SPOILERS ARE NO JEDI. THEY’RE JUST SPOILERS. WHICH CAN BE FOUND BELOW.
Once a Jedi, always a Jedi.
Ahsoka Tano walked away from the Jedi Order in the original finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It was the moment that defined her. Trained from childhood, even by the Chosen One himself, she finally saw that the Order had become lost in the morass of Palpatine’s war. She was a Jedi no more.
In live action, she was introduced in an episode called… “The Jedi.” She was and is treated as the embodiment of the very Order she shunned. Are we to believe that being a Jedi is something she can’t shake off so easily? Or are we not really supposed to linger over her past? Is this for storytelling expediency or a kind of poignancy?
Before I dig into that question, let’s get to the thing itself. Ahsoka, the series that bears her name, debuted yesterday with passion for the subject poured into every frame. Not just for Ahsoka herself, but for Star Wars as a galaxy. If you were a particular fan of Star Wars: Rebels, there’s an abundance of elements here that are designed to make you cheer. If you are lover of Star Wars in general, these two episodes are steeped in the familiar. The opening shot is an homage to the beginning of A New Hope. There are X-Wings flying past Home One, the Rebellion flagship from Return of the Jedi; spinning, double bladed red lightsabers, tracking beacons, a MacGuffin map (see also: The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker), astromechs and protocol droids, Mandalorian armor. There’s a moment that is plucked straight out of The Phantom Menace, down to the sound effects, when dark disciple Shin Hati sends probe droids to find Sabine on Lothal; just as dark disciple Darth Maul sent probe droids to scan Tatooine for his quarry in Episode I. There are temples and explosions and hangar bays and yes, of course, Masters and Apprentices.
It feels like a declaration of commitment to Star Wars as it always was, the way a student might pay homage to his teacher before branching out on his own. Not a bit of this feels like it’s trying to challenge the status quo or surprise us with a fresh take. This is the other thing. This is respect and admiration for what’s come before.
That admiration shows through in the world-class execution of the production. It all looks state of the art, designs from animation are exactingly recreated, with perfect little touches. Who doesn’t love an opening crawl? This one is a hybrid of Solo’s opening, the classic crawl, and Lucasfilm’s new red logo. Best yet, for me, is Kevin Kiner’s score, which feels like a culmination of his work across mediums. While no one is John Williams - it’s not even fair to compare - this orchestral score has the Wagner-esque swagger that as been synonymous with Star Wars since the late 70s. It all feels like home, in the very best sense.
But, one might say, it’s a Lucasfilm production. It looks and sounds good. That’s baseline. It’s got familiar tropes and scenes: that’s fun. But what’s new?
To casual viewers, a lot of the characters will be. But as a non-casual viewer, what fascinates me, outside all the usual fun, is this question of the Jedi, who they are, what’s left of them, and who claims their lineage. The lack of clarity around this on-screen represents the weird place that Ahsoka takes place in the timeline, and the high degree of difficulty there is in translating Ahsoka’s story to living, breathing actors.
There is an in-between-ness to Ahsoka’s first two episodes. That in-between-ness is different than what we found in Obi-Wan Kenobi, I think, because Obi-Wan Kenobi’s story has been told. We know where he’s going, we know how he will emerge, and his return felt more like a celebration of the prequel era and in particular Ewan McGregor. He is right in the middle of the Galactic conflict, during the prominence of the Empire, serving his role as protector of the light. We get where he is, what he’s doing there, and where he’ll meet his fate.
Ahsoka, though, takes place in an uncertain time. The New Republic won, so what is this abstract threat? Imperial Leftovers? Where is Ezra? Where is Thrawn? Who are Ezra and Thrawn, anyway? Are those Sith? All we know is that they aren’t Jedi…except for Baylan Skoll, who was one? Ahsoka and Sabine have a strained relationship, but we don’t know exactly why (they’re both stubborn is as much as we get), and our investment in them reforging their alliance is based on stakes that, again, don’t feel super urgent. The characters seem more annoyed at each other than traumatized by their failures; more frustrated than hurt. They don’t feel in mortal danger, just on edge. Something is coming, but what? Who? How?
Ahsoka, at this point, is story of Jedi who aren’t Jedi, fighting a threat who is not yet a threat, in the middle of a Galactic Intermission. The show’s pace, which I personally love, reflects this. There’s a lot of room to breathe in the scenes. Where Star Wars has famously felt like it’s in quite a hurry (I’m looking at you Episode IX!), Ahsoka feels like it’s giving everyone time to talk things out, establish themselves, and think. I love this feeling of characters living in the universe, not in constant motion. But it does beg the question: what’s going on and why is it compelling?
Some of this feels pacing feels like a byproduct of the difficult choices Dave Filoni had to make as a writer. There’s so much prior story for these characters that the only efficient way to manage it is pick and choose. The characters would never stop explaining themselves, otherwise. We hear nothing about Rex, for example, or about the search for Ezra (if there was one); and of course, there’s no time to unravel who claims the moniker ‘Jedi.’
Imagine, if you will, trying to educate the uninitiated, in two minutes or less, on the reasons Ahsoka is not a Jedi. She uses lightsabers, uses the Force, was trained by Anakin Skywalker, and is training a student she calls a Padawan. If she looks like a Jedi and she walks like a Jedi, for the sake of brevity, she’s a Jedi. Even if you and I know, dear reader, she’s somehow not, accuracy is not the same thing as good storytelling. When it comes to story, what’s left out is just as important as what goes in.
Such is the conundrum with a tale so extensively told. For example, to Rebels fans, Hera Syndulla is beloved. To someone who has never seen her before Ahsoka, she appears to be a kind-eyed General with very yellow pants and very erect posture and that’s about it. She has a son and she lost her love in Rebels, but that’s not a part of this show. Should it be? Will it be? Is there space and time for it? We’ll find out. For now, how you experience Hera will depend greatly on (all together now) your point of view.
I’m unable to replicate the experience of a casual viewer because I could not be less casual, but I love thinking about how stories are constructed and for whom. Which audience is being served and how is that audience being expanded? George Lucas didn’t write The Phantom Menace with his eyes only on the existing fanbase. He was imagining an audience that didn’t exist yet, an audience that would grow up with new stories. For this era of Star Wars storytelling, told via streaming, there are casual viewers, Star Wars fans that watched Rebels, Star Wars fans who didn’t watch Rebels, people who just know Ahsoka Tano from The Mandalorian, people who attended Celebration, and people who just clicked play on the Disny Plus app to see what all the fuss is about or because they already watched every episode of The Diplomat. It’s not just casual and hardcore fans like this:
It’s a Venn diagram of audience that looks like this:
These two episodes deal with the challenge of setting the table pretty effectively, I’d say. Now, Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren’s adventure can begin: a Jedi Master and her wayward Padawan on a quest. This simplified setup opens the door to an unexplored galaxy where a mysterious villain and a lost hero await. Where we go now is anyone’s guess, and that’s a rare feeling for a Saga that is often obsessed with the known. These characters are vulnerable, their fates TBD, they’re flying into mystery. That’s thrilling.
I’m also thrilled that this is Star Wars in fantasy mode. Where The Mandalorian embraces the Western and Andor embraces hard sci-fi, here we return to the mystical: secret tombs, errant knights, rituals, sorcery. I love me some mysticism, so put that green fiery Nightsister energy into my veins, please and thank you.
Ahsoka, as a series, portends greatness not only for for the remaining six episodes, but also Dave Filoni’s announced feature film. He is the central creative force in Star Wars right now and May The Force Be With Him. He’s a fan, cooking a meal for other fans of this very specific cuisine. I can’t wait to see what he’s got cooking up in his cauldron now that the appetizers have been eaten and cleared.
Speaking of cauldrons, I am from a witch-friendly household. I’ll close with by giving these episodes three-and-a-half brooms out of five on the Witch Scale. Witches were mentioned, and Morgan Elsbeth (le Fay?) showed her magical skills and lineage. The whole show is full of feminine energy, which is Witchy to a High Degree. It’s second episode title comes from Macbeth’s witches, so point there. Point and half off, though, for kind-of using the word ‘witch’ as a pejorative. Get with the times, Star Wars! Witches are the Future!
REALLY enjoyed the first two. That said, I was unprepared for how snarky Ahsoka and Sabine were to each other. I expect those comments from Sabine, but the training must've really gone off the rails (of a crazy train!) for Ahsoka to be so hostile. I understand that she doesn't consider herself a Jedi, but apparently her patience and manners were also abandoned. :P
I was also pleasantly surprised by Baylan and Shin. They were more likable and interesting than I thought they'd be. Star Wars baddies tend to be Lawful Evil or Chaotic Evil. They seemed more...chaotic neutral to me. I have a possibly bad analogy floating in my head that I'll probably say out lout before it has had enough time to bake, but I like that 'tweener vibes I'm getting from these characters; they're bad for sure, but not quite evil.
As you mentioned in our chat, there's a ton of Sabine in the trailers; after these first two eps, I get the feeling that this is going to end up being Sabine Wren season 1 more than Ahsoka s1 or Rebels s5. In addition to her screen time, a lot of the Kiner music is from the Sabine-centric episodes of Rebels (love the "Heroes of Mandalore" hook!). I can't wait for more!