Welcome back to the blog readers. Since the second season of The Mandalorian (2019-present) ended, Star Wars on television has not been as hit as the films were. The Book of Boba Fett (2021-22) was not as good as Mando, Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) was kind of disappointing, I was not in love with the first season of Andor (2022-present) as other people were, and the third season of The Mandalorian was not its best. I loved Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in her brief appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and was excited to see her in her own live-action series. Would this series continue the downward trend of Star Wars on television or would we return to pre-COVID levels of awesome? Stick around to find out.
Ahsoka was created for television by Dave Filoni, with him serving as head writer for all eight episodes. The series sought direction from Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Rick Famuyiwa. The series stars Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the late Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Diana Lee Inosanto, David Tennant, Eman Esfandi, Genevieve O'Reilly, Hayden Christensen, Ariana Greenblatt, Lars Mikkelsen, and Anthony Daniels. In the series, sometime after the events of The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka learns of an emerging threat to the galaxy and recruits old friends to investigate it, leading her on an adventure not big enough for just one galaxy.
NOTE: I think at this point this is a given. With that being said, I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen all eight episodes of the season.
As I said at the start of the post, Star Wars on Disney+ has not really captured the magic of the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. I find that to be a shame as both seasons were brilliant. Don't get me wrong, Obi-Wan Kenobi has its moments (the first episode, the final fight between Kenobi and Vader, and Ewan McGregor's performance as a whole), as did Andor (the performances, the "One Way Out" episode that I thought was a top 3 episode of television last year, and certain points in the story). And the third season of The Mandalorian also had its moments (Katee Sackhoff's performance, I always love seeing Grogu, and the world-building). But there is something different about Ahsoka, something there that feels like a breath of fresh air. The series started out good, but got great real fast. Most of the performances were straight fire (Dawson, Bordizzo, Winstead, Stevenson and Mikkelsen), the action was electric, Kevin Kiner delivers the score of his life, and Dave Filoni is just an absolute fucking wizard.
First I want to dive into the performances. The first one I want to talk about, of course, is that of Rosario Dawson. In the intro to this post, I stated how much I loved her as Ahsoka in the first few times we saw her before this series, but this series definitely proves that she owns her version of the character. As we all know, Ahsoka has been through some shit leading up to this point, and it has not gotten any easier since she has been weighed down by her past. Dawson does a brilliant job of trying to stay wise for the people around her, but also sells us on her ability to feel guilt and pain. Obviously, now Ahsoka is an adult and has been on her own for a long time, but she feels comfort in working with her old crew from the Ghost. Her lightsaber action is incredible without a doubt as well. Dawson apparently learned to fight ambidextrously for the series, and that hard work seems like it definitely paid off. From her fight with the final Inquisitor Marrok on Corellia to her fight with Baylan Skoll on Seatos to her rematch with Morgan Elsbeth on Peridia, Dawson makes Ahsoka feel like a vet warrior who still has a lot to give. About her past, we also get a vulnerable side to Ahsoka that we see when she finds herself in the World Between Worlds. Dawson is at her best when she is able to express that vulnerability and guilt over the past, a performance that is also shared with the young and great Ariana Greenblatt. Greenblatt has starred in projects like Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Barbie (2023) and brings the same energy to her role as Ahsoka in the body of Young Ahsoka that Ashley Eckstein did when she voiced the character in the animated series. The two of them together deliver an Emmy-level performance in my eyes that should not be overlooked when it comes time to vote next year. Dawson in particular proves that she is a phenomenal actor that many overlook, but not here. Hell to all the people that did not like her in this series. She was born for this role and based off events that happen in the finale, I am begging that we get to see her again.
The next performance I want to highlight is that of Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. Sabine was one of my favorite characters in Star Wars Rebels (2014-18) due to her complex nature. Taya Sircar did a wonderful job voicing the character on Rebels. However, as I did with the majority of the Rebels cast coming over for this, I held a bit of hesitance for Bordizzo's performance. Those worries were instantly discarded as she completely melted into this role for me. It may have taken a scene or two for me to fall in love with live action Sabine but it was almost instantaneous. Bordizzo owns a type of charisma that I feel like not many actors have, and having that charisma is only to her advantage as she owned the shit out of this role. And for someone who has not done a whole lot of acting, Bordizzo is a damn good one. She is able to make you believe that her Sabine is in a state of longing, as it is made very clear that she has been missing Ezra since the Battle of Lothal. The arc that Sabine goes on in this series is one that is admirable to say the least. I also appreciate how Bordizzo was able to learn how to fight, because she uses a lightsaber a whole lot in this series. In particular, her fight against Shin Hati on Lothal, the mercenaries on Peridia, and the final fight against Thrawn's Night Troopers (also on Peridia) are all excellent showcases on her abilities with said lightsaber. Also there were some individual moments that really made me open my eyes to her as an actor. The first was her training scene with Ahsoka at the open of the third episode is brilliant for all the right reasons, as it harkens back to the classic scene of Yoda training Luke Skywalker, and it further builds the relationship between Sabine and Ahsoka. The second moment is in the next episode when she is talking to Baylan Skoll. I will talk more about this scene later on in this review, but just the facial expressions that Bordizzo made helped me realize that she got this. The final moment is when she reunites with Ezra Bridger in the sixth episode and their conversation in the seventh episode. That joyous personality that Bordizzo brings to these scenes is nothing but infectious. I definitely think she has a very bright future as an actor. I would love to see her in more stuff.
The next performance I want to praise is that of Mary Elizabeth Winstead as New Republic general Hera Syndulla. In Rebels, Vanessa Marshall provided the voice of Hera, and she was absolutely wonderful in the role. Like with Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine, this live-action Hera took some time to get used to. But there was just something that really took me aback with her portrayal. And no, it was not the fact that she is married to Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor. It is the fact that she is just naturally gifted that made this performance work for me. Granted, it did take me a bit longer to get her as Hera than I did Bordizzo as Sabine, but the fact that she is a mother in real life really spoke to the quality of her character. She definitely has a motherly presence this time around, and that does turn over a new quality of her character that was absent in Rebels. And I think it definitely suits her, especially when Hera plays off her son Jacen, played by the young Evan Whitten. There is a confidence that she exudes that is electric, and I hope we get an opportunity to explore her further. Her regret over losing her love Kanan, her thoughts as the Rebellion branded into the New Republic, all of those things I want to see. Some of the scenes that really captured that magic for me were her scenes with Ahsoka on Corellia in the second episode, every time she plays off Jacen, especially in the fifth episode (my personal favorite and pick for second best episode of the year), her hearing scene in front of Mon Mothma in the seventh episode, and her wordless reunion with Ezra Bridger in the final moments of the season. There are not many actors who could have pulled off Hera, and I am just glad that they got Mary Elizabeth Winstead so they could keep it in the (Star Wars) family.
The fourth performance I want to discuss is that of the late Ray Stevenson as the villain Baylan Skoll. Skoll is a Dark Jedi who abandoned the order shortly after the events of Operation: Knightfall and the fall of the Jedi. He fled into the Unknown Regions and took up an apprentice by the name of Shin Hati (played by Ukrainian actor Ivanna Sakhno). Together, the two would take up mercenary work and by the start of the events of the season, find themselves working for former Magistrate of Calodan Morgan Elsbeth (plated by Diana Lee Inosanto). The thing with Baylan Skoll is that he is determined to get what he wants, and that appears to be a way out. Stevenson exudes such a bravado that makes his villain likable. I would go as far as to argue that his character comes off as a bit sympathetic. That really is a sign of a great actor, and unfortunately Stevenson is not here anymore, passing a few months before the series premiered. The first episode paid tribute to the fallen actor, and there was not one bad thing said about him in this series. Some of the moments to me that made Stevenson stand out to me included his rescue of Morgan Elsbeth in the opening of the series, his battle with Ahsoka and subsequent scene with Sabine (which I will go more in detail into), and his scenes with Shin on Peridea as he discusses the Jedi Order. About his scene with Sabine on Seatos, I feel as if it was one of the best acted scenes of the year. Skoll came off as absolutely calming yet undeniably terrifying in that scene alone, proving that he (Skoll) has a lot of pull and a lot of confidence exuded. And it proves that Ray Stevenson had a lot more stories to tell. I am truly gutted with how his character was left, on a statue with the Mortis gods, looking forward to the future that we probably will never see. If Ahsoka does get renewed for a second season, or the plan is to have Skoll show up again, I absolutely do not think they should recast the character. That would be completely disrespectful to the memory and legacy that Stevenson left behind, and a gross misrepresentation of him as a whole. Let Baylan Skoll live on as he is, and leave Ray Stevenson to rest in the greatest peace you could imagine.
The final performance that I will discuss is that of Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn. Mikkelsen voiced the character in Rebels and completely knocked it out of the park. So what do you normally do when you have a character so iconic made that way from an equally iconic performance? You get someone else to do the ro...oh wait. You get Mikkelsen back to play the character in live action and somehow make Thrawn even more fucking terrifying than he was in animation. Dave Filoni was a genius for getting Mikkelsen to voice Thrawn, and even more of a genius for getting him back. Every scene that Thrawn was in made my skin crawl just a little bit. One of the main benefits that comes with getting to actually put on the blue paint to play our favorite Chiss is he gets to actually emote. Or actually, Thrawn really doesn't do a whole lot of emoting and showing emotion. But now we can actually physically see the wheels spinning in his head, we get to see how he physically reacts to things that happen. I love how cold and calculating Thrawn is (always have) and it was an absolute treat getting to watch this. I kid you not, every moment Thrawn is on screen is a highlight reel-worthy moment for him. Here's to hoping we get to see more of Thrawn in the future.
You may have forgotten that I said the action was electric, and I meant it. This is some of the best action in Star Wars today sans The Mandalorian. We have not really had a whole lot of lightsaber action since Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019). Only once did we get them, in two spots in Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). We get that in spades this season. From the initial fight between Sabine and Shin Hati in the first episode, Ahsoka against Marrok in the second episode, the entire fourth episode, the World Between Worlds fights between Ahsoka and Anakin from the fifth episode, and the finale, there was lightsabers galore. And the thing is, lightsabers have always intrigued me as a fan. I truly am glad we got to see a surge of it.
One more thing that I want to absolutely glow about is the score by Kevin Kiner. Kiner basically scored my childhood and some of my favorite moments as the composer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-13; 20), Rebels, and was a co-composer on Peacemaker (2022-present). He scored the shit out of Ahsoka and gave it a big-event feel. I have not listened to the score on its own yet, and I know for some series I said I would and I didn't, but believe me, this time I will be. Kiner is smartly able to match a big scene to the right music, and it was a joy to get to listen to.
In conclusion, Ahsoka started off slow but roared to life at the end, carried by fantastic performances, electric action, and a banger of a score, to take its place at the top of the Star Wars Disney+ offerings right alongside The Mandalorian. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you all for the next one.
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