For the ‘Star Wars’ universe, ‘Ahsoka’ opens up a world of new possibilities.
Despite being touted as the “season finale,” “Ahsoka’s” eighth episode actually seemed more like the start of the season. It was like a hyperspace jump from the Disney+ streaming series back into the galaxy where it all started, on the big screen.
Those hoping for anything close to closure were undoubtedly disappointed, but that was never the intended outcome. Instead, “Ahsoka” took on the difficult task of identifying Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, who did a great job portraying him in live-action after voicing him in “Star Wars Rebels”) and establishing him as a serious threat to the New Republic, as seen by his foreboding parting words, “Long live the Empire.”
Nine years to the day after the debut of “Rebels,” the animated series that laid the bulk of the foundation for what Dave Filoni (an architect of Lucasfilm animation) and Jon Favreau have brought to these live-action shows), the finale, coyly subtitled “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord,” debuted.
Naturally, “Rebels” debuted the year before Lucasfilm began production on “The Force Awakens,” the first installment in the most recent “Star Wars” film trilogy. However, after the stand-alone picture “Solo: A Star Wars Story” underperformed at the box office, “Rebels” experienced a sort of paralysis.
Disney, the parent company of Lucasfilm, steered its “Star Wars” projects—including not only “The Mandalorian” but also Ewan McGregor’s comeback as “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which was originally intended for a theatrical release—toward Disney+ in an effort to promote its streaming service.
With “Ahsoka,” in a way, the padawan has transformed into the master because it has established a cast of protagonists and antagonists that offer plenty of chances for what happens next. The only downer is the untimely passing of actor Ray Stevenson, who swiftly elevated Jedi-turned-mercenary Baylan Skoll into an intriguing antagonist. (Despite the digital ruse employed to make characters come back to life, it would be a prudent decision to recast the part.)
The dramatic scene of Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson), Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and Ezra (Eman Esfandi) using lightsabers side by side in a battle against a squad of zombie stormtroopers felt like it broke the old “Ghostbusters” advice not to cross the streams from a cultural perspective.
One of the better staged battle sequences the series created involved Ahsoka and the witch Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) in a prolonged duel.
It was immediately apparent that “Ahsoka” was created to satisfy those objectives and bridge a gap in the “Star Wars” timeline when Lucasfilm revealed that Filoni is set to helm a “Star Wars” picture derived from this region of the galaxy.
Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra rode into battle to try to halt Thrawn’s escape, and she declared, “Let’s try the front door,” with her trademark bravado.
“Star Wars” initially seemed to have misplaced the key to the door leading to the theaters. Time will tell (and the pace could still use some work), but “Ahsoka” may have finally broken through after this incredibly entertaining eight-episode journey.