I’m gonna preface this by saying, Ahsoka is my favorite Star Wars character and has been since I was little, so the very existence of this show is super important to me! I even made a lil summoning circle on here before the show to manifest because it being in live-action worried me to no end. Unfortunately, the medium ended up being one of my lesser complaints, with the core problem being that Ahsoka feels sidelined in her own show, and that makes me more sad than I can really describe. Why was Ahsoka doing all this? Her only purpose seemed like it was to help get to Thrawn so the “mandoverse” or whatever can happen, and Ahsoka deserves to be more than a stepping stool with small tidbits of her characterization throughout.

When the Rebels finale aired over 5 years ago, seeing Ahsoka ride off with Sabine to save Ezra seemed like such a fun concept, especially since it seemed like they were heavily leaning into the lore-heavy side of Star Wars during that time. But apparently, they felt the need to create a whole off-screen relationship between Sabine and Ahsoka alienating both new watchers and Rebels fans alike. There was one point where Huyang was saying something about how Ahsoka could sense Sabine if their bond was strong enough, but nothing tells me their bond is that strong! Sabine’s family was also killed offscreen making the disconnect even worse for those who watched Rebels because we grew attached to them and their struggle. So who is this show even for? Normal people don’t know who these people are, but to those who do, it still feels cheap. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all when a show is made with the expectation that viewers should have “done their homework”, but did Ahsoka and Sabine even have a single interaction in Rebels? Why not build an entirely new relationship and see them grow together?

I suppose I should address the thing everyone is probably saying: THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ANIMATED. Ahsoka was birthed in animation and I believe her own show deserved to be animated too. Not that the fights were bad, they were actually pretty solid as far as modern Star Wars goes. It’s just very clear how underpowered Ahsoka looks compared to her previous outings that it ruins it a bit for me. Her fighting style has completely changed, and I’m sorry I don’t find it believable at all when she’s being outmatched by Baylan. It’s not even a fangirl thing, her feats don’t lie. Age isn’t an excuse either when Yoda was slaying with a cane. (This “power scaling” I’m doing is really just a minor complaint, don’t take it too seriously). The standouts were Thrawn and Ezra in terms of transitioning to live-action. Thrawn holds so much presence and Ezra feels perfect!

That all being said, I did enjoy the show in general, it can be really fun. Something I really appreciated was that the world between worlds put into perspective just how young Ahsoka was during the Clone Wars, and live-action was able to convey that better than animation ever did. Ahsoka overcoming her bloody past and lineage was decently well done, and I get the thought behind it, even if it was pretty half-baked tbh (and no, this was not pointless fanservice, people don't know the meaning of it anymore). Her guilt was why teaching Sabine didn’t work out in the first place, and I wish I could feel better about their relationship because it wasn't very earned. The last episode solved some of my issues with this, and I’m very happy Sabine decided to stay with Ahsoka because I was totally believing that the show would do some asspulls to hand everything to her. I’m excited to see their relationship develop more in the future!

I also really appreciate Kevin Kiner’s score, which helped contribute to the large scale. The whole purrgil scene and traveling to another galaxy was made to feel like an EVENT and I could really feel the weight of the journey they were making. Vibes alone were great. The mythology and lore being brought up is all interesting, I love seeing witches again in Star Wars, and of course, Mortis!

Speaking of which, I’m not sure what everyone’s problem was with the finale when I thought it was one of the stronger episodes of the show. Ahsoka’s fight with Morgan was surprisingly good… and zombies! This might be unpopular, but I am fine with Sabine using the force. I like the idea that the force is a part of all life, and some people are just more tuned to it than others. It gets rid of that whole midichlorian bs. I also think it’s okay that Baylan and Shin weren’t involved in the finale because they clearly have more interesting things going on in the future.

That’s just an issue with the whole show though… setup, setup, setup, clearly this felt more like a transition story. It’s crazy, the type of story teased for Ahsoka at the end with the Mortis gods and more mystical side of the force was exactly where I wanted her to go, and seems like the real show that Filoni wanted to do all along. I can see Ahsoka season 2 coming out after the “mandoverse,” and I will keep coping till the end that they decide to animate it.

Based on this season alone however, Ahsoka is the character that kind of falls the most flat in her own show, which is pretty disappointing. It’s a decent show - better than Obi-Wan and Book of Boba Fett (though those aren’t the highest bars), but a character like Ahsoka deserves so much more than such a decent show. Dave Filoni dude, I know you can do better.

I’m sorry I wrote this in a sleep-deprived state, I will add things if I remember. This was more a rant than a review like most of my things here probably loll
