Tag: Ahsoka

What we learned from the first two Ahsoka episodes: What’s a Nightsister?

This show is unapologetically a sequel to Rebels. Depending on your level of fandom, that could be good or bad.

It didn’t take long into the first pair of episodes for viewers to realize something about Ahsoka, the newest live-action Star Wars show on Disney+: it is extremely apparent that this is very much a sequel to Rebels.

And if you’re a fan of the Star Wars cartoons created by Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni, then that’s good news. If you’re not a fan or haven’t seen them then, well, that’s on you.

If Andor was the Star Wars series that required no homework as it threw casual fans and diehards into a world with mostly unknown characters, Ahsoka is quite the opposite. It’s best to enter this with some working knowledge of the cartoons.

It seems that Filoni made a choice here to not hold the hand of anyone who hasn’t seen Rebels or The Clone Wars. It wasn’t explained to viewers who the Nightsisters were, or how a key scene with Sabine was a callback to one with Kanan, or why Clancy Brown’s Ryder Azadi is an important character. We didn’t get a download on Ezra and the significance of Lothal wasn’t spelled out.

Devoted fans of the cartoons likely appreciated this. Spare us the preambles and explanations and let’s go on an adventure with Ahsoka, Sabine and Hera.

But if you haven’t seen the cartoons, it might be easy to feel lost, disconnected or uninvested. Or, it’ll make you want to watch Rebels and The Clone Wars and learn more about these characters. The folks at Lucasfilm are more than likely rooting for the latter. Still, they’ve empowered Filoni here to continue to tell his stories about Ahsoka and the Ghost Crew on his terms.

In the first two episodes of Ahsoka, Filoni’s influences are also evident. When we first see our titular character, she is patiently and carefully searching for a map in an old ancient temple. It’s something that could have fit seamlessly into an Indiana Jones movie, if only Ahsoka was wearing a safari hat instead of montrals, and armed with a whip instead of two bright, white lightsabers. And the transitions used in Ahsoka – the swiping from scene to scene – can easily remind viewers of George Lucas’ touches on the original trilogy. There are also some scenes here that feel akin to westerns and samurai flicks.

The first two episodes provide a great showcase for Rosario Dawson to display just what kind of badass warrior she can be in the Star Wars’ universe. Viewers also meet Baylan Skoll, played by the late Ray Stevenson, who carries a commanding presence and seems to pull the camera’s focus his way whenever he appears. We also meet Sabine’s scene-stealing pet, a furry loth-cat.

Here’s what we learned from the first two episodes of Ahsoka.

SPOILERS FOR ALL STAR WARS CONTENT AHEAD.

What we learned from the new Ahsoka trailer, including when it debuts on Disney+

Yes, that is Sabine Wren using Ezra’s green lightsaber. And doesn’t it look super cool?

The next live-action Star Wars show will be here soon. The last time we were in this world was just earlier this year, with Season 3 of The Mandalorian, which featured space pirates and timeline questions.

Soon, fans will be back in this same spot on the timeline – between Return of the Jedi and ­The Force Awakens – when the live-action Ahsoka show hits Disney+ late this summer. The first trailer for the show starring Rosario Dawson as our titular character dropped in April, but the good folks at Disney and Lucasfilm gave us a new teaser on Wednesday, which just happens to be showrunner Dave Filoni’s birthday. It’s online now and a TV spot promoting the show will also air during the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.

Filoni, of course, is the creator behind the Star Wars animated shows Clone Wars and Rebels where fans were first introduced to Ahsoka. She made her live-action debut in Season 2 of The Mandalorian and also briefly appeared in The Book of Boba Fett.

Here’s what we learned from the new footage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtNMcQ6pi9l/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

The first Ahsoka trailer has finally released and it introduces the new Star Wars big villain

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN IS BACK

Y’all. It’s finally here. It’s finally happening. The moment that all of the nerds like me who have been gobbling up the animated Star Wars content for years have been waiting for has finally arrived.

The Ahsoka trailer is finally here. And not only do we have a trailer, we also have a release date.

This is a character that those of us who watched the animated Star Wars content are more than familiar with. She was first introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice in the Clone Wars series. Since then, she’s blossomed into a fan favorite.

Now, she’s got her own series held within the Mando-verse. And she’s hunting down the newest big bad in the series — Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Take a look.

Y’ALL. OMG. IT’S REALLY HAPPENING.

As someone who has consumed every piece of Star Wars animated content possible, this is so fulfilling, man.

We’ve met the Ahsoka character — played by Rosario Dawson — in live action before in The Mandalorian series. Now, she’s taking the spotlight for a spell and it looks great. This trailer is jam-packed with lots of lightsaber action.

Not only is Ahsoka showing up in this series, but the series is basically doubling as a Star Wars: Rebels reunion, too. That series was set in the years following the fall of the Republic and Order 66. It starts slow but gets pretty great and ends unbelievably well.

So many of those characters are showing up in this series.

It’s going to be an absolute treat. But the big thing to note here is that Grand Admiral Thrawn is back. And that’s a huge deal.

For those of you who don’t know Thrawn, he’s a military genius and an absolute conqueror. He isn’t Sith, but he’s just as sinister. If there was a big bad who was just a step below Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, it’d be Thrawn.

And here he is in all of his glory.

This is going to be fantastic, y’all. The series starts in August. I cannot WAIT.