Welcome back to the blog readers. Another day, another Star Wars series on Disney+. After the third season of The Mandalorian took a step down, I got disheartened since the series was always great. But once the trailer for Ahsoka premiered, I was filled with so much joy getting to know the story of Star Wars Rebels (2014-18) would be continued. I became a fan of the series and joined in on the question of where Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn went. Now we will get answers and I am ready. So with that being said, would the first episode, titled "Part One: Master and Apprentice" and written and directed by Dave Filoni, live up to the hype? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
I was strongly debating doing the review of both premiere episodes combined, but then decided against it because it makes no sense. Although that is more work for me, it will lead to a better experience for you guys. So what did I think of the premiere of what essentially was a fifth season of Rebels? I enjoyed myself a whole lot. I never got to share my thoughts on Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano when the second season of The Mandalorian came out in 2020, but get to now. The mystery of this series is introduced and we get some interesting surprises as well.
I did mention Rosario Dawson's performance in The Mandalorian as Ahsoka, and how much she fit the role. I loved her in the role, and I can absolutely say the same here. Dawson is the absolute right person to portray an adult Ahsoka. She really gets the small things right, like the facial expressions. She also gets the maturity spot on. You can really get behind this version of the character. I also want to talk about actual details now. It appears that Ahsoka has been making her way through the galaxy as a lone wolf since the end of Rebels. But it also seems that since the Empire fell, she has found a purpose in attempting to find and destroy Grand Admiral Thrawn before he rises to power and leads a new war. Also the fact that the MacGuffin is a map that leads to Thrawn is fun in itself.
Speaking of newcomers, I have to say that I am very impressed with the performance of Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. I cannot say I knew who she was before watching these two episodes, but now I know. Bordizzo brings a level of chemistry to the role that is so infectious and it is almost like I am watching the Rebels version of the character. Tiya Sircar would be proud of Bordizzo. I appreciate how hardened she has become since the events of Rebels and how those things have taken an effect on her. We can clearly see that she misses Ezra as we see she has a holo-message that he left for her. The Rebels fan in me really hopes that we will see a reunion before the series' end. Also the fact that we get some legit lightsaber action from Sabine goes to show that even though she tells Ahsoka she was ready, she definitely continued to train.
We did not see much of Hera Syndulla in this episode, but I found it jarring at first to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the role. And believe me when I tell you, it has nothing to do with Winstead herself, I think it has more to do with the appearance. But over time I definitely started to buy into it. Winstead melts into the role perfectly, and cannot wait to see more of her. I loved her interactions with Ahsoka, because it felt like two old friends reuniting. It appears Hera has been keeping busy as a general in the Rebellion, and now in the New Republic. And it also seems that she has become more confident in herself, which is something I love.
I want to take a second to talk about the late Ray Stevenson, who gets a shoutout at the end of this episode. He really gets you invested in his character despite not really being in this premiere episode much. He treats this character with such reverence and really gets lost in it. A perfect example of this is his opening scene when he raids the New Republic ship to free Morgan Elsbeth. Stevenson delivers his lines with such a coolness that it makes you instantly fall in love with his character, and wishing you could have more.
As I previously mentioned, the MacGuffin of this episode was a star map that is supposed to lead to the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and possibly Ezra Bridger. Ahsoka battles some androids commissioned by Baylan Skoll on a remote desert-like planet, and Sabine battles Skoll's apprentice Shin Hati on Lothal over this map - a map that Sabine unlocked by the way. She gets wounded fighting Hati, who steals the map and escapes. I would honestly have preferred if we had been left for a week on this cliffhanger, but it was Big Papa Iger's decision anyway.
Before I go, I want to talk about one more thing. And that one thing is Morgan Elsbeth. When we are introduced to her in The Mandalorian's second season episode "Chapter 13: The Jedi," we are led to believe that she is just another lackey who knows something. Well in this episode we learn that there is more to Diana Lee Inosanto's character than meets the eye. In fact, we learn that her character is the last living descendant of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. That revelation was a shocker to me as a massive fan of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-14, 2020), and I hope we get more of that part of her backstory explored in this series.
Anyway, I thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the review of the second episode.
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