Written by Amanda Clark
The first three episodes of Ahsoka built up everything that happened in episode four, ‘Fallen Jedi.’ And those who haven’t seen Star Wars Rebels will once again be confused and will definitely be asking questions, especially with the ending.
However, ‘Fallen Jedi’ is the episode that needs the most improvements (it’s not that the episode is bad, it’s more so the fact that the first three are practically perfect, and this one is just amazing). The first three episodes created this mysterious inquisitor who had fans theorizing the identity across every social media platform imaginable, only for the show to wipe him out within moments of crossing Ahsoka’s path for another time. Now, the theories could lead to it being an inquisitor who was possibly dead for Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto, The Mandalorian) to bring back for her mission. After all, why throw in the fact that she’s a member of the Nightsisters only to show her power once?
And anyone who’s seen Star Wars: The Clone Wars knows the Nightsisters can bring people back from the dead. So, this would be a great turn of events to tie in more of what Morgan is capable of and how far she’ll go to bring back Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Another issue with the inquisitor for the third episode is how quick the fight was. Yes, Ahsoka had to get to the map, but couldn’t Dave Filoni, the show creator, give the fans another 30 seconds? Or a minute? Lightsaber fight scenes are arguably some of the best scenes in the Star Wars universe, so why cut this fight so short when there is no time limit on a Disney+ show?
And speaking of fight scenes, why would Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) willingly bring her son, Jacen Syndulla (Evan Whitten, Mr. Robot), as backup for Ahsoka and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Day Shift)? Because everyone knows, and most of all Hera should know, how messy and close to death fighting against Thrawn and his people can get. If anything, Jacen would have sneaked onto The Ghost and gotten caught by Chopper (voiced by Filoni), leaving Hera outraged and shocked but then reluctantly agreeing to keep him on board.
To make matters worse, Zeb, “Garazeb Orrelios,” wasn’t called by Hera to join her and make this more of a Star Wars Rebels reunion. But seeing how some of the CGI has been with some of the recent Disney+ shows (and with someone we’ll get to in a moment), it makes sense why he isn’t in Ahsoka. It’s confirmed that it is him in the latest season of The Mandalorian, but this worked well only because he really didn’t have speaking lines, it was for less than a minute, and it was in a not-very-well-lit environment.
If Zeb makes an appearance in Ahsoka, then his live-action version would probably look like it’s from a video game, just like She-Hulk did in her show. So, it might be for the best that he isn’t in Ahsoka, even though it would be nice to see him. Again, it’s the Ahsoka show, not another season of Star Wars Rebels.
And with how unimpressive the CGI has been with certain characters, Disney should have introduced Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, Obi-Wan Kenobi) the way he is in Obi-Wan Kenobi: not de-aged or barely touched with CGI/makeup. This is because he looks like an imposter when his face comes on the screen. Yes, it’s amazing he’s in the show at all (as he should be), but it would be better if it’s how he looks in real life instead of bad CGI being used to make him look the age he should be when Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith took place. After all, Filoni has all the power here, and he is the person that every fan trusts when it comes to Star Wars.
Even with all the tweaks that are needed, this episode still enhances how impactful Ahsoka is to the Star Wars universe, and it trumps every other live-action Star Wars show — possibly every Disney+ show that’s been released in the past couple of years.
This is because of so many reasons, but this episode specifically delivers Anakin to fans again, even with the not-so-great look. Fans will now get the much-needed one-on-one time between Ahsoka and Anakin in the World Between Worlds realm after Order 66 happened. This is the best way to bring Anakin back without an unnecessary flashback. Keeping the show in the present is where it needs to be, and it seems like that’s where it’ll stay. Of course, there will most likely be some discussion of the past between the two, but that’ll be in the present — hopefully, the show will stay there, seeing how Ahsoka can travel into the past in the World Between Worlds with the force.
On the other hand, with Sabine, it’s a mix of good and bad seeing her in full Mandalorian gear to fight. Seeing the full armor look is mind-blowing because of how hard Ahsoka is trying to teach her to use the force and the lightsaber. But it helps Sabine stay closer to her roots, and that’s what makes her feel more comfortable. Then, eventually, the turn of events makes Sabine use her lightsaber to fight Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno, The Reunion), which is where the fun begins.
The back and forth between the intense Ahsoka vs. Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson, Thor) and the Sabine vs. Shin fight is beautifully done. Shin realizes Sabine isn’t force sensitive (not yet, anyway), which fuels each one to fight harder and leads to the four being in one spot, where the map is.
From Baylan and Ahsoka’s duel, fans get to see how much of a smooth talker Baylan is to try and get what he wants, and we begin to understand how much Baylan has gone through as well. This leads to Sabine showing how much she cares for Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi, King Richard), but not in the way Ahsoka or fans probably wanted.
But this will lead to an even more intense next episode that might be one of the best episodes of the season, especially since fans will have the chance to see it in theaters. And what would be a show without some hiccups along the way? It would be boring, which Ahsoka most definitely is not.
Each episode uses the time wisely, and it’s filled with action and drama that is, of course, needed and loved. The further the time goes on, the more that’s revealed, and the more that is set up for the following episode, leading to a possible season finale cliffhanger. Which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, seeing how this show deserves a season two already. ‘Fallen Jedi’ proves there is no such thing as a filler episode when it comes to Ahsoka, and that this show can keep getting better.
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