TL;DR – This was an exciting introduction that intrigued and frustrated me in equal measure

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Ahsoka Review –

Ahsoka is an interesting series because it is the first Star Wars live action work based on a previous property with which I have no experience with. I did not watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels growing up, and sorry to be blunt, I don’t have time in my life to catch up on 208 television episodes before jumping in here. The question is: does the team behind the show understand that this is where a large, probably a majority, of their viewing audience is coming from? Well, that is what we will look at today.

So to set the scene, we open on a deserted planet full of ruins built by the Nightsisters of Dathomir. But somewhere in this ruin is an old map, a map to the location of a formidable enemy, and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is here to find it. The only problem is that she is not alone, while she might have gotten good intel from Morgan Elsbeth Diana Lee Inosanto). The former Imperial magistrate is not without her resources, as the crew of the rebel prisoner transport discover when they are boarded by the Dark Jedi mercenary Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

While the theme of masters and apprentices does flow through the episode, I would say the better overarching motif is that of introductions. Both to those characters some of you have met before and those new to the franchise. I think this was the best choice for the series because you need to catch up with unfamiliar characters and give a big standout moment for those characters people know and love. We have seen Ahsoka before in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but we didn’t get to see what she was capable of. Well, as introductions go, a double lightsabre slice around and crash into the floor below is a good start.

Regarding new characters, I have to give full props to the late great Ray Stevenson for being an instant presence on the show. In one conversation, I knew his power and his poise. There is an energy that exists even before that red lightsabre appears. You also have to like a rebel who is a rebel, with the whole speed bike scene on the highway being one of the highlights of the episode for me. Sabine is an interesting character, but I also don’t believe for a second that the cliffhanger ending with a lightsabre to the middle will be fatal, even though it would be for any other character in the show.

From a production perspective, I loved Kevin Kiner’s musical score; that perfectly nailed the fine line of being very much in the wheelhouse that John Williams created without feeling like I was listening to someone try to imitate his work. Also, I liked how they created the lightsabre to cast their light during the fights as the reds and greens meld together. However, you did feel the construction of the digital sets at times, which usually Star Wars is better at pulling off. Also, the opening title scroll was a nice touch back to the past.       

For me, the weakest element of the first episode was the narrative hook that they held everything off. An ancient map that can be used to find someone in the present who is hiding is a narrative situation that is, at best, trite but, at worst, makes no logical sense. What is more frustrating is that this is a plot device that Star Wars has used before in The Rise of Skywalker, and it was just as ineffectual there. Look, this is only the first episode, so I am happy to be proven wrong, but I honestly sighed when they started that narrative device.

In the end, do we recommend Star Wars: Ahsoka – Part One: Master and Apprentice? Well, ignoring the mouthful that is that episode title. I thought it was a good opening introduction episode, and I felt a lot of promise without ever being left behind. However, some of the narrative choices did raise some concerns, so we will see how that goes as the series progresses.   

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Ahsoka yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Ahsoka
Directed by – Dave Filoni
Written by – Dave Filoni
Created by – Dave Filoni
Based On – Star Wars by George Lucas
Production/Distribution Companies – Lucasfilm, Golem Creations & Disney+
Starring – Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Diana Lee Inosanto, David Tennant & Eman Esfandi with Mark Rolston, Shakira Barrera, Clancy Brown & Matt Law and Vinny Thomas & Michele Weaver