'Ahsoka Episode 6: "Far, Far Away" Recap & Review
New Galaxy, Old enemy.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
After last week’s spiritual journey, the titular Ahsoka Tano takes a backseat in the series’ sixth episode, aptly titled ‘Far, Far Away'. The episode opens with Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and Huyang (David Tennant) as they continue on with their journey to the new galaxy through the belly of the space-whale. The two briefly converse and reminisce on the old stories about the galaxy far, far away, which they are soon approaching, before the title card drops.
The show then picks up with the characters onboard The Eye of Sion, as they emerge in the new galaxy. Departing from the massive hyperspace ring in a small shuttle, Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) brings her mercenaries, Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati, (Ivanna Sakhno) as well as their new prisoner, Jedi Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) to the surface of the drab, bleak, planet of Peridea, which she reveals to be the ancient home-world of her people, the Witches of Dathomir. Upon arrival at the surface, they are greeted by three Dathomiri Nightsisters, force-wielding witches enveloped in crimson red robes. The witches credit Elsbeth, claiming she has made their ancestors proud by establishing a link between galaxies.
Shortly after, a massive shadow of an Imperial Star Destroyer is cast down upon the witch ruins that the group of characters are standing upon, heralding the long-awaited return of the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn, with Lars Mikkelsen reprising his role from the Rebels animated series. As the witch ruins ascend to the docking bay of Thrawn’s Star Destroyer, an army of what the subtitles refer to as ‘Night Troopers’ are revealed, as seemingly undead Imperial Stormtroopers, whose battered armour has been repatched with gold and red. Making his way through the army chanting his name, Thrawn is finally revealed, walking up to speak with his disciple Elsbeth and her company. Thrawn’s cunning, sinister intellect is on full display, immediately pegging Baylan as a former Jedi Knight.
Sabine is then brought out to meet Thrawn, face-to-face, after almost a decade since the adversaries had last fought at the Battle of Lothal. Thrawn notes the irony of Sabine, who played a key part in banishing him, ultimately being the one responsible for his return. He then surprises Sabine, by agreeing to adhere to the terms of surrender that Baylan had negotiated episodes ago, fulfilling the promise that she would see her long-lost friend, Ezra Bridger, once more. This agreement is not without stipulations however, as Thrawn notes that he and The Eye of Sion may be long gone by the time Sabine finds Ezra, and that she may die looking for him in the barren, dangerous land of Peridea, and that Bridger himself may be dead. Sabine is then supplied with her weapons, creature called a howler, and learns the direction of Bridger’s last known whereabouts from Captain Enoch, (Wes Chatham) Thrawn’s gold-faced Stormtrooper Captain, before departing. As Sabine embarks on her journey, Thrawn orders Baylan and Shin to follow after her, and to kill Wren and Bridger, should they be found.
Sabine continues on her journey through the barren highlands of Peridea, she is ambushed by a gang of bandits, sporting red plastoid armour. She struggles to fend them off before eventually whipping out her lightsaber, then making quick work of the bandits, heading back on her journey.
Elsewhere, on the search for Wren and Bridger, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati stop to ponder the monumentous occasion of arriving on this new planet and galaxy. Baylan mentions how Peridea was only something he’d heard about in stories as a child, during his time as a Jedi. His apprentice Shin questions if he ever misses the Jedi Order, to which he responds, that he misses the idea of it, and that he and Shin are striving to create something deeper and greater than the Jedi ideology. He then calls to a mysterious presence that he feels shrouds the whole planet, and that he wants to use said power to establish his idea of a greater power. The interaction between the two is cut short as they encounter a group of bandits ahead.
Sabine, still on her search, encounters a species of turtle-like species called the Noti. After struggling to communicate with them, one Noti keenly points out the Rebel Alliance insignia painted on Sabine’s shoulder pad, then revealing a necklace with the same insignia. Sabine then is brought back to the Noti camp, where she at long last reunites with Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Ezra expresses his happiness that he’s finally been found by his friend, after almost a decade of being lost in space and time, before then questioning the “how” factor of it all. Sabine dismisses Ezra’s inquiries, opting not to reveal the convoluted and controversial methods of the “how”, solely wishing to just be happy that she finally found him, as the two embrace each other in an emotional hug, set to a reprise of Bridger’s musical theme.
Back on The Chimera, Thrawn and Morgan are approached by The Great Mothers, who warn Thrawn that they sense the presence of a new Jedi on the way, which would be the titular Ahsoka Tano. Morgan seems shocked by this news, believing Tano to be dead after her duel with Baylan Skoll on Seatos. Thrawn warns Morgan that any Jedi is not to be underestimated, and wishes to study Tano’s history so that he is better equipped to take her on upon arrival, as the episode comes to a close.
The introduction of such a vast new idea in the Star Wars lore is no easy task, especially in a series so deeply rooted in the histories and plot threads of existing characters. This week’s Ahsoka succeeds by bringing an eerie, bleak new tone to what was mostly a standard-feeling, more lively and action-oriented Star Wars affair. The new galaxy feels ominous, as do the fimiliar threats. Lars Mikkelsen does not lose a beat in translating Thrawn from his animated counterpart, selling every bit of the character’s cunning nature, once again. While a slower paced episode, the staggered runtime works rather well with the aforementioned tonal changes, with the moments extensive of dialogue shining. Namely, as has been the case for the series as a whole, every scene with the characters Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati remain glaring highlights of the series. This episode finally lets the audience in a bit more on the motivations of these mysterious “Dark Jedi” figures, and said motivations are compelling. Baylan’s ambition to grow beyond the cyclical nature of the Jedi and Sith, and reliance on weak-minded ideologies is very compelling, and continues to make the character feel more and more refreshing, and frankly, amazing. What comes next for these two characters feels very up in the air, and is sure to leave audiences wanting more, and wondering more. On another note, the long-awaited return of Ezra Bridger, while not terrible by any means, falls completely flat. While Eman Esfandi does a great job of inhabiting the likeness and feel of the now-iconic Jedi character, his dialogue and interaction with Sabine feel very stunted, wooden, and overly quippy.
Nonetheless, this episode, along with the next two, feature little-to-no scenes marketed in the show’s promotional material, and with lots of narrative threads up in the air, as well as the newfound stakes and tension only make the wait for more of Ahsoka all the more tantalizing.