The Ashoka series is out, and all episodes are available, and you can watch on Disney plus right now.
By: Vinny Masocol
SPOILER WARNING!!! For those who have yet see Ahsoka Season One.
The Ahsoka series caters to the Star Wars fanatics who know Rebels and The Clone Wars animated series, but there is not much here for the casual fan except lightsabers and some memory of Star Wars past. If you watch this and said, “who is that?” a few times you may want to watch a few YouTube timeline videos and come back, but the fact you have to is not good because for a company that wants to bring in a newer audience this show is not that show.
The problem is this, does Disney have the ability to build a series that is worthy of the Star Wars franchise to bring in new Star Wars fans and make the already divisive group a series that they will like?
Ahsoka’s story is complex and there are layers to it as she has to balance being a good master and also there is a fight within herself from the pain of the past and to move forward from that. All the while trying to stop the empire from resurrecting itself as the main tyrant in the galaxy again as this is set after the events of Return of The Jedi (Not going down the rabbit hole of timelines. Sorry).
Ahsoka is played by Rosario Dawson who is a wonderful actor, and this role fits her stout composure as she plays a hero and seasoned warrior. The problem here is that it makes some scenes dry and just meh for lack of a better word.
For example, as she is needing to reconnect with Sabine Wren as she tries to be her worthy apprentice, the character of Ahsoka is very stoic faced and has a barely expressive voice as she admits that she regrets not finishing Sabine’s training. This scene was very dry and maybe that is the way it should have been played but I did not really feel anything at all no frustration, no sadness nothing, so if I am not feeling it why should I care. Also, it does nothing to explain the history of them but a few words. The episodes are short. If they went 45 minutes to an hour, they could flush out the characters’ background a bit better. Also, if you wanted to bring in new viewers make it eight episodes instead of just six.
So, there is the problem trying to cram everything from the Star Wars universe, Books, T.V., Film Video games everything into those six 30–35-minute episodes. Even with a season two they will never be able to explain it all in the right fashion as they must develop plot points for newer characters they brought into the series. Dave Filoni, the series creator, is too distracted with the world he is building to make the story a steady, gripping thrill ride. It wouldn’t be a bad idea either to introduce each character to the people who have not watched Clone Wars or Rebels.
The performances of the rest of the group were very good, Especially Baylon Skoll played by Ray Stevenson (Who passed away in May of this year) was a great character who was never in the Star Wars universe and Shin Hati played by Ivanna Sakhno did a great job creating new characters for us to care about or hate. They at least introduced them, and we know a little story about them, not much but a little.
Overall, I am very disappointed by this series, it didn’t have the same originality and storytelling as the Mandalorian. It did, however, bring the animated characters that brought a generation of new Star Wars fans to life. It falls short of reaching new viewers as Andor or the Mandalorian have had success in doing. As for the loyal long-time Stars Wars fans it had Anakin which made the whole show more than likely worth watching for them. Let me know below what you think in the comments section.
This piece was written without the aid of studio-provided materials while SAG-AFTRA is on strike. These unions represent the actors, and other artists across the TV and movie industries in their fight for a fair and equitable contract. SAG-AFTRA is asking those who cover shows and films refrain from promoting struck content at this time. SAG-AFTRA has clarified reviews and analyses, such as this, aren’t promotional but instead critical analysis of works of art. However, we will clarify that any praise given to these works should be taken as praise given to the artists who make them possible. Without the labor of these artists, these works would not exist. Their struggles to maintain a strong level of talent in a hostile industry should emphasize the need for fair pay and work conditions from a system that continually makes their jobs more difficult. We stand in solidarity with the strikers and against the studios that deny them.
