Star Wars: Ahsoka

For casual audiences, Ahsoka may prove to be a series they wait to binge-watch after they fill in the blanks with the animated series (or the aid of Wookieepedia, if they don’t have time for such a big commitment). Still, even with its issues, Ahsoka’s premiere is quite fun and sets up some promising pay-off potential.

Even lightsaber duels can’t match the fierce glow of Rosario Dawson as the ex-Jedi knight with the funky headgear who leads her sisterhood—glory to Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Natasha Liu Bordizzo—In battle against the Empire’s fading patriarchy. Now that’s worth celebrating.

The storytelling is patient, and the scenes are carried by Kevin Kiner’s luscious score, which swells and calms at just the right moments. When that’s on pause, there’s architect droid Huyang (a scene-stealing David Tennant) on hand to offer wry and logical truth bombs and adding some welcome levity to proceedings. 

For those who have never been intrigued by “Star Wars,” the master versus apprentice theme at the core of “Ahsoka” likely won’t be enough to push them to explore such an intensive world. However, for lifelong fans who understood the significance of “Rebels” and fell in love with one of the most iconic female characters of the franchise, learning more about her story and what happened to Thrawn and Ezra will likely be a transcendent experience.

Nothing in Ahsoka matches the level of technical proficiency we got to lap up in Andor. Nevertheless, it is a must-watch for true Star Wars stans. It’s not just that Dave Filoni has finally brought his most beloved animated characters to life; he is potentially rewriting the rules of the Star Wars universe with them.

The job of any “Star Wars” product is the competent execution of formula, and “Ahsoka” hits its marks. .... Ahsoka may be humorless, but Dawson’s performance isn’t. And at the same time it evokes, in a clever way, the two-dimensional character of the cartoons. It’s also helpful that, working with the fight coordinator Ming Qiu, the stunt coordinator J.J. Dashnaw and her stunt double, Michelle Lee, Dawson gives her battle scenes a visceral credibility.

It’s a space opera full of bite and brawn – one that promises to go some way towards restoring the damage inflicted by The Mandalorian’s downward spiral. Thankfully, Dawson has enough muscular charisma to carry it.

With a strong connection to Rebels, rich characters, and the ingredients for a solid story, Ahsoka is loaded with potential. However, the series stumbles a bit out the gate. The relationship between Ahsoka and Sabine is strained, but we’re not given enough backstory for it to feel genuine.

Fans of Clone Wars and Rebels will appreciate this live-action continuation of Dave Filoni’s saga, while newcomers should dig its promise of a different kind of Force clash.

The dark web of collusion bubbling in the back of ‘Ahsoka’ is definitely fascinating, making the series feel like something of a mystery, and the ‘Search For Ezra’ is essentially the story ride-or-die ‘Rebels’ fans have wanted to see for years. Not all of it is graceful, but nothing borders on the “hey there!” fan service that many fans worried about.

Plenty of fun action sequences in "Ahsoka" let us watch Dawson's character wield her two white lightsabers with purpose, speed, and precision. Will that be enough to power a full series? It’s unclear from the first two episodes, but the myth of the character and Dawson’s performance gives enough reason to tune in.

Disney+’s new live action series Ahsoka has the potential to explore the more cosmic and mystical aspects of the Star Wars universe, but the first two episodes feel flat at times as characters have to spend too much time catching up viewers who didn’t watch Star Wars Rebels.

A “Star Wars” series built around a trio of female heroes offers a welcome change and there’s hope that future episodes will pick up the pace. “Andor” started slowly too and turned into a masterpiece. That may be too much to hope for from “Ahsoka” but I’m willing to stick with it for now.

No matter how hard it strives for widespread accessibility, it’s a sequel that will be of primary interest to established fans.

In Ahsoka, while the most basic basics do come through, none of the character stories connect on the emotional level wanted without prior engagement with the depths of their lore. On a production level, Ahsoka is well-made Star Wars content, with solid lightsaber battles and space fighter hijinks and enough interest in how ordinary people adapt to the extraordinary circumstances of galactic conflict to inspire favorable comparisons to Andor.