Ahsoka (2023)

Score: B+ (8.5/10)

Even though it leaves a few audience members wanting more detail about the characters, Dave Filoni establishes his superior craft as a Star Wars creator through a grand adventure filled with Jedi wisdom and evil schemes well worth incorporating Filoni’s previous works into.

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Dave Filoni is a master at creating Star Wars content. It shouldn’t be a surprise since George Lucas handpicked him to make Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Luckily for Filoni and Lucas, the decision worked perfectly, as The Clone Wars is a shining example of what Star Wars always was and could be. However, since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the Star Wars franchise went through multiple stages of high and low-quality releases. They had a strong start with Filoni’s Star Wars: Rebels, J.J. Abrams’s The Force Awakens, and Gareth Edwards’s Rogue One, with the ladder far outshining anyone’s expectations before reaching a rough patch with The Last Jedi, Solo, and The Rise of Skywalker. Once you get further into the franchise’s filmography, people start noticing a pattern with Disney’s releases.

Despite the pattern, Filoni is the exception to the rule. The Clone Wars, Rebels, and the first two seasons of The Mandalorian all show Filoni flexing his knowledge of the Star Wars universe. Additionally, he’s responsible for creating and refining some of the best-crafted characters in the franchise, with Darth Maul being a perfect example. However, one character he always had a soft spot for was Ahsoka Tano, not just because he created her with George Lucas but also because she’s the centerpiece of Ahsoka.

The series continues the “Filoni canon,” especially with Star Wars: Rebels. Sabine Wren continues her search for Ezra Bridger, Chopper, and Hera Syndulla to help Sabine and the New Republic with their respective missions, and even Admiral Thrawn returns to act as a possible driving force for the rise of the First Order. Ahsoka’s friend, Huyang, even makes a few appearances in The Clone Wars, acting as an insightful source of information about the Jedi and their practices (hence why he follows Ahsoka). Every character, especially Thrawn, continues to be the perfect pull for entertainment and excitement for new and returning fans. However, the series would be rather bland if not for new and returning characters like Baylon Skoll, Shin Hati, and Morgan Elsbeth. Baylon Skoll and Shin Hati particularly inject what Disney’s Star Wars productions needed: morally grey force-users. Skoll, a former Jedi, searches for a greater power in the universe, guiding him to a new source of guidance after his tenure with the Jedi Order. His apprentice, Shin Hati, has difficulties understanding and comprehending it. The apprentice also has a relatively ambiguous origin, similar to her master’s. The audience may feel similarly, as there is little background on the two antagonists. However, it’s what makes the two characters so alluring and enticing.

Another pairing detailed in Ahsoka is that of Sabine and Ahsoka. Both previously tried and failed to work together before thwarting Thrawn’s return. Sabine mourns Ezra’s disappearance, especially considering her now severed relations with Mandalore. She has little family left in her life, and Ezra is the last of her extended family of a similar age. The two also went through so much throughout their time together within the Ghost Crew in Rebels. Yes, Ahsoka’s been through similar, with her expulsion from the Jedi Order and her master’s turn to the dark side. She also has little family left, but she’s still a Jedi at heart, which creates a divide between her and Sabine. Despite this, the two knew they needed each other to find Ezra and stop Thrawn to avoid another galactic war, resulting in the journey seen on screen.

Unfortunately, as some may notice, Ahsoka relies heavily on Filoni’s previous works. He tries his best to make the series work for more casual audience members, but it’s hard to continue seasons’ worth of character development to a foreign audience. Luckily, for audiences experienced in Filoni’s works, there’s little transition between previous shows and this one, but there are elements of Ahsoka all audiences will enjoy. Thrawn is a brilliant tactician, and watching him chew his way through Ahsoka and Sabine’s plan is nail-biting to the very end of the season. Lightsaber duels are arguably the most natural they’ve been in Star Wars’s Disney era, with previous duels having drama and tension taking attention away from the fights. It’s also refreshing to see two well-written and morally grey force-users challenging our protagonists on their journey. Filoni knows how to make eye candy for returning fans and a dramatic narrative for new (and returning) fans. He is at his best when he flexes his muscles, and Ahsoka is the perfect example.