"Ahsoka": This series is a must for "Star Wars" fans

One thing first: there are no spoilers in this review. You will only read information that is known from the trailers that have already been released.

I'll have to be careful this time. I recently fell into euphoria after just two episodes of "Secret Invasion" before it dawned on me during the finale at the latest: no good start is a guarantee for an equally good ending. "Secret Invasion", for example, fell apart so miserably at the end that it almost felt like a betrayal. I was still talking so highly of the series after the first few episodes!

And yet: I can hardly contain myself again. Because "Ahsoka" is not just a "Rebels" reunion that will give you goosebumps. It's also pure "Star Wars". For two episodes at least. I was allowed to see that much - again - in advance. So don't take these next few lines as a series review in the classic sense. More as a first impression. A report on what you can look forward to. And there's a lot to look forward to.

This is what "Ahsoka"

is about
A little over ten years have passed since the evil Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), the most dangerous military genius the galaxy has ever seen, disappeared without a trace. The culprit was a hero of the then still young rebellion: Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). In an act of self-sacrifice, he managed to catapult himself and Thrawn through space and - possibly - time. This meant that the military genius could no longer influence the war between the Rebellion and the Empire. Since then, there has been no trace of either of them.

Until now. The Empire has been defeated. But remnants of it want to build a new military force to rule the galaxy once again. And Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), a former ally of Thrawn, is said to have found a way to bring him back. So that the empire can flourish anew under his direction - more powerful and cunning than ever before. This is exactly what ex-Jedi Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) wants to prevent.

But Ahsoka is thinking even further ahead. Because if Thrawn can supposedly be brought back - then so can Ezra. She seeks help from Ezra's former crew, pilot Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). The problem: there has been radio silence with the latter in particular for years - ever since the day Ahsoka cancelled Sabine's Jedi training. It soon becomes clear: before the search for Ezra can begin, old wounds must be healed.

A debut made to measure

"How were the first two episodes?" I'm asked by colleagues who know about my advance access. "Like coming home after a long holiday," I reply. "To 'Star Wars'. The real 'Star Wars'," I emphasise emphatically.

Not that I didn't enjoy the holiday. In the form of "The Mandalorian", for example. Or "Andor". In fact, I consider "Andor" to be the best and most demanding in terms of quality that "Star Wars" has ever offered. But somehow I still missed them, the good old lightsaber fights. The immersion in the mysteries of the Force. And the operatic space drama with all its classic good-versus-evil stories - grand in scale, but narratively centred on the characters.

"Ahsoka", at least initially, offers just that. It takes less than three minutes for two new antagonists with orange (!) lightsabres to attack a New Republic starship. They are not Jedi, says Baylan Skoll, played by Ray Stevenson. The first episode is also dedicated to Stevenson. The Irishman, who was also seen in "Thor" as the bold warrior Volstagg, died three months ago at the age of 58. Cause: unknown. Presumably a heart attack. Sadly, he spoke enthusiastically about his mysterious role at the Star Wars Celebration in April, a month before his death. In "Ahsoka", he therefore gives his last performance. One in which he needs very little to make an impression with his hunky presence.

At his side is the young Shin Hati, played venomously and pretentiously by Ivanna Sakhno. They are master and apprentice, apparently keeping their heads above water with mercenary jobs. At least since the fall of the Jedi Temple at the hands of Anakin Skywalker. Baylan hints at a connection between him and Ahsoka's former master. The first two episodes don't reveal what kind of connection. But apparently he has broken the Jedi code without joining the Sith or the Sith Inquisitors - otherwise he and his pupil would have a red lightsaber. What exactly drives them remains a mystery for the time being. An exciting mystery. Right at the beginning.

The "Clone Wars" problem

The series then turns to its protagonist - Ahsoka. She has been played by Rosario Dawson since "The Mandalorian, Chapter 13: The Jedi". And even then, she was superbly directed by Dave Filoni. No wonder: Filoni was once George Lucas' protégé. That's why Filoni was allowed to direct the animated series "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels" for the "Star Wars" creator. And it was there that Ahsoka Tano was first introduced as Anakin Skywalker's Padawan. Filoni therefore knows Ahsoka inside out. Every pose. Every move. Even the way she talks. Anyone worried that Dawson wouldn't make an authentic Ahsoka can rest assured: The American plays her simply perfectly.

But this is precisely where the series' major challenge lies: anyone unfamiliar with "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels" may well find it difficult to warm to Ahsoka. While she is still bold, naive and big-hearted at the beginning of the animated series, the physical and psychological wounds of the Clone Wars and the betrayal by the Jedi certainly leave their mark. Ahsoka never falls to the dark side of the Force. In "Rebels", she even becomes an early leader of the fledgling rebellion under the alias "Fulcrum". But she has lost the childlike innocence that once won her fans' hearts.

In "Ahsoka", the series, the now iconic Togruta is definitely prickly at times. Or "complicated", as her friend Hera Syndulla, also known from "Rebels", puts it. Sabine Wren is also like that - typical of a Mandalorian. Her conflict could seem unnecessarily artificial and contrived to those who have never seen the animated series. This is precisely the problem. For example, when Ahsoka, confronted with her decision not to complete Sabine's training, says something like "Sometimes even the best reasons have the worst consequences. Then what?". Only those in the know will realise that she's alluding to her doubts about leaving Anakin as his student back then - and thus not being there to prevent his fall to the dark side.

I guess the series will have to live with that. Don't worry: you don't need to have seen the animated series to understand the connections. It's already explained. But you might miss the gravity and meaning behind some statements, the nature of the relationship between some characters and why decisions were sometimes made the way they were. If you want to catch up on what you've missed, I recommend this article, in which I've listed the most important Ahsoka episodes, so you don't have to watch the whole series straight away:

A real feast for "Rebels" fans

It's a completely different story if you're familiar with the animated series - especially "Rebels". "Ahsoka" could even be seen as a direct sequel to "Rebels". Because nothing makes my throbbing fan heart beat faster than when director Dave Filoni recreates scenes we know from the animated series in live-action form. Sometimes even in such a way that they take on a whole new meaning. And without retconning - a term used to describe when the author changes details or events in the plot after the fact in order to adapt them to a new storyline. This often leads to controversy. Especially when the existing continuity of the story is changed or influenced. But that never happens here. Fortunately.

One of the highlights of the first two episodes are all the appearances of Hera Syndulla, the green Twi'lek, who was confronted with the war on her home planet in her early childhood and quickly developed first into a freedom fighter and then into a military leader. In the second episode in particular, she makes a terrific appearance on board the Phantom II, of course with the scatterbrained astromech droid Chopper, who fans will also recognise from "Rebels". It's hilarious.

Another highlight is the professor droid Huyang, who even I had to look up again where I'd heard the name before. He actually made his first and only appearance outside of young adult novels in the fifth season of "The Clone Wars". As a droid that had spent thousands of years teaching Jedi youngsters in the Jedi Temple how to build lightsabres - including Master Yoda and Master Mace Windu.

In fact, he's far more than just a sidekick for Ahsoka, who just talks. Huyang is wise, empathetic and gives good advice - a teacher through and through. And when he does crack a joke, it's not just funny, but sharp-witted. That's not how I know droids in "Star Wars". But I like it. I like it a lot. Especially in the original, where he is voiced by "Dr Who" actor David Tennant - as he was back in "The Clone Wars".

And yes, there's also the stubborn Mandalorian Sabine Wren. Of course she's there. She almost has to be. In "Rebels", it was already hinted that she and Ezra had the most intimate relationship of all the characters - not romantic, but more like siblings. It was therefore clear from the start that she couldn't be left out of the search for Ezra. In fact, Sabine develops into the second protagonist of the series. In general, "Ahsoka" seems to revolve a lot around the trusting but often complicated master-student relationship in the Jedi Order. The fact that Sabine was once Ahsoka's Padawan is still news to me as a connoisseur of the animated series (and if the revelation hadn't already been revealed in the trailer above, I wouldn't have mentioned it here either).

Conclusion after two episodes: Please keep it up!

There's not much more to say. Not after just two episodes. But if the series continues the way it started, then I'm not afraid of the end. Until then, the return to lots of lightsaber battles, crisp action, beautifully staged space battles and great orchestral music by Kevin Kiner, who has also provided the music for "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels", is a real treat.

Good old "Star Wars" just like that.

"Ahsoka" begins on 23 August 2023 at 3:00 a.m. with a double episode on Disney+. Running time of the first episode: 54 minutes. Running time of the second episode: 42 minutes.