Ahsoka Ep 4 Review
There isn’t a single person in the Star Wars fandom who hasn’t heard the name Dave Filoni. He’s the man considered George Lucas’ successor and one of the people who best understands Star Wars. More importantly, though, he created the likes of Ahsoka, Sabine, Hera, and other fan favorite characters. Now he’s getting the chance to show everyone what he can do without following anyone else’s lead, and so far, it’s paying off. The newest episode of Ahsoka not only makes up for the shorter one last week, but gives us the best lightsaber duels since the Prequels era.
Always the Underdogs
Picking up where the previous episode left off, Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang are stranded on Seatos. Baylan, Hati, and Morgan are getting ready to travel to Peridea. And worst of all, the New Republic’s unwilling to help. In other words, this is par for the course for the good guys in Star Wars.
After fending off an initial attack from Morgan’s fighters, Ahsoka and Sabine decide they can’t wait for the ship to get fixed. So, they head out into the forests in the direction of Baylan and the star map, hoping to retrieve it…or destroy it.
This becomes a bone of contention between Ahsoka and Sabine. Ahsoka’s willing to sacrifice what may be their best chance to find Ezra if it means keeping Thrawn from coming back. However, Sabine isn’t. She’s lost so many people she cares about, including her biological family. She doesn’t want to lose the man she considers a surrogate brother. This reluctance will have dire consequences in the episode’s climax.
Until then, though, the rest of the episode’s predominantly focused on the lightsaber duels. Sadly, Marrok gets taken out early on, seemingly for good. It seems fans may not find out who Marrok is, or was. However, this disappointment is made up for by the fights between Sabine and Shin Hati and Ashoka and Baylan Skoll.
Sabine Becomes a Jedi Her way
From the outset of their rematch, it’s clear Sabine is outmatched. Shin’s too well-trained for her to beat, and her apparent lack of Force abilities hinders her further. However, it should be noted that Sabine does a little better than she did in the premiere. She’s able to hold her own a bit longer, and her Mandalorian armor prevents her from getting impaled once more. In addition, her Mandalorian tactics even let her get the drop on Shin at one point, forcing her to retreat.
It might not seem like much, but it’s possible that as the series continues, Sabine will come into her own and find her own way of beating Shin. She might not be a Jedi in the conventional sense, but neither is Ahsoka. Perhaps Sabine could become her own version of a Jedi, something unique, but still a Jedi.
Dave Filoni Knows What He’s Doing
Meanwhile, fans get the big fight between Ahsoka and Baylan seen in the trailers. From the start, it’s clear that Dave Filoni knows how to make a good lightsaber fight. It starts off with a stand-off, akin to the classic trilogy and the samurai films that inspired Star Wars. Once the action starts, though, it becomes one of the best fights since the Prequels. Ahsoka holds her own against Baylan, and had things continued, she might have won. What happens to her is something that cannot be spoiled here. However, Baylan does keep hold of the star map long enough for Morgan to get the coordinates to Peridea.
Worse, though, is the fact that Sabine lets them do this. She wants to find Ezra so badly it could put the Galaxy at risk, and is taken prisoner for her indecisiveness.
Thankfully, Hera and Phoenix Squadron come in to try and help. They fail to stop the Eye of Sion from jumping, but their rrescence ensures that Hera, Chopper, and Jacen will continue taking an active role in the story.
How the episode ends will not be spoiled here, as it is too good to say. However, what can be said is that it will make countless Star Wars fans very happy. The Ahsoka series is now at the halfway point. Hopefully, the other half will show people this other galaxy. If Peridea is everything fans think it is, this could be Star Wars’s best chance to right itself.
Disney seems to have a lot of confidence in the next episode, though. Word on social media is that not only will it be 49 minutes long, but it will even get a release in select theaters.
As a side-bar, this shouldn’t couldn’t have been made without the help of the writers and actor’s of Hollywood, many of whom are now on strike for better wages and financial protection. Support them if you don’t want corporate executives to abuse them for their own benefit.
