Rosario Dawson is Ahsoka Tano. “Ahsoka” is the newest piece of content added to the grand story of Star Wars. Dave Filoni writes and directs a near-perfect love letter for fans of Ahsoka Tano, “Rebels” and Star Wars in general. Ahsoka is an eight-episode series streaming on Disney+ that started releasing weekly episodes on Aug. 22, with the finale released on Oct. 3.
Ahsoka Tano was introduced as a character in “The Clone Wars” movie in 2008. This movie served as a pilot for “The Clone Wars” animated series that lasted from 2008 to 2020 with seven seasons in total. Ahsoka became a fan-favorite character over the course of the series, and fans rejoiced when she made an appearance in the animated series “Rebels” in 2015. Ahsoka finally made her first live-action debut in season two of “The Mandalorian” in 2020, which was followed by Dawson reprising her role in the mini-series “The Book of Boba Fett” in 2022.
Many fans were unsure of Dawson’s performance as the character at first, but I believe that the Ahsoka series sets Dawson in stone as the live-action Ahsoka Tano. Dawson was given the opportunity to fit the iconic role, and she takes it and runs with it in her series. The supporting cast in “Ahsoka” was always fun to watch on screen, as characters such as Hera, Sabine, Chopper, and more were given their first on-screen appearance. The cast was incredibly strong and they remained relatively accurate to their “Rebels” appearance while remaining entertaining.
The series was filmed incredibly and the visual effects were some of the best seen on Disney+. The show looked and felt like an eight-hour Star Wars film and I was entertained throughout the whole journey. Unlike other Disney+ shows, poor CGI did not pull me out of the experience.
Not only were the shots extremely well filmed in the series, but Ahsoka was also extremely immersive due to a fantastic soundtrack crafted by Kevin Kiner and his crew. Although Kiner may not be a household name like John Williams, he has built himself a lasting reputation in Star Wars from his work in series like “The Clone Wars”, “Rebels”, “Star Wars: The Bad Batch”, and more.
The series was extremely action-packed. Unlike other shows, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat for each episode as they were filled with constant and well-paced action between all of the different characters. It is Star Wars, so of course, lightsaber combat is expected, and although I did not think the fighting was on par with the prequel trilogy, the lightsaber battles were a step up from the new Disney trilogy fights.
New, new, and new. The planet Tatooine is alright, but it feels like too many Star Wars projects have somehow made their way back to the original desert planet. The risks Filoni took to introduce new characters, concepts, and planets were amazing. The series hits you with the nostalgic feeling of Star Wars, but I also felt a breath of fresh air as each episode seems to bring something new into the universe.
Episode five is a highlight for me. I do not have a specific least favorite episode, but I would consider episode five to outdo the rest of the series. I was on the edge of my seat during the episode and I believe that most Star Wars fans will have the same reaction. In my opinion, this episode had the best writing, visuals, action, and story.
The finale was one of the most underwhelming parts of the entire series. Coming off episodes six and seven, I realized that the show did not have enough runtime to complete every major storyline, and I was correct. The finale was not a bad episode, however it did not fit the criteria of a finale that I was looking for. Although fans expected this series to be a one-and-done show, Filoni does leave a lot open for future seasons and projects.
Overall, in my opinion, the “Ahsoka” series was everything I wanted it to be and it is worth the watch.
