Lucasfilm released two new trailers for Ahsoka this past week, one a traditional additional teaser with tiny bits of extra (very cool) footage called Now or Never.
And another that’s very much my jam, Masters and Apprentices, that ties Sabine and Ahsoka to the tradition of training in Star Wars.
This all makes me think of this song by The Mountain Goats.
It’s a fun bit of trickery that the quote that opens the video (“Always two there are, a Master and an Apprentice…”) is actually Yoda describing the Sith. He says this to Mace Windu at Qui-Gon Jinn’s funeral, asserting that even if Darth Maul was destroyed, there is always another extra Sith hanging out in the rafters somewhere, plotting. Taken out of its original context, it sounds like a celebration of the Jedi way. Context, you know, is pretty important.
I also have to say, as beautiful as Ahsoka looks, and as thrilling as it is to see the Rebels gang in live action, the dialogue in the trailers is pretty straightforward. “It’s been a while.” “Things have changed.” “Sometimes we have to do what’s right.” None of that is really comparable to the elegance of “We are what they grow beyond, this is the true burden of all Masters.” Even “Sometimes you have to destroy in order to create,” is pretty back-of-an-envelope compared to the quote-worthiness of “Always two there are, no more no less.”
This unvarnished writing style has been the modus operandi of the Filoniverse, so it’s not surprising. It’s not even a bad choice. Ahsoka is continuing a complicated story, one that a lot of the audience won’t have seen, so being clear and clean is smart. (I’d contend that Andor’s writing style is so much more literary than the rest of Star Wars that it’s wantonly incongruous: it feels like a different galaxy.)
But there’s a fine line. Star Wars may not be known for winning Best Original Screenplay, but it is filled with memorable moments of screen dialogue, oft-repeated turns of phrase, and goofy misfires. (I’ll take hilariously weird over bland and inoffensive any day!)
Lawrence Kasdan, who is really the author of the Star Wars tone, understood the difference between simplistic and accessible. His jokes played to the whole audience, the characters spoke in the vernacular, memorable but easygoing. He spiced the declarative with dashes of panache. He was never difficult to follow, but there was fun in the language.
It’s not fair to judge the dialogue of a whole series by what’s in a trailer: trailers are meant to convey a lot in very little time, so “She’s coming!” and “Our enemies are multiplying!” do that trick. I am, though, keeping my fingers crossed that Dave Filoni is able to match his incredible talent for storyboarding and story, with flair in the dialogue, too.
We’ll find out soon! Ahsoka arrives August 23rd!
incredibly excited for this new season of Rebels! i am curious to hear what people completely new to Sabine, Hera, etc. think of these characters. also, i hope that Chopper kills a baddie on onscreen.