*****STAR DESTROYER-SIZED SPOILERS!*****

The character of “Ahsoka Tano” first appeared in the animated Star Wars TV series “The Clone Wars,” the pilot of which was released theatrically in 2008. Having seen that feature-length pilot, I can tell you it was abysmal, and it put me off any chance of watching the series for most of its run.  I was not a fan…

The character of Ahsoka (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) was deeply annoying at first (“Sky Guy”). However, the former ‘padawan’ learner of Anakin Skywalker (future Darth Vader) goes through a major maturation arc during the course of the long-running “Clone Wars.” Eventually, the disillusioned apprentice leaves the Jedi order just before her master turns to the Dark Side. I did come back to the show in its final season to learn that it and Ahsoka Tano had both changed dramatically.  Some of the character’s backstory can also be seen in Disney+’s “Tales of the Jedi” animated shorts.

Ahsoka would later return as a recurring character in the superior animated series, “Star Wars: Rebels,” where the ex-Jedi had become a ronin-like figure, using her Force skills to help those in need. It was in “Rebels” where Ahsoka finally had her dramatic, much-anticipated reunion with her former master—now the evil, bionic Darth Vader.  In “Rebels,” Ahsoka became close with the titular crew of the Ghost, a heavily-modified freighter (much like the Millennium Falcon) under command of Rebel operative Hera Syndulla. Hera’s crew included nonconformist Mandalorian Sabine Wren, fugitive Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, his talented pupil (and former thief) Ezra Bridger, hired alien muscle Zeb Orrelios and crusty astromech droid, Chopper.  Superficially similar to the short-lived cult series “Firefly.” “Star Wars: Rebels” is one of my favorite series of the Star Wars TV lot.

We finally saw Ahsoka break into live-action during the second season of the wildly popular live-action Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian,” where she was played by Rosario Dawson (“Clerks II”). The former Jedi would later team up with none other than Jedi master Luke Skywalker to help find a path for the wayward Force-sensitive toddler, Grogu (forever known in fandom as “Baby Yoda”). Ahsoka’s appearance on “The Mandalorian” sparked near-immediate rumors of a spinoff, the first two episodes of which are now available for streaming on Disney+.  

In the first two episodes, we infer that Ashoka’s intermittent adventures with the Ghost crew extended offscreen, as well…

Part 1: “Master and Apprentice”

Written and directed by Dave Filoni, Part 1 begins with a dedication to the late actor Ray Stevenson (1964-2023), followed by a red text crawl—both similar and different to those which opened the Skywalker saga of Star Wars movies.  In it, we learn that Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) has successfully delivered a wanted renegade, Lady Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosantro), into the hands of the New Republic, which formed after the fall of the Galactic Empire (“Return of the Jedi”). Lady Morgan is seeking a map—a map that will lead to the exiled Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelson), whose return would usher in a new Empire.

Note: Not only does this series act as a quasi-sequel to “Star Wars Rebels,” it also incorporates elements of novelist Timothy Zahn’s popular “Heir to the Empire” trilogy of books, which were initially declared non-canonical after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012.  While I was never a huge fan of Zahn’s story chronology, I appreciated the interesting characters he brought into Star Wars lore, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade (the latter will most likely never appear in live-action).

The story begins with a strong Star Wars vibe to it, as we see a New Republic space cruiser slowly gliding into view.  On the bridge, the officers spot what appears to be an old Imperial shuttle, requesting permission to dock. A red protocol droid says the shuttle is transmitting a Jedi code. The captain of the cruiser is dubious, but grants permission for docking. In the cruiser’s hangar, two robed figures descend from the ramp—an older, bearded man and a young woman.  The older man is Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), along with his apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno).  Doubting their credentials as real Jedi, the captain is given a swift death by Baylan’s red lightsaber blade.  Baylan admits that he does indeed have Jedi training…  

Note: Sadly, actor Ray Stevenson passed away in May of 2023, only a few months before the series’ debut. In addition to Baylan Skoll, Stevenson also voiced recurring Imperial character “Gar Saxon” in “Star Wars Rebels.”  The late actor was also known for his role as “Volstagg” in Marvel’s “Thor” movies (2010-2017).

From there, Baylan and Shin split up. Easily wielding Force powers and lightsabers to overcome blaster fire from the New Republic defense forces protecting the vessel, Shin captures the bridge, while Baylan makes his way through the gleaming white corridors of the ship towards the ship’s detention area. Once there, he frees the ship’s high-profile prisoner, Lady Morgan (Diana Lee Inosanto), who’s waiting patiently for her release. Lady Morgan tells Baylan that Ahsoka Tano is also looking for the map they seek. They are in a race against time…

Note: The firefight in the corridors of the ship strongly evokes the battle between Rebels and Imperial stormtroopers we first saw aboard the ‘Tantive IV’ starship in the original 1977 “Star Wars” (later retitled “A New Hope,” as well as the final firefight between those same Rebels and Darth Vader aboard that same vessel in the prequel film “Rogue One” (2016), which ends just before “A New Hope” begins.  Even the curving white walls and metallic flooring add to that old-school Star Wars vibe, which this episode nicely captures. 

We then cut to Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) on a planet filled with ancient ruins and old temples.  She stops along the stony walkway and pulls out her two white lightsabers, which she then uses in lightning-fast motions to cut a circular pattern in the floor on which she’s standing—causing her to fall quickly into a vast chamber below.  Once inside the secret chamber, she methodically activates several ancient control mechanisms in sequence, which leads her to find a small, metallic sphere; the star map.  With the sphere in hand, she uses the Force to jump back up to the surface, where she makes quick work of several waiting battle droids. 

Note: This sequence has a strong Indiana Jones-feel to it. It might also be a none-too subtle reminder that “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is having its digital release at the end of this month.   

The defeated droids set themselves to self-destruct, which will obliterate the area in a matter of seconds. Ahsoka calls up to her ship, telling her faithful droid Huyang (David Tennant) to open the ramp and she’ll jump in.  As the ship descends, she leaps inside and they take off for hyperspace—just as the ruins are pulverized in the blast below…

Note: The old-Republic style Jedi droid, Huyang, is voiced by none other than David Tennant, who famously played the 10th (and future 14th) Doctor from “Doctor Who” and the current star of “Good Omens” (1 & 2) where he plays the demon Crowley, who’s in a loving/bickering relationship with a goody two-shoes angel, Aziraphale, in what has to be one of the best fictional depictions of marriage I’ve ever seen. 

Ahsoka then brings the sphere to former Rebels’ captain and now New Republic General Hera Syndulla (Mary Kate Winstead).  Ahsoka explains to Hera that the map contained within the sphere can’t be opened by either of them. Broaching an uncomfortable subject, Hera suggests that Ahsoka should try asking Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), knowing that Sabine is a genius at decrypting and hacking, based on their exploits together aboard Hera’s ship, the Ghost (see: “Star Wars Rebels”).  We can infer from Ahsoka’s reaction that there is bad blood between her and Sabine…

Note: While this mysterious falling out between Sabine and Ahsoka occurred offscreen, one of the potential issues of this new series is its opaqueness to those fans who never got into “Star Wars Rebels,” since it is just as much a sequel to that series as it is Ahsoka Tano’s own journey.  While I am a fan of Rebels, I could see how others could easily be lost on the significance of the many Rebels’ Easter eggs and references littered throughout “Ahsoka.” 

Meanwhile, Sabine is living on the planet Lothal, the home world of her missing former shipmate and friend, Ezra Bridger. At the moment, the planet’s governor, Ryder Azadi (Clancy Brown) is dedicating a mural of Sabine and the crew of the Ghost, honoring their achievements that helped lead to the fall of the Empire. As Azadi announces Sabine’s name, she is nowhere to be found. Asking a nervous, low-ranking official to take his place, Azadi asks the authorities to find Sabine and bring her to the ceremony at once.  A now long-haired Sabine is soon located by security forces, racing her speeder-bike on the roadways leading out from the city. Easily evading her pursuers, she heads home…

Note: Actor Clancy Brown is a veteran actor who’s done a number of sci-fi projects, including “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” (1984), “Highlander” (1986) and “Starship Troopers” (1997), as well as high profile films such as “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994).  He’s lent his voice talents to many animated projects, including several of the Star Wars animated series, including “Rebels” where he voiced Ryder Azradi, following the precedent of Katee Sackhoff, who voiced Mandalorian leader “Bo-Katan Kryze” before playing the role in live-action for “The Mandalorian.”

Home for Sabine is inside one of the old communications towers outside the city, among the grassy plains of rural Lothal; this is the same communications tower that her friend Ezra also called home.  We see Sabine’s pet Lothal cat (beautifully recreated in live-action), whom she strokes and feeds.  

Note: The Lothal Cat is recreated in live-action through tactile puppetry and animatronics.  I’ve seen the model of this creature at San Diego Comic Con recently, and it looked very lifelike in three dimensions.

Sabine then plays a cherished final hologram from Ezra (Eman Esfandi), who is missing and presumed dead after taking Grand Admiral Thrawn into exile.  In it, Ezra tells her that the two of them are like like brother and sister, and that she would certainly understand why he (seemingly?) chose to sacrifice himself to rid the galaxy of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Note: The hologram of Ezra, now played in live-action by actor Eman Esfandi, suggests that the character is coming back, as his fate seems to be tied to that of Grand Admiral Thrawn; presumably you find one, you’ll find the other.  It also makes no sense to so carefully recast the role in live-action for a simple holographic cameo—they could’ve just as easily recreated him in CGI using “Rebels” voice actor Taylor Gray.

Reluctantly, Sabine agrees to meet with Ahsoka. Their meeting is tense, and we infer that Ahsoka was training Sabine to be her padawan learner until abruptly quitting, leaving Sabine understandably bitter.  To the matter at hand, Ahsoka asks for Sabine’s help in unlocking the map within the sphere.  Sabine agrees, but only if she can take the sphere back to somewhere where she “can think.” Ahsoka denies permission, for obvious security reasons. Meanwhile, Huyang takes Ahsoka aside to the next chamber to discuss his analysis of the lightsabers seen in footage from the New Republic cruiser’s security cameras. It’s clear that the crimson lightsabers’ hilts were built by persons with Jedi training. The two intruders also seem to be following the code of the Sith—one master and and one apprentice.  As Ahsoka goes back to check on Sabine, she learns that Sabine has left…with the sphere, of course.

Note: Why would anyone (let alone a Jedi) turn their back on Sabine when she’s a clear flight risk?  Not to mention that she’s also handling a top-secret artifact upon which rests the security of the galaxy.  This is one of those movie-TV show moments that only work when the characters are struck with a sudden case of stupidity.

Sabine has, of course, taken the sphere back to her home in the comm tower, where she gets to work.  She soon unlocks the sphere, which projects a galactic map showing a straight line leading to another galaxy—presumably the place where Ezra took Thrawn into exile. Before she can act on this information, battle droids arrive and attack Sabine.  Caught off guard, the sphere is taken by the droids before Sabine can stop them. As Sabine gives chase outside of her doorway, she’s met by none other than Shin Hati—whose red lightsaber is already drawn.  Since Sabine was never allowed to complete her Jedi training, she is no match for the superior lightsaber-wielding skills of her opponent. Barely calling Ahsoka in time, Sabine tries to hold off her opponent with her own green lightsaber until Ahsoka can arrive. Unfortunately, Shin impales Sabine, and she collapses on the deck…

Note: While Sabine’s impalement is briefly surprising, it’s not as dramatic as it could’ve been, now that we’ve seen Star Wars characters implausibly surviving lightsaber impalements on more than one occasion (the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” miniseries was guilty of this, not to mention Darth Maul’s bisection in 1999’s “The Phantom Menace”).

End of Part 1…

Part 2: “Toil and Trouble”

Written once again by series’ creator Dave Filoni and directed by Steph Green, Part 2 begins with Sabine awakening in a Lothal hospital, as she recovers from her impalement at the hands of Shin Hati.  Ahsoka, Huyang and even a holographic Hera are there to greet her.  When Ahsoka asks, Sabine says she’s unable to remember the origin point of the straight line she saw on the sphere’s map—she knows only that it led straight to an outside galaxy.  As Ahsoka leaves to search Sabine’s home for clues, she later returns to the hospital with the severed remains of one last battle droid, who was there waiting to attack her. Giving the pieces to Sabine, it’s hoped that she can trace the droid’s origins before its circuits overheat and explode. Just before its circuits fatally burn, Sabine learns that the battle droid came from the New Republic shipyards on Corellia.  Ahsoka and Hera tell Sabine to rest, while they go off to investigate…

Note: The Corellian shipyards haven’t been seen in live-action since 2018’s underrated “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which wasn’t nearly as bad as rumors and reviews would lead one to believe.  Watching it as a standalone space-heist flick, it’s surprisingly fun. 

Elsewhere in the galaxy, Baylan, Shin, an Inquisitor assassin and the freed Lady Morgan arrive at a Stonehenge-like rock formation on a gray, overcast world. They initiate an elaborate ritual that  unlocks the map from the sphere, giving them the starting point from which to begin their journey outside the galaxy.

Note: The quest for a star map to find a celebrated figure was also the plot of “The Force Awakens” (2015), but here we see its inverse—rather than a map being used to locate self-exiled galactic hero Luke Skywalker, this new map is being used to find a notoriously evil Imperial villain, in hopes of resurrecting the evil Empire. At this point in the story, the bad guys are seemingly unaware of Emperor Palpatine’s various cloning projects, as finally revealed in 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker”…

This creepy crew then discusses what will happen once they locate Thrawn, agreeing that it will lead to war and great personal power for each of them. Realizing Ahsoka and the New Republic will soon be wise to their plans, Shin is directed to go to Corellia—clearly anticipating the arrivals of Hera and Ahsoka.

Note: The character of Lady Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosantro) was last seen in “The Madalorian” episode, “The Jedi,” which also saw Ahsoka Tano’s first appearance in live-action.

Ahsoka and Hera arrive at the Imperial shipyards, where they are met by a greedy official (Peter Jacobson) who is overseeing the dismantling of the Imperial fleet, so that its materials can be reallocated elsewhere in the galaxy. Ahsoka and Hera notice that the crew up in the control tower all seem on edge, particularly when asked if they’ve seen any battle droids on the premises.  A protocol droid unwittingly answers in the affirmative, after which all hell breaks loose as an employee jumps up from his seat shouting “For the Empire!”  With that proclamation, the other employees attack Hera and Ahsoka, not realizing the futility of their little stunt.  Easily overpowered, the employees are no match for their two visitors.  As a suspicious transport begins to lift off, Ahsoka jumps out of a window to stop it…

Note: Actor Peter Jacobson, who plays the greedy shipyard overseer, also played the greedy, womanizing (married) plastic surgeon Dr. Chris Taub for several seasons on the long-running medical mystery-drama series, “House M.D” (2004-2012).

Realizing Ahsoka won’t be able to stop the transport by herself, Hera takes off in pursuit aboard the Phantom, one of the support craft of the mothership Ghost.  Phantom chases the speedy craft, exchanging weapons fire , while trying to stop the ship before it can exit the atmosphere and jump to hyperspace…

Note: Despite the similar fleshy appendages extending from their heads, Ahsoka and Hera are not from related species. The green-skinned Hera is a Twi’lek from the planet Ryloth, a species first seen in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.” The orange-skinned Ahsoka Tano is a Togruta, from the planet Shili. Incidentally, Ahsoka Tano’s birth was recently chronicled in Disney+’s “Tales of the Jedi” animated shorts.

Realizing the fleeing ship is in danger of escaping, Hera orders her trusty astromech droid “Chopper” (voiced by series creator/producer Dave Filoni) to find a homing beacon to tag the ship before it can jump into hyperspace.  Rummaging through various bits and pieces in his copilot socket, Chopper curses in droid-speak until he finds the tag and fires it—just before the vessel jumps…

Note: Nice to see the second appearance of “Chopper” in live-action; the first being a background cameo in the Rebel base on Yavin IV in “Rogue One,” which was released two years after “Star Wars Rebels” debuted in 2014.

On the grounds of the shipyards, Ahsoka is forced to fight an Inquisitor; a trained Jedi hunter whose Force-skills are an even match for her own. While the battle tests both opponents, neither one is able to soundly defeat the other. Adding insult to injury, the Inquisitor is then rescued by Shin Hati. However, with the tracking device successfully planted on the fleeing ship, the day is not entirely lost…

Note: The long shipyards duel between Ahsoka and the Inquisitor is a nice mix of the balletic choreography of the prequel-era lightsaber duels with the grittier stylings of the original and sequel trilogies—the latter style best exemplified in “The Force Awakens,” which saw non-expert combatants (Finn, Rey) attempting to wield the weapons for the first time. Minority opinion perhaps, but I prefer this admittedly sloppier, more visceral approach over the implausible leaps and acrobatic pirouetting of the prequels. 

We later see Sabine out of hospital care, and ready to make some major life choices. Chopping off her long hair with a knife, she then pulls out her uniquely-painted Mandalorian armor and dresses for combat, looking as she did during her “Rebels” heyday.  She then makes a trip to the city’s mural, whose dedication ceremony she skipped.  Seeing images of her old friends Hera, Ezra, Kanan, Zeb and Chopper has inspired her to rededicate herself to the cause.

Note: The mural of the “Rebels” cast is painted in the style of the animated series, which ran from 2014-2018; a nice way for the live-action versions of these beloved characters to acknowledge their animation roots.

Meeting with Ahsoka, Sabine takes one last fleeting look at Ezra’s face on the mural—she intends to find him, along with stopping Thrawn.  Ahsoka admires Sabine’s haircut, which better suits her.  As they leave Lothal aboard Ahsoka’s ship, Huyang tells them that Chopper has located the transport. With Sabine settled into the cockpit, Ahsoka tells her to take them into hyperspace…“padawan.”

Note: I hate to be so nitpicky, especially after that poignant “Padawan” moment between Ahsoka and Hera, but one lesson I learned during the recent COVID pandemic is that NO self-given haircut EVER turns out as good as the Vidal Sassoon pixie-cut that Sabine somehow manages to give herself with that crude hunting knife. Sorry, but this is one movie/TV cliché that needs to be put to bed.

In the coda, we see Baylan, his apprentice Shin, Lady Morgan and the Inquisitor regrouping aboard their transport ship.  Morgan senses that Baylan is disturbed by Ahsoka’s tracing of their operations to the Corellian shipyards. He also senses that Ahsoka is coming for them. Morgan plans to kill Ahsoka, but Baylan expresses a moment of regret, saying that killing another Jedi would be a shame, since there are so few left. Morgan dismisses Baylan’s sentimentality, which he defends as a simple truth…

Note: Will the ‘sentimental’ Baylan be the baddies’ weakest link? 

The End.

Summing It Up

With Parts 1 & 2 feeling more like a “Rebels” reunion series, there’s a danger of the Rebels reunion crowding out the title character. Such a thing happened with “The Book of Boba Fett,” a series anchored by a lackluster lead who became quickly lost in his own story (frankly, the character of Boba Fett became obsolete the moment Pedro Pascal’s “The Mandalorian”appeared). However, I don’t see that happening with “Ahsoka,” since Rosario Dawson is too compelling a performer to let that happen. Her still waters run very deep.

The first two parts of “Ahsoka” already stand head and shoulders above the problematic “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and the ill-conceived “The Book of Boba Fett,” settling comfortably on a par with “The Mandalorian.” “Ahsoka” is a lot more escapist than the otherwise brilliantly-produced and well-acted “Andor,” which took Star Wars to such a dark place that it became as enjoyable as a root canal. As good as it was, “Andor” was a hard watch, and given the state of things today, I get enough of that in the real world, thanks.

Yes, adult-me accepts that Star Wars is a franchise centered around a galactic civil war, but it also involves droids, spaceships, alien creatures and large dollops of action-adventure.  As a space-age Knights of the Round Table, Star Wars is supposed to be escapist as well.  My inner ten-year old certainly remembers it being that way in 1977. If the first two chapters are any indication, “Ahsoka” seems to be keeping that in mind, making it instantly habit-forming for me. 

Given the long history of hit-and-misses within the Star Wars franchise, “Ahsoka” seems to have the right combination of action-adventure, gravitas and legacy characters to make a go of it, though it may be a bit too reliant on prior Star Wars lore for the casual viewer. 

To quote Ahsoka Tano’s former master, the Force is strong with this one…

Where To Watch

Star Wars “Ahsoka” is available to stream exclusively on Disney+, along with the Star Wars movies and TV shows, such as “The Clone Wars,” “Rebels,” “The Mandalorian” and “Tales of the Jedi,” which directly reference the title character as well.