Posted in: Disney+, Review, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: Ahsoka, dave filoni, Diana Lee Inosanto, Eman Esfandi, Ivanna Sakhno, Jennifer Getzinger, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ray Stevenson, rosario dawson, star wars rebels

Ahsoka Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Reunited and It Feels So Good

Ahsoka "Part Six: Far, Far Away" (or "live-action Star Wars Rebels") features some not-so-surprising reveals as the endgame becomes clearer.

The latest episode of Lucasfilm & Disney+'s Ahsoka – "Part Six: Far, Far Away" – provides some resolution as it sets up the home stretch of this first season. It doesn't have so much to do with the title character but rather the loose ends concerning the auxiliary characters. The episode picks up on the other end of the galaxy, so to speak, as Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), his apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), and their "guest" Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) are hot on the trail of Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Sabine's aims were far more in hopes of being reunited with her friend Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). The following contains minor spoilers.

The title "Far, Far Away" is inspired by the classic Star Wars opening, "Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away," as we initially find Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and faithful droid Huyang (David Tennant) talking to each other en route to rescuing Sabine discussing her predicament at hand with the earlier admitting her guilt of knowing Sabine's true intentions behind her capture before the two talk about storytelling, which becomes the theme separating the truth and mysticism of the franchise. It's the only time we'll see both before it shifts the main narrative of the story to Morgan & Company.

We're finally reintroduced to Thrawn in his blue-skin live-action form, with Mikkelsen reprising his role from the animated series Rebels. Not to sound like a broken record, but it matches the tone-for-tone of creator Dave Filoni's animated series. It can't be helped, given Mikkelsen's physical features in the Thrawn makeup, but the comparisons are obvious to the infamous Elon Musk, Tesla dude & social media overlord. The difference is that Thrawn was long established in the Expanded Universe by Timothy Zahn to be later adapted into the Disney canon, not to mention better developed than the real-life conspiracy-lover. We have two episodes to go, so we don't know what Thrawn's true plans are other than that of escape. He's been built up this entire series as a revolutionary to bring power and control back to the Empire. Unless we're guaranteed a season two, this hype feels a bit anti-climactic as an all-or-nothing Pandora's Box-type of arc. It is what it is, and you can't help but be cynical with what Filoni's trying to establish here.

The other development is Bordizzo, who at her most involved as a solo act since her character introduction. Thrawn allows her to "search" for her friend. There's not a lot of imagination to see where this will go here. Unless you're tone-deaf the way the series has been built up to this point, it probably feels like it will follow the cliché trajectory of romance… or maybe Filoni will surprise us with some gut-wrenching grim twist of fate. I don't feel like he will because he largely likes to play it safe when it comes to the fan-servicing side of things. The only major protagonist death he's ever had under his watch was Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Kanan Jarus in Rebels. Oh, and another thing? The resident aliens felt like another template of the Tuskan Raiders and Jawas of Tatooine.

Directed by Jennifer Getzinger and written by Filoni, we're starting to get a better sense of who Baylan and Shin are and what they're all about, which is more than I can say from previous Star Wars villains like the more forgettable inquisitors. I'm glad that Stevenson and Sakhno were given the chance the develop their characters beyond just being cliched "big bads." Hope entering the final two episodes will allow Bordizzo and Esfandi to establish their narratives better as Sabine and Ezra, regardless of whether it's a flashback or set during the present. Ahsoka streams Tuesdays on Disney+.

Ahsoka Season 1 Episode 6: "Part Six: Far, Far Away"

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Review by Tom Chang

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7.5/10

Dave Filoni and company pull off another classic unofficial episode of Star Wars: Rebels with this week's chapter of Ahsoka, bringing back some more familiar faces and letting the more supporting characters thrive on the way to what we're hoping will be an exciting finish. In particular, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Lars Mikkelsen, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo shine in this outing.

Credits

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Director

Jennifer Getzinger

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