Ahsoka

[gmillerdrake]

Okay, not exactly fanservice, but fanservice can take different forms.  There was no explanation of "the world between worlds", though it was obvious that she was in some kind of alternate place or dimension.  But Jacen could hear them fighting, which was interesting, and it settled the question of whether or not it was just in her head.  Anakin showed up for reasons unknown, and many are raving about how great he was, how much he looked and acted like the Anakin from the animated series (which of course was lost on anyone who never watched them).

Many are also saying "Well, this is basically Season Five of Rebels, what did you expect?"  What I expected was a story that held together without having to know all the backstory, as we were promised and as I actually expected Filoni and company to pull off, given their track record.  This is turning out not to be the case, and I'm starting to side with those who say that they're pretty lost without all the backstory.  I know some of it, having watched some recaps prior to this series, but this is not the standalone story that it was promoted to be.  It's clearly an extension of stories and characters that are well-established.  You can't please everyone, I get it, but generally you try to aim for the largest audience, and that would be people who have not seen the animated shows, not the ones who have.

I can see where this show, despite their efforts, would be confusing. Anakin showing up with 'no explanation' though isn't all that surprising though given that he was tested and 'beat' the Father on Mortis....proving and taking his place as the 'chosen one'. Anakin for lack of a better description is 'the man'. He's just incredibly powerful and him utilizing the World Between Worlds to help Ahsoka just fits given her connection to it as well.

Without knowing that Kanan is Jaycen's father....I'd be questioning his 'abilities' but Kanan was a pretty strong Jedi and it makes perfect sense that Jaycen has a strong connection to the force. I like that they're incorporating him into the story.

And there is good reason for the praise Hayden Christensen is getting for the way he's been portraying Anakin. TCW's allowed that character to be fully developed which really redeemed the character from the limited exposure and time to develop in the prequels....not to mention some sub par directing from Lucas when it came to that character in particular. Clone Wars Anakin was/is 'Anakin' and Christensen has captured him. With Anakin now being a fully developed character thanks to TCW's Christensen has that to draw from and it's been a huge relief to watch him nail it.

I don't know...I mean....I personally think if you're a Star Wars fan you're doing yourself a disservice by not watching TCW's and Rebels. All the content IS cannon and in general it's all pretty good. The first two seasons of TCW's takes dedication to get through (well the whole series does....it's a ton of episodes) but once they get their footing it's good stuff. Some stinker episodes in there but by in large it's worth it. And Rebels is great from start to finish IMO.....real fun series. I get not everyone wants to commit to watching the shows or doesn't like animation or whatever....but, all that content IS a part of the overarching Star Wars story and has made this Ahsoka series in particular pretty darn good IMO.

[MinistroRaven]

I've never seen the animated series (The Clone Wars and Rebels, I've watched Bad Batch) and I don't feel like I am missing anything, I am eager to know more about Thrawn and Ezra and where this whole show takes me, but I havent had the feel/need to know the backstory. 

[gmillerdrake]

I am eager to know more about Thrawn and Ezra and where this whole show takes me, but I havent had the feel/need to know the backstory.

Thrawn was 'the' main villain of Rebels....pretty ruthless Admiral BUT he also had a bit of civility and honor to him if that makes sense, he wasn't a psychopath....he's just a cunning warrior who does what it takes to win no matter the cost or brutality. Ezra was orphaned on Lothal and was 'found' by the Ghost crew of Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper and taken in. Kanan realizes Ezra has force abilities and decided to train him as a jedi.

There's a WHOLE lot that goes on but Ezra does come into his own and becomes a pretty strong jedi. They all witness Kanan sacrifice himself to save the group which ultimately is kind of the final lesson Ezra learns and he does the same in the final battle on Lothal....where....he uses the Purgil to whisk him and Thrawn away to wherever....saving everyone.

Here's the final scene with Ezra/Thrawn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w9SO_52nG4&t=9s

[MinistroRaven]

Appreciate the recap, gmillerdrake. I've decided to skip the YouTube video for now. Last night, while I was engrossed in episode 5 of Ahsoka, my kids expressed their interest in watching the entire Star Wars saga, including both the movies and series, together with me. Our Star Wars marathon is set to begin tomorrow on our special Friday Movie's Day.

[gmillerdrake]

Appreciate the recap, gmillerdrake. I've decided to skip the YouTube video for now. Last night, while I was engrossed in episode 5 of Ahsoka, my kids expressed their interest in watching the entire Star Wars saga, including both the movies and series, together with me. Our Star Wars marathon is set to begin tomorrow on our special Friday Movie's Day.

That's cool    Have fun.....be patient with TCW's....as I said....it takes them a bit to get the 'feel' and their feet under them but it really gets going around S3. And, the last four episodes of TCW series is some of the best SW content ever made.

[lonestar]

Just found out the actress that plays young Ahsoka also played young Gamora in Infinity War

[gmillerdrake]

Just found out the actress that plays young Ahsoka also played young Gamora in Infinity War

Saw that too.....how cool is that for her? Just grabbing roles in HUGE franchises. Gotta be a great feeling.

[lonestar]

Just found out the actress that plays young Ahsoka also played young Gamora in Infinity War

Saw that too.....how cool is that for her? Just grabbing roles in HUGE franchises. Gotta be a great feeling.

Seems she also played the daughter in Barbie, which was an amazing performance.

[gmillerdrake]

Just found out the actress that plays young Ahsoka also played young Gamora in Infinity War

Saw that too.....how cool is that for her? Just grabbing roles in HUGE franchises. Gotta be a great feeling.

Seems she also played the daughter in Barbie, which was an amazing performance.

I wonder what type of salary/pay she brings in for those roles? My mind jumps to it has to be a lot because of it being Marvel, Disney...etc etc but I'm sure it's not like millions of dollars. Hopefully she has a good family behind her that is helping her manage whatever wealth she's accumulating. Would hate to see an article in ten years hearing she was cheated out of all her money due to some low life dad or mom.

[PetFish]

I'm not going to eat my hat but this Ahsoka episode was amazing.  Young Ahsoka was the best part and the flashbacks were just so cool.

Seeing Anakin with a red sabre gave me chills and just reinforces my view that they missed a huge opportunity to do it in Revenge of the Sith.  I've thought about this ever since 2005 that at some point on Mustafar Obi-wan gets Anakin's blue sabre (the one he gives to Luke eventually) but then Anakin pulls out a red one that Palpatine had given him and then they finish their fight.

Huge props to Hayden for his fighting skills.  He really looked fast and aggressive and totally believable.

"I won't fight you."
"I've heard that before."
*chills*

[gmillerdrake]

I'm not going to eat my hat but this Ahsoka episode was amazing.  Young Ahsoka was the best part and the flashbacks were just so cool.

Seeing Anakin with a red sabre gave me chills and just reinforces my view that they missed a huge opportunity to do it in Revenge of the Sith.  I've thought about this ever since 2005 that at some point on Mustafar Obi-wan gets Anakin's blue sabre (the one he gives to Luke eventually) but then Anakin pulls out a red one that Palpatine had given him and then they finish their fight.

Huge props to Hayden for his fighting skills.  He really looked fast and aggressive and totally believable.

"I won't fight you."
"I've heard that before."
*chills*

I’ve rewatched it three times now. Love it more with each watch.

That “I’ve heard that before” was awesome for a few reasons, one of which just solidifies that it truly was Anakin and not Ahsoka’s imagination or some internal struggle.

[HOF]

Episode 5 was fine. The space whales are cool. The weird dream sequence Anakin stuff was weird and a bit cliche (and he’s still a really awkward actor), but it was enjoyable.

[lonestar]

Solid episode, love the dude playing Thrawn.

[Grappler]

Forgive me, those of you continuing to geek out over Anakin and Ahsoka, but tonight's episode (#6) is MUCH better.  I read Heir to the Empire and the original Thrawn trilogy when it came out in the early 90's and have waited a long time to see him appear on screen.  Did not disappoint!

[ProfessorPeart]

Solid episode, love the dude playing Thrawn.

Very happy they got the voice actor from Rebels to also play live-action Thrawn. That voice is just so unique. I couldn't imagine any other voice trying to copy his performance from the cartoon.

Another excellent episode. Thrawn's ship is like a ghost ship. Pretty cool looking hunk of junk.

[gmillerdrake]

Solid episode, love the dude playing Thrawn.

Very happy they got the voice actor from Rebels to also play live-action Thrawn. That voice is just so unique. I couldn't imagine any other voice trying to copy his performance from the cartoon.

Another excellent episode. Thrawn's ship is like a ghost ship. Pretty cool looking hunk of junk.

Yeah…..his voice and the way he calmly asserts everything makes that character. It was so cool to hear it again.

Love that they didn’t mess around either with some long drawn out Ezra hunt….he’s found and that’s that. Now to it.

Baylan may be one of the coolest characters SWs has introduced since….well….Ezra and Thrawn. It’s upsetting to know Ray has passed and there is zero chance of seeing that character go any further than this season.

Watching this show makes me even more pissed that they didn’t give Filoni the reigns for the three sequel movies. Instead they chose to make some quick $$$$ and sacrificed the story for greed. Dude clearly ‘gets’ Star Wars.

[gmillerdrake]

….and it fits perfectly in line with Thrawn to give Sabine all her crap back and say ‘go ahead’, fo find Ezra. A deals a deal. As he said…they’re leaving the planet anyway and he’s assuming they’ll strand them and/or she will lead them to Ezra and they can kill them.

Would love to know the backstory of how things went down after they arrived on the planet and Thrawn survived, Ezra fleeing or whatever took place.

Cool to see the Dathomere witch ancestors also…..that was a neat storyline and group of characters in TCWs.

[gmillerdrake]

Also....those stormtroopers were SICK looking! I have a hunch they'd be able to hit whatever they're aiming at   The 'thrawn' chanting.....and they're tribe like designs and aged armor....really set a mood and tone.

[Podaar]

Also....those stormtroopers were SICK looking! I have a hunch they'd be able to hit whatever they're aiming at   The 'thrawn' chanting.....and they're tribe like designs and aged armor....really set a mood and tone.

I think you maybe right. And more than that, they literally looked patched together...with Night Sister red ribbons. Are we thinking that maybe those suits of armor may be full of pressurized green smoke? 

[gmillerdrake]

Also....those stormtroopers were SICK looking! I have a hunch they'd be able to hit whatever they're aiming at   The 'thrawn' chanting.....and they're tribe like designs and aged armor....really set a mood and tone.

I think you maybe right. And more than that, they literally looked patched together...with Night Sister red ribbons. Are we thinking that maybe those suits of armor may be full of pressurized green smoke? 

Could totally be that. It’s way the heck more intimidating than the run of the mill trooper look.

Also, I’m wondering when Thrawn asks them for their help ‘again’ with the Sister Magic that if they’re gonna conjure up another Inquisitor or two for him?

And they’ve been laying some foundation for thr Shin/Baylan relationship to take a turn on each other. She’s dropped some lines that clearly disagree or question his motives. Wonder how they’re both going to fit into the resolution of the season?

[gmillerdrake]

Did a rewatch with one of my sons and the cargo Thrawn is loading from the catacombs is definitely casket-esk. Maybe his deal with the Night Sisters is he takes some of their ancestors/undead back to Dathomere so they can reboot their clan?

[kaos2900]

Thrawn is easily the most complex Star Wars character
 I highly recommend the 6 cannon Thrawn novels.

[ProgMasterMind92]

i would like to apologize for my earlier comments insinuating this show is too woke... this show honestly kicks ass. huge step up from some other recent star wars stuff

[HOF]

Wife and I both kind of felt this episode jumped the shark a little. She especially lost it when Sabine gets mad at the rat dog horse for abandoning her while she's under attack. Uh, what did you expect this beast of burden that was forced to carry you ten minutes earlier for the first time to do in a gun fight?

The hobbit turtle ewoks were too much. And Ezra is apparently hiding out in plain sight with their merry band and can be found within a day, but big bad Thrawn with all of his men and ship can't find him? Did he even try? Why does he even care?

Also, wasn't Ezra transported with Thrawn on the same ship? How did he get away, and why didn't Thrawn take care of him then?

[gmillerdrake]

Wife and I both kind of felt this episode jumped the shark a little. She especially lost it when Sabine gets mad at the rat dog horse for abandoning her while she's under attack. Uh, what did you expect this beast of burden that was forced to carry you ten minutes earlier for the first time to do in a gun fight?

The hobbit turtle ewoks were too much. And Ezra is apparently hiding out in plain sight with their merry band and can be found within a day, but big bad Thrawn with all of his men and ship can't find him? Did he even try? Why does he even care?

Also, wasn't Ezra transported with Thrawn on the same ship? How did he get away, and why didn't Thrawn take care of him then?

We don’t know the backstory of what went down the past decade there. That’d be a cool flashback episode or reveal at some point….but, it’s clear they went their separate ways. And, I think Ezra found Sabine…..she didn’t find him. He chose to reveal himself.

That chain Mail he’s wearing are the dog tags of the Clone troopers so I’m pretty sure Thrawn didn’t take care of him because well…..he couldn’t. Thrawns a badass for sure but I don’t think he can take Ezra 1v1.

As far as the hokeyness of scolding the wolf/horse and/or the rock folks……it falls right in line with classic SWs so I’m not sure about that gripe?

[HOF]

The scolding bothered my wife more than me, but I see her point. She does not care for Sabine’s character in general though.

I was more bothered by the turtles!

[ProgMasterMind92]

the hermit crabs were cute!!! there's certainly more obnoxious star wars creatures

[lordxizor]

Caught up this afternoon. Enjoying this show a lot. The last two episodes were great.

[Orbert]

I liked this latest one.  We finally met Thrawn, got a couple of examples of why he's such a feared and respected guy, learned some more about the Daughters of Dathomir, including some hints that they and Thrawn have some kind of arrangement, finally met Ezra, got more hints that Baylan and Shin's relationship could be at risk... and it didn't even occur to me until later than Ahsoka herself was only in a few minutes early in the episode.  Honestly, I get that Ahsoka Tano is a highly revered character, and I've seen why in the many references to and clips from other series, but from what we've seen in this series alone, she's one of the least interesting characters and I didn't even miss her here.  The story moved along just fine without her.

[HOF]

So am I wrong in remembering dialogue from A New Hope or some other part of the original trilogy saying that the Force flows through everything in the "galaxy" as opposed to the "universe"? I kept wondering if the Force existed in this other galaxy, but unless you have to have the Force to use a lightsaber, we didn't really get any hints one way or another (Sabine does try to Force pry the prison door, then the Start Destroyer shows up instead).

I think this is what I'm thinking of:

The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.

[gmillerdrake]

I liked this latest one.  We finally met Thrawn, got a couple of examples of why he's such a feared and respected guy, learned some more about the Daughters of Dathomir, including some hints that they and Thrawn have some kind of arrangement, finally met Ezra, got more hints that Baylan and Shin's relationship could be at risk... and it didn't even occur to me until later than Ahsoka herself was only in a few minutes early in the episode.  Honestly, I get that Ahsoka Tano is a highly revered character, and I've seen why in the many references to and clips from other series, but from what we've seen in this series alone, she's one of the least interesting characters and I didn't even miss her here.  The story moved along just fine without her.

I can see that if you’re just going off of this show. But for the majority of SWs geeks who’ve watched all the cannon shows this is the culmination of years of character development and is unfolding beautifully for her.

[Orbert]

[gmillerdrake]

?     Is this ripping on what's considered cannon? Or is it like a drinking game.....mention cannon and you have to post the pic.

[Orbert]

I got this dumb idea to post a picture of a cannon every time someone mentions "cannon" when they meant to say "canon".  It will annoy people, and I've already decided to stop.  But it was fun while it lasted.


"Canon" is the official lore, according to whoever makes that decision (Lucasfilms, Kennedy, Filoni, etc)

"Cannon" is a device for launching a big heavy thing at your enemy, neighbor, or maybe just someone who pissed you off.

[gmillerdrake]

I got this dumb idea to post a picture of a cannon every time someone mentions "cannon" when they meant to say "canon".  It will annoy people, and I've already decided to stop.  But it was fun while it lasted.


"Canon" is the official lore, according to whoever makes that decision (Lucasfilms, Kennedy, Filoni, etc)

"Cannon" is a device for launching a big heavy thing at your enemy, neighbor, or maybe just someone who pissed you off.

Well that makes sense then 😂