Ahsoka Tano was probably the biggest bet of Dave Filoni and George Lucas. Fifteen years after her debut in The Clone Wars, the little Jedi that no one wanted - and that initially not even Filoni knew how to write - has become a pillar in the imagination of Star Wars, as well as one of the most beloved characters of all time. For someone like Filoni, who has made Star Wars a reason for being, bringing his creature to live action must have been a cathartic moment already around the time of The Mandalorian. Dedicating his own miniseries to him, to continue his misunderstood masterpiece Star Wars Rebels... a dream come true.
For the rest of us who have read The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, Ahsoka represents the opportunity to lift Star Wars out of the mediocrity it sank into before the Andor hiatus. Fortunately we saw a preview of the beginning of the new miniseries and we can tell you that the conditions for the return of Star Wars to great fanfare are all there. In our review of the first two episodes of Ahsoka We explain why.
¿Star Wars Rebels 2?
The trailers had made us suspicious, watching the first two episodes of Ahsoka confirms it: the miniseries coming out on August 23 on Disney+ It's practically the sequel to Star Wars Rebels and the pivotal point of conjunction in what even Lucasfilm now calls the "mandoverse." And for the first time in many years of Expanded Universe we had the clear feeling of being faced with a product that could not stand on its own. Ahsoka's best feature is also his lethal weakness: Simply put, who doesn't know that? Star Wars Rebels You will miss a lot of the fun. Those who have traveled for four seasons with the Specter team will immediately feel at home.
The story continues a few years after the conclusion of Star Wars Rebels, but the first two episodes of Ahsoka are already prepared: a launching pad that serves to resume the thread of discussion that was left pending in the animated series and that continued silently in The mandalorian. Because Ahsoka also trusts the cult series that inaugurated the new era of Star Wars on Disney's digital distribution platform.
Morgan Elsbeth, whom Ahsoka Tano had challenged and defeated in episode 2x05 of The Mandalorian, is trying to reach the Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Unknown Regions, but to do so you need a map indicating your location. Ahsoka has found the aforementioned map that, leading to Thrawn, could hide the secret to getting there as well. Ezra Bridger, the hero of the rebellion who had disappeared along with the enemy into hyperspace. The problem is that the map is sealed and Ahsoka is forced to turn to Sabine Wren, who, we learn, has become estranged from our protagonist.
In fact, the first two episodes of the series focus almost entirely on the character of Sabine and about his conflictive relationship with Ahsoka, who will have to let her guard down in front of her former apprentice. Ahsoka has always been a Jedi very particular, and it seems that the new miniseries will guarantee ample space for its unique perspective towards the Force and Order.
Half of what happens on screen will be almost completely incomprehensible to late-night fans, especially those who have so far snubbed the animated series. Filoni not only assumes a reasonable knowledge of Rebels, but also of The Clone Wars and some ofExpanded Universe which includes Respawn video games, inserting explicit references to the witches of Dathomir, the Inquisitorial Program, theorder 66 etc. Ahsoka is literally a big Expanded Universe name that will make the most avid Star Wars fans go crazy with happiness.
Details abound, but while a longtime Star Wars Rebels fan can't help but be moved by the protagonists' mural, depicted in its cartoonish design, or Sabine's fixation with cats, the casual viewer will miss all the nuances of the conversations between Ahsoka and Hera Syndulla, the cameo sensation of Clancy Brown as Ryder Azadi, the antics of the astromech droid Helicopter and in general all the more or less vague references to previous stories. Ezra's mere appearance in hologram form should be heartbreaking to a Star Wars Rebels viewer, but it will mean very little to anyone who doesn't know the history between the protagonists of this series and the Jedi in the CGI cartoon.
Focused on the goal or not?
To answer this question we can only say that for fans of Star Wars Rebels this Ahsoka could be a wonderful surprise, for others "simply" an excellent Star Wars. Those who grew up with blasters, space battles and lightsabers will find it all in the double premiere, plus a balance Absolutely perfect: although the story revolves around a kind of MacGuffin, Dave Filoni pulls the threads with skill and clarity, alternating action and introspection without boring, but rather intriguing the casual viewer. In a sense, the first two episodes also represent a reboot, as well as a dive into Star Wars' past, and an opportunity to tell a classic story using characters old and new: the parallels between Ahsoka and Sabine. Anakin and Ahsoka, Baylan and Shin are definitely a prospect worth keeping an eye on.
Only the antagonists leave some doubts. the bearded Baylan Sköll, played by the late Ray Stevenson, has charisma to spare and a past that needs clarity, while his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) is practically limited to pirouettes and dark looks, and the same goes for the silent Inquisitor, who we know is called Marrok only because it was written on the packaging of a LEGO: he is probably the most mysterious character, who could hide an important twist behind the mask.
The rest of the cast does great. Filoni also manages to insert a double connection with his previous works but also with the High Republic cycle in the character of Huyang, the wise droid who accompanies Ahsoka with the voice of David Tennant in the original language. About the charisma and talent of Rosario Dawson There is little to add, we have already seen her in action in the episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett and we know how much the actress has immersed herself in the role. We also had no doubts about the excellent Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who in fact plays a Ivy Syndulla practically perfect in her role as commander, heroine of the rebellion and mother figure at the same time.
We were worried, however, for Natasha Liu Bordizzo who, not having who knows what kind of resume, would have had to carry the weight of a character like Sabine wren. And although the young actress does not stand out for her talent, it must be admitted that she studied her role well as she had stated in her interviews: in gestures and expressions, her Sabine is very reminiscent of the lively one. from Star Wars Rebels. , and she seems to have established good chemistry with Dawson, in whom she will surely rest the soul of the miniseries.
Then again, calling it a miniseries is an understatement, even if that's the case, at least until we talk about later seasons. At the moment we only know that Ahsoka is one more step towards future crossovers of Mandover, which should come directly to the cinema directed by Filoni himself, but the technical quality of this new television production is simply impressive, indistinguishable from a film for the big screen. The combination of special effects, makeup and animatronics is Star Wars of the highest level, accompanied by the Kevin Kiner at banda sonora, which marshals the historical themes of The Clone Wars and Rebels only to continually remind us of where we came from and where we're going.
Perhaps more could have been done with the choreography in the action scenes. Dawson is always spectacular and Stevenson mostly uses the Force in the premiere, while Bordizzo and Sakhno seemed a little stiff. It is clear, however, that the miniseries wants to go more towards the prequel trilogy in terms of spectacle and acrobatics, so lovers of the most memorable Star Wars duels should appreciate this aspect as well. We'll have time to talk more about that in the coming weeks as we begin our in-depth episode-by-episode analysis of Ahsoka.
Conclusions
Ahsoka's premiere exceeded our wildest expectations, but we are aware that casual viewers unfamiliar with Star Wars Rebels may have difficulty following the references and quotes that are the lifeblood of this miniseries. Fortunately, the plot flows smoothly and the premiere ends as a kind of reboot that could speed up understanding of the episodes to come. Keep in mind that this is not a new Andor, and the bar is clearly lower, but Ahsoka in this sense seems exactly what you would expect from someone like Dave Filoni. Anyone who has loved his previous work will ultimately feel like they are in for a treat.
PRO
- It basically continues the story of Star Wars Rebels.
- It's everything you'd expect from old school Star Wars.
AGAINST
- Those unfamiliar with Filoni's works will miss much of the fun.
- The new antagonists are not yet incisive enough
