Seven weeks and eight episodes later, Ahsoka has officially capped off a first season full of surprises, questions, and plenty to love for Star Wars fans of all swathes. We’ve seen Anakin, Ezra, Thrawn, some Nightsisters, a ton of subtle (and not-so-subtle) references to Clone Wars and, of course, Rebels. The final episode isn’t the series’ best; really, it feels awfully inconsequential at times. Yet, especially in light of the second season having not yet been confirmed, it’s hard not to smile as the credits roll on a Star Wars show that knows exactly what it wants to be, and exudes a pure love for the entire series, top to bottom.
From the beginning, episode 8 is all gas, no brakes. There are a few intimate conversations on the front end, but once the action starts, it doesn’t even remotely stop. Mass duels of magic and saber within the walls of Thrawn’s remote labyrinth; our heroes work their way up in waves, racing to the top in hopes they can reach Thrawn before he escapes. Morgan Esbeth sulks around in waiting, buying time for blue menace so he can speed off into the galaxy once again, avoiding any chance of conflict-by-combat. He’s everywhere and nowhere all at once.
One of the earlier big scenes in particular, without spoilers, of course, achieves a long-time wishlist moment for Star Wars fans that is as cool as anyone ever could have imagined it. To that notice, this finale fittingly looks like the most expensive episode yet. Tons of explosions light multiple battlefields of all different sorts, tracing the history (via lightsaber) of the best fights this franchise has ever seen with expert choreography akin to that of the prequel trilogy. It feels classic in that way. There’s even a subtle callback to the original trilogy, if it wasn’t clear enough that Ahsoka has its sights set on the past.
That has worked for the show up to this point, but it isn’t a total positive. The constant callbacks (sometimes repeated) occasionally distract, and often underwhelm. Star Wars has become negatively known for its fan service in recent years and, despite breaking away in other ways, Ahsoka over-does things in that aspect, too. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun; scenes like those references almost always elicit an “Oh, cool!”, at least. It’s in retrospect that it begins to feel cheap, and in forgetting how it made you feel when you first saw the scene, it loses a lot of value over time.
Regardless, a show aiming to please the fans that are the reason the show exists in the first place is an ultimate positive. Dave Filoni, in all his years as a Star Wars overlord, if you will, has earned a beloved reputation for bringing back old characters. He managed to convincingly revive Darth Maul, work him back into the franchise, and then kill him once more in an arguably more impactful way than he was originally knocked off. He gets it, and therefore, Ahsoka does too.
In the end, Ahsoka has been a much needed change of pace for Star Wars. Fan-favorites from all corners of the universe come together (back together, in some cases), joining compelling new characters in an assemblage of varied locales that serve as beautiful backdrops to all the drama. The show is consistently well-paced; never uninteresting and, even unlike The Mandalorian, never buying time. Episodes 1-8 all necessitate their existence on their own. What’s more, they’re all at least good, with a few memorably great standouts.
This series has fused itself to Star Wars as a necessary watch for all in-the-loop fans. It’s arguably one of the best original Disney+ projects, and should give the rebels hope that the franchise has some fuel left in the old x-wing after all.
Movies, long drives, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
