Welcome to Multiversity’s coverage of “Ahsoka,” the latest live action show from Star Wars and, in many ways, the most complete and substantial jump from animation into live action that Star Wars has ever attempted. The show is the baby of Dave Filoni, the man who, besides George Lucas, is single-handedly responsible for more Star Wars than anyone else. The first episode is clearly a labor of love for Filoni, and the push and pull of making something for those who followed him through animation and making something for the fans of The Mandalorian is going to be an interesting journey as the season progresses. Let’s get to it!
1. Spoon feeding and Easter Eggs, together at last
The series begins with a scroll – no, not that scroll – that catches viewers up on what the series deems ‘essential’ information about the state of the galaxy as Ahsoka begins. This was one of the few true misses of “Master and Apprentice,” as the scroll did nothing that wasn’t made clear on screen just a few minutes later. If the jailbreak was shown without context, the dialogue that follows shortly after would’ve been more than enough to remind viewers of who Morgan Elsbeth is, and the talk of Thrawn gives the viewers all they need.
Now, I understand the impulse to not leave anyone out in the cold with this, but I can’t imagine that the folks watching Ahsoka didn’t watch either Rebels or The Mandalorian, and there’s enough context from both series to not need to spoon feed all of this information to the viewer.
What makes this decision even stranger is that throughout the episode there are oblique references to major Star Wars lore, allusions back to Rebels and hints that may turn into something down the road. The show isn’t afraid to make its viewers jog the recesses of their memories on some stuff, but need to spell out others, and especially others that seem perfectly well covered. The scroll looks like a decision that someone in the Disney structure made because they found it confusing, not because they felt the audience would find it so.
2. You become the thing you fight against
The opening scene on the Republic ship was a great reminder by writer/director Filoni that just because people want change, it doesn’t always work out that way. If you changed the uniforms from the oversized collars of the New Republic to the high collars of the Empire and the colors of the lightsabers of the visitors, the New Republic, at least as its public facing perception is concerned, is the same as the Empire.
Now, obviously the fundamental beliefs are different, but the ships are still run by blowhards who get off on control and manipulation. The trappings of the Empire are everywhere, even if the Imperial mission has been tossed away. This is, in part, why Ahsoka feels so comfortable walking through the ship to meet Hera; this isn’t so different from the Republic that she was raised in, which isn’t that different from the Empire she battled as a rebel. This is an important piece of the overall Star Wars story: institutions are flawed, and fail. Specifically, the Jedi are flawed and fail, which is something that Ahsoka’s story plays out in a number of ways.
3. Harder and darker
Filoni does a really nice job of showing us how everyone, but especially Ahsoka, has hardened and lost some of their glow since the end of Rebels. Everything from the way that Ahsoka uses her lightsabers to cut a hole in the floor has a different feeling than the character we’ve seen up to this point. Ahsoka no longer has the benefit of time and patience; instead of finding a way below into the ancient temple, she cuts her way in. Her fighting style has grown more aggressive and her words are less frequent and more pointed. This is a different person than we’ve seen before, even in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka’s appearances in that show teased a bit of this, but her interactions with Grogu softened her a bit, as tends to be the case with anyone who encounters Grogu.
Continued belowSabine Wren, last seen with shorter hair, robbed of most of its bright colors for a holy white, has reclaimed her rebellious streak. Her hair is grown out, no longer needing to be short for being stuck under a helmet, and it is as colorful as ever. She’s rejected Ahsoka’s Jedi training – or was it denied her? – and she seems less willing to do anything for anyone else. We’ve seen this before, even in Star Wars; his isn’t too different from Han Solo hauling rathtars or Luke Skywalker going into hiding on Ahch-To. Sometimes, the hero’s journey leads you into seclusion.
4. Nightsisters
There had been rumors/fan theories since her initial appearance on The Mandalorian that Morgan Eslbeth was, perhaps, a Nightsister, and this episode confirms it. This is a very Filoni thing to introduce into the show. It connects the Sith we meet – at least one of whom was a Jedi before Order 66 – to the legacy of Maul, while also introducing a different sort of magic and power to the live-action Star Wars mythos. It is also interesting that we are seeing a Sith and an apprentice in the classic ‘Rule of 2’ formation, a reversion back to that standard after the Imperial era of Inquisitors. The Nightsisters are one of the more unique sets of characters in Star Wars, and it’s going to be fun to see how they impact the story of Ahsoka.
5. Casting
Now that we’ve spent more time with Ahsoka than we had in her prior appearances, I think it is safe to say that Rosario Dawson is handling the role quite well, even if part of me will always stan for Ashley Eckstein to have the role that she originated as a voice actor. The makeup and costuming team has done a great job in translating the look of Ahsoka, as well as Sabine and Hera, to the live action world without sacrificing their iconic designs or the functionality of a good look on camera.
It was also nice to see Clancy Brown reprise his role as Ryder Azadi from Rebels, and David Tennant is doing exactly what you’d expect from the role of a former Jedi-training droid, Huyang. As far as the Sith side goes, the late Ray Stevenson and Ivana Sakhno both do really fun work as the evil Force users, with Sakhno especially getting to chew some scenery with her cold glare and mad eyes.
The only casting choice I’m not totally sold on is one featuring a personal favorite actor of mine. I’ve never seen Mary-Elizabeth Winstead be bad in anything, but she has a sort of laconic, laid-back delivery that doesn’t scream Hera to me. Winstead will have no problem with Hera’s barking of orders, but her conversational tone is a little too monotone and detached to fully inhabit the character. When she was rumored to be cast in the show, I thought she would have made a fantastic Sabine, as Sabine is essentially Ramona Flowers in space, right? That’s not to take away from Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who is doing a great job in the role, and really held her own in the one on one scene with Dawson when their pasts come spilling out.
I’m not saying that Winstead will ultimately be a disappointment, it’s simply the issue of recasting a role for live action. When we’ve spent 20+ hours hearing Hera one way, it’s hard to hear her differently, and it’s especially unfair to expect Winstead to be something she isn’t, or something that she wasn’t directed to be. If Dave Filoni knows one thing, it is how the characters he co-created should be. And like I said, I love Winstead’s work. I’m just hoping that it comes together with a little more emotion than we’ve seen thus far from Hera.
Check back for a write up of Part Two, “Toil and Trouble,” on Thursday.
