‘Ahsoka’ Brings the Energy of ‘Star Wars’ Back to Us
4.5/5 loth cats
Ahsoka had a lot riding on it. Not only is she a beloved character from The Clone Wars and Rebels, but she carries a lot of weight on her shoulders. The former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka brings with her the legacy of the Jedi while also trying to be her own person and understand what—if anything—from the Jedi way works for her. While we saw a glimpse of who she had become following the war against the Empire in The Mandalorian, seeing Ahsoka come into her own in a live-action series is quite a journey. Luckily, Ahsoka works for both existing fans and newcomers.
Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) is no Jedi. She gave up the way of the Jedi Order, but she still understands the lessons of loyalty, and seeing her come into her own in the first two episodes of the series highlights exactly why she has become a favorite among Star Wars aficionados. She’s strong, determined, and questioning of what the Jedi believe, and yet what we see in Ahsoka is a woman who wants to find answers.
The quest to find Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) was set up in Rebels, but with Ahsoka, we can easily follow along with where these characters are in their journey. Ahsoka is trying to find a map to help her locate Ezra while learning about those who still lurk in the shadows of the now-fallen Empire.
While we can clearly see that Ahsoka and her friends are going to find Ezra, the first two episodes are more about Ahsoka reuniting with those who meant the world to her.
This is a Sabine Wren stan account
Sabine Wren was amazing in Rebels, but there is something just so brilliant about Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s take on Sabine that makes you want to cheer every time she appears on screen. When we meet her in Ahsoka, Sabine is immediately riding away from her responsibilities, and when those opposed try to stop her, she goes out of her way to avoid getting caught.
What’s important about Sabine’s journey so far is that she is the one who wants to find Ezra the most, whether or not Ahsoka agrees. She has a personalized message from him, she is the one who is clearly upset about the situation, and she’s the one who has to fight to try and find him with the map that Ahsoka recovers.
At the start of the season, Sabine’s relationship with Ahsoka—and even Hera, by extension—is not great. She’d rather be at home with her loth cat doing what she wants (which does make Sabine very relatable to those of us with cats), but it is a beautiful intro to Sabine for those who don’t know her, and a great introduction to this take on the character.
You’ll want a loth cat
Yes, the loth cat gets its own entry. Sabine is in her home, feeding her loth cat, and I am sure when more people see Ahsoka, you will hear a sea of women saying “wow she’s just like me.” Mainly because it is weirdly relatable to see how Sabine feeds her cat and how the two co-exist. It’s just like me and Benjamin Wyatt the cat whenever I get home. The thing about the loth cats is that they are so cute, and (so far) are just adorable little pets, so of course they’re instantly a favorite.
Look, they’re important to Star Wars lore, especially with Rebels and their connection to characters we hope to eventually see in the live-action universe, but what I love about this particular loth cat is just how much Sabine loves it and how much it loves Sabine. To all the cat girls out there, this one is for us.
Three women trying to survive a new world order
We haven’t gotten to see much of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera Syndulla yet, but she plays an important part in the heart of this series: Three women trying to reform after a war. Hera, Sabine, and Ahsoka were major players in the war against the Empire, and now that Darth Vader and Palpatine no longer have control over the galaxy, they’re in charge of certain aspects of rebuilding and trying to make the galaxy a better place than it was before.
Ahsoka, Hera, and Sabine are all trying to figure out their place after the war, with Hera having her life a bit more secure than both Sabine and Ahsoka, who are searching for answers. What I love is that this is a story about these three women, and it feels like it is just the natural way to tell it. Often, we’re forced to watch as studios think they’re telling female-led stories by throwing a group of random women together to do something as a team. Instead, Ahsoka gives us three women with a shared past who still want to interact with each other, and still care about one another. And in these first two episodes, we really get to see how they function without the threat of the Empire.
Ahsoka feels like a perfect post-Return of the Jedi story
Often, we get to see stories in the Star Wars universe that feel like a property that belongs in the franchise, but they are different in tone. The closest to the original trilogy in tone is The Mandalorian, and even then, it’s a bit more serious in nature than the original trilogy was. Then came Ahsoka. The series really does feel like it is a perfect post-Return of the Jedi story.
It’s bright, it’s funny, but it also has moments where the emotional weight of what is happening is clearly felt by the characters. It’s just a genuinely easy and addictive watch. Fans of Rebels will love it, and fans of Star Wars who might not know these characters yet will get to fall in love with them in their live-action form first. The show leaves you wanting more and eager to see where the future leads Ahsoka. You’ll instantly want more of Ahsoka after these first two episodes. Good. She deserves it.
(featured image: Disney+)
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