Reviewing Ahsoka: Season One
With stories like this, I’ll never get tired of Star Wars.
2019 was a big year for Star Wars – we saw the end of a largely disappointing sequel trilogy, but we also saw the beginning of an exciting era of Star Wars television with The Mandalorian as its kickoff star. Ever since, Star Wars has reclaimed much of its lost glory with near-universal acclaim for these projects. Sure, there’ve been little missteps here and there (cough cough Book of Boba Fett), but with the world raving over Baby Yoda, Andor, and the miraculous return of Hayden Christensen, I feel like it’s hard to be a Star Wars hater these days.
Then came Ahsoka, which proved yet again that Star Wars still has no shortage of great stories to tell. For fans of the Clone Wars or Rebels TV shows, this whole show was likely a dream come true. I myself haven’t yet gotten into either (apart from the atrocious 2008 Clone Wars film), though if ever there was a time to give them a shot, now would definitely be the time. What’s particularly great about this show is how much I was able to enjoy it despite not knowing the full back story for many of its characters. They always give you enough info to get by, so I never felt like I was missing anything crucial. Yes, the number of cameos and nods to prior works mean that the show definitely falls into the “fan-service” category, but never in a way that impacts those who are still getting on board.
While I loved Ahsoka’s journey, there were a number of characters that I found myself more intrigued by. Huyang provides a lot of humour, as well as a mountain of untapped knowledge about the mysteries of the Star Wars universe. Sabine Wren is practically the chief protagonist herself, growing and changing over the course of the show with brilliant narrative timing. Ezra Bridger won me over (again, despite my having no idea who he was) with his disarming charm, and I quickly realized why Chopper is such an enduring character from the Rebels series. Then there’s the villains to contend with, from the chilling Morgan Elsbeth to the positively gripping performance of the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll. The cliffhanger ending given to his character feels particularly tumultuous given Stevenson’s passing, and as wonderfully distinct as his performance was, I can’t help but hope that a recast is in the works so that his character’s mysterious arc can continue. Okay, and come on – Ivanna Sakhno (playing Baylan’s apprentice Shin) brought SUCH an energy to her character! There was an intensity to every second she was on the screen, and I’m so glad we’ve got more of her story coming down the pipe.
Stealing the show just as he did in Obi Wan Kenobi, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one thrilled by Hayden Christensen’s return as Anakin Skywalker. Episode 5 was a critical part of the story, and Christensen’s fascinating juggling act has got to be appreciated. Not only did he effortlessly juggle Anakin’s light side and dark side from line to line, but he channeled the deep relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka that neither he nor actress Rosario Dawson had ever actually performed before. He was such a welcome presence, and I certainly hope we haven’t seen the last of him.
I can’t stop writing until I’ve talked about Thrawn. Like many of the characters in this show, Thrawn is one whose name I’ve only heard from a distance. Even so, his reputation preceded him – I knew from the moment his name was mentioned in Mandalorian Season Two that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with. And man, he did not disappoint. A cunning, calculating, brilliant, and most-of-all patient tactician is such a breath of fresh air compared to the often hysterical villains we meet in fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero stories these days. Restraint is not normally a characteristic applied to villains, but there’s a terrific shot in the finale of him silently wrestling with the emotions surfacing as he watches his opponents grow ever closer to foiling his plans. He doesn’t throw things, scream, or throw a henchman off a cliff. He purses his lips, takes a breath, and moves on. Wow. Love that guy.
However we meet these characters next – whether it’s through a second season, a pop-up in another Star Wars show, or through the “Mando-verse” movie that Dave Filoni is working on – I can’t wait. There’s never been a better time to be a Star Wars fan.