Ahsoka Episode 1 Review - 7 Ups & 2 Downs
Season 5 of Star Wars Rebels is here.
And just like that, the Star Wars universe has been expanded once again with the debut of Ahsoka. This has been one of the most anticipated Star Wars series for some time, and based on the early reactions, it hasn’t disappointed.
As a character, there is a lot to enjoy about Ashoka Tano, and in terms of potential story, there are plenty of options for her series. Anakin’s Padawan played a key role throughout The Clone Wars, made her presence felt in Star Wars Rebels, and has appeared in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
With such a character and backstory to work with, as well as what the future may hold for the powerful former Jedi Knight, there is the potential for this series to be very, very good.
The first episode of any series is always so important as it sets the tone, the expectations, and has to balance moving the story forward with exposition and setting the pieces on the board for the coming weeks. With this in mind, how exactly did episode one of Ahsoka do?
9. Down - It Doesn't Feel Like An Ahsoka Series
With a shared universe so vast and saturated as Star Wars, it must be difficult for creators to properly gauge what knowledge their audiences have. If someone is watching a Star Wars series or movie, you can probably assume they have watched the original trilogy, but who knows what else?
This is an issue with Ahsoka right off the bat. The character has appeared in The Clones Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, but how much of that lore can be included? The average mainstream fan may have seen The Mandalorian, but may not have seen any of the others.
Episode one leaned heavily on Ahsoka’s time in Rebels, to the point that it doesn’t even feel like her own series yet. Many of the connections to the animated show were great, and will be expanded upon further in the Ups section, but it felt like the pilot was putting too much trust in the audience to pick up from a series that ended over five years ago.
Snips needs to be front and center more in the coming episodes to avoid this becoming season five of Rebels. Of course, season five of Rebels would be welcomed, but this is supposed to be about Ahsoka.