Ahsoka: Master and Apprentice

Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is the former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker who is one of the last remaining Jedi. Hearing rumors that Grand Admiral Thrawn, a senior officer of the Galactic Empire who was thought to be dead, may still be alive, she captures one of Thrawn’s allies, Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) who knows of a map to where he might be hiding. Ahsoka, having learned the location of the map, retrieves it, but it is coded and cannot read it.  The cruiser carrying Elsbeth is attacked, and she is rescued by Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) who both seem to be able to wield the Force. Ahsoka is able to get to the maps location first and take it, but it is coded, and cannot be read without help.  This leads her to her old apprentice, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) who has the creative intellect and technical expertise to figure out the artistic code used to decipher the map.  But this of course puts her in danger as Shin Hati is given the job of retrieving the map.  Can Ahsoka and Wren find the location of Thrawn and prevent a new galactic war? Watch and find out!

First off, I must preface this by saying I have not watched any of the animated series including Star Wars Rebels, so my knowledge of Ahsoka Tano is very limited. I liked the feel of the episode, which had a very specific Star Wars vibe to it.  The design of the ships and the costumes are all reminiscent of Return of the Jedi era of movies.  The music composed by Kevin Kiner was really good and added its own unique spin on the Star Wars franchise. It added the appropriate ambiance to every scene. The actors all do a great job continuing these already established characters from animated to live action. Rosario Dawson reprises the role of Ahsoka who was seen in the Mandalorian series. Natasha Liu Bordizzo plays Sabine Wren as a strong and independent young woman who expresses herself through art and color. There is bad blood between Wren and Ahsoka and you can feel that tension, but you can also feel a certain kinship as well. The series is dedicated to Ray Stevenson who is wonderful while playing Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi who survived order 66 and is now a mercenary.  Ray passed away on May 21, 2023, and this was his final role. The production value was quite good and it is always fun watching lightsaber battles.

Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

The only real problem I have with the first episode of this series is that I was totally lost on who some of the characters are and how their history is affecting this current story.  I don’t feel the exposition really gave us enough to understand what has happened to fully grasp the interpersonal dynamics.  I am assuming that if you watched the animated series Star Wars Rebels that these things would be clear, but not having watched those, I was at a bit of a loss. This barely detracts from the overall quality of the episode and for the most part the exposition does give you what you need to know to follow the plot.  Overall, I enjoyed the episode and I feel it is a strong entry into the Star Wars franchise.