Ahsoka (Mostly) Spoiler Free Review

General Thoughts

In general, I think the show is solid, but there were missed opportunities that have, after two episodes at least, held the show back from being something epic. The are new mysterious people and places for us to explore, and I for one am eager to do so. The onscreen portrayals of previously animated characters were pretty true to the source material, with some being near-perfect, while others missed the mark. The newer characters, especially the new villains, are well acted and intriguing. The action can be cheesy at times, but in an acceptable Star Wars kind of way.

Well Portrayed Characters:

The most intriguing character so far is Baylan Skroll. Ray Stevenson did an excellent job portraying a complex character. He is a jaded ex-Jedi, but obviously not an evil person. Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati plays Baylan’s young apprentice. Sakhno sells the role of a very young apprentice who seems passionate but confused, so she’s always looking for her master for guidance. Diana Lee Inosanto returns to her role of Morgan Elsebeth, and this is a mild spoiler but since it’s been discussed so much over the last few years, I’ll say it; she is confirmed to be one of now only two surviving Night Sisters of Dathomir. We didn’t really get to know her in the Mandalorian, but now we see how much power and ambition she has. She’s not just some two-bit warlord ruling over some crappy little outpost at the end of the galaxy.

As for the existing characters, chopper is so far the best character in the show, and pretty much exactly how he was in Rebels; funny and enjoyable to watch. Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine is excellent. Her acting is a very sensible transition of the character from animation to live action. She was a solid casting choice.

Also, our officers of the new republic do a great job at being kind of naïve and incompetent, which does a great job foreshadowing why they get decimated in the sequel era.

Kind of Well Portrayed Characters:

Rosario Dawson as Asoka looks amazing. Her make-up, especially the head-tail prosthetic, is much better than when we saw her in the Mandalorian. As far as her acting…I don’t know if it’s Rosario’s fault as much as the directors’, but her presence on screen is flat. I understand Ahsoka has matured a lot, but she seems too devoid of emotion. I’d like to see a little bit more than Ahsoka just gazing pensively with her arms crossed. Also, she needs a stunt double for the fight scenes, especially the one against Marrok on Corellia. During her initial attack she jumps into the fray and gets about an inch and a half off the ground. Play that scene in slow motion. It looks very silly.

Poorly Portrayed Characters / Huge Missed Opportunity:

The biggest cast/acting problem I have is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera. I wouldn’t say MEW is doing a bad job (indeed, she is a prolific and accomplished professional,) it’s just that she is the wrong person for the job. The brightest spot of her acting was in an interaction with chopper, while they were in the midst of a dog fight. Classic Star Wars Rebels. She did a great job there. BUT, Hera is a Twilek, and the Twileks are the French North Africans of the Star Wars universe. Consequently, Hera in animation had a Mediterranean/Semitic looking face. She had big, deep-sunken eyes, and a triangular face. MEW has a small face on a round head, with beady, little eyes. She looks nothing like Hera.

Disney, at times to a fault, has made it part of their mission to ensure that members of underrepresented minority populations are acting in their shows and films. Indeed, the ‘Fandom Menace’ sector of the Star Wars community has given Disney a lot of flak for forcing inclusion at the expense of good storytelling. Yet with Hera, Disney has done the opposite. They should have cast, a lesser-known Moroccan, Tunisian, or Algerian actress; someone who looks much more like Hera, and who could possibly turn on a little bit of a French or Arabic accent when she gets emotional. I mean, how often do we have a North African female actress in a major studio production? Again, it’s not a knock on MEW, as given the limitations placed before her, she’s doing as good of a job as she can.

Sights and Sounds

The world building, from concept to CGI, is very Star Wars, and very satisfying to the eye. Lothal was spot on as a now cleaned up version of what we saw in the Rebels series. Seeing Corellia again, also cleaned up, sunny, and not as polluted was very interesting. Classic Legends ships like the E-wing, some of the older ships like Home One, the Phantom, the T6 and others that I’m missing were well represented. The action scenes, to reiterate, can be cheesy at times, but in an endearing kind of a way.

Kevin Kiner’s background score is original and very Star Wars. Personally, there were some moments where I thought it would’ve been cool if he transitioned to classic John Williams themes, but that would’ve been just a cute bonus.

Overall Recommendation

People who are not Rebels fans might have trouble getting into the show because there’s so much background knowledge that they won’t have. It may be hard for them to care. Rebels fans, however, are going to absolutely love the show. It’s fantastic to see most of our heroes brought to life in live action, including cameos from Clancy Brown as Ryder Azadi and Vinny Thomas as Jai Kell. Despite my qualms about Hera’s portrayal, Chopper is back in full effect, and he more than makes up for it!