2020, Disney+
Chapter 13: The Jedi
directed by: Dave Filoni
Ahsoka Tano!
She's waging a one-woman war on the Imperial-appointed Magistrate of a forest planet, and it's apparent that the Imperials flat-out ravaged the planet (it's a forest of burned-out trees with only the hit of vegetation returning). The town is inspired from classic samurai stories, with one entrance, surrounded by a wall, and a big cylindrical gong to alarm the defenses if there's an assault.
Mando comes to the planet in search of Ahsoka but gets recruited by the Magistrate to kill her, incentivized by a pure beskar staff she owns. He never actually takes the contract. He brings the child with him into the forest where they meet Ahsoka. She communes with the Child, finds out his name (Grogu!?), and asks for Mando's help in liberating the town.
Of course, they do. It turns out Ahsoka was also after information...the whereabouts of one Grand Admiral Thrawn(!?). In the end, Ahsoka states she isn't in the business of training Jedi and offers Mando and Grogu an alternative.
The Good
Ahsoka Tano!
Ahsoka is my favourite Star Wars character, and the pet creation of Dave Filoni. The love and care he's put into Ahsoka's journey in The Clone Wars, Rebels and now The Mandalorian is evident, and the reason she's a fan favourite of many. Seeing her in Live Action is enthralling, and when the rumours that Rosario Dawson would be playing her surfaced some time ago, it was dream casting. I couldn't picture anyone else in the role. She's just amazing.
The classic samurai-style conflict happening this episode is sort of a side step, kind of like the middle episodes of Season 1, but I love these sort of one-off divergences. As much as I like all of the Mandalorian so far, I do wish it was even a bit more episodic than it already is. But television these days is all about serialized binge-watching so there has to be a through-line to keep people engages, it seems.
I loved the imagery here, the burned out forest setting, the very large creatures in the background eating the trees, the kind of hazy smoky atmosphere and how Ahsoka's white lightsabres cut through the darkness.
In town there's sort of these old Roman-style punishment cages they put their prisoners in on public display, and if they lean against the edge they get shocked. It's such a nasty piece of sci-fi tech, it almost seems out of place. But I'm glad it's there. It's shocking (pun!)
The Bad
Fan gripe. When we see Ahsoka in Rebels (where some time has passed since we saw her in Clone Wars) her lekku (the blue and white tendrils attached to her head) have grown considerably. The live action Ahsoka's lekku are much smaller, sort of back to the season 5 Clone Wars length. Logically I understand the need for giving someone of Dawson's status a less heavy, more manageable headdress to wear, but from a nerd standpoint it drives me only a little nutty.
Speaking of the Lekku, I'm trying to decide if they have little scars in them or if those are just unfortunate wrinkles happening in the material they're made out of them. That all said, Dawson looks great. Her eyes are oustanding.
The editing of the final conflicts between Din with space Michael Behn and Ahsoka with the Magistrate is kind of choppy...especially the brief cut where Ahsoka asks the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawn (it's a big moment for us nerds, but it's not a great moment for editing).
What's to stop someone with a lightsaber from sliding its blade down the beskar staff and slicing the wielder's fingers off?
This episode, though it works within the season narrative, feels less of a whole than the remaining episodes. It is, ostensibly, a backdoor pilot for Ahsoka. Hard to argue with it though.
Unreal Problems
There's another casting controversy, with Rosario Dawson and her family engaged in a civil suit from a former employee of Dawson's, a trans man alleging discrimination and abuse. This person has since dropped all but two charge in the suit (relating to a physical assault). I don't have much to say except that, from what I read, this seems like an incredibly personal issue to both the person bringing the suit and Dawson's family, whom this person has been acquainted with for a long time, and that type of personal issue doesn't seem to be indicative of a track record of behaviour but rather very specific circumstances/situations with a single individual. Sometimes personal conflicts are just that. You can take sides if you want or you can leave it to both of them to resolve among themselves and stay out of it.
There's also a bit of sadness that Ashley Eckstein, who has voiced Ahsoka for nearly 2 decades, and has become very personally attached to the role, isn't able to reprise it in live action like Katee Sackoff did Bo-Katan. We're likely to experience similar issues with different actors portraying characters from Rebels in live action, as it's unlikely the voice actors are going to take on the physical roles.
Galaxy Building
Ahsoka!
As witnessed by the abuse on the forest planet Corvus, it's indicative of how the Imperials take and take without ever giving back, with little to no concern for the well being of a planet, nevermind the individuals upon it. It's all about subjugation and power. What they've done to Corvus isn't as bad as blowing up Alderaan, but it's only a few shades away from being the same evil. It's rather devastating. And yet, even the husk that it is, the Magistrate still sees fit to rule over Corvus with malevolence and brutality. It's what she learned. (The current Thrawn novels have put Thrawn into the position of Anti-Hero and reluctant manipulator in the Empire, but if the Magistrate is his disciple, then what exactly is he teaching these people?)
Asoka fills in some much needed back story for Grogu, not only giving him a proper name, but exploring why he's so attached to Din. She also recoils at the darkness, the fear she feels in Grogu. All Jedi of a certain age seem to have the same reaction to touching the Dark Side. Once bitten...
Ahsoka directs Din to his next objective, a Jedi temple where Grogu can commune with the force and maybe reach out to a more willing teacher.
Looking Forward
Where does this episode fit in between the end of Rebels and its coda (where she and Sabine are searching for Ezra)? Indications are that this takes place between those points. It's been announced that an Ahsoka series is coming, so I'm sure we will resume her search for Thrawn and fill in some of the gaps on what she's been up to while the events of A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were going on.
Yes, Toys of that Please
Ahsoka, in every size. Black Series, Vintage Collection, Hot Toys. I'd also like a Magistrate as well with beskar staff. And maybe a playset with a half-moon shaped wall, the doorway, the bell, and one or two of those shock cages. And some of those guards. Those outfits were neat.
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