Ahsoka: Far, Far Away

September 20, 2023 1:45 AM - Season 1, Episode 6

The search for Grand Admiral Thrawn continues beyond the limits of the galaxy.
posted by EndsOfInvention (48 comments total)

Glad to see Sabine finally win a fight, I only wish she would have had a bomb to toss for old time sake. If I was writing it she would have lifted one off one of those stormtroopers before riding out. Short episode, though, not sure how many are left, am hoping at least two but it would be better with three.

So, Mandalorian is a western, Andor a covert spy rebellion win at all and any cost show, I thought Ahsoka was going to be a ronin samurai show but they have not quite achieved that, but maybe I am ascribing to the creators something that was not their intention.
posted by oldnumberseven at 1:54 AM on September 20, 2023

Another solid episode. Nice to see them exploring a new world, I liked the rock-tortoise dudes and the horse-rats. The witches were promising baddies too. Bit light on action apart from the pointless bandit attack though.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:20 AM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Anyone else find the Sabine/Ezra reunion really anticlimactic? I will say the casting for these two was really great; Ezra looks exactly how I thought he would.

Thrawn though! Even when he’s up to wicked deeds he always has such beautiful manners.
posted by orrnyereg at 4:38 AM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

I found the reunion anticlimactic because I didn't immediately recognize Ezra. I think the animation-to-live-action transition was hardest for him because I mostly still remember him as a 12 year old with a shaved head. Everyone else from Rebels was very immediately recognisable.

Thrawn is great - the Rebels Thrawn was always a very good adaptation of the character and they've transitioned to live action very well.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:47 AM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I’m not a fan of live action Thrawn’s hair. It makes him look like a blue Ronald Reagan.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 5:06 AM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Thrawn is going to challenge Shin to the presidency of the No Blinking Society.
posted by orrnyereg at 5:21 AM on September 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

It's probably just me being in a bad mood, but this episode seemed very weak to me — some things the characters said/did wouldn't have made sense to them given what they knew at the time, but the plotting needed those things to happen, so they did. I really hate that.

Either Thrawn cares about capturing Ezra, or he doesn't care because he's leaving. For some reason the show had him express both sentiments.

This was the first episode where I didn't enjoy Shin. But it's partly because the writers made her chiefly the listener to a bunch of exposition that she had to react to — which the actor did, poorly.

The one thing I really liked about the episode were the visuals of the star destroyer above the planet. Those were great.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:29 AM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

For some reason the show had him express both sentiments.

Thrawn wants Ezra out of his hair, and he wants Baylan out of his hair. Sending Baylan after Ezra solves this problem, regardless of who does or doesn't end up being killed.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:26 AM on September 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

I had to scour the end credits to find out why Captain Enoch's flat matter-of-fact delivery sounded so familiar - Wes Chatham, aka Amos Burton from The Expanse.

Was very surprised to see Claudia Black is Dathomir Great Mother. Hopefully they both get something meaty in the next few episodes and don't get Phasma'd.
posted by Molesome at 11:40 AM on September 20, 2023 [12 favorites]

I don't watch a lot of stuff anymore, and I don't watch much with my partner anymore, and we agreed that watching Ahsoka we both feel like we'd rather be watching ST Strange New Worlds instead

it's not that Ahsoka is particularly bad, or that ST SNW is particularly good, and it's likely a statement of taste more than anything. I really did not care for the episode with flashbacks and Anakin, as what could have been epic battle scenes looked more like.. double down on the smoke machines and obscure everything and kind of produce boring sequences that look a lot like someone was trying to save money

I will probably watch this episode at some point, as long as there is not a ball game on
posted by elkevelvet at 2:02 PM on September 20, 2023

I'm 0n record as not really being into the series, based on the first episode. It felt glacial and cold and not very enjoyable, partially because the creators made this for long time fans who watched all of Clone Wars and Rebels. I did not, so introducing these new settings and characters, with no backstory, gave me little reason to care.

But I really enjoyed this episode, it felt fresh and exciting, with all new characters and settings. Don't care much for Sabine or Shin, but Thrawn had an thrilling gravity too him, the witches were wonderfully scary, the Noti were the best version of the Ewoks yet, and what's not to like about Ray Stevenson's Baylin Skoll?!

Star Wars usually isn't my jam, but this series, after some slow pacing in direction and plot, is turning out to be really good, can't wait for more!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:31 PM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

I too liked the rock-tortoises; I love their clothing style! Nothing says civilized like a nice suit of clothing.
posted by porpoise at 5:32 PM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

I too liked the rock-tortoises

We call them Erocks.
posted by snofoam at 5:58 PM on September 20, 2023 [26 favorites]

This episode was also outstanding! I am loving this series. I’ve been waiting for Thrawn since… checks notes… 1991, whoa. That enormous pause when his two squad order was questioned, just magnificent. Thrawn is the anti-Vader, the anti-Sith, and much scarier for it.

But the best moment was the casual power and control of docking an entire Star Destroyer with the platform. Such a perfect Thrawn introduction, that people around him just do that kind of thing, because he expects that kind of competence and gets it.

I’m also down for hearing more of the Fall According to Baylan, I love that kind of stuff.
posted by BeeDo at 7:57 PM on September 20, 2023 [8 favorites]

Erocks

Until they demonstrate the ability to help the Rebels hijack the shield generator for a trans-galactic engine...

aw, funk. They Erocks aren't they?
posted by porpoise at 9:36 PM on September 20, 2023

I did dig the Kintsugi reference (cracks being filled with gold) to the oft-repaired Stormtrooper armour. There are a lot of astounding examples of historical kintusgi.

The red fabric-bind thing looked interesting, but couldn't conjure a pattern. Perhaps a degenerate Crimson whatever or a totally new red stripes/ strips culture.

The Captain getting a bronze/ gold face was interesting, I wonder if anything more will come of it other than an interesting visual.

Despite the lack of resupply and drydock repair, these are extremely high "XP level" everyones down to the latrine sanitizer.

The Trans-galactic-wayfarer "whales"' burial grounds should be really inherently unstable, especially as a biological astroengineering phenomenon. I remember reading that Saturn's rings are kind of transitory and will disappear relatively soon.

Whatsherface was saying that they have history in the system "before time" or something.
posted by porpoise at 9:45 PM on September 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Getting strong Rome, Sweet Rome-vibes from the troops of the increasingly literally named Chimaera.
posted by hototogisu at 10:38 PM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I spent this whole episode like "finally some real fucking food!!" Like yeah it's not perfect but at least the plot moved ahead a tick or two. But I also specifically love many of the things in this episode such as:

- Thrawn!
- nightsisters and nightsister lore!
- the elephant graveyard from the Lion King, but a planet!
- spooky planets in general!
- weird little guys in adorable little outfits!
- the weird little guys' adorable trailer park!
- strange, intelligent mounts!
- kintsugi armor repairs!

Sooo lots of solid choices here if your intended audience is Me. I'm really excited for Thrawns reaction when he finds out Ahsoka was Anakin's padawan since it's always interesting to see the extent to which screen-canon gets aligned with novel-canon. I am super obsessed with Thrawn and Anakin's relationship and I very much want to know if we'll learn anything new or interesting about it.

I'm curious about Peridea geographically. I'd always vaguely assumed Thrawn and Ezra got thrown to the Unknown Regions, and that Thrawn would have been Up To Something with his people and/or whatever the emperor had supposedly been cooking up on Exegol in this time frame. But it seems like he's just been waiting around. Is this narrative taking place in a whole new region of Star Wars space??
posted by potrzebie at 10:57 PM on September 20, 2023 [6 favorites]

I just took a shower and spent the whole shower chuckling that Thrawn made it seem like he had a whole plan for how Baylan and Shin were going to give Sabine a headstart then follow and once they were out of his hair he was just like "honestly IDGAF how this shakes out I just intend to return with zero (0) lightsaber-swinging hotheads in tow and beyond that, literally who cares". My boy Thrawn is Back, baby!!! Missed my depressed blue art history professor so much, it's been too long. You KNOW that kintsugi thing was his idea.
posted by potrzebie at 11:21 PM on September 20, 2023 [7 favorites]

The subtitles called the troopers "Night Troopers"... the Night Sisters have allied with Thrawn, who has lost a lot of manpower since he arrived... Marrock was a Nightsister-resurrected spirit warrior... Potentially the Night Troopers are all resurrected spirits as well. This would match the original Thrawn plot (in the Heir to the Empire series) where he returns from exile with an artificially-created army (in the books it was clones). Their armour also has red stripes matching the red Nightsister robes.

I'm also curious about the suspiciously-coffin-shaped cargo that Thrawn needs to load from the Night Sister temple before they leave. It seems significant.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:44 AM on September 21, 2023 [7 favorites]

Mod note: One comment removed. We discourage the RoT13 as it can become problematic if continues throughout a conversation and it's difficult to parse on screen readers.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 4:47 AM on September 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

EndsOfInvention, that is a great call and I bet you're right.
posted by potrzebie at 7:00 AM on September 21, 2023

So what's this thing that Baylon is sensing, and that the Nightsisters are so eager to get away from? And why doesn't Ezra sense it? I suppose Cthulhu is too much to hope for.
posted by orrnyereg at 7:22 AM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

Finally Thrawn. I had called for him to pop up in one to two episodes ago, but here in the blue! I found his red eyes a little distracting, but the more he spoke, the more it just didn't matter. Lars Mikkelsen perfected Thrawn's voice in Rebels and it's the type of voice that can break a person's self-assurance with just the slightest twinge of tone. When Thrawn learned about Ahsoka, and he turned on Morgan, muwahaha, the look on her face was divine. But other things I liked!

I loved the purgill boneyard above the planet, and really, I felt it was the first sign that Dave Filoni was going to try to out Lucas when it comes to Star Wars because this episode was just soaked in things you could expect to see from Lucas: small indigenous (cute!) natives, an animal that stands in for an animal in the real world (if this was filmed in 1978, there'd be horses under costumes for these shots), big overwhelming shot of a star destroyer, witches because why hot, raiders in a waste land on the wrong end of a lightsaber, and so on. It all melded together in a fun episode.

The confirmation that the Witches of Dathomir came from another galaxy is fascinating, and an interesting way to bring them back into the story after they were generally wiped out during the Clone Wars. The Great Mother (And other lesser great mothers?) were creepy and both reflected episode 2's title "Toil and Trouble" which is chanted by the three witches in Macbeth, but also, and probably more specifically, were a representation of the Fates right along with the idea that there's a thread of Fate or what not by which everything flows.

Though, question: "She reeks of Jedi!" Is this because Ezra Bridger has been 10000% a pain in the rear to everyone or is this because once, long long ago, the Jedi were also in this galaxy?

Seeing Thrawn's capital ship still showing the battle damage from the Rebels finale was cool, and the wear and tear on his troops, as well. Had me thinking about how everyone on this ship was X years older from the moment they got zipped away to the planet of space whale bones. The cargo being loaded up into the ship from the catacombs, dead witches or dead imperials? That's the question.

"The enemy of my enemy, is my friend." We're totally going to see Baylan and Shin team up with Ezra and Sabine after what will be a very failed attempt to wipe them out.

Sabine really showing off her battlechops when she was ambushed and her interactions with the big cuddly wolf/horse/dog thing were a delight. He's just a big boy who's lonely and wants some love.

And Ezra. The actor nailed him. But it was so awkward, as a viewer, as Sabine was really like, "Don't make me tell you I made your sacrifice in vain by giving Thrawn a way back just so I could get here to you...maybe after dinner?" Oof.

Baylan's plans continue to grow and mystify. It sounds like he's looking for something that he had heard about in stories in the temple. That whatever it is, will let him permanently change how the galaxy operates, in terms of good and bad rising and falling. "You were trained to be something more." What is Shin's destiny?

Lastly, I appreciated that the discussion between Ahsoka and Hu-yang ended up in not really condemning Sabine for her actions, but talking through an understanding of them.
posted by Atreides at 8:07 AM on September 21, 2023 [5 favorites]

Lars Mikkelsen perfected Thrawn's voice in Rebels and it's the type of voice that can break a person's self-assurance with just the slightest twinge of tone.

Yeah—as a former pre-Mouse EU enthusiast, whatever issues I have about how Rebels handled Thrawn are miniscule by comparison to how much of an improvement Lars is over the first Thrawn performance, from 1994 (skip to 2:16 if you are impatient).
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 10:48 AM on September 21, 2023 [3 favorites]

That's my daily dose of nostalgia, I'd totally forgotten Thrawn was referenced in that game and I played hours. That does sound exactly how one might expect a video game Thrawn from the 90s to sound, tbh.
posted by Atreides at 10:59 AM on September 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

There's a thought that I've been kind of nursing over the past few episodes - I have this sneaking suspicion that Jedi/Force stories are basically boring. Like, they worked in the Clone Wars because either we were getting some really kickass Deep Lore (Mortis, Jedi-Sith War remnants, etc), or they were balanced out by the 501st (ok, mostly Rex & Cody) doing War Movie Shit. The original trilogy works because the Jedi Shit is light and mystical, but there's a lot of pew pew and stealth and whatnot to balance it out. But when you get too much of the philosophy and morality of the force, it's like trying to make a Philosophy 101 lecture interesting and meaningful.

And I think that was sort of what was burdening Ahsoka (the series) before this episode where *drumroll* we start to get cool deep lore shit again.
posted by Kyol at 11:00 AM on September 21, 2023 [6 favorites]

I want to know why star destroyers are designed for atmosphere when they have plenty of fighter squadrons, shuttle craft, and presumably larger atmospheric craft that are still relatively much smaller. Looks cool but makes zero sense.
posted by kokaku at 2:25 PM on September 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

I was disappointed how empty this other galaxy seems. My hope was they would get here to rescue Thrawn and find him thriving with his own budding Empire. Instead, everyone has just been standing around waiting for rescue.

If they insist on making Star Wars shows that take place between movie series it would be nice to give them a future. Grab another space whale to pick up Mando, baby Yoda, and Amy Sedaris. All the Filoniverse folks can have adventures fighting Thrawn in this galaxy instead of waiting to be forgotten once the First Order show up.
posted by Gary at 2:37 PM on September 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

re:atmospheric operations. If I recall correctly, the old expanded universe had Victory-class Star Destroyers, an older and definitely smaller Star Destroyer capable of operating in atmosphere and designed to support planetary landings. The implication being Imperial-class Star Destroyers could not do those things.

In a rare departure in my preference for the EU tales (yes they are cheesy but so are literally all of these series except for Andor) to the new stuff, I don’t think anything with engines the size of a Star Destroyer’s should have trouble operating anywhere, really—I just head cannon that they’ve got enough juice to power whatever shields or repulsors necessary to go wherever they’d like to. I think it makes more sense. Let’s go swimming, even.

Also, seeing them at low altitude in Rogue One was awesome, and really demonstrated the Empire’s genius for inflicting terror.
posted by hototogisu at 4:37 PM on September 21, 2023 [3 favorites]

I've previously mentioned my theory that the reason there's so much "mega"fauna in the Star Wars galaxy is that the humanoids we see are only about 10cm tall. That also explains why Star Destroyers can operate near a planet's surface: they're only the size of a small airliner after all.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:30 PM on September 21, 2023 [5 favorites]

This is my favorite episode so far, just notably better directed than any of the previous. It was really easy to understand who everyone was and what their relationships were, just by how they were portrayed on screen. Also, Peridea felt a lot more real than the previous planets we'd visited. I have no idea who Jennifer Getzinger is, but she clearly knows her way around a camera.

All that said, I cursed out loud, involuntarily, when Huyang said "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away". I'd been bracing myself for that moment for weeks now, but it was still worse than I could've imagined.

I did like the "the first one's the best" gag about the trilogy of trilogies, though.
posted by Kattullus at 3:55 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

I want to know why star destroyers are designed for atmosphere when they have plenty of fighter squadrons, shuttle craft, and presumably larger atmospheric craft that are still relatively much smaller.

I think the canon reason is that they descended from the Clone Wars-era troop carriers that landed to speed up troop loading/disembarkation. You could also argue the reason is: intimidation. AT-ATs are silly unless the aim is to scare the shit out of the enemy before you even start fighting.

Looks cool but makes zero sense

Look if we start talking about everything in Star Wars that looks cool but doesn't make sense we'll be here all day ;)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:22 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]

I cursed out loud, involuntarily, when Huyang said "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away". I'd been bracing myself for that moment for weeks now, but it was still worse than I could've imagined.

Eh, I liked it. The moment felt right, and if anybody is gonna say it, it should be him. Or maybe Yoda.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:37 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]

I was disappointed how empty this other galaxy seems. My hope was they would get here to rescue Thrawn and find him thriving with his own budding Empire. Instead, everyone has just been standing around waiting for rescue.

I was kind of curious to see if they would do something of this sort. It is clear that he met the Dathomiri Witches and not only formed an alliance, but did something that leave them bowing to him when he appears. My guess is that Peridea (sp?) could be in this galaxy's equivalent of the Unknown Regions or the Outer Rim, and just is a forgotten or unknown space in this area. The Chimera may also be too damaged or low on fuel to jump to more developed areas of the galaxy. And of course, it's very clear Ezra has been a thorn in his side since Day 1 in "exile."

I thought about the use of exile here and immediately thought of Napoleon.
posted by Atreides at 7:00 AM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]

I wish these other Star Wars shows would share their concept art the way that Mandalorian does during the credits.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:37 AM on September 22, 2023 [13 favorites]

As the week wears on the moment from this episode that sticks most in my mind is the "oh, the supposedly fucking dead Ahsoka Tano? That one? *sigh* ok compile a dossier on whoever that is, I'm surrounded by incompetents" reaction shots. Everyone all "ohh shit, he caught us." Thrawn is just the absolute best!! Hahaha I just wish he showed up earlier so I could enjoy him quietly and politely bitching people out for longer. I love how well the "we believed ourselves to be the sort of people who were playing 3D chess, but it turns out we were actually playing tic-tac-toe this whole time" vibe of the in universe reaction to Thrawn has translated from EU books to new canon books to cartoons to live action.

I agree his hair is very bad though! Why
posted by potrzebie at 1:05 PM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]

I think that's my favorite Thrawn moment so far!


They don't have conditioner on Peridea. Sad, but true.
posted by Atreides at 1:30 PM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]

It might be worthwhile to compare and check with the other media depicting in-atmosphere Star Destroyering to see what normal looks like (haven’t seen any of the Filoni cartoons), but the Chimaera only had its small engines lit. I watched this one on an actual TV so I could pause and take a proper gander. I think it’s out of “fuel”.

The incredibly high-XP (thx to porpoise for that one) and fanatically loyal skeleton crew is a great idea—maybe they'll actually permit these Storm Troopers to shoot and hit something for once.
posted by hototogisu at 2:11 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed this episode the most of the series so far. It had some gorgeous shots, and I liked the creepy trooper facemask.

The nightsisters are basically the Star Wars universe grey sisters/Graeae or furies, yeah? I'm almost surprised they weren't passing an eye back and forth.

I'm liking Thrawn. I do enjoy competent evil baddies. Pity that it's taken this long to meet him.

If there's an S2, I pray that they will pick up the pace. It's just absolutely glacial. If they're going for tension or depth, they're missing by about 30% and landing on plodding instead. Which is a pity because the elements for a really engaging show are there.
posted by jzb at 2:58 PM on September 22, 2023

Grab another space whale to pick up Mando, baby Yoda, and Amy Sedaris.

"Don't you mean Pelli Motto?"
"I SAID WHAT I SAID."

I also completely agree with Kyol's comment upthread. I prefer it when the Jedi are cool mystic space samurai. Too much Force lore weighs the whole thing down.
posted by MrBadExample at 8:55 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Anyone else find the Sabine/Ezra reunion really anticlimactic?

Bewilderingly so. And maybe its explained by background that was present outside of this show, but playing the reunion like acquaintances bumping into each other at a flea market rather than found family reuniting when they had no real reason to expect they'd ever see each other again was really weird for someone who's new to these characters. Or having Ezra be floored that Sabine showed up, when she's been portrayed as impulsive and lacking competence within the bounds of this show, would've made more sense to me. I didn't feel lost being new to these characters at the start of the show, but I do by now.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:23 PM on September 23, 2023 [4 favorites]

And maybe its explained by background that was present outside of this show, but playing the reunion like acquaintances bumping into each other at a flea market rather than found family reuniting when they had no real reason to expect they'd ever see each other again was really weird for someone who's new to these characters.

It is and yes; in Rebels, they had this kind of competitive trying-to-seem-cool-in-front-of-each-other thing.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 3:23 AM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

As things bubble around in my head, I'm really starting to wonder how many of Thrawn's troops are actually "alive" in the sense they can remove their helmet and wink at you. I think Marrock the inquisitor was a big clue dropped in the front half to tell us that most of Thrawn's men are animated by Dathomiri magic. If you go back and look at Marrock, you'll notice his armor is actually a bit rusted and not looking too great, same as Thrawn's troops.

At the same time, I find it hard to believe EVERYONE died but Thrawn. Granted, could tactical genius Thrawn deduce that the only way to sustain a fighting force in this other galaxy with few supplies might be for most of his troops to die and be reanimated? Hrm.
posted by Atreides at 6:35 AM on September 25, 2023

Ack, I had no idea that was Claudia Black as one of the Nightsisters! Must go back and examine more closely.

For those who don't know: the radiant Aeryn Sun. Black is mostly doing voicework right now, but it's fun to see her pop up in Star Wars.
posted by suelac at 7:24 AM on September 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

Thrawn: Intergalactic cannibal. You heard it here first.
posted by Kyol at 8:11 AM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

If Claudia Black and Ben Browder just pop up randomly in every major sci-fi franchise I will not complain.
posted by Atreides at 9:04 AM on September 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

Atreides: I think Marrock the inquisitor was a big clue dropped in the front half to tell us that most of Thrawn's men are animated by Dathomiri magic.

The English language captions referred to Thrawn’s troops as “Night Troopers”, so my assumption was also that they were animated by Nightsister magic.
posted by Kattullus at 9:41 AM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]