{🚨SPOILERS🚨} Helmed by Dave Filoni, Ahsoka is set after the fall of the Empire and the events of The Mandalorian, following the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. She meets up with old allies and confronts new enemies in a race to find the banished Heir to the Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), whose foretold return could lead to a new galactic war.
Ahsoka has probably been one of the most anticipated installments of the Star Wars franchise in years ever since the character made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian Season 2. This serves not only as a new chapter that continues the overarching interconnected story that began with The Mandalorian but also as a long-awaited sequel to Star Wars Rebels that many have been wanting to see for years. A lot was riding on this series, especially given how so much had been set up by previous installments, but I had full faith that Dave Filoni as the head showrunner and writer of this series would deliver something absolutely amazing given his consistently excellent work with Star Wars.
I can happily say that not only does Dave Filoni deliver another stellar Star Wars story but he delivered a truly top-tier installment that culminates everything I ever loved about the Star Wars Universe in a beautifully crafted series that goes above and beyond what has come before. Now I very much liked or loved recent installments like the extremely underrated Andor and the ridiculously divisive third season of The Mandalorian, but Ahsoka felt like a very different series of its own that in my view transcended those in its own way, embracing all the best elements of Star Wars and achieving the same level of epicness that I had not felt since seeing all the Star Wars films. There are so many things happening in this series that covering it all in a non-spoiler review would be near impossible, hence why this series review will be diving into some of the big spoilers. So if you have not seen this series do not read this review!
There’s so much I love about this series including the acting, the writing, the directing, the action, and especially the effects and visuals, all of which make this series feel like a cinematic experience on every level rather than a normal TV series. There’s a lot to get into but let’s start with the cast and their performances. Every single performance in this series is flawless as every cast member involved puts their heart and soul into their respective performance, embracing the characters they play and making each feel larger than life. They have so much presence that you can’t help but be invested, whether they be a hero or a villain.
Spearheading the series is Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka, who truly is the perfect live-action casting choice for the character. Rosario beautifully embodies the Ahsoka on all levels, giving us a very complex and mature version of the Jedi warrior we have known since her padawan beginnings in the Clone Wars. Through her magnificent acting and Filoni’s writing we see an individual who carries a lot of unresolved trauma and as a result, has become a more stoic individual who is very focused on the mission no matter the cost. She is very emotionally closed off from everyone close to her and doesn’t really care about living due to the guilt she carries.
But as the series progresses we see her become more vulnerable and evolve, becoming the warrior, the master, and the hero the people close to her and the Galaxy needs her to be. Her personal journey on this high-stakes mission is truly beautiful and masterful in every way, cementing herself as one of the best characters in Star Wars who has come a long way since her rough start. And of course, Ahsoka is fantastic in action, with Rosario truly delivering some awe-inspiring action sequences that she mostly does herself, showing that the character has truly grown into a skilled Jedi warrior willing to take on anything that comes at her.
The returning Rebels heroes make their first ever live-action debuts in this series and each of them made exceptional jumps from animation to live-action. Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren is another perfect casting, fully embodying everything about the character from her fierce personality to her ingenuity and of course that Mandalorian stubbornness. The qualities we have known her best for in Rebels are all there and accounted for, but many things have changed since we last saw her and she goes on a new journey to find Ezra Bridger that challenges her physically, mentally, and morally. Sabine has endured a grand amount of loss and her estranged relationship with Ahsoka has made her feel very alone, which in turn causes her to be fixated on finding Ezra when learning of his potential survival from Ahsoka.
But her desire to see Ezra leads her to face many choices and major consequences, and you feel the grand weight of that mainly because of Bordizzo’s amazing performance, showcasing an incredible range of emotion, making us feel and relate to everything Sabine is enduring in big ways. I loved the complexity of her character in this series way more than in Rebels, and seeing how her journey parallels Ahsoka’s journey in some ways was brilliant. Not to mention the chemistry she shares with Ahsoka and other characters is also really damn good and she gets to have some brilliant action scenes of her own.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla is yet another perfect casting choice that fully embodies the character who has gone from a Rebel cell leader to a General of the New Republic. But even with her new rank, she is still the strong leader and fighter we knew from Rebels while also having a lot of maternal instincts that make her unique amongst other army generals who are conventionally depicted as being very masculine, hard figures. She has a large heart and cares deeply for the people close to her, making her perhaps one of the more sensible leaders in the New Republic in a time when others are blind to the threat knocking at their door.
Winstead beautifully gives Hera a fierce presence on screen as well as calm grace in the smaller moments when it is needed. Joining her is her always sassy sidekick Chopper (who is as hilarious and fun as many remember) and the surprising inclusion of Jacen Snydylla (Evan Whitten), Hera and Kanan Jarrus’s son, who hopes to become a Jedi like his father. Jacen was an unexpected but extremely welcome addition to the series, and contributes a lot to the story as he taps into the force, using it to assist his mother and Ahsoka under extreme circumstances. Evan Whitten delivers such a great performance as this very eager yet pure young Jedi in the making, showing great promise to be developed more down the line.
Another unexpected but welcomed addition to the series was Huyang from the Clone Wars, reprised by David Tennant. Huyang was a very minor character who appeared only in three episodes of The Clone Wars, acting as the saber smith for many Jedi padawans and having extensive knowledge of galactic history as one of the longest-functioning droids. In this series Huyang has been upgraded from a minor character to a full-on series regular, playing an integral role in the story as a partner to Ahsoka as well as somewhat of a mentor to Sabine on their journey. Huyang brings the most levity and humor that balances perfectly with the mostly mature tone of the series, and of course David Tennant is an absolute riot with his voice performance. He truly is a grand gem of a droid in this series and it really makes me wonder why he was never used more in past installments. I’m honestly glad Filoni brought him back and gave him more depth and more to do rather than just being a one-off side character.
I also have to hugely praise the incredible practical effects and puppeteering used for Huyang in this series, making him feel very alive as well as allowing him to display a surprising range of emotions never really seen before in a Star Wars droid character.
As for Ezra Bridger, I won’t go into too much detail about his exact role in the series but I can say that the actor they got to portray him in live-action, Eman Esfandi, is absolutely awesome and radiates so much infectious energy in his performance that matches with the character from Rebels wonderfully. Dave Filoni really took his time in casting the best actors and actresses for the live-action version of these characters and the results were more perfect than I could have ever imagined.
The villains of this series are just as compelling and developed as the heroes as we get introduced to new villains and reintroduced to former ones. Morgan Elsbeth, reprised by Diana Lee Inosanto, returns after her appearance in The Mandalorian Season 2, getting more fleshed out this time around as she is revealed to be one of the last remaining Nightsisters of Dathomir, a coven of witches first introduced in The Clone Wars. Inosanto brings a majestic yet intense portrayal of this character, making her feel even more of a menace than she was previously, and the revelation of her being a Nightsister opens the door to expanding upon a mostly untouched part of Star Wars involving dark magic and their origins, going beyond the boundaries of the galaxy we know so well. Much like with Huyang I am glad Filoni brought back this character and explored her more, rather than just leaving her as a one-off villain.
Joining her is the introduction of two new force user mercenaries, Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), who are neither Jedi nor Sith but something in between. Baylan is a former Jedi who survived Order 66 by fleeing into the Unknown Regions and is now considered a Dark Jedi, in search of a greater power alongside Shin as his apprentice, and is therefore assisting in the retrieval of Thrawn to achieve that goal. Baylan has been one of my most anticipated characters for this series, not only for how strikingly intimidating the character looked in advertising but also because this would be the last performance of Ray Stevenson before his sudden and unfortunate passing earlier this year.
Ray Stevenson to me has always been an incredibly underrated actor who did not get much of a chance to play major roles in larger projects, so I was really hoping that for this final role he was utilized better than in past projects. And I can happily say that he was utilized magnificently here, delivering perhaps the best performance in his entire career. Ray Stevenson as the darkly meditative Baylan Skoll is excellent beyond words. He is a character that has so much immense presence on screen, wearing a tapestry of the tragedies and failings of the old Jedi Order that has molded him into the man he has become, and painting him to be oddly sympathetic, if not wholly despicable despite his actions. Even before you see him in action you truly get the sense of how powerful and deadly of a warrior he is, making him a true force to be reckoned with as proven when you do see him pull out that unique orange lightsaber.
He is overwhelming both physically and philosophically, making him perhaps one of the best original villains ever made in Star Wars in recent years and one who takes a journey of his own that we can feel invested in just as much as the heroes. It’s just a shame that Ray isn’t around for us to praise him in person. Rest in Peace Ray Stevenson, you may have not been in the Star Wars universe very long but you owned the spotlight when you were in it.
Alongside him we get a very calculated, unhinged, and impatient apprentice with Shin Hati who is given a great performance by Sakhno. A ferocious foe who shares a strong relationship with her master and is clearly set on achieving her own goals with him and is distrustful of everyone she works with including Thrawn. Even though she is fully willing to destroy any foe that stands in her way it’s clear that she’s very conflicted about the path she and her master are choosing to take in helping Morgan Elsbeth retrieve Thrawn, making for a fascinating dynamic that results in very surprising outcomes as the series progresses. It’s made clear by the end of the series their paths lead to something very interesting in the future.
And then of course there is the live-action debut of Grand Admiral Thrawn who we have been waiting for years to see come back and oh my lord is he glorious. Reprised once again by Lars Mikkelsen, he proves just how perfect his casting is for this villain the second he comes onscreen, not only in terms of how he looks but his entire performance as a whole. He brought all of the intimidation, stature, and masterful intellect that has made the character so iconic to Star Wars and has made all the years of build-up to his return worth it, establishing him firmly as the grand threat to the galaxy that impacts all the heroes of this story.
There are some great supporting characters and surprising appearances as well from returning faces and cast members, all of whom deliver fantastic performances and will put smiles on everyone’s faces, such as Genevieve O’Reilly reprising as Mon Mothma and Carson Teva reprised by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. We even get a brief but fun return of Ryder Azadi from Rebels reprised by Clancy Brown in live-action. There is one particular appearance that truly impacted this series as a whole that I will go into later.
Similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor, Ahsoka is written as one streamlined story that follows Ahsoka and other characters connected to her on an epic adventure in which the fate of the entire Galaxy and everything they had fought for in the past is at risk. As established in The Mandalorian seasons 1-3, surviving remnants of the Empire have been plotting in the shadows to reclaim the Galaxy for themselves, but have been unable to achieve their goal without a leader to guide them. That is until now with the revealed survival of Grand Admiral Thrawn after his disappearance at the end of Star Wars Rebels, along with the young Jedi, Ezra Bridger. Ahsoka and the returning heroes of Rebels personally know the threat Thrawn poses to the Galaxy, due to his past actions and atrocities, as one of the most strategic and deadly military leaders of the Empire so the stakes are massively high compared to the previous shows.
They are written phenomenally well, and with the personal stakes and journeys for the individual characters involved on both sides of good and evil, you feel extremely invested in everything that happens in this series that reshapes the direction and lore of Star Wars as we know it. And when I say reshape I mean that, as this series not only expands certain themes and corners of the universe we have seen before but we also get to visit entirely new corners of Star Wars in the form of a new galaxy not based on any pre-existing material. This allows room for endless imagination and creativity to flourish in the franchise without any previous restrictions holding it back, opening the door for many possibilities to be explored in the future, whether it be a part of the overarching narrative that began with The Mandalorian or an entirely separate narrative.
The story looks and feels cinematic in every way, involving all the best elements of Star Wars from all eras and installments in the best way possible, while telling its own story that is masterfully helmed by Dave Filoni. I am majorly happy with this series because the story of Ahsoka is truly Filoni’s beautiful vision on screen, one that doesn’t suffer consistent interference from problematic studio heads nor bows down to a selfish toxic fanbase.
It’s a very character-driven narrative that takes its time getting you emotionally invested. while simultaneously expanding the Star Wars universe, making you feel like you are experiencing the journey even as a viewer. There was never a moment where I felt like I was taken out of it or felt like something was out of place; it felt like pure Star Wars narratively, visually, and thematically. It even embraces all the wonder and weirdness that Star Wars can be sometimes, offering much-needed levity in what is mostly a heavy story full of mature and intense themes throughout. From the first few episodes, the series does a phenomenal job reintroducing the characters and world of Rebels to fans in the realm of live-action while simultaneously introducing new characters and a new story.
People who have followed the story of Ahsoka and the Rebels characters through their animated outings are guaranteed to be absolutely flooded with nostalgia in this series, while casuals who are experiencing these characters and their story for the first time may not experience the same feeling but will still be engaged by what is offered.
The early episodes take their time to introduce both returning and new characters as well as establish their history and motives, mostly through remarkable performances and writing that’s not rushing anything or shoving too many characters, plot lines, or cameos in your face right off the bat. The slow burn pace allows major action sequences, themes, and surprises in the show to have a much larger impact on the viewers as things do kick into gear. It makes moments like the terrifying return of Thrawn and the emotional reunion with Ezra Bridger feel immensely satisfying when they occur. But by far the greatest inclusion this series offered in one episode was the surprise appearance of Anakin Skywalker, reprised by Hayden Christensen. He appears to Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds where he teaches her valuable lessons she has desperately needed after so long, and does so through an emotionally compelling mystical sequence through memories of the past that Ahsoka must confront before she can move on.
One of Anakin’s lessons was all about showing her that the connections she makes are just as much a part of her as all the death and destruction she carries on her shoulders that has caused her to push the people she cares about away, Sabine especially, not caring about living or dying. This entire segment is a perfect culmination of all things Star Wars, and serves as a fantastic and crucial turning point for Ahsoka’s character arc, all of which is written and directed phenomenally by Dave Filoni himself. And Hayden Christensen delivers the best portrayal and performance of Anakin he has had amongst all his appearances, earning a well-deserved redemption that was long overdue.
This was not fan service. This was a necessary inclusion that greatly contributed to the story of this series and was something that was greatly needed and never knew we wanted. The finale of the series seriously sticks the landing as I felt it was perfect. It’s beautiful, emotional, tense, and action-packed, wrapping up the story in a great way while setting up what’s to come. Whether the story continues in another season, another series or the culmination film that will be helmed by Dave Filoni has yet to be announced, but wherever it may be I am ready for it!
In terms of style, this series takes a very Samurai-inspired direction. This marks the third occasion that samurai themes have been used in Star Wars, with The Last Jedi and The Mandalorian S2E5 “The Jedi” being the first two instances, and it feels incredibly fitting for the universe. Everything from the action, the costumes, the sets, the effects, the cinematography, the visuals, and especially the music features influences of Japanese culture that I loved and have wanted more of in Star Wars for a long time.
The lightsaber action in this series is beautifully paced, filmed, and choreographed, going for more intimate and intense conflicts that carry a lot of weight to them and feel epic without needing absurd stylization or heavy amounts of effects like some (keyword some) past installments have done.
Along with the lightsaber combat we do of course get some awesome Star Wars space action, from intense dog fights to thrilling chase sequences that are all largely inspired by Rebels with a mix of Clone Wars, both in the energy and visuals in the best way possible.
The CGI effects are seriously top-notch, giving this series some gorgeous and breathtaking sequences and making it feel a lot more cinematic in comparison to some of the previous Star Wars shows, except for maybe Andor, which had a very similar cinematic feel with its CGI. However, I was more impressed by the high usage of extremely well done practical effects and sets, featuring incredible costumes, unique creature designs, amazing makeup, masterful puppeteering, and beautiful locations, making this series feel very vibrant and alive. Sure there are some parts where I know they probably used the volume but most of the time I could actually tell that everything I saw was either a hand-built set or a real location and not just a green screen background.
Seeing Star Wars lean more towards practical effects in recent projects has been so great since it not only brings back that old-school charm of the Original Trilogy films but it also makes everything in this universe feel more real and impactful for audiences. Easily my favorite uses of puppeteering and animatronics in this series are with the Loth Cat, Huyang, and the newly introduced species, the Noti.
When it comes to the makeup department I have to give serious props to the artists behind Ahsoka, Hera, and Thrawn for making them look absolutely stunning in live action.
Much like previous Star Wars shows this series features a stunning array of gorgeous cinematography but this one may honestly have some of my favorite cinematography among all the shows we have had so far. Every frame of this show oozes with visual beauty and was able to bring out a lot of emotions in me due to how most of it can deliver marvelous visual storytelling without the need for dialogue. There were so many shots in this series that I loved but easily my favorites were all the Samurai-inspired duel shots and then that one shot in episode 5. For those who have seen the episode you know exactly what shot I am referring to.
When it comes to music for this series we have Star Wars veteran composer Kevin Kiner doing the score. He has done phenomenal work for Star Wars in the past with projects like The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch but Kiner stepped it up with this series, delivering an epic, moving, and memorable score that enhances every element of this series. My favorite tracks are Ahsoka’s theme, Thrawn’s theme, and all the Japanese-inspired tracks that are a huge part of the series.
Ahsoka really lived up to my personal expectations while also simultaneously surprising me at so many points. Out of all the Star Wars shows we have had so far this to me is the one I felt the most emotionally invested in and the one that I feel captures every element of Star Wars that I love. Whatever comes next in this story I welcome it with open arms and I just want to say thank you Dave Filoni for crafting such a magnificent series. I’m going to give Ahsoka an A+ = 100.
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