Ahsoka: The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord
October 4, 2023 2:30 AM - Season 1, Episode 8 - Subscribe
The heroes race to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn's escape.
There's a lot I enjoyed about this show - visuals, characters, action scenes - but I think it says a lot that I have little to say about the overall storyline. I'd say I definitely enjoyed it overall but it's ranked firmly in between the really great SW shows (Andor, Mandalorian) and the pretty bad ones (Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi). With better pacing and more engaging main characters from the jump I think it would been much better.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:49 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:49 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
I was recently ruminating that Star Wars is at its best (or at minimum its most fun) when it…I don't wanna say surprises us, exactly, but makes us go "Oh! Huh."; gives us stuff we didn't quite see coming even if in retrospect it makes perfect sense.
Examples:
- Andor going to prison
- the Pong Krell arc from Clone Wars
- Mando taking on a baby Yoda foundling at all
- Mando leading a prison break on a New Republic ship
The corollary—that SW is at its worst when we DO exactly see what's coming? Doesn't hold, because as we all know, SW is actually at its worst when we want to crawl out of our skin from the shame of having paid for this, e.g.
- some of the more clunky moments of TPM
- the romance dialogue in AOTC
- Chewbacca's father spanking his Wookiee-monkey in the Holiday Special
- the Vespa chase scene from Book of Boba
- pretty much all of Rise of Skywalker
But I did pretty much see all of this episode coming, which I guess puts it—and probably this whole season—solidly in the mediocre realm, as EndsOfInvention said. A la, let's say, the last few episodes of Mando season 3, or the first couple seasons of Rebels, where much was predictable but still perfectly enjoyable.
who should they get to play Baylen since Ray Stevenson passed away? maybe they'll use the WBW to explain away a younger actor (which would be a mistake imho)?
Possibly, but since he clearly went to Far Far Far Away Middle-Earth for the purpose of somehow unleashing a Mortis God from their Valley of the Mortis-Argonath, I'd wager the backstory of Untitled Thrawn Film will be that he sacrifices himself somehow to Mortis~Whatever in order to stop the Light Side/Dark Side Wheel from turning ever again. How that translates into a threat that aligns with Thrawn's intentions, pff, no idea.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:10 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
Examples:
- Andor going to prison
- the Pong Krell arc from Clone Wars
- Mando taking on a baby Yoda foundling at all
- Mando leading a prison break on a New Republic ship
The corollary—that SW is at its worst when we DO exactly see what's coming? Doesn't hold, because as we all know, SW is actually at its worst when we want to crawl out of our skin from the shame of having paid for this, e.g.
- some of the more clunky moments of TPM
- the romance dialogue in AOTC
- Chewbacca's father spanking his Wookiee-monkey in the Holiday Special
- the Vespa chase scene from Book of Boba
- pretty much all of Rise of Skywalker
But I did pretty much see all of this episode coming, which I guess puts it—and probably this whole season—solidly in the mediocre realm, as EndsOfInvention said. A la, let's say, the last few episodes of Mando season 3, or the first couple seasons of Rebels, where much was predictable but still perfectly enjoyable.
who should they get to play Baylen since Ray Stevenson passed away? maybe they'll use the WBW to explain away a younger actor (which would be a mistake imho)?
Possibly, but since he clearly went to Far Far Far Away Middle-Earth for the purpose of somehow unleashing a Mortis God from their Valley of the Mortis-Argonath, I'd wager the backstory of Untitled Thrawn Film will be that he sacrifices himself somehow to Mortis~Whatever in order to stop the Light Side/Dark Side Wheel from turning ever again. How that translates into a threat that aligns with Thrawn's intentions, pff, no idea.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:10 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
Well that ended with a, "it was ok."
posted by Fleebnork at 4:48 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Fleebnork at 4:48 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
After two very solid episodes, we ended with… a whimpery bang. I still think Thrawn's main skillset is convincing his underlings that every loss after loss after loss he suffers is somehow a win, but at least his plan for escaping was plausible. I will say that the fight between Ahsoka and Elspeth was among the better Star Wars duels, partly because Filoni understands that on some level Star Wars is all about cool swords going whoosh whoosh krrzzzzt krrzzzzt.
I still think the ending was probably dramatically recut, as there's absolutely no way that, after all that set-up, the Baylan Skoll storyline was supposed to end up like this. I suspect that next season, or untitled Thrawn project, will begin with him unleashing whatever, which will somehow transport all and sundry, maybe even the whole planet, to the main galaxy.
Anyway, it's been a fun ride, and I'll almost certainly watch whatever comes next, if I'm still subscribing to Disney Plus by then.
posted by Kattullus at 5:14 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I still think the ending was probably dramatically recut, as there's absolutely no way that, after all that set-up, the Baylan Skoll storyline was supposed to end up like this. I suspect that next season, or untitled Thrawn project, will begin with him unleashing whatever, which will somehow transport all and sundry, maybe even the whole planet, to the main galaxy.
Anyway, it's been a fun ride, and I'll almost certainly watch whatever comes next, if I'm still subscribing to Disney Plus by then.
posted by Kattullus at 5:14 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Baylan's appearance was even more disappointing than I expected. During those dull, interminable fight scenes all I could think is Where's Baylan??! Reddit tells me that the Argonath he's standing on are the Mortis gods, which, whatever. Ray deserved so much better.
Sabine has, for me, been irretrievably made into a Mary Sue. A few mere episodes ago she was practically cutting her own legs off with her lightsaber; now she's performing feats that Luke Skywalker took months/years of training to get right? She's a Jedi, she's a Mando, she's an artist, she's a bounty hunter, she's a trick pilot, she's an inventor and mechanical genius and I bet she sings like a nightingale and makes a fabulous lasagna, all before the age of 20! The only excuse that I can think of is that this planet somehow enhances Force abilities.
It would have been nice to have actual stakes. As others have said, the action was pretty much by the numbers. Seriously, no hits from tie fighters or aerial bombardment? Those possum-dogs sure did handle that well, not spooking or running off as you would expect an animal to do.
In retrospect, this series has made me enjoy Rebels a lot less. Ahsoka is better than Secret Invasion and that's about all I can say for it.
posted by orrnyereg at 5:34 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
Sabine has, for me, been irretrievably made into a Mary Sue. A few mere episodes ago she was practically cutting her own legs off with her lightsaber; now she's performing feats that Luke Skywalker took months/years of training to get right? She's a Jedi, she's a Mando, she's an artist, she's a bounty hunter, she's a trick pilot, she's an inventor and mechanical genius and I bet she sings like a nightingale and makes a fabulous lasagna, all before the age of 20! The only excuse that I can think of is that this planet somehow enhances Force abilities.
It would have been nice to have actual stakes. As others have said, the action was pretty much by the numbers. Seriously, no hits from tie fighters or aerial bombardment? Those possum-dogs sure did handle that well, not spooking or running off as you would expect an animal to do.
In retrospect, this series has made me enjoy Rebels a lot less. Ahsoka is better than Secret Invasion and that's about all I can say for it.
posted by orrnyereg at 5:34 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
It can’t be a coincidence that the Night Sisters all look like Zombie Padmes, can it?
posted by wabbittwax at 6:08 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by wabbittwax at 6:08 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
The worst moment of this episode for me was Morgan Elspeth getting her sword. I was like, man, how many different deluxe sfx swords can one scifi universe support? I get that they couldn't not give Diana Lee Inosanto a sword but did it really have to have the green flame effect?
The best was Thrawn calling Ahsoka to gloat as he was about to hit the gas. I'm sure at some point he'll regret having told her he knew Anakin and knew what he became, because that's the kind of Thrawn hubris that I have to imagine will bite him in the ass later, but I was so glad he got to be his whole bitchy self in his moment of triumph.
The most confusing...why didn't the nightsisters sense Ezra on board their same vehicle when they'd just recently sensed Ahsoka from hyperspace?
I guess the "cargo" must be nightsisters in stasis pods and they're going to repopulate Dathomir. And I realized last night that of course we're setting up a live action Return of Ventress, either miraculously alive or as an eerie green force ghost. I love Ventress so much that my phone autocorrected her name to VENTRESS when I typed it in so I obviously don't object to Filoni being predictable this way.
posted by potrzebie at 8:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
The best was Thrawn calling Ahsoka to gloat as he was about to hit the gas. I'm sure at some point he'll regret having told her he knew Anakin and knew what he became, because that's the kind of Thrawn hubris that I have to imagine will bite him in the ass later, but I was so glad he got to be his whole bitchy self in his moment of triumph.
The most confusing...why didn't the nightsisters sense Ezra on board their same vehicle when they'd just recently sensed Ahsoka from hyperspace?
I guess the "cargo" must be nightsisters in stasis pods and they're going to repopulate Dathomir. And I realized last night that of course we're setting up a live action Return of Ventress, either miraculously alive or as an eerie green force ghost. I love Ventress so much that my phone autocorrected her name to VENTRESS when I typed it in so I obviously don't object to Filoni being predictable this way.
posted by potrzebie at 8:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
So Morgan was sliced open, but Maul was cut in half and came back, so Morgan will be back, right?
That is is my major question about the episode and series says. Nothing was too terrible about it, but there was little that was great about it.
I loved Bayland Skroll and Ray Stevenson's death definitely a "too soon" moment in a number of ways. Ideally, I'd like to the character return and be skulking around as he finishes his personal mission. But I fear there would be a limited series about the character, featuring various cameos with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and that sums up the problem with Star Wars in general: fascinated by its own past to the point that it becomes burdensome.
That isn't completely terrible, there's been a lot great actors doing great work within the various series. The occasional visit is fine, but don't stay too long.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:32 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
That is is my major question about the episode and series says. Nothing was too terrible about it, but there was little that was great about it.
I loved Bayland Skroll and Ray Stevenson's death definitely a "too soon" moment in a number of ways. Ideally, I'd like to the character return and be skulking around as he finishes his personal mission. But I fear there would be a limited series about the character, featuring various cameos with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and that sums up the problem with Star Wars in general: fascinated by its own past to the point that it becomes burdensome.
That isn't completely terrible, there's been a lot great actors doing great work within the various series. The occasional visit is fine, but don't stay too long.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:32 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've been reserving judgment as best I can while this series played out the post-Return of the Jedi Anakin string, but I can't escape the conclusion that the entire saga's perspective on Anakin is rotten.
Episode III has Anakin "become Vader" when he attacks Mace Windu. But to me, his turn to the dark side was three full years earlier, when he slaughtered an entire village of Tuskens in Episode II - before he took on Ahsoka as an apprentice. Ahsoka has never known a "good" Anakin –– he's been a mass murderer the whole time.
So the nostalgia for those good old days between her and her master...it might just be me, but I can't bring myself to care about Anakin as a character unless they actually treat him as one and reckon with the consequences of his actions.
Outside the narrative, I don't understand how the people in charge of this franchise can devote half the running time of last year's Book of Boba Fett to dramatizing Boba's life among the Tuskens – which also ends in their being mass-murdered! - and never have Anakin reckon with, well, anything he's done. At this point it feels like a pretty big blind spot.
posted by reclusive_thousandaire at 10:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
Episode III has Anakin "become Vader" when he attacks Mace Windu. But to me, his turn to the dark side was three full years earlier, when he slaughtered an entire village of Tuskens in Episode II - before he took on Ahsoka as an apprentice. Ahsoka has never known a "good" Anakin –– he's been a mass murderer the whole time.
So the nostalgia for those good old days between her and her master...it might just be me, but I can't bring myself to care about Anakin as a character unless they actually treat him as one and reckon with the consequences of his actions.
Outside the narrative, I don't understand how the people in charge of this franchise can devote half the running time of last year's Book of Boba Fett to dramatizing Boba's life among the Tuskens – which also ends in their being mass-murdered! - and never have Anakin reckon with, well, anything he's done. At this point it feels like a pretty big blind spot.
posted by reclusive_thousandaire at 10:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
The Auralnauts express my feelings better than I can.
posted by Molesome at 10:23 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Molesome at 10:23 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Reclusive Thousandaire - I agree with you, but Star Wars’ moral universe has always been badly broken. The Empire and Republic are both built upon droid slavery, after all.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 11:36 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr. Excellent at 11:36 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
That was a pretty decent mid-season finale. When does the second half of the season air?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:40 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:40 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
that sums up the problem with Star Wars in general: fascinated by its own past to the point that it becomes burdensome.
never have Anakin reckon with, well, anything he's done. At this point it feels like a pretty big blind spot.
"We're going to make a galaxy-spanning epic, with princesses, a senate, swords, starships, all manner of species, magic, the works!"
"Sounds cool! What stories are you going to tell?"
"We're going to keep asking the question, 'why was this one dad absent for most of his kids' life, and an absolute monster when he finally showed up?'"
posted by gauche at 11:43 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
never have Anakin reckon with, well, anything he's done. At this point it feels like a pretty big blind spot.
"We're going to make a galaxy-spanning epic, with princesses, a senate, swords, starships, all manner of species, magic, the works!"
"Sounds cool! What stories are you going to tell?"
"We're going to keep asking the question, 'why was this one dad absent for most of his kids' life, and an absolute monster when he finally showed up?'"
posted by gauche at 11:43 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
...but I can't bring myself to care about Anakin as a character unless they actually treat him as one and reckon with the consequences of his actions.
Yeah, I've been troubled for a while now about the fandom enjoying scenes of Darth Vader killing a lot of people. I just can't help be see the character as one the worst around. Especially after he betrayed friends, family, and the mother of his children to become the Emperor's slave. I get it, he's fueled by childlike rage over his poor decisions, but you'd think at some point he'd think "maybe I should chill".
But what I did enjoy about the series was Ashoka's character progression, Baylan, the Noti and their homeworld. Thrawn is a compelling character, obviously, but he doesn't seem as brilliant and ruthless as I've heard. The space whales are great and it was a pure joy to see them.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:52 PM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I've been troubled for a while now about the fandom enjoying scenes of Darth Vader killing a lot of people. I just can't help be see the character as one the worst around. Especially after he betrayed friends, family, and the mother of his children to become the Emperor's slave. I get it, he's fueled by childlike rage over his poor decisions, but you'd think at some point he'd think "maybe I should chill".
But what I did enjoy about the series was Ashoka's character progression, Baylan, the Noti and their homeworld. Thrawn is a compelling character, obviously, but he doesn't seem as brilliant and ruthless as I've heard. The space whales are great and it was a pure joy to see them.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:52 PM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I agree with you, but Star Wars’ moral universe has always been badly broken. The Empire and Republic are both built upon droid slavery, after all.
It's not clear whether droids are sentient but it's a fair point: these stories have always had stuff that's dicey *at best*. The Jedi take kids from their families. The Republic military is composed of indigenous-coded clones, created for war. Our fave is problematic, surely. Does that mean it has to lean into the brokenness?
The last 18 years of Star Wars film and TV has largely been a project to redeem and rehabilitate what came before; Filoni's Clone Wars were about rehabilitating the prequels; the first line of The Force Awakens was, "This will begin to make things right," The Mandalorian gave us Peak Luke and is spackling in the sequel trilogy's plot holes. I'd love for them to pay as much attention to good characterization and compelling drama as they do to fan service and backfilling the lore gaps.
posted by reclusive_thousandaire at 1:23 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
It's not clear whether droids are sentient but it's a fair point: these stories have always had stuff that's dicey *at best*. The Jedi take kids from their families. The Republic military is composed of indigenous-coded clones, created for war. Our fave is problematic, surely. Does that mean it has to lean into the brokenness?
The last 18 years of Star Wars film and TV has largely been a project to redeem and rehabilitate what came before; Filoni's Clone Wars were about rehabilitating the prequels; the first line of The Force Awakens was, "This will begin to make things right," The Mandalorian gave us Peak Luke and is spackling in the sequel trilogy's plot holes. I'd love for them to pay as much attention to good characterization and compelling drama as they do to fan service and backfilling the lore gaps.
posted by reclusive_thousandaire at 1:23 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
The last 18 years of Star Wars film and TV has largely been a project to redeem and rehabilitate what came before; Filoni's Clone Wars were about rehabilitating the prequels; the first line of The Force Awakens was, "This will begin to make things right," The Mandalorian gave us Peak Luke and is spackling in the sequel trilogy's plot holes.
And don't forget we got a whole Han Solo movie to explain the whole Kessel Run / parsecs thing.
posted by synecdoche at 1:44 PM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
And don't forget we got a whole Han Solo movie to explain the whole Kessel Run / parsecs thing.
posted by synecdoche at 1:44 PM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
Forgot to call out the literal cliffhanger of Baylan standing on a cliff at the end of the episode (okay, not a hanger but definitely a clifflike thing that was a long pointing arm saying go over there now).
posted by kokaku at 3:00 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kokaku at 3:00 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
The worst moment of this episode for me was Morgan Elspeth getting her sword. I was like, man, how many different deluxe sfx swords can one scifi universe support? I get that they couldn't not give Diana Lee Inosanto a sword but did it really have to have the green flame effect?
The sword reveal was cool AF!!! (imo)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:14 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
The sword reveal was cool AF!!! (imo)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:14 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I enjoyed it well enough, and it's an ok end to Ahsoka's story if Filoni doesn't get the sequel and movie out of it like they want. I mean, if there is another season and they spend more than half an episode with "ok how do we convince a purgill to take us _back_" - that wasn't an option for Ezra because he didn't have a ship, and it wasn't an option for Thrawn because he didn't have Ezra. But Ahsoka has shown she can get in touch with them, soooo _scoot scoot_. And we had hints of the Mortis arc, which is more fun than it ought to be.
But yeah, I'd miss Baylan and Baby Sith, and what was in the stuff they took out of the temple and and and. There's more to be said here - c'mon Disney, cut a check or two or three.
posted by Kyol at 7:29 AM on October 5, 2023
But yeah, I'd miss Baylan and Baby Sith, and what was in the stuff they took out of the temple and and and. There's more to be said here - c'mon Disney, cut a check or two or three.
posted by Kyol at 7:29 AM on October 5, 2023
The episode title was a cute riff on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
posted by SPrintF at 9:33 AM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by SPrintF at 9:33 AM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Due to travel, I wasn't able to watch until late last night, so with 15 hrs of driving and weariness included, my thoughts on the season finale. I liked it. It was not what I was entirely expecting, but it was satisfying for the most part. Here's the parts I appreciated:
Ezra Builds a Lightsaber
This had some nice callbacks to Kanan from Rebels and reflected the third lightsaber Ezra has built since he entered the GFFA. The back and forth between him and Huyang was fun, and I was a bullseye hit for Huyang pulling out the piece that had been used by Kanan (well, duplicate piece). Did Huyang reference Kanan as Caleb Dume, by chance? I couldn't have the tv on as loud as I would have preferred. That would have been bonus emotes.
Lightsaber vs Nightsaber
In a perfect world, this fight would have been a little faster paced, but for two actresses who's day job is not martial training, the choreography was down pretty great. It was very much a dance of blades between Ahsoka and Morgan. I was reminded thanks to the bird site that Mother Talzin had also created a blade (I guess for Ventress?) in the Clone Wars, so this wasn't new by any means. Given that green flames represent the Nightsisters' magick, I was fine with a few licks here and there.
Morgan cut in twain vs Maul
Unfortunately, Morgan got cut partially with her own blade which has no known self-cauterizing qualities, so she bled out and died unlike Maul. Also unlike Maul, she didn't fall down a deep shaft which is also a common prerequisite for resurrection in this franchise.
Sabine and the Force
So this was the pay off we'd been waiting for not just this season, but really since Rebels's "Trials of the Darksaber." In that show, Kanan Jarrus denied that Sabine had no connection to the Force, it was just that she was blocked. This was echoed by Ahoska in this show, and I think, while not shouted from the mountain, the presumption is that Ahsoka somehow picked up on Sabine's potential. And it's our new Ahsoka, combined with Sabine earnestly trying to engage with the Force that ends with the big pay off in this episode (one we knew was coming, but yah). We had some clues that Sabine was going to make her breakthrough here.
First, Sabine's improvement and practice with the lightsaber. We learn from Ahsoka that it's more about the mind/spirit, being a Jedi that is. The lightsaber serves as a focus, allowing Sabine to grow closer to her inward focus toward the Force. Second, Ahsoka instructs Sabine to trust in the Force. She just tells Sabine to open the door (eh, that was Ezra and Ahsoka), but when her life was on the line in the fight with the dead Death Trooper, she finally made it through her blockage. I'll definitely admit, I wish this moment had a little more gravitas, or had been setup better, such as Sabine tapping into the Force to save Ahsoka or Ezra rather than herself. But she got through her block because Ahsoka was trusting her, had faith in her, and she finally had faith in herself.
It's not a coincidence that Sabine tells Ezra to trust in the Force before they did the two part Force/toss jump (I swear Kanan/Ezra did something like this in Rebels SOMEONE DID IT IN ANIMATION I KNOW IT.) In reality, Sabine was really telling Ezra to trust in her, which he did. She in turn showed she was now fully believing in her own abilities.
I additionally liked that we finally got more input into why Ahsoka cut off the relationship with Sabine. She, as Anakin's padawan, had been powerless to stop or maybe see the Darkness that was building up within him. She knew it came from his attachment/love to Padmé (presumably?) and here is Sabine, someone who she thinks has potential, who just lost her entire family on top of her found family dissolving away. Ahsoka didn't have a belief she could guide Sabine away from the lure of revenge, darkness, so she just walked away. New Ahsoka (the White) is now no longer afraid of being not good enough to teach Sabine and will stick with her to the end.
Thrawn Playing Chess
The dude sacrificed his queen to win the game, sorry Morgan. I think this moment when Thrawn essentially tells Morgan that at best, she's going to be stranded on Peridea, and at worse, die, was a prime example of Thrawn's threat. He is 100% willing to sacrifice people/things to obtain an objective. He sacrificed his TIE fighters to ground the Jedi. He then sacrificed his precious troops and Morgan to delay the ground attack long enough for Chimera to jump to hyperspace. Incidentally, as part of his tactics here, he nonchalantly told his gunners to level the Witches' tower/castle or whatever. That look they gave each other. HRM.
The Kiners' Music
Holy Heck did the Kiners bring the music to this show. A++ for pulling upon "Where the Sun Sails and the Moon Walks," which was part of the closing score for "Twilight of the Apprentice" in Rebels's second season finale. For the non-Rebels' fans, you're probably sick of hearing about this episode, but it very much is Top 3 for the show over all. One reason is the killer music that Kevin Kiner brought to it. Kiner is now assisted by his children, and together, they referenced this beautiful score from the past when there are fateful meetings, but also, questions about the future of the heroes, to replicate a similar moment in Ahsoka. Good stuff.
Office of Chief Complaint
A'ight, so this episode 100000% blew off Baylan and Shinn. They were literally afterthoughts. I'm lining up more now with Kattullus now that there were reshoots. My guess? It didn't involve Stevenson's death, but somewhere in production, someone decided there was going to be a season two instead of just one season and Baylan/Shinn's stories were altered or pace changed in someway to help allow them to be a major element of a second season. Baylan tells Shinn to go enjoy her place in the "New Empire" only for Shinn NOT to go back to Thrawn and the trip to that new Empire, but she just rides up on the raiders and kinda takes over the lot. That doesn't really line up. Baylan. Well he's just Baylan.
There's also the aspect that it may not have been easy to pull off a two front conclusion with someone trying to stop Thrawn and someone else stopping Baylan. With more planning and time, perhaps, but here they decided to make Thrawn's (VERY SLOW) departure the main conclusion to the season's story.
I'm intrigued, sure, that we're seeing giant statues of the Father and Son, two of the "Force Gods" from the "Mortis Arc" of Clone Wars and equally intrigued by the absence of the daughter (at least in stone). That owlbird thing at the end? That's a convor, a bird/owl type thing in Star Wars. We saw it first in Mando with Ahsoka, specifically the one called Morai. It's a form that represents the Daughter (again, Mortis Arc Force Gods, etc...) and some indicate that somehow Ahsoka has assumed some role as the Daughter based on her shoulda died but didn't thanks to Ezra.
But What Comes Next?
Even though they haven't announced it, it's clear they have a Season 2 in mind. And it's ridiculous they haven't announced it. Yeesh. Perhaps they're working on recasting Baylan (very big shoes to fill) before doing so. And while they're at it, more recasting of our main heroes from the OT. Anakin pops up. Given Thrawn's gloating comment clearly meant to instill some kind of instability into Ahsoka's faith in herself, I think we might finally see a reckoning of sorts with Anakin and Ahsoka in a second season. Maybe? I dunno. That or Anakin is just pulling the Return of the Jedi show up and give a thumbs up type of thing.
Are the legion of coffin inhabitants going to somehow end up as part of a new army for Thrawn? Hrm.
Extras
<>
Maybe Thrawn blowing up their temple somehow disrupted their power. They also may not have been meditating or whatever in a way that was how they sensed Ahsoka to begin with. Distracted with going to Dathomir?
<>
It is. Night Sisters existed in the same design at the same time as Padmé, though had much fewer outfit changes than the former Queen of Naboo.
posted by Atreides at 11:52 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ezra Builds a Lightsaber
This had some nice callbacks to Kanan from Rebels and reflected the third lightsaber Ezra has built since he entered the GFFA. The back and forth between him and Huyang was fun, and I was a bullseye hit for Huyang pulling out the piece that had been used by Kanan (well, duplicate piece). Did Huyang reference Kanan as Caleb Dume, by chance? I couldn't have the tv on as loud as I would have preferred. That would have been bonus emotes.
Lightsaber vs Nightsaber
In a perfect world, this fight would have been a little faster paced, but for two actresses who's day job is not martial training, the choreography was down pretty great. It was very much a dance of blades between Ahsoka and Morgan. I was reminded thanks to the bird site that Mother Talzin had also created a blade (I guess for Ventress?) in the Clone Wars, so this wasn't new by any means. Given that green flames represent the Nightsisters' magick, I was fine with a few licks here and there.
Morgan cut in twain vs Maul
Unfortunately, Morgan got cut partially with her own blade which has no known self-cauterizing qualities, so she bled out and died unlike Maul. Also unlike Maul, she didn't fall down a deep shaft which is also a common prerequisite for resurrection in this franchise.
Sabine and the Force
So this was the pay off we'd been waiting for not just this season, but really since Rebels's "Trials of the Darksaber." In that show, Kanan Jarrus denied that Sabine had no connection to the Force, it was just that she was blocked. This was echoed by Ahoska in this show, and I think, while not shouted from the mountain, the presumption is that Ahsoka somehow picked up on Sabine's potential. And it's our new Ahsoka, combined with Sabine earnestly trying to engage with the Force that ends with the big pay off in this episode (one we knew was coming, but yah). We had some clues that Sabine was going to make her breakthrough here.
First, Sabine's improvement and practice with the lightsaber. We learn from Ahsoka that it's more about the mind/spirit, being a Jedi that is. The lightsaber serves as a focus, allowing Sabine to grow closer to her inward focus toward the Force. Second, Ahsoka instructs Sabine to trust in the Force. She just tells Sabine to open the door (eh, that was Ezra and Ahsoka), but when her life was on the line in the fight with the dead Death Trooper, she finally made it through her blockage. I'll definitely admit, I wish this moment had a little more gravitas, or had been setup better, such as Sabine tapping into the Force to save Ahsoka or Ezra rather than herself. But she got through her block because Ahsoka was trusting her, had faith in her, and she finally had faith in herself.
It's not a coincidence that Sabine tells Ezra to trust in the Force before they did the two part Force/toss jump (I swear Kanan/Ezra did something like this in Rebels SOMEONE DID IT IN ANIMATION I KNOW IT.) In reality, Sabine was really telling Ezra to trust in her, which he did. She in turn showed she was now fully believing in her own abilities.
I additionally liked that we finally got more input into why Ahsoka cut off the relationship with Sabine. She, as Anakin's padawan, had been powerless to stop or maybe see the Darkness that was building up within him. She knew it came from his attachment/love to Padmé (presumably?) and here is Sabine, someone who she thinks has potential, who just lost her entire family on top of her found family dissolving away. Ahsoka didn't have a belief she could guide Sabine away from the lure of revenge, darkness, so she just walked away. New Ahsoka (the White) is now no longer afraid of being not good enough to teach Sabine and will stick with her to the end.
Thrawn Playing Chess
The dude sacrificed his queen to win the game, sorry Morgan. I think this moment when Thrawn essentially tells Morgan that at best, she's going to be stranded on Peridea, and at worse, die, was a prime example of Thrawn's threat. He is 100% willing to sacrifice people/things to obtain an objective. He sacrificed his TIE fighters to ground the Jedi. He then sacrificed his precious troops and Morgan to delay the ground attack long enough for Chimera to jump to hyperspace. Incidentally, as part of his tactics here, he nonchalantly told his gunners to level the Witches' tower/castle or whatever. That look they gave each other. HRM.
The Kiners' Music
Holy Heck did the Kiners bring the music to this show. A++ for pulling upon "Where the Sun Sails and the Moon Walks," which was part of the closing score for "Twilight of the Apprentice" in Rebels's second season finale. For the non-Rebels' fans, you're probably sick of hearing about this episode, but it very much is Top 3 for the show over all. One reason is the killer music that Kevin Kiner brought to it. Kiner is now assisted by his children, and together, they referenced this beautiful score from the past when there are fateful meetings, but also, questions about the future of the heroes, to replicate a similar moment in Ahsoka. Good stuff.
Office of Chief Complaint
A'ight, so this episode 100000% blew off Baylan and Shinn. They were literally afterthoughts. I'm lining up more now with Kattullus now that there were reshoots. My guess? It didn't involve Stevenson's death, but somewhere in production, someone decided there was going to be a season two instead of just one season and Baylan/Shinn's stories were altered or pace changed in someway to help allow them to be a major element of a second season. Baylan tells Shinn to go enjoy her place in the "New Empire" only for Shinn NOT to go back to Thrawn and the trip to that new Empire, but she just rides up on the raiders and kinda takes over the lot. That doesn't really line up. Baylan. Well he's just Baylan.
There's also the aspect that it may not have been easy to pull off a two front conclusion with someone trying to stop Thrawn and someone else stopping Baylan. With more planning and time, perhaps, but here they decided to make Thrawn's (VERY SLOW) departure the main conclusion to the season's story.
I'm intrigued, sure, that we're seeing giant statues of the Father and Son, two of the "Force Gods" from the "Mortis Arc" of Clone Wars and equally intrigued by the absence of the daughter (at least in stone). That owlbird thing at the end? That's a convor, a bird/owl type thing in Star Wars. We saw it first in Mando with Ahsoka, specifically the one called Morai. It's a form that represents the Daughter (again, Mortis Arc Force Gods, etc...) and some indicate that somehow Ahsoka has assumed some role as the Daughter based on her shoulda died but didn't thanks to Ezra.
But What Comes Next?
Even though they haven't announced it, it's clear they have a Season 2 in mind. And it's ridiculous they haven't announced it. Yeesh. Perhaps they're working on recasting Baylan (very big shoes to fill) before doing so. And while they're at it, more recasting of our main heroes from the OT. Anakin pops up. Given Thrawn's gloating comment clearly meant to instill some kind of instability into Ahsoka's faith in herself, I think we might finally see a reckoning of sorts with Anakin and Ahsoka in a second season. Maybe? I dunno. That or Anakin is just pulling the Return of the Jedi show up and give a thumbs up type of thing.
Are the legion of coffin inhabitants going to somehow end up as part of a new army for Thrawn? Hrm.
Extras
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Maybe Thrawn blowing up their temple somehow disrupted their power. They also may not have been meditating or whatever in a way that was how they sensed Ahsoka to begin with. Distracted with going to Dathomir?
<>
It is. Night Sisters existed in the same design at the same time as Padmé, though had much fewer outfit changes than the former Queen of Naboo.
posted by Atreides at 11:52 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
Did Huyang reference Kanan as Caleb Dume, by chance?
Yes, he called him Caleb.
Baylan tells Shinn to go enjoy her place in the "New Empire" only for Shinn NOT to go back to Thrawn and the trip to that new Empire, but she just rides up on the raiders and kinda takes over the lot. That doesn't really line up.
I can see that Shin probably wasn't really welcome in the "Empire" - the Night Sisters don't really like Jedi or Sith, and Thrawn already had his "evil Force users" faction and only referred to Baylen and Shin as "mercenaries". There's no Sith-Empire connection there, and Shin doesn't really have the personality to stand up to Thrawn. Baylen would have tried it (if he wanted to), but he has the confidence and force of will to take that gamble. Taking over as Head Masked Wilderness Raider is a better career fit for her.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:26 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yes, he called him Caleb.
Baylan tells Shinn to go enjoy her place in the "New Empire" only for Shinn NOT to go back to Thrawn and the trip to that new Empire, but she just rides up on the raiders and kinda takes over the lot. That doesn't really line up.
I can see that Shin probably wasn't really welcome in the "Empire" - the Night Sisters don't really like Jedi or Sith, and Thrawn already had his "evil Force users" faction and only referred to Baylen and Shin as "mercenaries". There's no Sith-Empire connection there, and Shin doesn't really have the personality to stand up to Thrawn. Baylen would have tried it (if he wanted to), but he has the confidence and force of will to take that gamble. Taking over as Head Masked Wilderness Raider is a better career fit for her.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:26 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
In a perfect world, this fight would have been a little faster paced, but for two actresses who's day job is not martial training, the choreography was down pretty great.
Diana Lee Inosanto is a lifelong martial artist, stuntwoman, and the goddaughter of Bruce Lee.
posted by The Tensor at 12:54 PM on October 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
Diana Lee Inosanto is a lifelong martial artist, stuntwoman, and the goddaughter of Bruce Lee.
posted by The Tensor at 12:54 PM on October 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
My big disappointment with Sabine's "awakening" is that she is yet another lightsaber wielder. I was hoping for her Force abilities to be something like John Woo gun fu/Equilibrium's gun kata/The Suicide Squad's Bloodsport except enhanced by Force acrobatics & marksmanship.
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 1:33 PM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 1:33 PM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
Diana Lee Inosanto is a lifelong martial artist, stuntwoman, and the goddaughter of Bruce Lee.
In a perfect world, this fight would have been a little faster paced, but fortwo actresses one actress who's day job is not martial training, the choreography was down pretty great."
Thank you for this very helpful correction!
My big disappointment with Sabine's "awakening" is that she is yet another lightsaber wielder. I was hoping for her Force abilities to be something like John Woo gun fu/Equilibrium's gun kata/The Suicide Squad's Bloodsport except enhanced by Force acrobatics & marksmanship.
Ahsoka did tell her to switch to blasters, so perhaps we could hold out for this thought! (Probably not, but it makes a lot sense, especially if she isn't carrying that Kenobi baggage about inelegant weapons and what all.)
posted by Atreides at 2:09 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
In a perfect world, this fight would have been a little faster paced, but for
Thank you for this very helpful correction!
My big disappointment with Sabine's "awakening" is that she is yet another lightsaber wielder. I was hoping for her Force abilities to be something like John Woo gun fu/Equilibrium's gun kata/The Suicide Squad's Bloodsport except enhanced by Force acrobatics & marksmanship.
Ahsoka did tell her to switch to blasters, so perhaps we could hold out for this thought! (Probably not, but it makes a lot sense, especially if she isn't carrying that Kenobi baggage about inelegant weapons and what all.)
posted by Atreides at 2:09 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
And then Sabine can really shake things up by designing blasters with three parallel, non-coplanar barrels that can't be blocked by lightsabers.
posted by The Tensor at 2:25 PM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The Tensor at 2:25 PM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm fairly sure Ahsoka was able to send an SOS message to Hagrid via that owl in the last scene, looking forwards to the crossover
posted by whir at 5:23 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by whir at 5:23 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I was reminded thanks to the bird site that Mother Talzin had also created a blade (I guess for Ventress?) in the Clone Wars, so this wasn't new by any means.
The blade the coven created was explicitly called Talzin's (Blade? sword? something), and was the same sword Mother Talzin created back in the Clone Wars when she went directly up against Palpy
two part Force/toss jump (I swear Kanan/Ezra did something like this in Rebels
Confirmed, they did this.
we're seeing giant statues of the Father and Son, two of the "Force Gods" from the "Mortis Arc" of Clone Wars and equally intrigued by the absence of the daughter (at least in stone).
Actually, the daughter's statue is there, on the other side of the father, but headless and decayed. Reflecting her "death".
Given that the daughter's life energy now resides in 'soka, I predict some force balance shenanigans before Balan's story is over.
posted by coriolisdave at 5:33 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
The blade the coven created was explicitly called Talzin's (Blade? sword? something), and was the same sword Mother Talzin created back in the Clone Wars when she went directly up against Palpy
two part Force/toss jump (I swear Kanan/Ezra did something like this in Rebels
Confirmed, they did this.
we're seeing giant statues of the Father and Son, two of the "Force Gods" from the "Mortis Arc" of Clone Wars and equally intrigued by the absence of the daughter (at least in stone).
Actually, the daughter's statue is there, on the other side of the father, but headless and decayed. Reflecting her "death".
Given that the daughter's life energy now resides in 'soka, I predict some force balance shenanigans before Balan's story is over.
posted by coriolisdave at 5:33 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
Lars Mikkelsen's Thrawn getting frustrated with Ahsoka's progress was ::chef's kiss::
posted by johnxlibris at 10:06 PM on October 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by johnxlibris at 10:06 PM on October 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
My big disappointment with Sabine's "awakening" is that she is yet another lightsaber wielder. I was hoping for her Force abilities to be something like John Woo gun fu/Equilibrium's gun kata/The Suicide Squad's Bloodsport except enhanced by Force acrobatics & marksmanship.
That would be cool as hell, and not something Star Wars has done before.
So they probably won't do that.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:28 AM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
That would be cool as hell, and not something Star Wars has done before.
So they probably won't do that.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:28 AM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
And, if like me you're too lazy to scrub the episode looking for the Mortis god statues, the Inverse article has a nice screenshot, and some backstory if you didn't watch the Clone Wars.
posted by Kyol at 7:16 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 7:16 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I hope ahsoka and friends have an entire fantastic season delving the depts of whatever this planet is
posted by rebent at 7:42 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rebent at 7:42 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ooh, my son and I are a few episodes out from the Mortis arc in our watch-through of Clone Wars. I'm getting quite excited now, though we only get through about two or three a week, so it'll be a while.
posted by Kattullus at 9:57 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Kattullus at 9:57 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
That's awesome, Kattullus. Buckle your seat belts when you get there for some Force mythos fun times!
posted by Atreides at 10:43 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 10:43 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Feebnork... in Rebels, Ezra's original light sabre was a sword that could also fire force balls.
posted by kokaku at 11:25 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kokaku at 11:25 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
That was possibly the most practical lightsaber ever.
posted by Atreides at 11:28 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Atreides at 11:28 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
Man, the Mortis Gods were easily the dumbest, weirdest, least Star Wars-feeling thing to come out of The Clone Wars—it's like a third-string Star Trek episode—and now they're going to let Filoni make it ALL ABOUT THAT. Disappointing.
posted by The Tensor at 12:03 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The Tensor at 12:03 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Star Wars is weird, though. I'd take Mortis over midiclorians any day of the week. I'd rather the Force be weird and mystical than something you can take a blood test for.
posted by Atreides at 2:08 PM on October 6, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Atreides at 2:08 PM on October 6, 2023 [7 favorites]
I'd take Mortis over midiclorians any day of the week.
Neither, please. All living things, energy field, trust your feelings—let go! No gods, no microbes.
posted by The Tensor at 2:29 PM on October 6, 2023
Neither, please. All living things, energy field, trust your feelings—let go! No gods, no microbes.
posted by The Tensor at 2:29 PM on October 6, 2023
BTW, while I'm grousing, here's a scene that was SORELY missing:
Force Ghost Anakin: ...As your master, it is my responsibility to prepare you. I won't always be there to look out for you. Don't be afraid. Trust your instincts. I know you can do this, Ahsoka.
Ahsoka: Bullshit.
Anakin: ...wait what?
Ahsoka: You heard me. I can't believe you're dead and [waves hand at him] whatever this is, but you're still telling yourself the same lies.
Anakin: But—
Ahsoka: Listen, Darth, it's been almost thirty years since you were my "master", and since then I've had to find my own path based on my own judgment—no thanks to you—for far longer than you were ever a Jedi. And I've been doing a pretty good job of it, too. You say you see hesitation in me? You sense doubt? Where do you think that comes from? What do you think it does to a student—to a child—to realize the teacher they idolized is a traitorous, mass-murdering monster? Oh, yes, you're "redeemed" now—very nice for you and your boy—but that doesn't give you the right to lecture me about Force. You know why? Because every time I reach for the Force, every time I touch that beautiful energy field crated by all living things in the Galaxy, what's in the back of my head is, "What if I'm like him?"
Anakin: Oh.
Ahsoka: Yeah, "oh". So it would be great if you weren't there to "look out for" me, please. Because that fear you sense is you, Skyguy, living rent-free in my head, every minute of every day.
Anakin: ...I'm sorry.
Ahsoka: You're dead. So why don't you let me out of this cage so I can go save the Galaxy from your successors? Again?
posted by The Tensor at 3:44 PM on October 6, 2023 [14 favorites]
Force Ghost Anakin: ...As your master, it is my responsibility to prepare you. I won't always be there to look out for you. Don't be afraid. Trust your instincts. I know you can do this, Ahsoka.
Ahsoka: Bullshit.
Anakin: ...wait what?
Ahsoka: You heard me. I can't believe you're dead and [waves hand at him] whatever this is, but you're still telling yourself the same lies.
Anakin: But—
Ahsoka: Listen, Darth, it's been almost thirty years since you were my "master", and since then I've had to find my own path based on my own judgment—no thanks to you—for far longer than you were ever a Jedi. And I've been doing a pretty good job of it, too. You say you see hesitation in me? You sense doubt? Where do you think that comes from? What do you think it does to a student—to a child—to realize the teacher they idolized is a traitorous, mass-murdering monster? Oh, yes, you're "redeemed" now—very nice for you and your boy—but that doesn't give you the right to lecture me about Force. You know why? Because every time I reach for the Force, every time I touch that beautiful energy field crated by all living things in the Galaxy, what's in the back of my head is, "What if I'm like him?"
Anakin: Oh.
Ahsoka: Yeah, "oh". So it would be great if you weren't there to "look out for" me, please. Because that fear you sense is you, Skyguy, living rent-free in my head, every minute of every day.
Anakin: ...I'm sorry.
Ahsoka: You're dead. So why don't you let me out of this cage so I can go save the Galaxy from your successors? Again?
posted by The Tensor at 3:44 PM on October 6, 2023 [14 favorites]
So is this it for a while, or is there another new series on the horizon (aside from Andor pt 2)?
posted by hototogisu at 5:02 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by hototogisu at 5:02 AM on October 7, 2023
Feebnork... in Rebels, Ezra's original light sabre was a sword that could also fire force balls.
I have seen all of Rebels.
I still don’t think they will make Sabine a gun kata Jedi.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:11 AM on October 7, 2023
I have seen all of Rebels.
I still don’t think they will make Sabine a gun kata Jedi.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:11 AM on October 7, 2023
So is this it for a while, or is there another new series on the horizon (aside from Andor pt 2)?
Skeleton Crew1 is, I believe, scheduled for this year, and Acolyte2 and Andor s02 for 2024.
1 The series follows four kids who end up on an adventure to make their way home after being lost in the galaxy following a discovery they make on their home planet.
2 A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, approximately 100 years before The Phantom Menace.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:16 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Skeleton Crew1 is, I believe, scheduled for this year, and Acolyte2 and Andor s02 for 2024.
1 The series follows four kids who end up on an adventure to make their way home after being lost in the galaxy following a discovery they make on their home planet.
2 A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, approximately 100 years before The Phantom Menace.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:16 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
who should they get to play Baylen since Ray Stevenson passed away?
.
I hadn't heard of his passing - - his portrayal of Titus Pullo in HBO's Rome was one of my favorite TV performances in the past 20 years.
posted by fairmettle at 1:17 PM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
.
I hadn't heard of his passing - - his portrayal of Titus Pullo in HBO's Rome was one of my favorite TV performances in the past 20 years.
posted by fairmettle at 1:17 PM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
OK, y'all. WHY are we now doing a Star Wars-Walking Dead mashup?
What a completely fun, pointless, and ultimately boring show. Goddamn. They had every resource available-- brilliant and perfect cast, all the FX that people can do, and... what.
I'm here for all the stories, all the characters, all the wicked visuals, but this sure feels like a mid-season break, and given what we know about all the rest of what happens in canon, where's this gonna go, and, like the US House of reps are saying: "Now what?"
posted by rp at 10:50 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
What a completely fun, pointless, and ultimately boring show. Goddamn. They had every resource available-- brilliant and perfect cast, all the FX that people can do, and... what.
I'm here for all the stories, all the characters, all the wicked visuals, but this sure feels like a mid-season break, and given what we know about all the rest of what happens in canon, where's this gonna go, and, like the US House of reps are saying: "Now what?"
posted by rp at 10:50 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
WHY are we now doing a Star Wars-Walking Dead mashup?
Because it's been done before? That's a thing the Night Sisters do. I will admit I think it could have been done better visually. Have lightsaber cleaved in half storm troopers pulling themselves across the floor toward the heroes, hands flopping around, headless troopers with blasters hitting every target they aim for.
posted by Atreides at 12:41 PM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Because it's been done before? That's a thing the Night Sisters do. I will admit I think it could have been done better visually. Have lightsaber cleaved in half storm troopers pulling themselves across the floor toward the heroes, hands flopping around, headless troopers with blasters hitting every target they aim for.
posted by Atreides at 12:41 PM on October 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
Still holding out hope for a single Star Wars story to include a character making a decision that makes sense.
The villain you sacrificed everything to stop is going to take the only known transport back to your home galaxy as soon as he can? Well, let's hover over this planet's slowest armoured creatures, who apparently can't be hurt by laser fire, in order to... protect them?
Your ship that you need to leave the planet is damaged and needs repaired, so you send away everyone with mechanical experience except the droid that idolizes protocol and proper repair procedure?
Morgan is ordered to sacrifice herself to delay the heroes from reaching Thrawn's destroyer - and just lets Sabine and Ezra walk past her?
Ezra magically escapes from the destroyer in a shuttle, pilots it all the way to the Republican forces, gets permission to land (shades of Baylan in the first episode here), and still has the stormtrooper helmet on when he lands?
posted by GhostintheMachine at 6:55 AM on January 7 [2 favorites]
The villain you sacrificed everything to stop is going to take the only known transport back to your home galaxy as soon as he can? Well, let's hover over this planet's slowest armoured creatures, who apparently can't be hurt by laser fire, in order to... protect them?
Your ship that you need to leave the planet is damaged and needs repaired, so you send away everyone with mechanical experience except the droid that idolizes protocol and proper repair procedure?
Morgan is ordered to sacrifice herself to delay the heroes from reaching Thrawn's destroyer - and just lets Sabine and Ezra walk past her?
Ezra magically escapes from the destroyer in a shuttle, pilots it all the way to the Republican forces, gets permission to land (shades of Baylan in the first episode here), and still has the stormtrooper helmet on when he lands?
posted by GhostintheMachine at 6:55 AM on January 7 [2 favorites]
GhostintheMachine: Still holding out hope for a single Star Wars story to include a character making a decision that makes sense.
Yeah, that's Andor.
To be less clowny, I'll say that Dave Filoni used to be able to write stories which made coherent psychological sense, but that was in a shorter format, and it shows in Ahsoka that he's much better when he's got tight constraints to work with.
posted by Kattullus at 1:42 PM on January 7 [4 favorites]
Yeah, that's Andor.
To be less clowny, I'll say that Dave Filoni used to be able to write stories which made coherent psychological sense, but that was in a shorter format, and it shows in Ahsoka that he's much better when he's got tight constraints to work with.
posted by Kattullus at 1:42 PM on January 7 [4 favorites]
The villain you sacrificed everything to stop is going to take the only known transport back to your home galaxy as soon as he can? Well, let's hover over this planet's slowest armoured creatures, who apparently can't be hurt by laser fire, in order to... protect them?
I don't recall their armor being impenetrable, and well, this is the Jedi.
Your ship that you need to leave the planet is damaged and needs repaired, so you send away everyone with mechanical experience except the droid that idolizes protocol and proper repair procedure?
Ahsoka needs her padawan (yes, she sends her 'way when Morgan shows up), so Sabine is on her way. I don't remember Ezra having a major technical expertise, but he is the most familiar with Thrawn and his troopers, so it also makes sense to take him. Three versus Thrawn, the Witches, and everything else is better odds than one versus. The plan was to stop Thrawn, not escape the planet, and they failed ultimately.
Morgan is ordered to sacrifice herself to delay the heroes from reaching Thrawn's destroyer - and just lets Sabine and Ezra walk past her?
Morgan recognizes that Ahsoka is the most dangerous of the three. Arguably, her duel with Ahsoka, keeps the former Jedi from making enough in-roads into Chimera to stop the ship from leaving or stopping Thrawn completely. But also, going back to odds, Morgan has a better chance of winning if she's just fighting Ahsoka versus all three of them. If Ezra and Sabine run off, she's still taking on the most dangerous threat.
Ezra magically escapes from the destroyer in a shuttle, pilots it all the way to the Republican forces, gets permission to land (shades of Baylan in the first episode here), and still has the stormtrooper helmet on when he lands?
Ezra has a long history of sneaking around imperial ships, wearing/using their armor to escape, gain knowledge, and so on. It's not shocking he was able to figure a way to steal a shuttle and get away. As for the landing on Home One, well yeah, that clearly was for dramatic effect. You can make arguments for why he might have kept the armor on, but eh.
posted by Atreides at 7:17 AM on January 8 [1 favorite]
I don't recall their armor being impenetrable, and well, this is the Jedi.
Your ship that you need to leave the planet is damaged and needs repaired, so you send away everyone with mechanical experience except the droid that idolizes protocol and proper repair procedure?
Ahsoka needs her padawan (yes, she sends her 'way when Morgan shows up), so Sabine is on her way. I don't remember Ezra having a major technical expertise, but he is the most familiar with Thrawn and his troopers, so it also makes sense to take him. Three versus Thrawn, the Witches, and everything else is better odds than one versus. The plan was to stop Thrawn, not escape the planet, and they failed ultimately.
Morgan is ordered to sacrifice herself to delay the heroes from reaching Thrawn's destroyer - and just lets Sabine and Ezra walk past her?
Morgan recognizes that Ahsoka is the most dangerous of the three. Arguably, her duel with Ahsoka, keeps the former Jedi from making enough in-roads into Chimera to stop the ship from leaving or stopping Thrawn completely. But also, going back to odds, Morgan has a better chance of winning if she's just fighting Ahsoka versus all three of them. If Ezra and Sabine run off, she's still taking on the most dangerous threat.
Ezra magically escapes from the destroyer in a shuttle, pilots it all the way to the Republican forces, gets permission to land (shades of Baylan in the first episode here), and still has the stormtrooper helmet on when he lands?
Ezra has a long history of sneaking around imperial ships, wearing/using their armor to escape, gain knowledge, and so on. It's not shocking he was able to figure a way to steal a shuttle and get away. As for the landing on Home One, well yeah, that clearly was for dramatic effect. You can make arguments for why he might have kept the armor on, but eh.
posted by Atreides at 7:17 AM on January 8 [1 favorite]
Mandalorian & Grogu feature film by Favreau and Ahsoka Season 2 by Filoni greenlit by Lucasfilm.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:47 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:47 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]
I was fuming about this over the weekend. In Rebels, animated Thrawn is a frighteningly competent and surprisingly complex adversary. Ironically, live action turned him into a cartoon villain, just another bumbling Imperial albeit with impeccable manners. Live action just doesn't play to Filoni's strengths. Or maybe they need to hire some of the writers from Rebels/Clone Wars who seemed to know what they're doing.
posted by orrnyereg at 7:58 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]
posted by orrnyereg at 7:58 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]
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8 credits says they use the World Between Worlds to return
while i do like the Ahsoka/Anakin relationship, i do not like "redeem a mass murderer because he was a nice guy once upon a time" (see also the new Hunger Games movie).
also... who should they get to play Baylen since Ray Stevenson passed away? maybe they'll use the WBW to explain away a younger actor (which would be a mistake imho)?
posted by kokaku at 2:44 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]