Star Wars: Ahsoka

©2023 Lucasfilm

Fake Jedi

 

A mysterious mercenary named Baylan Skoll first poses as a Jedi and lands with his shuttle on a prison transport of the New Republic. Together with his apprentice Shin Hati (pictured below), he wants to free Lady Morgan Elsbeth, who is in a cell. The deception is immediately exposed.

 

This does not go off without conflict, after all, Elsbeth was previously captured by Jedi Master Ahsoka Tano with good reason. The cold-hearted woman was once known as the Magistrate of Calodan and, together with Grand Admiral Thrawn, a shearer of the Empire.

 

 

Ghost Crew is back

 

Ahsoka Tano is a legendary fighter for good and one of the last known Jedi Masters. She sees it as her duty to find out Thrawn's whereabouts and capture him. The first thing she does is grab the star map needed to do so.

 

Next, she asks her former comrade Hera Syndulla for assistance. The Twi'lek fighter pilot is now a general and pilots her ship "Ghost", which dates back to the time of the rebellion.

 

 

Thieving Sabine

 

However, finding the infamous Grand Admiral does not go so smoothly, because on the one hand the commanders of the New Republic do not believe her that he is still alive, and on the other hand Sabine Wren, of all people, steals the map ball. She used to be Ahsoka's Padawan and a Mandalorian fighter.

 

Sabine (pictured below) doesn't stay in possession of the valuable artefact for long either. Even if one could get the map back, the planet Peridea indicated is in a galaxy far away. How would one ever get there?

 

 

When does the series actually take place?

 

Five years after Return of the Jedi, Lady Ahsoka Tano encountered the Mandalorian Din Djarin alive in hiding. She then goes in search of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Here is the order of all the main Star Wars stories, with some overlapping plots:

 

 

Clone Wars knowledge can't hurt

 

Of all the stories you can pick from the Star Wars universe, Ahsoka is certainly not the most straightforward. Those who have watched the animated series Clone Wars are already at an advantage.

 

There, the young Jedi student was apprenticed to Master Anakin Skywalker, who preferred to call her "Snips". Before that, she had discovered Master Plo Koon on Shili, the home of her people Togruta. In a flashback, she is seen as a Padawan in the wars.

 

 

In a galaxy far away

 

Some might doubt that a facility could enable fast travel between galaxies. There are also a few other obscure things that happen in the series. However, since Star Wars is not science fiction but a fairy tale, we move with everything on the unchallengeable bright side of the Force.

 

The name of the hyperspace ring is "the Eye of Sion" and this is possibly reminiscent of the Sith Lord from Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords. This is only one of many references, because Grand Admiral Thrawn is known to fans from both literature and another computer game: Tie Fighter (1994).

 

 

Deathproof Connection

 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Hera) and Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) already starred together in Deathproof in 2007, together with her colleague Tracy Thoms (picture below). Moreover, Mary is married to Ewan McGregor, who famously plays Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Force is strong with them!

 

 

A difficult role

 

Have you noticed? Not only are the five most important characters in the series female, the two leading roles are Togruta and Twi'lek respectively. Rosario Dawson achieves a balancing act that should not be underestimated.

 

Her lead role is based on an animated character in the adolescence of an alien. Now after decades in wars, abandoned by her master and driven into exile, she resumes a feud with an imperial arch-enemy. In doing so, she is single-minded on the one hand, equanimous and without anger on the other. Then, as a Jedi Master, she feels no resentment.

 

To bring this closer to the audience, the directors allow the actress a lot of time in which she appears thoughtful, discusses with the others or searches for words towards her stubborn student.

 

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Visuals and Effects

 

Visually, the series looks dull and sometimes gloomy, which sets it apart from Clone Wars once again. The images shown here were even lightened a little by me, no joke.

 

The starship design and creatures are flawless as always. The battles in space look top-notch, the fights on the ground reveal a lot of details and emotions from clear perspectives. Nice.

 

 

Music and sound

 

Every Star Wars series has its own unique theme. Composer Kevin Kiner was already involved in Clone Wars and Bad Batch and did not make a mistake here. It's rare that you sit up and take notice while watching a series because the music is so brilliant.

 

The sound effects include a few that have never been heard before, plus the familiar iconic sounds of X-wings, Tie fighters and the like.

 

 

Shortcomings

 

Ahsoka's main motivation for pursuing Thrawn so doggedly doesn't come across. According to the story, she is nurturing a decades-old feud, but as a viewer you are not given much explanation about this.

 

The plot is minimal and practically confined to one long journey.

 

Natasha Liu Bordizzo fits her role as Sabine Wren well, but her facial expressions are occasionally odd, as is her general acting. Terribly attractive she certainly is.

 

What succeeded?

 

Faithful to the Star Wars canon

A magical Jedi fascination all of its own

Space chase scenes, laser sword duels and strange creatures

Rosario Dawson plays a tricky role quite well

 

 

Summary

 

Ahsoka creates a fascination all her own despite significant plot deficiencies

 

The first season cannot really be called consistently good, because the pursuit of the missing Grand Admiral of the Empire is not very plausible. At least from the perspective of the New Republic.

 

Nevertheless, I watched every episode with anticipation. This Jedi theme works similarly well as with Obi-Wan Kenobi, because here, too, you wonder what Lady Ahsoka Tano is up to. One suspects that she must have become incredibly powerful if she has survived for so long; and a few scenes compensate us viewers very much.

 

A big plus of the series is the phenomenal music, which this time is quite traditionally orchestral. Lastly, many details that we might know fit in well, for example the Night Sisters. All in all, the miniseries is something for Star Wars fans with a lot of previous knowledge.

 

 

 

Episode list

 

So far there are 8 episodes of this miniseries and a second season is planned.

 

 

 

Mourning for Ray Stevenson

 

Just six months after filming the first season, George Raymond Stevenson passed away at the age of 58 while filming the movie Cassino in Ischia after being hospitalised in Italy for treatment. Thus, sadly, his last role will remain that of Baylan Skoll in Star Wars Ahsoka.

 

 

Actors

 

Several prominent actors appear in the series, such as Clancy Brown as Governor Ryder Azadi (picture below). Not all of them can be recognised, however. Wes Chatham (Amos in "The Expanse"), for example, plays Captain Enoch in a cloaked outfit and "Doctor Who" David Tennant lends his voice to the droid Hyang in English.

 

 

By the way, director Dave Filioni speaks the little droid Chopper in all languages. No wonder, because he limited himself to bleep and beep noises. Well done.

 

 

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