go. This, of course, raises all sorts of questions about the Emperor’s plans. The Inquisitors we’ve seen so far are all well into adulthood, much older than the Empire itself. Could Palpatine have been training Force-sensitive children on Mustafar since before the fall of the Republic? The implications are astounding. What could Palpatine want with an army of dark siders? It’s important to note that these Inquisitors are not Sith. Of the Sith, only two there are at any given time, a master and an apprentice. More interestingly, how might this contingent of dark side adepts play into the events of The Force Awakens? Could this corruption of the Sith way be responsible for Kylo Ren and his ilk decades after the supposed end of the Sith in ROTJ? “The Future of the Force” indeed.

More questions than answers this episode, but they are the best kind of questions. Questions that start the wheels turning. Regardless of questions unanswered, Ahsoka is given a juicy opportunity to put her considerable power to the test. And she does not disappoint.

Her white blades, flicking to and fro in a tighter, more controlled style than anything seen during the Clone Wars, signify her neutrality in the ancient conflict between the Sith and the Jedi. Simple color symbolism (red = bad, blue = good) is, whether we like it or not, a rule of this galaxy. I appreciate a more nuanced view of lightsaber color, that, say, a Jedi could use a red lightsaber if he or she so chose, but the Star Wars universe in general plays with simpler tools. Anyway, Ahsoka brings her knowledge of the Force to bear on the Seventh Sister, too, kneeling in a brief and effective meditation before launching a Force blast, demonstrating her advanced understanding of the Force itself.

Let’s forget the babies, the most obvious meaning of “future” in “Future of the Force”, for a second. Could Ahsoka be the future in question? A middle way between light and dark? An more complete understanding and appreciation for a Force that pushes beyond light and dark?

It’s questions like these that keep me coming back to Star Wars. Long has Star Wars operated in a black and white morality, at least as far as the films are concerned, but now we’re given the opportunity to engage with Ahsoka’s philosophy, neither Jedi or Sith. At least a little bit.

Crazy action, thought-provoking Force talk, and even a few laughs. (There’s just something about Kanan being so nonchalant about Zeb carrying him. It tickles me) This episode has it all, and it leaves this Star Wars fan aching for the next one!

Delve deeper into this week’s badassery with Rebels Recon!