'Ahsoka' Episode 8: "The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord" Review
The SEASON FINALE closes doors, while leaving room for more
After seven weeks, the newest divisive chapter of the Star Wars saga comes to a close.
Ahsoka’s finale begins with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), and Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), being informed by Captain Enoch (Wes Chatham) that their Jedi adversaries have been located. Thrawn dispatches two TIE Fighters in hopes of bombarding the Jedi, and warns Elsbeth not to underestimate the Jedi, claiming another countermeasure is needed. The two consult with the illsuive Great Mothers, the Nightsister Witch leaders. The sisters express their gratitude towards Morgan, who was raised as a Sister of Dathomir, much like The Great Mothers. With Morgan having paved the way for their return, The Great Mothers initiate Morgan as a proper Nightsister through a ritual involving green magic, causing Morgan’s face to turn to the stark white and gray colours of a Nightsister, as well as conjuring the formidable Elsbeth a new weapon, a green katana-like weapon known as ‘The Blade of Talzin,’ named after the late Nightsister leader.
On the surface of the planet Peridea, the Jedi have regrouped back at their T-6 Jedi shuttle. Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) works frantically on his new lightsaber, bickering with lightsaber master Huyang (David Tennant) about the construction process and system. Huyang, frustrated with Ezra’s sporadic approach to crafting a lightsaber, asks who taught him to craft a lightsaber in the first place. Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) comes into frame, responding with the name of Bridger’s late Jedi Master, and her own mentor, Kanan Jarrus. Huyang explains his interactions with Jarrus at the Jedi Temple. He then presents Bridger with an emitter, identical to that of Jarrus’, with Huyang explaining that he held onto an extra should Jarrus had ever needed it, now continuing his legacy by entrusting Bridger’s apprentice with it. Huyang also makes a quick comment about how Bridger must have been ‘a good student’. This rubs Sabine the wrong way, as she walks away. Ezra is confused, at first, before Huyang fills him in on all that’s happened between Sabine and Ahsoka since he’s been banished. Huyang explains that Ahsoka halted Sabine’s Jedi training, in fear that she would fall to the dark side after the loss of her family in the Mandalorian purge.
Sabine joins Ahsoka, (Rosario Dawson) who is meditating on the shuttle’s roof exterior. The two finally speak about Sabine’s unpleasant truce with the enemies to make it to Peridea, which she did against Ahsoka’s word. Ahsoka responds with empathy, as the two reconnect as Master and Apprentice, in a brief conversation that heals the evident wounds in their relationship. Ezra joins them outside, as their shuttle is then swiftly ambushed by Thrawn’s TIE Fighters. The ship falls down, with Ezra and Ahsoka narrowly holding it from crashing down on their Noti allies, as Sabine pilots the decaying shuttle into a brash maneuver that knocks out both TIE Fighters, but destroys their own shuttle in the process. The Jedi then embark on a journey to Thrawn’s Star Destroyer, riding the native Howler creatures off into battle, as Huyang stays behind in an attempt to salvage their damaged starcraft.
Thrawn gets word of the seemingly successful ambush, but does not think much of it, being conscious not to underestimate the Jedi. He prepares his forces for a ground assault. Morgan then informs the volunteer squad of Thrawn’s Night Troopers that they would be protected by the dark magic of the Great Mothers in their battle. Soon after, the Jedi trio arrive by the Star Destroyer, with Thrawn ordering an aerial bombardment. The Jedi are challenged, narrowly evading the overhead onslaught of laser fire, just barely making it into the castle in time. There, they are attacked by the platoon of Thrawn’s Night Troopers. At first, the three Jedi are able to easily defeat the troopers. This victory is cut short, as The Great Mothers begin reciting a dark magic spell, which re-animates the Night Troopers, as their defeated corpses eerily stand up again and attack the Jedi. Not even continual blaster fire nor lightsaber attacks do any good in stopping the troopers, who get back up again after every blow taken. The Jedi are able to outrun the re-animated Night Troopers, then trapping them by sealing the castle’s doors. Thrawn, in a last-ditch effort, informs Elsbeth of this setback, requesting that she makes the sacrifice of confronting the Jedi and buying Thrawn and The Great Mothers enough time to depart. Thrawn’s last words to Elsbeth serve as an encouraging remark, as he claims, “Long live the Empire,” to which Morgan responds, “For Dathomir.”
Elsbeth meets the Jedi atop the castle leading to the Chimera Star Destroyer. Ahsoka tells Ezra and Sabine to stop Thrawn, as she takes on Morgan alone for a rematch, after besting Elsbeth in a duel during the second season of The Mandalorian. Elsbeth is no easy foe to defeat, trading blows with Ahsoka, giving the Jedi a genuine contest, even destroying one of Tano’s white lightsabers with her new green magic blade. As Ezra and Sabine make their way to the departing Star Destroyer, two Death Troopers attack them. Clad with beskar armour and the strength of the dark magic, the Death Troopers are virtually impossible to defeat, with both Jedi losing their lightsabers in the process. Sabine, being strangled by a Death Trooper, finally is able to tap into the force, pulling her lightsaber from the ground to her hand, then igniting it through the Death Trooper’s helmet. Being delayed by the troopers, the distance between the two Jedi and the Star Destroyer has grown an alarming amount. Ezra exclaims that the jump is too far, and that they won’t make it. Sabine says otherwise, indicating that she can get Ezra across, and that he will pull her across from the Star Destroyer. Ezra agrees, running back a bit, building momentum as he runs forward and jumps out toward the Destroyer. For a moment, he begins to fall in the air, before Sabine triumphantly channels the force to push him across into the Destroyer’s hangar bay. Ezra motions for Sabine to make her jump, but she turns around, seeing Ahsoka struggling against Elsbeth and the Night Troopers.
Sabine decides to help her master, coming to Ahsoka’s aid, with Ahsoka then defeating a distracted Elsbeth with a swift stroke of her lightsaber, as Sabine strikes down the remaining Night Troopers. By the time the two finish with their respective fights, the Star Destroyer is much too far away for them to even reach. It would seem all hope is lost, before Huyang swoops in with a repaired Jedi Shuttle. The Jedi attempt to catch up to Thrawn, but it is far too late. Thrawn opens channels, sending a message to Wren and Tano that they fought valiantly, but he has won the day. The Eye of Sion, holding Thrawn’s Star Destroyer, make the jump back to the main galaxy, leaving Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang stranded in this new galaxy.
Ahsoka and Sabine re-join the Noti species, joining their nomadic way of life once again. At the Noti’s current camp, Ahsoka hears the fimiliar hoots of an owl. She looks to her left to see Morai, the mystical owl figure that occasionally followed her around, almost like her guardian angel during the events of Star Wars Rebels. Morai is widely believed to be an incarnation of the Mortis Godess, The Daughter, from The Clone Wars, who died saving Ahsoka.
Elsewhere on Peridea, the Dark Jedi Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) sits atop a hill, mounted on a Howler, overlooking a settlement of the local raiders. She ignites her crimson-orange lightsaber, and raises the blade in the air, presumably signifying she means to take control and make the raiders her new army. Shin’s master, Baylan Skoll, (Ray Stevenson) is on a journey of his own, and has finally found the elusive, mysterious powers that once called to him on the planet. Baylan, donning a new brown-ish cloak, stands atop a massive rock statue of the Mortis God called ‘The Father’. A separate shot reveals the scope of said statue, with the other Mortis God, ‘The Son,’ having a statue to the left of the Father. The Daughter, who died in The Clone Wars, is noticeably absent. Baylan stares stoically off into a mountain range, where he sees seemingly miniature flickers of light. This short scene is the last scene of the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll. Whether or not his story will continue is yet to be known.
Back in the main galaxy, Thrawn’s Star Destroyer arrives at Dathomir, the homeworld of the Nightsisters. Thrawn, standing atop the bridge of the ship, looks down at the thousands of cargo boxes, almost resembling coffins, presumably to conjure a new undead army for his fights going forward.
Elsewhere, The Jedi starcraft once piloted by Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati arrives in the presence of the New Republic fleet, mirroring the opening of the series. This time, General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leads the boarding party, with a squadron of armed Republic soldiers in tow. A figure donning Night Trooper atire emerges from the shuttle, with the Republic forces raising arms against the trooper. The trooper raises his hands in surrender, before Hera’s droid Chopper scuttles over to the mysterious figure, immediately recognizing that it is Ezra Bridger beneath the armour. Ezra takes off the helmet, revealing to Hera and the Republic Forces that he is indeed alive, and is finally home. This scene ends with an astonished look from Hera, finally seeing her long lost son-figure after a decade of not knowing if he was even alive.
Back on Peridea, Ahsoka and Sabine stare off into the night sky. Sabine contemplates whether or not she made the right choice, as she let Thrawn and his forces get away. Ahsoka reassures her that she made the right choice, as Ezra is back home, after a decade of being lost, assuring Sabine that “Ezra is where he’s meant to be,” and so are they. Sabine suddenly looks off into the white streaks in the night sky. Ahsoka asks her what she notices, to which Sabine responds that she felt something, before then dismissing it, claiming what she felt were just “shadows in the starlight.” This catches Ahsoka’s attention, as she then looks out into the distance, staring for a brief moment, before smiling and walking away. Ahsoka’s theme plays in a triumphant tone, as the camera pans back to reveal the force ghost of her master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) looking at her proudly, as the season comes to a close.
Ahsoka’s finale, which is presumably the finale of this season rather than the series, rushes through a lot in its brief 42 minute runtime. Even in the season finale, new developments are being made, which is to be expected, but one can’t help but feel as if this finale bit off more than it could chew. The prolonged action sequences at the middle of the episode are rather poorly executed directorially, and this all takes screen time away from many characters, notably, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. Two of this series’ primary antagonists only appear in uber-short, dialogue-less scenes, which serve more as a set-up for their roles in future seasons than resolving their story arcs within this own season.
Where the first half of this series went right, the second half largely counteracts. The first four episodes have a rock-solid narrative and momentum, with the threats feeling urgent and meaningful. The characters felt more tactile, and the series as a whole was just more engaging. The second half of the series, when the characters arrive on Peridea, feels lethargic and frustrating. Intrigue is built, but never paid off. Conflicts arise, but are not dealt with in a meaningful, or even sensible way.
When this Ahsoka series was first announced, many even questioned why the show was going to be live-action. The entire history of Ahsoka Tano as a character is embedded into the animated medium, where the character has spent more than 10 seasons of TV. The entire plotline of this Ahsoka series is a direct continuation of Star Wars Rebels, also an animated series. Logically, the follow-up to a legacy of animation would be animation, but this is not the case here. The live-action series suffers from a massive identity crisis. While in many ways, it tries to be a standalone adventure, its very fabric is deeply-woven into such deep and rich character histories from the animated world, and the-live action translation of so many characters, including its main protagonist, lead to an entire series worth of mischaracterization. While the series’ plot introduces several new elements, they can never gracefully co-exist with the pre-existing elements from animation in a natural way. While the series has some masterful scenes that stand out even in the grander Star Wars pantheon, the distinct, vivid animated look of many of the same planets and environments are diluted with the live-action translations and the ever-evident limitations of The Volume as a technology.
The story is dependent on prior knowledge of these animated characters, who feel nothing like their animated characters, with the exception of the wonderfully cast Esfandi as Ezra Bridger. The series is chalk-full of moments that lead to nothing but wooden and flat scenes because the characters are the same. Even in the finale, the emotional centre of the show, the master-apprentice relationship between Ahsoka and Sabine is incredibly weak and very hard for an audience to buy into. The master-apprentice relationship between the two is completely new, and the story plays as if this relationship is something that the audience has seen, or is familiar with, not ever giving the audience a genuine reason to care. Throughout the whole series, this key relationship has hinged on events that happened off-screen, and are completely new developments that have blindsided diehard Star Wars fans and are sure to completely alienate an audience not familiar with the characters at all. Fans of Rebels, like myself are left unsatisfied with the show’s frustrating inability to commit to any sort of genuine tonal direction, and many general audience members are sure to just feel oblivious and lost to the very lore-dependent storylines. This is not to say that Ahsoka’s connections to the Star Wars lore are necessarily a bad thing, and in fact avoid a great amount of ‘fanservice’ that its live-action contemporaries have been maligned for. However, the ultimate problem is that the story is just being condensed and altered for a medium and audience it truly is not meant for, and the series hurts as a result of this.
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return to the main galaxy is anti-climactic to say the least. Thrawn, presumably mounting for an attack on the New Republic, feels so much like a cul-de-sac that goes nowhere, as audiences know that the New Republic meets their end by the hand of the First Order, with Thrawn nowhere in the picture. While Lars Mikkelsen does a good job of translating the character overall, the character’s writing is baffling. Thrawn, known as a master-tactician, continually makes dumb choices and loses, without showing an ounce of emotion. The character fails to feel like an effective threat at any point in time, and he regretfully overshadows the series’ more compelling villains, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati.
Ray Stevenson’s Baylan Skoll has been lauded by myself and many others as a massive continual bright spot for the series, in its best and worst moments alike. His portrayal of Skoll across these eight episodes has been nothing short of Herculean, and with Skoll’s story seemingly not set to end soon, the role will likely have massive shoes to fill.
The true MVP’s of this season are the Kiner family. Composers Kevin, Deana and Sean Kiner provide the series with a score that feels so uniquely Star Wars, drawing on their own existing melodies and character themes, while also just amping every moment of the show up with adrenaline, emotion, whimsy and fear, as accordingly needed.
The show does a great job of charting new territory, even if the execution often falters, which for all its flaws, is welcomed in an era of Star Wars where a lot of stories feel like a re-tread. The new conflict between Ahsoka and Sabine is interesting, unprecedented, and thematically rich, albeit with middling results. The new galaxy and its stark, eerie feel are a welcomed new contrast to the many fimiliar, often-visited worlds in other Star Wars series. Once again, Filoni questions what it means to be a Jedi in an interesting way, and the characters of Baylan and Shin are incredible new characters. The structural failures of the New Republic are a key part of this time period for Star Wars, and the exploration of these issues through a beloved character like Hera Syndulla is particularly affective, and the show as a whole does a great job of expanding this new era of Star Wars, as well as paving the way for what’s next in said era.
Nonetheless, Ahsoka as a whole, remains an enjoyable, yet deeply flawed Star Wars adventure. The show, for better and for worse, is uniquely Dave Filoni. His connections to the Star Wars lore and innate ability to construct stories that are beautiful melting pots of all elements from all across Star Wars is on display once again, and for all the show’s aforementioned faults, Ahsoka ultimately feels the most like a true Star Wars adventure, when compared to its Jon Favreau helmed contemporaries. Filoni’s evident inspirations from Tolkien, Kurosawa and Lucas all imbue the story with a genuine sense of whimsy, with his own ideas being prevalent as well. A second season of Ahsoka feels like something of an inevitability, and if Season 1 is anything to go off of, a writers room would be very much welcomed, so that Filoni’s grand ideas can be fleshed out in a more meaningful way, with many perspectives being able to help expand the story.