Looking to connect live action and animated versions of characters and stories, Ahsoka continues with the expansion of the Star Wars galaxy.
After Disney took over the Star Wars franchise, their projects have had some hits and misses. Some projects like The Mandalorian thrive, while others like The Book of Boba Fett crumble. With Ahsoka, not only is the story high quality, but the attention to detail is awesome.
Seeing Rosario Dawson play the role of Ahsoka once again has been great. Ever since she brought the character to life in The Mandalorian, Dawson seems like she was born to play Ahsoka. Not only does she copy every mannerism Ahsoka had in Rebels, but she has also learned to play out the duels and fight sequences smoothly. She truly gives it her all to portray the character. The show not only gives nostalgia to the original movie fans, but also grabs the attention of other Star Wars shows and prequel fans.
The beginning of this show picks up where Star Wars Rebels ended, with the main character Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray) and Thrawn (voiced by Lars Mikkelsen) being taken away into the unknown by giant whale-like creatures that have the ability to go into hyperspace.
The story takes place in between the movies Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens with the rise of the New Republic. Ahsoka is supported by Sabine Wren (played Natasha Bordizzo) a rebellious Mandalorian (and Ahsoka’s former Padawan) and Hera Syndulla (played by Mary Elisabeth Winstead) a current New Republic General. They are opposed by Morgan Elsbeth, a witch from the Dathmiri clan (played by Diana Lee Inosanto) and the pair of dark Jedi – Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll (played by Ivanna Sakhno and Ray Stevenson).
Ahsoka needs Sabine’s help to be able to open up the artifact to reveal the map, which holds the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn. But she’s not the only one looking for him, so the story gives a feeling of a race to see who gets there first.
We then follow their decisions where the former master and padawan work through thor issues, while being presented with dire situations and cliffhangers in each episode.
Subplots involve Sabine training to tap into the force. In a similar way to Luke, she is trained and taught through both Ahsoka’s mentorship and life or death situations with Shin Hati. Sabine is also more motivated to find Ezra than Thrawn, and we see this struggle between him and the greater good through her decisions.
As much as I enjoyed the series as a whole, something that did feel off was the lead up to Sabine’s connection to the force. In A New Hope, Luke was introduced to the force by Ben Kenobi saying, ”The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” What Kenobi explained was that there is no real source to the force, there may be people who have more of a connection, but ultimately the force is everywhere.
While Luke didn’t have a lot of training before tapping into the Force, he had a strong connection to it. Sabine’s training and use of it felt very rushed. Jedi train for years just to be able to wield the force. Any small movement would be a big accomplishment. Sabine skipped all of those steps, which made it unrealistic (in the Star Wars galaxy) and took me out of the story. Yes, she did train prior to the show’s time, but all during that time not once did she imply to have a connection. She might be a skilled duelist, but she is not a force wielder.
When it came to the lightsaber scenes, I enjoyed them. For me, Jedi fights or close combat in Disney’s Star Wars felt similar to the duel between Obi-wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in A New Hope, clunky and slow. But in Ahsoka, things are starting to look brighter. The strikes and dodges are quick and professional. It gives the idea that Ahsoka along with the rest of the characters have had experience in duels before. Things such as brittle movements when the characters are overpowered, grunts implying the heavy blow they made, and stances giving the rate of the duelist’s stamina make the scenes so much better.
While Thrawn is more like the Emperor, cold and calculating, Baylan Skoll (played the late Ray Stevenson) is no Darth Vader or Darth Maul. While his character was new, he left an impression as a reluctant “villain.” The way his character moved and spoke with others brought a sense of dignity rather than evil. And while there were some internal conflicts within the character, much like Vader and Kylo Ren, Skoll is looking for something larger than himself or even the Empire. He reminded me a bit of Count Dooku, set apart with his own ideals.
Unfortunately, Ray Stevenson passed away on May 21, 2023. It will be hard to continue the story without the character, as Baylan was put in a position in which he would have to be a big part of something. Having implemented the father, son, and daughter ( the embodiments of the force) into the story and having Baylan lead the plot is something that has to happen whether it follows Ahsoka or not. Plus, many fans of the show loved how he portrayed Baylan so having a new actor replace him is going to be difficult as there are big shoes to fill in. For what will be the only season, he did an outstanding job.
Ezra (played by Eman Esfandi) is a character that has already been established. He is the main driver of the plot and is essential to Sabine’s character. For those who watched Star Wars Rebels, they would have been anticipating his appearance to see if his actor did justice to the character. Esfandi knew the values that Ezra Bridger followed and showed them in his performance. He gave a different feeling to what people perceive to be a Jedi. The way Ezra integrated himself into the story made me realize that the plot would not only stretch out into a larger story but that season would be left unfinished.
When Ahsoka was announced with its title and art, I thought that I would see more of a reflection on her life after the Empire due to the world between worlds symbols. I expected to see more of her struggles with PTSD and struggles with herself after fighting wars for most of her life. Especially having to confront her former master as a Sith, had to have done a great deal to her well-being. Finally having a time period where there aren’t two major factions at war led me to believe that there would be more time to rebuild what was broken inside her. Although this wasn’t the focus, Episode 5 encapsulated some of my expectations beautifully with Ahsoka’s encounter with Anakin.
This whole journey our heroes take is a lesson. From patience to failure, the master and apprentice Ahsoka and Sabine picked themselves up for the betterment of the galaxy.
The finale makes it clear that the story is unresolved and that this story’s characters will need more help, most likely from the characters throughout Disney’s other Star Wars shows. This being the connections of characters throughout Star Wars’ various shows. With an Avengers kind of collaboration, there is a rumor that Filoni will make a movie with the characters from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book Of Boba Fett. Having more shows expanding this world will make for a fan packed hype train that will surely rattle the box office.
While there is no concrete assurance on whether Ahsoka will have another season, there is a big chance that it will happen as Disney has been all in when it comes to projects connecting to The Mandalorian.
While there has been no official word from Disney, there have been many rumors about Season 2. Rotten Tomatoes approved critic Josh Wilding stated that Ahsoka’s production has been moved from LA to the UK to work with Pinegrove Studios. For what is expected, Filoni will pick up production since the WGA strikes have been lifted. The show will be delayed, but will probably be released sometime in 2025, if the rumors are correct.
In the end, this show succeeds in planting new characters and conflicts without being forced. I give this show a 7.5 out of 10. While there is much praise for it, it is only a stepping stone into what it will bring for the “Mandoverse.”
