“The evil galactic empire has fallen and a new republic has risen to take its place. However, sinister agents are already at work to destroy the fragile peace”
Ahsoka Episode One Recap: 7.5 / 10 : Is the opening line of the next Star Wars series Ahsoka. The beloved titular character, played by Rosario Dawson, returns from her Disney Plus introduction in The Mandalorian season two to lead her own story. With the success of Star Wars television, Ahsoka looks to continue that momentum to bring new and longtime fans together for the next adventure, and it sure has the seeds planted to do just that.
Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.
Ahsoka Episode One Recap
Unlike its predecessors, the show picks up right away with most of its characters already established. We open with an attack from formidable antagonists Baylon Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). The two invade a New Republic ship to rescue Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), who was previously captured by Ahsoka and sentenced to trial. As Morgan is freed, her plan is set in motion to find Grand Admiral Thrawn and begin their own war on the galaxy.
Ahsoka herself is on an obsessive quest to retrieve a map that leads to not only Thrawn, but also Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), a Jedi in training who sacrificed himself and was sucked through the galaxy without a trace.
These two plots between protagonist and antagonist mixed in well together; they’re both after the same map but for different reasons. Ahsoka wants to find Ezra as she owes him a debt, while Morgan has plans to take down the New Republic. The main problem some may encounter with this episode is it’s heavily dependent on previous Star Wars events, most specifically Rebels and Clone Wars. There are lots of references throughout and it sometimes doesn’t feel like the first episode of a new show. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate franchise continuity, but as I said, some new audiences may need to catch up before viewing.
Thankfully, the story remains intact and you get an idea of where it’s going. There’s a good balance between drama and action you come to expect from this franchise. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have prior knowledge of previous stories to enjoy it even more, taking a page out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though it shouldn’t be a problem considering that’s how most audiences watch anyway.
The Verdict
Ahsoka proves early on that it has to potential to not only exceed expectations but continue the franchise’s success in television. It has plenty of goodies to keep longtime fans satisfied while not going too overboard so newer ones can stay engaged.
