Joshs Season 1 Review - Ahsoka Is An Exciting Star Wars Story That Needed More Time

Overall, I'd call Ahsoka Season 1 a success. It did a great job at reintroducing the main cast from Star Wars Rebels, cast some excellent performers in key roles, and crafted an interesting story full of adventure and excitement, giving our heroes a goal we could all get on board with. However, the season was not perfect and some drawbacks prevented it from reaching the heights it could have.



Though fans initially criticized Rosario Dawson's performance for being too serious and aloof compared to Ashley Eckstein's warmer and optimistic portrayal in animation, that turned out to be a deliberate story decision that paid off by the end of the season. The difference between Dawson's early performances as a focused and unemotional character and the joyful and trusting person she becomes by the end is stark -- a great symbol of her Lord of the Rings-esque journey from 'Ahsoka the Grey' to 'Ahsoka the White' -- even if the show could have done a better job of communicating exactly what lesson she learned in that World Between Worlds episode.



David Tennant shined in a surprisingly comedic role as Huyang and might be the low-key MVP of the season. Between his sage pearls of wisdom offered to Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra, and his hilarious banter when under fire at various points on the ship, Huyang was a remarkably loveable character and it's a shame it'll be so long before we get to see him again. Eman Esfandi was also perfectly cast as Ezra, embodying the animated character's laidback and carefree attitude perfectly, while Mary Elizabeth Winstead excelled at bringing to life Hera's take-charge attitude and love for her family.



Even if Thrawn was never really placed in a situation that allowed him to show off his strategic intellect to its fullest (though I loved the space mines placed around Peridea to anticipate Ahsoka's arrival), Lars Mikkelsen did a great job at taking his portrayal from animation to live action. There were some murmurs from fans about his appearance but personally, I didn't see a problem with it. In my mind, this is as accurate a portrayal of Thrawn as we were ever likely to get.







While Natasha Liu Bordizzo had a similarly fantastic performance as Sabine -- I could see the animated version of the character come to life in each of her scenes -- it's clear that the main criticisms surrounding this series all involve her character. It was a bold move for writer/creator Dave Filoni to send her on an arc that would end with her able to use the Force, and with more time I think he could have told that story convincingly. Unfortunately, the eight-episode season didn't provide enough time for him to really focus on that part of her journey.



If we'd had an episode of downtime that took the opportunity to show Sabine really trying hard to improve her connection with the Force in a way that showed gradual progress on-screen, then that would have been better than what we got, with her simply learning how to Force Push and Pull under pressure despite no apparent progress in her training.







My other main criticism of the season is also linked to Sabine, as Filoni committed the worst sin of all in ignoring the fact that Sabine was responsible for Thrawn's return. Someone needed to acknowledge that she could have prevented this worst-case scenario by destroying the orb on Seatos, but instead, it's brushed under the rug and Ahsoka seems to just forgive her without any criticism in the finale, something I overlooked in my own review of the final episode.



There was an easy way to justify Sabine's decision while also admitting she was at fault for Thrawn's return. All we needed was a scene where Sabine outlines her obvious belief in the following: rescuing Ezra comes first, and if Thrawn does escape then she believes they can deal with it.



It still obviously undoes Ezra's hard work in the Star Wars Rebels finale, but it's an interesting belief that would have encouraged debate, and not much different from standard hero logic in Star Wars and other franchises. Crucially, that motivation is true to Sabine's character.







Instead, Filoni sweeps it under the rug and urges us to forget it, which is probably the worst thing he could have done as it's left many people angry with one of his most precious characters.



I believe these problems are borne from the fact that Ahsoka only has eight episodes with oscillating runtimes. The series is so concerned with trying to wrap up multiple character arcs and plot points -- despite the fact the series' actual plot is fairly thin on the ground -- that some characters' journeys get rushed or saved for later. Ahsoka herself has a pretty good character arc but as mentioned, Sabine's is rushed in the finale. Thrawn and Ezra's performances were perfect but we don't get to learn much about what Thrawn's been doing all this time and how he might have changed, while Ezra's characterization is fairly one-note. Baylan and Shin are fascinating characters but only get about three scenes in the last two episodes and neither of them speak in the finale.







This is particularly frustrating because I loved everything else we got. I liked the slow build to reach the new galaxy and wondering what our heroes and villains would find there. The action was often thrilling to watch and well-choreographed for the most part and the acting excellent. I loved everything in the World Between Worlds, including Hayden Christensen's wonderful reprisal of Anakin Skywalker which masterfully incorporated Matt Lanter's take on the character from The Clone Wars, I loved everything about the Nightsisters and the Night Troopers and I even enjoyed all the New Republic politics as we see their incompetence and corruption further exposed.



The series does so many things so well that it's frustrating to see it stumble on a couple of key issues. It's still a great Star Wars series that I'll happily rewatch repeatedly -- it's clear as ever that Filoni knows how to craft an exciting story -- but in order to be considered one of the all-time great stories, it needed more time to cook. If a second season does get announced, I hope it will be given that time.



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