Ahsoka (2023-Present)

*Premise spoilers. There’s also what might be considered a casting spoiler, but I’m pretty sure everyone has been talking about that one already.*

I wanted to write about this show, because I didn’t want to not talk about it, but I want to start out by saying I wasn’t in a prime position to watch this series. While I met Ahsoka Tano, specifically Rosario Dawson’s interpretation of her, through The Mandalorian and later The Book of Boba Fett, and while I’ve been gradually making my way through The Clone Wars, it’s clear that the show is made for people who are well-acquainted with the animated series, especially Rebels. As such, I was able to enjoy the show a decent amount but could never shake the feeling that it would mean a lot more to me with more Rebels knowledge.

Ahsoka Tano, a Force-sensitive warrior who has a long history with both the Jedi Order and the Rebel Alliance, is chasing down leads about the possible whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawne, a high-ranking imperial official long believed to be dead. But the evidence Ahsoka finds suggests that Thrawne is in hiding somewhere, plotting his return as he rebuilds his forces. With the aid of an old droid from the Jedi Temple and some of her friends from the Rebellion, she dedicates herself to finding and stopping him.

I have enough of a toe in the Star Wars fandom to have a passing familiarity with a lot of the characters on this show. I know the names Thrawne, and Sabine, and Ezra, and Hera, and so on. I know little tidbits about some of the stuff that went on in Rebels. I understand that, for the former rebels, Thrawne is a major enemy, and I know that the double-whammy prospect of both stopping him and finding the long-lost Ezra is huge for them, especially Sabine.

But although I have enough knowledge not to be lost by the lore—and I think the series does a decent job of getting the non-initiated viewer caught up on relevant info—I don’t really have an emotional connection to any of it. I might know a little about Sabine and Hera, but all I feel about them comes from what I see onscreen, and for the most part, I feel like I’ve skipped to the end of the book. That makes it harder for me to be invested in them.

As for Ahsoka herself, I’m in a weird place, investment-wise. It definitely helps that I’ve seen the first three seasons of The Clone Wars now—I’m especially tuned into her as Anakin’s former apprentice. I’ve seen how close they once were, and even though I haven’t made it up to Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side, I can only imagine what a blow that was for Ahsoka. As such, the best parts of the series for me are the scenes that deal with this part of her past. In the present, though, I’m having a hard time reconciling Dawson’s staid performance with the Ahsoka I know from the early seasons of The Clone Wars. Again, a lot has gone down for her since those days, and it’s only natural that she’d be very different now, but because I’m missing that gap, it’s harder for me to connect to it.

I know those are a lot of lukewarm remarks, but there is stuff I really enjoy about the show. The episode that takes a deep dive into Ahsoka’s history is wonderfully done, and I enjoy the dynamic between antagonists Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, new characters for this season. There are a few fun cameos that I wasn’t expectin,g and of the Star Wars alum characters I hadn’t met before, I most enjoyed the tetchy, pedantic droid Huyang.

I don’t think Dawson is as well-served by the script as she could have been, but she does well with what she has—when she’s given a chance to really sink her teeth in, she delivers. It’s hard for me to have much of an opinion on the performances from the Rebels crew, since I don’t know the original characters, but I always appreciate Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress!), and she appears here as Hera. Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno play well off each other as Baylan and Shin, and both also create interesting dynamics with some of our heroes. As the droid Huyang, David Tennant reprises his voice acting role from the animated series—apparently, Huyang was only in a few episodes of The Clone Wars in the later seasons, but his presence adds a lot to this show. (Side note: I’ve decided to hold off on doing Other Doctor Lives reviews for Tennant here. I plan on revisiting the series after I finally get through the rest of The Clone Wars and Rebels, so I’ll review it episode by episode then and we’ll see how my opinions might have changed.) Finally, after thinking Hayden Christensen made a strong return as Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi, he’s excellent here as Anakin. The show works him in in a way that makes sense, and Christensen runs with everything he’s given.

Warnings

Violence, mild language, and thematic elements.