"Old Friends Not Forgotten" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars - Season 7, Episode 9

The battle is going well, but there's still no sign of Maul. And they cannot let him escape if he is on Mandalore. Finally, Rex receives word that some of his troops may have found something. Deep in Mandalore's undercity, Captain Vaughn says that Gar Saxon disappeared into the tunnels. "Let's move in," Ahsoka says.

Meanwhile, Bo-Katan reaches the throne room! With expert skill she quickly defeats Almec, demanding to know the location of Maul. "He wanted you to bring the Jedi here," Almec says. "But you brought the wrong one." Bo-Katan immediately contacts Ahsoka, trying to tell her that she's walking into a trap, but Tano is too deep underground.

Maul's loyal Mandalorians track Ahsoka and the clones in the tunnels -- before finally launching a surprise attack. One by one they pick off the soldiers, leaving Tano alone and, ultimately, surrounded. Then, she hears the cold clack of metallic footsteps.

It is Maul. "I was hoping for Kenobi," he says coldly. "Why are you here?"

While this arc was in early development during the original run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it evolved for the revival, adding new and heartfelt moments such as Anakin returning Ahsoka’s lightsabers with new blue blades.

This episode begins with the classic green “A Lucasfilm Limited Production” card, which was featured on the initial theatrical runs of the original trilogy. The intro also diverts from the traditional Star Wars: The Clone Wars intro by using a red logo, John Williams' main title theme from the films, and an episode title card.

Attention, Star Wars Rebels fans! During the recap, there is a new shot -- featuring a young Caleb Dume standing next to his master, Depa Billaba. Following Order 66, Caleb will change his name to Kanan Jarrus and join up with Hera Syndulla and the Ghost crew to take on the Empire in Star Wars Rebels.

Fulcrum is a codename used by both Saw Gerrera and Ahsoka Tano. Later, the codename becomes a staple within the Rebellion, being employed once more by Ahsoka Tano, Agent Kallus, and Cassian Andor.

Ahsoka has a new Mandalorian-inspired look in this arc, featuring beskar armor plates and the iconic Mandalorian hexagonal shape on her chest.

The Chancellor’s kidnapping is an event referenced in the opening crawl of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: “In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.”

During production, the internal nickname for the red-armored Mandalorians loyal to Maul was “Mauldalorians.”

Mandalorians Gar Saxon and Rook Kast made their first appearance in the Son of Dathomir comic series, which was based on unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Gar would later show up in Star Wars Rebels.

"It's wonderful to see Rex and Ahsoka fighting together again. That feels very familiar. That feels like what it should be." - Dee Bradley Baker ("Rex" and all clones)

"I hope I did it justice, because I just love these characters, and I love Obi-Wan." - James Arnold Taylor ("Obi-Wan Kenobi")

"It was a touching moment when Anakin gave Ahsoka her lightsabers back, and the fact that Anakin is welcoming Ahsoka back with open arms, and he's so excited to have her there. You can definitely tell that that meant so much to Ahsoka." - Ashley Eckstein ("Ahsoka Tano")

"As a general Star Wars fan, pretty much any time a character or sound shows up from the original trilogy, that's whem I'm like, A) this has to be perfect, this has to be the exact same sound, and B) this is super cool, that I'm cutting in R2-D2 beeps right now.'" - Kimberly Patrick (Re-Recording Mixer & Sound Editor)

Yerbana lighting concept by Molly Denmark

Clones lighting concept by Molly Denmark

Ahsoka lighting concept by Molly Denmark

Maul and Ahsoka lighting concept by Molly Denmark