Star Wars: Ahsoka has arrived on Disney+. First Introduced in the animated worlds of Star Wars fifteen years ago, Ahsoka Tano had her live-action debut in 2020 in Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Ahsoka Tano’s story continues in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Let’s take a look at the first two episodes of the show- with some spoilers.
What to Expect
Star Wars: Ahsoka picks up the story of Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice some years after the defeat of the Empire. Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is now working to preserve the relative peace in the galaxy. Doing so mostly on her own alongside her droid companion Professor Huyang (David Tennant).
The start of the show sees Ahsoka on an important quest to prevent the return of the Empire. Searching for access to the location of a missing formerly high-ranking Imperial officer who disappeared at the same time as an old friend of hers. But she’s not the only one on that path.
Will Star Wars audiences who are unfamiliar with the animated series enjoy Star Wars: Ahsoka?
With the possibility of rescuing Ezra Bridger and stopping the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Ahsoka soon finds herself reaching out to old friends for help. Friends that Star Wars animation fans will recognize right away. But what about those unfamiliar with these characters already?
One of the big draws for long-time fans of Star Wars is the continuation of the plotlines and characters last seen in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels. The four-season series aired in October 2014 and ended in March 2018. Many fans of the show are eager to see what’s next for the remaining members of the Ghost crew, but will the show be able to draw in viewers who haven’t seen Rebels?
Ahsoka does do its best to introduce the main characters making the leap from animation to live-action in this series. Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the green Twi’lek Rebel General and pilot, is introduced in her element among her work to build up the New Republic and eliminate any remaining Imperial influence. Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), while only seen in hologram form, gets to introduce himself and explain a bit of his own story via a recording left for Sabine.
Who is Sabine Wren?
Sabine Wren’s (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) introduction to new viewers may be a touch confusing, though. She is referred to as Ahsoka’s former apprentice long before her Mandalorian heritage is made obvious. Sabine did train with a lightsaber- the Darksaber- in Rebels, but her apparent stint as a Jedi Padawan is new information to all viewers. Who she is as a person is handled well with her first appearance being her non-appearance at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Battle of Lothal, though. She is fiercely her own person. Though this Rebels fan does wonder where her love to make things go boom is in this show!
Though Ahsoka does introduce these characters, some of the intricacies of their personalities and relationships may be lost on those who are just meeting them. That may be explored further as the show goes on- such as introducing Hera’s son Jaycen and other vital players in the story of the search for Ezra Bridger. Certainly, Ahsoka will also have to make sure to get across just how serious of a threat Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) is outside of the series’ opening scroll, too.
Star Wars: Rebels Connections
Seasoned Star Wars: Rebels fans will, of course, love seeing these characters again and know exactly what the existing relationships are… mostly. A lot of time has passed for these characters since we last saw them and there’s undoubtedly history there that all viewers are unaware of and will see unfold as the story progresses. There is a balance to be struck between reintroducing these characters too much for new fans while also making sure new viewers are caught up. Ahsoka mostly manages this balance well but does introduce some elements in a slightly out-of-order fashion.
There are certainly many fun Easter eggs and appearances for the Rebels fans that aren’t necessary to enjoy the show, though. Characters, props, and mentions of events from the animated show are abundant- and lots of fun when you spot them!
Ahsoka, Hera, Ezra, and the others all became fan favorites and it is thrilling to see their stories continued with such love. And as a fan of David Tennant, I am pleased that Professor Huyang has a role in this story as well. Fun fact: Did you know that David Tennant’s voice acting in those episodes of Clone Wars earned him his first Emmy?
Interesting new characters
The new characters are also very interesting. Baylan Skol (Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) are exciting additions to the story. Baylan, a Jedi who disappeared at the end of the Clone Wars, has now taken an apprentice. But what exactly is their endgame? Baylan promises Shin “power- such as you’ve never dreamed” should their quest for Thrawn’s return be successful. But what pushed him away from the Order towards the dark side? I’m very interested to learn more about both of their stories.
I hope that in between Ahsoka and Sabine’s quest to find Ezra (and Thrawn), we will continue to get glimpses of how the Empire is still very present despite its seemingly spectacular destruction. The scenes in which Hera and Ahsoka are investigating a shipyard on Corellia provide an interesting groundwork to explore that side of the story. How the Empire so quickly established a status quo that made certain planets and peoples comfortable and profitable, resulting in an unnerving loyalty despite the atrocities it committed elsewhere in the galaxy. Hopefully, this is a thread that Star Wars continues to follow.
Connections to the Force
Sabine’s story does confuse me slightly, but I am interested to see how it develops and perhaps get some more backstory on what happened between Rebels and this show. I’m not certain that the show is insinuating that Sabine is Force sensitive like some might take away from her apparent former position as Ahsoka’s Padawan. Sabine trained with the Darksaber in Star Wars: Rebels and her training may have been a continuation of that.
Kanan Jarrus said in “Trials of the Darksaber”- “The Force resides in all living things, but you have to be open to it.” Sabine may not have the abilities of someone who would’ve been chosen to train as a Jedi in the time before the Empire, but Ahsoka saw something in her. And, perhaps, that something was on a level the former Jedi herself may have been more comfortable teaching than Grogu’s abilities. I’m sure we will learn more as the story develops.
The first two episodes of Ahsoka set up an intriguing story that is sure to bring Ahsoka many challenges. It’s a strong start. I cannot wait to see more!
Note: This review was written during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Temple of Geek fully supports these strikes. And we hope that the AMPTP will provide a fair deal to the actors and writers soon.
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