Ahsoka Ahsoka: Episode 8 Spoiler Thread

[Gaultheria]

The fact he let Ezra “Benny Hill“ him for years on a single planet and then sneaks aboard his ship and escape again without notice makes Thrawn even more wack.

For Thrawn's master plan to work, he needs his brainwashed agent Ezra to "elude capture" in the wilderness and to "sneak aboard" the Chimaera and "stay hidden" so that he can return to Republic HQ to "help" his friend General Syndulla.

Edited to add: I read that Ezra is wearing a shirt made of the dog tags of Thrawn's fallen troopers, so possibly Ezra is just really, really good at staying free.

 

[Superhero 101]

Saw the episode again today and I do like the show I enjoyed this more than Andor and I thought it was better than Obi Wan. It’s definitely setting up something bigger possibly fillonis movie but I would love for a season 2 then a movie to follow soon after that

 

[TheComicbookKid]

Even in his original appearance, Thrawn was good, but not unbeatable. That came later, when the author really, really bought into his two favorite Stus. And in Rebels, he was hardly omnipitent. I mean, he suffered 2 major defeats from his underestimating of the Force and its users. And while 10 years seems to indicate that he has started to learn to respect what they can do, he still can't outright outplan it.

As for letting Ezra run around, he kept track of his whereabouts. He was trying to keep his limited resources viable, and sending out the remains of his troopers to possibly be lost wasn't a great plan. I mean, even the zombie Night Troopers this episode wasn't about killing the Jedi, but slowing them down.

Saying he wanted to keep his limited resources is good, but the show would need to show me why he’s bothering to keep track of Ezra in the first place.

Cause the idea of Lex Luther as a threat comes not from the fact he can only go toe to toe with Superman when he has unlimited money and a power suit but that he’s a threat even sitting in a jail cell manipulating others to do his dirty work.

And his major plan in the end was basically just running out the clock as best he can. Which would be a good plot device except we literally never see any sense of urgency by team Ahsoka to stop him until they are right next to his ship on Howlers.

Like I said compare that to Spiderverse 2 or Mad Max Fury Road with similar get somewhere then turn around go back to where you started structure. There’s a sense of desperation and urgency in those setups from both sides.

 

[OtherwiseKnownAs]

With the finale of Ahsoka I can honestly say that Filoni is Lucas’ successor. Just like Lucas, Filoni also failed to write a single believable human being with any kind of believable interaction or relationship.

 

[vantheman77]

I felt mixed about the finale in that there should've been a full-fledged reunion of the entire Rebels crew in live-action.

Not sure how I felt about Sabine having the Force.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Yeah, sorry guys, this show just didn't do anything for me. This had so much filler and the finale didn't make up for it. They could have trimmed this to a 2hr 15min movie I bet and it would have been much better. Just so criminally boring

 

[Sithborg]

Before I go full on in the episode, first things first.



THAT is the blade of Talzin. And while I will give some consideration for the translation into live action issues, it is most definitely NOT a generic ass katana. I think if there is one thing that bugged me this episode was the downplayhing of the Nightsister magic. And considering where we are going next season, that is a big concern. Elsbeth's blade needed more green stuff. I refuse to believe they couldn't have used a darker green against the grey background. Also, it would have been nice to see the green eye effects more when they did make the Night Troopers into zombies. Just something a more than just a small hint that they are different at the point of conversion (which btw, what where the three doing when that happened, no rush at the moment).

As much as I have overall enjoyed the show, despite my nitpicks, that was just a bad season finale. Shin and Baylan both needed an actual scene to set up next season. And frankly, the "two" scenes at the end with Sabine and Ahsoka could have been condensed. Oh, we get the owl AND Anakin. Just freakin why.

I just straight up dislike Sabine being able to use the force. It takes something special away from her. And frankly, it reeks of Corran Horn. Oh, Corran is so bad at using the force, but wait, he can use it in a super special way that makes him better than all other Jedi. I dislike when Zahn gives too much love to his creations, and I do the same with Filoni.

I still liked the show, and am looking forward to season 2. Dawson has grown to be tolerable as Ahsoka to me, I just wish they had a better stunt person and choreographer for the Ahsoka action. I love that the Nightsisters are getting a bump in threat, and I like the Night Troopers in concept. And I loved the zombie Death Troopers. I look forward to next season just for the return to Mortis. I just don't think Filoni is being successful at adapting his CW "arc" storytelling to live action.

 

[misjuevos]

Sabine was better as a Mandalorian. Giving her the force just brings up some questions. Will she go back to Mandalore and help reunite her people now? Will she take the darksaber or join Bo by her side? Does she turn away from the Mandalorians and just become a Jedi? Since everyone is capable of using the force, will Bo Katan now also become a force user? Sabine goes from 0 to full on Jedi so does that mean all the Mandalorians can also do this? It seems like anyone can become a force user if they just keep trying.

 

[BoredGuy]

Sabine was better as a Mandalorian. Giving her the force just brings up some questions. Will she go back to Mandalore and help reunite her people now? Will she take the darksaber or join Bo by her side? Does she turn away from the Mandalorians and just become a Jedi? Since everyone is capable of using the force, will Bo Katan now also become a force user? Sabine goes from 0 to full on Jedi so does that mean all the Mandalorians can also do this? It seems like anyone can become a force user if they just keep trying.

With Bo leading the Mandos, I don't think Sabine will feel a need to go back to them, and ya know, stuck in another galaxy for the forseeable future. But maybe after Filoni's movie she goes back and helps out Bo. But she also hasn't been a part of any group of Mandos for a while now, so she wouldn't really be "turning away" from them.

And on the bolded point, I think that's exactly what Filoni was suggesting, as was Rian Johnson in the Last Jedi. There are those born with a connection to the force, but given that it binds ALL living things, anyone can tap into it with enough training and focus

 

[Gaultheria]

It seems like anyone can become a force user if they just keep trying.

And on the bolded point, I think that's exactly what Filoni was suggesting, as was Rian Johnson in the Last Jedi. There are those born with a connection to the force, but given that it binds ALL living things, anyone can tap into it with enough training and focus

I think that Johnson was trying to move Star Wars beyond having the Skywalker family as the preeminent Jedi bloodline. I think he meant "a Jedi could be anyone" in the sense that they don't have to have that particular family connection, not that "anyone can be a Jedi" if they have enough focus and willpower.

I'm disappointed that the show powered-up Sabine this way. She was already an effective character, growing in wisdom and skill in her own way. The Force is in everyone in Star Wars, and I liked that it seemed to manifest differently in Sabine than it does in the Jedi. Her relationship with the Force wasn't wrong or incomplete for being different from Ahsoka's or Ezra's. But with Sabine developing traditional Jedi powers now, it's as if the show is saying "There's only one way to be really cool, and everyone can be that way if they try hard enough, so if you aren't that way it's because you've failed to live up to your potential".

 

[misjuevos]

The way Obi-wan explained the force always left it open to anyone. Then in the prequels midichlorians just gave it a number, I still don't like the addition of a way to count the force in someone with midichlorians. Maybe midichlorian counting will be a thing of the past that fell with the Jedi Order. I always took the force from what Obi-wan described like how a shaolin monk speaks about chi. Some people learn to harness their chi, while most people just go about their lives.

 

[Gaultheria]

The way Obi-wan explained the force always left it open to anyone. Then in the prequels midichlorians just gave it a number, I still don't like the addition of a way to count the force in someone with midichlorians. Maybe midichlorian counting will be a thing of the past that fell with the Jedi Order. I always took the force from what Obi-wan described like how a shaolin monk speaks about chi. Some people learn to harness their chi, while most people just go about their lives.

I look at it as while we all have muscles that have the same biochemistry, a physiological explanation doesn't diminish the impressiveness of what some people can do, and it isn't necessarily how they approach their training and almost certainly isn't how they describe their skills. In Star Wars, the Force is real, so it'll have qualities that can be measured, though mostly the story we see won't be about that even though the science will be happening in the background.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I wanted Ezra to meet Jacen

 

[Sithborg]

Sabine was better as a Mandalorian. Giving her the force just brings up some questions. Will she go back to Mandalore and help reunite her people now? Will she take the darksaber or join Bo by her side? Does she turn away from the Mandalorians and just become a Jedi? Since everyone is capable of using the force, will Bo Katan now also become a force user? Sabine goes from 0 to full on Jedi so does that mean all the Mandalorians can also do this? It seems like anyone can become a force user if they just keep trying.

I mean, her family is dead. And that was really the only reason why she had anything to do with the Mando's rebellion in Rebels. She reluctantly took the Darksaber, and quickly gave it away.

And just let the Force be weird. I'm not against Sabine wielding the Force over lore issues, I dislike it for a chracterization reason.

 

[flickchick85]

Shame to see Filoni fall into the same "the big budget D+ shows must be movies stretched to 8 episodes" trap. I really thought given his background he'd avoid that, but nope. So far only Andor and She-Hulk seemed to know what TV shows should be. This whole f***ing season was setup, or lbr, stalling, for other things (a movie? Or S2? Does it matter?) and it was maddening how transparent that was from the get-go.

That said, I've enjoyed most of the D+ Star Wars stuff - minus Boba Fett and the last season of Mando - and I enjoyed this. I like the weird side of the Force, I love Thrawn, love the Nightsisters, I loved Baylan ( :crybaby: ) and Shin, I love Ahsoka (though she never stopped feeling like a side character in her own show here, but not as badly as Boba), and I adore Hera (ESPECIALLY this version) so there was plenty here for me. My biggest complaint was just the Ezra and Sabine of it all. Which, tbf, was...a lot. They've always bored me to tears, and now even more so in live-action. If 50% of their plot/screentime had been given to Hera, this show would've been at least 50% better, and that's science.

Terrified of what they plan to do about Baylan. :nervous:

Seeing Force Ghost Anakin there at the end and all the "what about Luke" discourse reminded me, I REALLY hope Ahsoka thought to at least share those training recordings Anakin made for her with Luke. He has so little of pre-Dark Side Anakin to hold onto, it's heartbreaking to think those would be kept from him.

 

[Sithborg]

Shame to see Filoni fall into the same "the big budget D+ shows must be movies stretched to 8 episodes" trap. I really thought given his background he'd avoid that, but nope. So far only Andor and She-Hulk seemed to know what TV shows should be. This whole f***ing season was setup, or lbr, stalling, for other things (a movie? Or S2? Does it matter?) and it was maddening how transparent that was from the get-go.

That said, I've enjoyed most of the D+ Star Wars stuff - minus Boba Fett and the last season of Mando - and I enjoyed this. I like the weird side of the Force, I love Thrawn, love the Nightsisters, I loved Baylan ( :crybaby: ) and Shin, I love Ahsoka (though she never stopped feeling like a side character in her own show here, but not as badly as Boba), and I adore Hera (ESPECIALLY this version) so there was plenty here for me. My biggest complaint was just the Ezra and Sabine of it all. Which, tbf, was...a lot. They've always bored me to tears, and now even more so in live-action. If 50% of their plot/screentime had been given to Hera, this show would've been at least 50% better, and that's science.

Terrified of what they plan to do about Baylan. :nervous:

Seeing Force Ghost Anakin there at the end and all the "what about Luke" discourse reminded me, I REALLY hope Ahsoka thought to at least share those training recordings Anakin made for her with Luke. He has so little of pre-Dark Side Anakin to hold onto, it's heartbreaking to think those would be kept from him.

See, this is more Filoni falling back into old habits. The old CW "arc" system. Which, worked sometimes. But come on, it had issues. 4 episodes for D-squad? 2 episodes for a Mace/Jar-Jar team up? Hell, even the Siege of Mandalor arc has some bloat.

 

[flickchick85]

See, this is more Filoni falling back into old habits. The old CW "arc" system. Which, worked sometimes. But come on, it had issues. 4 episodes for D-squad? 2 episodes for a Mace/Jar-Jar team up? Hell, even the Siege of Mandalor arc has some bloat.

Well I did find the first two seasons of TCW, save for the Mandalore stuff, nearly unwatchable, so I guess that tracks lol.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Shame to see Filoni fall into the same "the big budget D+ shows must be movies stretched to 8 episodes" trap. I really thought given his background he'd avoid that, but nope. So far only Andor and She-Hulk seemed to know what TV shows should be. This whole f***ing season was setup, or lbr, stalling, for other things (a movie? Or S2? Does it matter?) and it was maddening how transparent that was from the get-go.

That said, I've enjoyed most of the D+ Star Wars stuff - minus Boba Fett and the last season of Mando - and I enjoyed this. I like the weird side of the Force, I love Thrawn, love the Nightsisters, I loved Baylan ( :crybaby: ) and Shin, I love Ahsoka (though she never stopped feeling like a side character in her own show here, but not as badly as Boba), and I adore Hera (ESPECIALLY this version) so there was plenty here for me. My biggest complaint was just the Ezra and Sabine of it all. Which, tbf, was...a lot. They've always bored me to tears, and now even more so in live-action. If 50% of their plot/screentime had been given to Hera, this show would've been at least 50% better, and that's science.

Terrified of what they plan to do about Baylan. :nervous:

Seeing Force Ghost Anakin there at the end and all the "what about Luke" discourse reminded me, I REALLY hope Ahsoka thought to at least share those training recordings Anakin made for her with Luke. He has so little of pre-Dark Side Anakin to hold onto, it's heartbreaking to think those would be kept from him.

It's probably for that movie Filoni is doing. But for someone like me, who has no loyalty to any of these characters from the animation because I never watched Clone Wars or Rebels, the fact this was nothing but filler is a major problem. I was so bored with this show and it gave me no reason to come back for any ultra mega event crossover involving these characters. Whenever this movie or whatever comes out, I just am not going to care. I may still see it cause I have A List and I have seen far worse trash just to get out of the house for a few hours. But I have absolutely no hype for it based on this show. It. Was. Just. So....BORING!

Boba Fett is easily the worst D+ show still. But this for me was 2nd worst. I think Mando S3 saw a significant decline in quality from S1 and S2, but I still enjoyed it a lot more than this. Probably cause I at least like those characters and have past loyalty to them based on S1 and S2. But here, no such thing

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The plural of Jedi is Jedi. Other then that, fun.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

See, this is more Filoni falling back into old habits. The old CW "arc" system. Which, worked sometimes. But come on, it had issues. 4 episodes for D-squad? 2 episodes for a Mace/Jar-Jar team up? Hell, even the Siege of Mandalor arc has some bloat.

There is no animated Star Wars that Filoni was involved in that feels like this. This show isn't bloated. Bloat is 10 extra minutes in the middle of Krell. Not the majority of the show. This is a show without a story.

D-Squad is amazing, as is the Mace/Jar-Jar team up.

 

[Snow Queen]

A bit of bloat isn't much of an issue when your total runtime is less than 90 minutes. The problem for Ahsoka is it all feels like bloat and padding. It all feels like "wait until we do cool things next time." It lacks distinct segments and forward momentum, stretched out over like five and a half hours.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

A bit of bloat isn't much of an issue when your total runtime is less than 90 minutes. The problem for Ahsoka is it all feels like bloat and padding. It all feels like "wait until we do cool things next time." It lacks distinct segments and forward momentum, stretched out over like five and a half hours.

Yep. Take D-Squad for example. Each episode is it's own mission, with it's own goal, while building on the overall narrative.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Final thoughts on this show from someone who has only seen a couple episodes of Rebels…

I would say that I mostly liked it but it had a lot of detours that slowed the overall plot down. It’s a similar feeling I had with The Rings of Power, a show that I liked a lot but felt could have been much better if they tightened some things up and maybe cut it down to six episodes. So many showrunners feel like they can dress up filler as meaningful character-building time but it’s not hard for audiences to see through it, and if you’re going to do it then it had better at least be GOOD character-building time. Having Ahsoka face off with Anakin in another dimension added nothing to the story other than putting a smile on the faces of prequel apologists. If the intention was to show that Ahsoka was struggling with Anakin’s fall to the dark side and her fear that the same would happen to Sabine, then we needed some insight into that earlier on so that the whole sequence would have meant something. Instead, we don’t get that insight until an offhanded remark in the last episode.

Speaking of Rings of Power, Filoni really leaned into his Tolkien influences in this last episode, and Baylan’s last scene standing on top of the Argonath overlooking Mt. Doom was pretty much the same shot as Sauron at the end of ROP. I don’t think he was copying that scene or anything but it was just kinda funny how similar it looked.

Anyway, Baylan and Shin’s story was probably the most interesting thing about this show (mostly due to Ray Stevenson’s charismatic performance), and it’s frustrating that we go no resolution to any of it. I get that the story isn’t done and that there are things that you want to save for next season but I’ve always felt that each season should feel like it’s own installment in the larger story and so some things should be resolved. Instead, people who watched this and didn’t watch Rebels (i.e., a lot of us) were left scratching their heads as to what Baylan is up to. And even if you have watched every piece of SW content out there, you still can’t say for sure what he’s going to find on this planet. Just watch any New Rockstars or ScreenCrush video on this and you’ll see that all they have are theories.

As for the rest…

Why the hell didn’t Ezra just kill Thrawn when he had the chance? If Ezra is so powerful with the force that he can control space whales, why didn’t he just use a little bit of that power and snap the guy’s neck while he was incapacitated? Don’t give me some crap about a Jedi having too much honor to do that when Ezra has no problem killing 100 stormtroopers at any given moment. Plot armor gets really irritating at times.

Of course, no one has more plot armor than our heroes here… it makes Thrawn’s abilities as a strategist feel seriously overrated when he can’t even kill three people who are trying to storm his castle in broad daylight despite the fact that he has an army, a Star Destroyer, and four sorcerers at his disposal.

I can’t help but feel a tad underwhelmed by Thrawn, btw. Lars is a fantastic actor but his performance here just felt a little too subtle to me. He was straight-up terrifying in shows like Sherlock and House of Cards but here he’s so subdued that he left me kinda bored. Also, they need a more convincing wig than that Spirit Halloween bull**** he’s wearing.

Lastly, it just bugs me that basically season two will probably consist of Ezra trying to get back to Elden Ring World and save Ahsoka and Sabine. Like, after all that, our heroes just ended up switching places, and so season 2 might just feel like more of the same, only reversed. Not really into that.

All in all, I didn’t dislike it but I definitely wanted to like it a lot more. I think I’d give it a 6.5/10. It’s better than Boba Fett or Obi-Wan but I was hoping for more.

 

[TheVileOne]

For a show that really drew me in and got better as it went along, that was a very underwhelming finale. No sense of urgency, and no big finish. No suspense.

Also, how did Ezra get away from Thrawn in the first place? How did Thrawn awaken the Night Sisters? How do the Night Sisters not know what Palpatine did to them? Why did Ezra in all those years never investigate the ruins?

The show kind of abandoned Hati and Skoll in the last two episodes when they were two of the better characters.

Zeb never showing up this season is an embarrassment. Him not showing up along with Carson was ridiculous. Zeb showing up in a throwaway cameo in The Mandalorian S3, is cool and all, but pointless. Then you refuse to show him in the show where it organically and naturally makes the most sense. Zeb and Ezra are brothers! They are best friends. He would've dropped everything to show up and help Hera and Sabine. They are FAMILY!

 

[TheVileOne]

A bit of bloat isn't much of an issue when your total runtime is less than 90 minutes. The problem for Ahsoka is it all feels like bloat and padding. It all feels like "wait until we do cool things next time." It lacks distinct segments and forward momentum, stretched out over like five and a half hours.

This season really just sputtered at the end. Felt like 2/3s of a longer season without the finale.

Also just to be clear, I was all in by like episode 5.