A Lego interpretation of Ahsoka Tano. Photo Credits: Matt Hudson on Unsplash.
Disney +’s new original show, “Ashoka,” is an 8-episode series that premiered on August 22, 2023 and recently came to a close on October 3. This new Disney original marks the 5th “Star Wars”-based show that has been released on Disney +, along with successful shows such as “The Mandalorian” and “Andor.”
The show begins in classic “Star Wars” fashion: a quick summary of past events and what exactly is happening in the time period. It is rumored that a Jedi-turned-Sith is back alive and on
the hunt, and it’s all up to Ahsoka Tano to save the galaxy from yet another seemingly inevitable war.
Ahsoka appears on a vast wasteland of a planet, searching for a map that is rumored to be the most valuable artifact in the galaxy. Ashoka goes through various puzzles and traps to obtain the map, showcasing her skill and knowledge of “the force” right off the bat. As she attempts to make her escape from the wasteland, Ahsoka is challenged by several robots and she uses her dueling skills and her connection to the force to end them with ease.
Back on their home planet, Ahsoka and one of her former students, Sabine Wren, are left to protect the sacred map. However, the up-and-coming sith, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, invade their planet and are able to outmaneuver the vulnerable and inexperienced Sabine Wren and steal the map.
It doesn’t take long for Skoll and Hati’s plans with the map to be revealed to the audience. Their hopes for the map are to use it to find a secret planet located millions of light years away, rescue the last remnants of the Galactic Empire, and revive the once-thriving empire to what it used to be, starting an all out war with the republic.
Ahsoka goes on vast adventures, eventually turning into an all-out goose chase to stop the Sith’s plan. Over multiple episodes, Ahsoka finds herself in the way of the force and faces her greatest fears, while Sabine Wren is only getting more and more masterful in the way of the Jedi. Meanwhile, our villains are making great progress and plan to “hyperspace their way out of here” and transcend full galaxies; Ahsoka knows that if she doesn’t bring their chaos to a halt, it could mean death and destruction of incomprehensible levels for every galaxy.
Caution: spoilers ahead!
As Ahsoka and her team are seemingly catching up to the villains just in time, the bad guys activate hyperspace right as their ship approaches them, completely shocking and shutting off their ship entirely. The team scrambles to bring the ship back to life. A couple of rerouted wires here, a couple of button flicks there, and their ship is in tip-top shape.
Ahsoka quickly realizes that they can’t hyperdrive that far without the power of 8 fully-charged hyperspace engines, so it seems as if all is lost for the good guys. However, in a sudden turn of events, galactic whales that ride the waves of space called “Purgill” show up, just in time for Ahsoka and her team to catch up with Skoll and Hati. Ahsoka and her ship ride into the mouth of the whales as they hyperspace across galaxies in just minutes of screentime.
As our heroes arrive on the unknown planet, they realize that none of this was a fib, and that the Galactic empire, along with hundreds of stormtroopers and witches of the dark arts, have been hiding out on this planet for who-knows-how-long, just waiting for the moment to strike. That moment is now.
As the ship builds up energy and is just about to hyperspace the entirety of the Galactic Empire, Ahsoka, Sabine, and their long lost friend, Ezra, show up and slow down the empire just enough for Ezra to board the ship and return to their home galaxy. However, this comes at the great sacrifice of leaving Ahsoka and Sabine stranded on the wasteland of a planet.
The show concludes with Ezra being happy and reunited with his family. The villains are back to their home too, granting them great deals of power now that they have been released from exile. Ahsoka and Sabine are stuck on this planet and have to adapt to whatever challenges they may face in this new environment. Ahsoka looks up and sees a kind grin from a force ghost of Anakin Skywalker, sending the show to the credits.
As a pretty avid “Star Wars” fan myself, I would definitely recommend this show to both “Star Wars” fans and to the few people that have never seen any type of “Star Wars” material. The directors made the show very fluid and easy to understand for everyone, making it possible for “Star Wars” newbies to jump right into the action. But for those diehard “Star Wars” fans out there, there are plenty of fun easter eggs sprinkled throughout the show, creating an enjoyable watch for anybody who decides to press the play button on “Ahsoka.”
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