This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.The Mandalorian became a gateway for a lot of new and casual Star Wars fans who directly benefited from how the series positioned its titular character as an outsider who was almost entirely unaware of the larger galaxy and its inhabitants. For a large portion of that show’s audience, Season 2 was their very first introduction to the character of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), which may be to the detriment of Dave Filoni’s latest Disney+ series Ahsoka.

Unlike The Mandalorian, which slowly eased its audience into more lore-heavy storytelling, or The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor, which were tied to the film franchise, Ahsoka is intrinsically connected to over two hundred episodes of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, which a much smaller audience has consumed over the years. Despite claims that audiences wouldn’t necessarily have to watch either series before diving into Ahsoka, the first two episodes make it quite clear that you do actually need them in order to fully understand what’s happening. At least with The Mandalorian, Dawson’s Season 2 face-off against Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) directly ties into the start of Ahsoka, though it is yet to be seen if Ahsoka’s appearance in The Book of Boba Fett and her friendship with Luke Skywalker will feature in the series.

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‘Ahsoka’ Caters More to Longtime Star Wars Fans Than Franchise Newcomers
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As with The Mandalorian, Ahsoka suffers from not having a writers’ room—or at least not having more voices involved with its storytelling. There is no denying that Filoni is an excellent story creator, but his scripts often lack the connective tissue that can make a good story great. His intimate knowledge of Ahsoka’s storied history and her relationships with Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) often leads to integral information being left out of conversations, which would improve the viewing experience for casual fans. There are a lot of vague implications about why we, as an audience, should care about the search for Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) or the hunt for Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), but most of it is left to reading between the lines, which doesn’t work when only half of your audience understands the language. While the first pair of episodes work to whet the appetites of those casual fans, they won’t get the same enjoyment that diehard fans will from the premiere.

Even for fans who know everything about Ahsoka Tano’s fifteen-year chokehold on the Star Wars fandom, the first two episodes of Ahsoka introduce new plot points that don’t necessarily fit into the information that we were left with after Rebels. While some may be excited to see Sabine Wren become a Jedi, the information provided so far about her short-lived training experience with Ahsoka makes the timeline very wonky. Filoni refuses to commit to how much time has passed since Rebels, preferring to let “several years ago” serve as an official time stamp for Ezra’s sacrifice and seemingly Sabine’s time as Ahsoka’s apprentice. Without the knowledge that, at one time, Ahsoka was Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice, newcomers to the series might not know why the idea of Ahsoka training a would-be Jedi doesn’t make sense. Ahsoka — who notably left the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars — understands firsthand how flawed and problematic the Order is, so why did she try to repeat that cycle of trauma? Especially when it would’ve happened in the midst of the galactic fight against the Empire when things were already in serious turmoil. Of course, most of these inconsistencies will be brushed off with the age-old Star Wars adage of, well, “from a certain point of view.”

‘Ahsoka’ Introduces Compelling Characters, Both New and Fan-Favorite
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“Master and Apprentice” and “Toil and Trouble” are the first pair of episodes that debut later today, and they work quite well together to establish where Ahsoka is headed. For fans who watched the final season of Rebels, it picks up on a lot of those loose threads, particularly where Thrawn and Ezra are concerned. Viewers who are less interested in what came before will be thrilled with their introduction to Sabine Wren, who is the stand-out of the series thus far. Bordizzo does an excellent job of capturing what made the character a fan favorite while breathing new life into the role. She’s a rebel without a cause, blasting her grungy space rock while shirking her responsibilities in favor of racing around Lothal.

In addition to beloved characters like Sabine and Hera, Ahsoka also introduces its audience to new and menacing characters like the master and apprentice duo Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). With the subplot of Ahsoka and Sabine’s failed dynamic as a master and apprentice, Baylan and Shin are poised to be an interesting foil to that relationship. Stevenson is a clear stand-out in the series, and it is tragic that he is not here to see how much fans will love his portrayal of the dark sider.

Ahsoka Tano Is Often Outshined in Her Own Series
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“Toil and Trouble” is the better of the two episodes, which is a credit to Steph Green’s brilliant direction. After helming one of the best episodes of The Book of Boba Fett, it’s not surprising that her keen eye for creative staging, dynamic camerawork, and fast-paced editing elevated the script. Both episodes do, however, suffer from a pair of oddly-designed lightsaber duels. The stunt work is impressive, but with Ahsoka’s white lightsabers set against an equally white skyline, the thrill of the fight is undermined.

Ahsoka may be the titular character, but the series feels like a vehicle for far more compelling characters like Sabine and Hera. Despite Dawson’s infectious personality behind the scenes and in other projects, the script and direction don’t necessarily allow her to showcase the aspects of Ahsoka’s persona that made her such a beloved character for fans from all walks of life. Even in the worst of times, Ahsoka was always a beacon of hope for the future and a source of joy, but this version of her lacks that aura. Her relationships with Hera and Sabine feel fragmented, without reason. Hopefully, this is by design, with the intention of rebuilding those relationships and giving Ahsoka a character arc to embark on. At present, however, the character feels like the weak link in her own series—which is a script issue, not a Dawson issue.

Ahsoka may suffer from the same story issues that The Mandalorian’s most recent season dealt with, but diehard fans may be willing to overlook them if the endgame is a satisfying conclusion for the plotlines established in Rebels and, by extension, The Clone Wars. 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.

Rating: B+

The Big Picture

Ahsoka requires prior knowledge of the animated series to fully understand what’s happening, unlike The Mandalorian which eased viewers into the lore. The first two episodes introduce new plot points that may not fit into the existing information that Rebels left off with, creating inconsistencies. While Ahsoka introduces new compelling characters like Baylan and Shin, the series doesn’t allow the titular character to showcase the aspects that made her beloved, making her feel like the weak link in her own series.

The first two episodes of Ahsoka premiere August 22 on Disney+.