‘Ahsoka’ Recap – ‘Part One: Master and Apprentice’ & ‘Part Two: Toil and Trouble’

8/23/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Ahsoka’. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

It is definitely safe to say that the Star Wars Universe has entered quite the interesting phase of storytelling. For this franchise has at long last, opted to experiment with storytelling like never before, giving rise to stories that pay tribute to the westerns of old, expand upon questions we’ve always had regarding the period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and well… it’s also slowly pondering upon more adult themes. Such as what truly gives life to revolution and rebellion and as evidenced by its latest offering to the loyal fans of this franchise… what it means to grow, forgive, and reflect upon the mistakes we’ve made. For those are indeed central themes to Ahsoka.

Which were put on display in the show’s two-episode series premiere in a smooth and powerful manner. All by having former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano, continue in her quest to keep the elusive and evil Grand Admiral Thrawn at bay, and well… once she discovered a potential map to his location in ‘Part One: Master and Apprentice’, did the past come into play. After all, in order to unlock the secrets of this fascinating map, one that tied deeply to greater Star Wars lore, such as the Nightsisters, Ahsoka had to find her old apprentice. The always plucky and still rebellious as ever, Sabine Wren. Which allowed for those central themes to come into play. For every fan knows, this duo split on rough terms at the end of Rebels, and that frosty nature led to some fascinating conflict here.

The kind that speaks to the power of our ego, and how hard it is to let go of the more wounded parts of our past. For we hold onto that to keep ourselves strong and to drive us and guide us when it does nothing but hold us back. Which brings disaster in this tale, since old grudges and angry days gone by, allow for a mysterious Jedi and his apprentice known as Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati to obtain the map and get it into the hands of the equally as mysterious Morgan Elsbeth. Who it would seem knows exactly how to use that map and hyperdrive technology to find the admiral so they can all bring him back to the Galaxy, far, far away to wage war and restore the Empire back to its former glory. A move that forces… Sabine and Ahsoka to finally make amends and well… this is where the story shines.

Because the slow-burning nature of this premiere, allows for this duo to genuinely reflect upon their mistakes in the moment and the people they were and how all of that brought forth personal chaos and strife. And how… their desire to hold onto end results and their stubbornness allowed for that strife to persist. For neither character is really at peace or happy here, not that happiness is a thing in the SWU. But that aside, a real threat, and a real understanding of what they had as friends and as master and apprentice, helps them to grow before our eyes and come to understand that it's either this life or something more, and to get to something more… so much must be released, and trust and care and forgiveness must come into play. Which makes this premiere intelligent, and intimate and quite frankly… relatable.

Because we’ve been there, or we will be there and that just immerses us into this story like never before and the wonder of this premiere doesn’t end there. Because this two-part premiere features some massive shout outs to the magnificence of Rebels. Since we get a live-action Ezra appearance at last, and Chopper returns, as does Hera and it is just delightful to see their story continue in live action, and even see connective tissue come into play in this story. After all, Sabine’s decision to return to the fight and her training for all the right reasons leads to a beautiful bookend moment in ‘Part Two: Toil and Trouble’. One that brings a tear to one’s eye and reminds the audience of another big reason we love this saga so. Because it really does create characters we care about and want to see find some semblance of peace in a galaxy that at times, seems to be the roughest one of all.

However, that aside, this premiere also does an amazing job, of giving the fans core elements of what we love. Such as the action and adventure we crave, and the humor we love, since that back and forth between Chopper and Hera was just amazing and of course… you can never go wrong with lightsaber battles, and we received those en masse here and that was just a real treat. And the same goes for the aesthetic of the show, which really captures that early 1980s look and feel about Star Wars that we just adore and what’s incredible… is that this premiere is merely a taste of things to come. After all, Thrawn is still out there, which means the classic good versus evil bones of this franchise awaits us, and it will be fascinating to see how these resurgent Rebels, stave off the next Galactic Civil War as this refreshing new series continues along. Until next time.

Watch ‘Ahsoka’

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