TV Review: ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’

The new series continues the story of Rosario Dawson’s former Jedi and animated series ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ while trying not to exclude those who never watched the show.

Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Ahsoka,' exclusively on Disney+.

Premiering on Disney+ on August 22nd with two episodes, ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’ looks to grow the universe of ‘The Mandalorian’ and other ‘Star Wars’ spin-off series.

From the evidence of the first two episodes show to the press, it’s a mostly successful effort, albeit plagued by some very familiar issues around plotting and style.

What’s the story of ‘Ahsoka’?

Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Ahsoka,' exclusively on Disney+.

For the new series, Rosario Dawson reprises her role as the former Jedi Knight and Padawan to one of the greatest Jedi of all time, Anakin Skywalker, originally introduced (in animated form, there voiced by Ashley Eckstein) in ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ and brought to life in live-action form in episodes of ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘The Book of Boba Fett’.

Set after the fall of the Empire, ‘Ahsoka’ follows the title character as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. She’s looking to track down Grand Admiral Thrawn, whose return from exile could unite Imperial remnants under a powerful new leader.

To do that, she’ll reunite with rebel colleagues such as General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and venerable Jedi training droid Huyang (voiced by David Tennant).

Who else appears in ‘Ahsoka’?

Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Ahsoka,' exclusively on Disney+.

The cast for the new show also includes Diana Lee Inosanto, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Lars Mikkelsen and Eman Esfandi.

Is ‘Ahsoka’ worth watching?

Dave Filoni and Rosario Dawson on the set of Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Ahsoka,' exclusively on Disney+.

Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau and the team have been making small-screen ‘Star Wars’ for a few years now, so they know what they’re doing. It’s true that they’ve had the odd stumble: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, which aimed to continue the story of one of the most popular characters from the movies, never quite found the right tone and botched the Kenobi/Vader dynamic. And the less said about the misshapen, wrong-headed ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ (which only really worked when ‘The Mandalorian’ took over for a couple of episodes), the better.

‘Ahsoka’ has challenges from the start –– it must continue the narrative of a very popular character, one who has successfully been brought to life (albeit only for one episode of ‘Mando’ and a brief appearance in the ‘Boba’ show) in live-action. And then there’s squeezing in and referencing her history from animated adventures ‘The Clone Wars’ and ‘Star Wars: Rebels’, all while avoiding alienating viewers who have never dipped into either.

For the most part, Ahsoka successfully straddles those worlds. A big part of that success is the combination of creator/executive producer Filoni’s driving love for the characters and Dawson’s committed portrayal of the title warrior, who feels at once like her animated self and something that works in live-action –– a little more hardened and bitter, but still a compelling person to follow.

Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Ahsoka,' exclusively on Disney+.

Elsewhere, the crew of the Ghost (from ‘Rebels’) is similarly well represented, with Winstead and Bordizzo offering solid live-action portrayals of Syndulla and Wren. They give the previously animated characters real life and presence.

On the antagonistic side it’s the late, great Ray Stevenson who really impresses, playing Baylan Skoll, a low-key (at least, initially) former Jedi who has turned to a much darker path. He’s introduced breaking a colleague out of a New Republic ship with efficiency and no little violence.

As for Filoni’s efforts, he crafts an effective kick-off episode and begins to drip-feed information to catch up anyone who might be scratching their heads wondering who all of these people are. And creatively, there are moments when ‘Ahsoka’ is truly impressive –– including some clashes with droids after a particular gadget or a chase between two ships that soars from the surface of a giant shipyard to space.

What keeps ‘Ahsoka’ from classic status (so far)?

Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Ahsoka,' exclusively on Disney+.

There are a few big issues that the show has yet to fully resolve. While Filoni and co. do their best to avoid confusion from non-completists, there will be still be those who feel a little left behind by it all. It’s the continuation of a story that ran across several years of animated TV, so there are naturally exposition dumps (fortunately limited) and easter eggs that will sail over the head of the uninitiated and lead to narrative issues.

Secondly, the show is weirdly paced, veering from long, drawn out, almost inert scenes of characters unearthing or contemplating the initial McGuffin (a star map that pertains to the Big Bad’s whereabouts that everyone is after) to slightly rushed action sequences that are occasionally hampered by cartoony effects.

And the whole concept of a mysterious thingy that points the way to a mysterious villain has more disturbing overtones of ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker’ than we’d care to entertain. True, there is sometimes the feeling of a classic ‘Indiana Jones’ adventure as Ahsoka goes on her quest, but the idea of “side quests”, where the heroes and villains hunt for a thing that points to a thing that will help its bearer find another thing really has become a little tiresome. And this series has more than one character on such a mission. Hopefully, all this will be limited to the earlier episodes, because when the show digs into the meat of the characters, it’s much more entertaining.

The visual style is also noticeable changeable, some scenes looking lush and cinematic while others have the plasticky sheen of a video played during a theme park ride, which even the healthy resources of a ‘Star Wars’ show can’t quite fix.

‘Ahsoka’ certainly does enough to fulfill the promise of Dawson’s appearances on ‘The Mandalorian’ and elsewhere, and when it hits the right gear, it’s a great example of a ‘Star Wars’ adventure. And with the set-up mostly in place, our hopes are high that the show will maintain its momentum across the remaining six episodes.

‘Ahsoka’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.