Ahsoka Episode 1 Review: Master and Apprentice

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We are back for the latest Star Wars Disney Plus show with Ashoka. For those who are unaware, Ahsoka is a show that takes place at the same point in the timeline as The Mandalorian as well as the The Book of Boba Fett and is a follow-up to that show. Ahsoka is a character who was first introduced in the animated show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and her adventures would continue in Star Wars Rebels before finally making the jump to live action in The Mandalorian season 2.  

To tell you my knowledge going into this show, I have watched all eleven Star Wars films, read two novels, seen all the live-action Disney Plus shows, played three of the games including Jedi Fallen Order, and have seen sporadic episodes of Clone Wars, season one of Rebels, and making my way through season two and season one of The Bad Batch. Having now given my credentials, I will say that I was looking forward to seeing how the characters and story from Rebels would translate into live action.  

Now seeing the first episode, I have to say I was pretty happy with the result. Right from the start I can tell they pulled out all the stops for this series with the first episode even having an opening crawl to start the first episode with a distinct red font.

In terms of story we have Ahsoka is trying to hunt down a map to find Grand Admiral Thrawn who disappeared fighting Ezra in the series finale of Star Wars Rebels. She wants to find him as she fears he is the last true threat from the days of the Empire. I think this is an interesting plot for the series as Thrawn is supposed to be one of the most formidable enemies and strategists in Star Wars

The first thing I want to talk about regarding the series is the action. This is by far the most lightsaber action we have seen in any of these Disney Plus shows and I was quite impressed with how much we got in this episode alone. 

First, we have a fight scene with Ahsoka and some assassin droids which is creative and clever. We also have a real intense fight between Sabine and one of our two villains this show introduced which is an excellent scene with a brutal feel. There is also an attack on a New Republic cruiser in the opening that is quite fun as well. Overall, I think they were pretty creative with the action in the episode and with this being one of the most anticipated live-action shows, I think it delivered in that aspect.

The characters were well realized, particularly the characters that have been adapted to live action. To start, Rosario Dawson does a great job playing a more mature Ahsoka Tano. Having lived through the Clone Wars and the war against the Empire, she is not as fiery or snarky as her younger counterpart from the animated shows. 

I feel this progression of her character is natural given what she has experienced with both wars and her relationship with Anakin Skywalker. I feel you can see the pain and suffering that she has had in most of her scenes. She is reluctant and more hesitant in her decision-making.

Sabine Wren is an interesting character as we get to see how she has changed since the end of the animated series. She doesn’t want the attention she garnered from the war. She does still want to find Ezra and when Ahsoka reappears, Sabine tries her hardest to impress her. I feel that their relationship will be the main part of the emotional arc of the show.

Overall I think this was a pretty solid first episode. Between the cool action, well-realized characters, and interesting set up, I am excited to see what comes next. It is always nice to be back in a galaxy far far away.