This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike movies like Ahsoka would not exist.
Ahsoka Tano, the Torgruta Jedi, who we were introduced to in Clone Wars has her own show now streaming on Disney+. For those not familiar with Ahsoka, you might be wondering why she has her show and what it has to do with Star Wars. Hopefully, I can break it down to you in two ways: For those familiar with the character and for those who have not followed her adventures on The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels.
If you have not watched the Star Wars: Rebels series, Ahsoka will play out as a missing person mystery for you. Ahsoka is looking for two people, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Ezra Bridger. Who are these two and why is she searching for them? That is where the mystery lies for the newcomers. The show does a great job of giving the audience bits and pieces as to the importance of these characters and why they must be found. In looking for them, Ahsoka reunites with friends from the past to get the help she needs in finding them.
The search is not going to be an easy one as there are two sith, always two, that are also looking for one of the missing people. The two Sith are Baylan Skol, played by the late Ray Stevenson, and his apprentice, Shin Hati, played by Ivanna Sakhno. In the two-episode premiere, we see how Baylan and Shin, release from custody Morgan Elsbeth, played by Diana Lee Inosanto. Morgan was introduced along with the live version of Ahsoka in the second season of The Mandalorian. Why did they break her out of her captivity and what key does she have in finding Grand Admiral Thrawn? These are questions that will be revealed as the show progresses but it is also this slow burn that pulls you into the story.
For newcomers, the show is a great throwback to the original trilogy of Star Wars. There is some great action and corny dialogue here and there but the adventure is the draw for the audience. Just like we did not know what was going to happen to Luke Skywalker when he left Tatooine, we kept watching because we wanted to know what was next! Ahsoka gives us that same feeling and you will want to watch each episode to see what’s next!
I do recommend you watch all 74 episodes of Star Wars: Rebels to get immersed in the world that Ahsoka is building.
Now, for those of you that watched Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka feels like a homecoming. This is a continuation of Rebels and you kind of know that was happening from “The Jedi” episode in The Mandalorian season 2. Ahsoka is continuing her mission to find Ezra and stop Grand Admiral Thrawn from rebuilding the Empire and starting another war. Yes, this is a live-action version of Rebels, but it is so much more than that. The show starts a few years after the last episode of Rebels and we are given an opening crawl that updates us on what has been happening.
I will say that is it fantastic seeing a live version of our favorite animated characters on the screen. We received a glimpse of Zeb in The Mandalorian season 3 and now to have the rest of the crew is amazing. It is also fantastic to see locations we are familiar with on the screen again. Just watching Sabine, played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, take the road out of Lothal brought back a lot of memories. Even seeing the tower gave me chills. With all of the visuals aside the show does a great job of giving the audience some fan service but not too much.
Whereas Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati were not mentioned in the animated show, it is interesting to see how they fit into the storyline. We see that they are after the same thing as Ahsoka and it all becomes a race to see who can find it first. The action sequences in the first two episodes are incredible and we know that as the season continues they will hopefully outdo what we see every week. The first episode does a great job of revealing what the story is about and ends with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger.
If Ahsoka is just a continuation of Star Wars: Rebels I am here for it! If Ahsoka, is its own thing, I am here for that too. I just want this series to give us a continuation of the character Ahsoka and show us how she has grown from when we first met her many years ago in The Clone Wars. By walking away from her past with Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka could be the great show that we all want it to be.
Set after the fall of the Empire, “Star Wars: Ahsoka” follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.