With each week of releases, the ongoing Ahsoka series has proven itself to be an excellent addition to Star Wars canon. I’ve written about most of the episodes as they came out due to how much I was thoroughly enjoying the series, but I wondered if they’d be able to stick the landing as the finale approached. I was quite happy to find that Dave Filoni and the crew have pulled off the landing, as the season finale was every bit as strong as the rest of the series thus far.
My favorite thing about this season has been Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn. I’ve loved the character since reading the Heir to the Empire/Thrawn trilogy and was obscenely excited when he appeared in Rebels. Seeing Thrawn portrayed in live-action was a dream come true, as he emanated the intelligence and cunning that has made the character so well-known and beloved.
Seeing him essentially win in the finale felt like the natural progression of the story. Though Ezra escaped with him (making for a somewhat ironic final result for this rescue mission), Thrawn made it off Peridea and is free to do as he pleases in future shows or movies. His delivery of the line, “Today’s victory is mine. Long live the Empire,” was outstanding, and I can’t wait to see what he thinks of the Imperial Remnant and how he’s involved in its progression.
The battles in the Ahsoka finale were top-notch, with the zombie-esque Stormtroopers standing out as a freaky but incredibly fun idea. This gave Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine free rein to really stick it to these troops, leading to explosive and exciting lightsaber/blaster fights. Ahsoka and Elsbeth’s clash was particularly great, concluding with Ahsoka absolutely wrecking the witch with her own Blade of Talzin.
Ahsoka herself feels well-developed by the end, as she’s become wiser and more akin to her more optimistic and less worn-down self. Despite the circumstances she’s left in at the ending, you can tell that Ahsoka’s in a great place mentally, while the shot of Anakin’s Force ghost watching over his apprentice and her own apprentice is a moving and pleasant way to continue the cycle of “unusual Jedi” that Huyang mentioned in an earlier episode.
Though I understand why some were frustrated with how Ahsoka was essentially a new season of Star Wars Rebels, as someone who followed The Clone Wars and Rebels, I’ve got to say that it was a wonderful continuation. Seeing Hera and Ezra reunite in the finale was a beautiful bit of payoff, alongside experiencing Sabine’s constant development from the premiere to the finale. Everybody grew by the finale’s conclusion, setting an exciting new tone for future projects involving this cast.
Finally, there’s the Ahsoka finale’s poignant ending. More akin to The Empire Strikes Back than anything else, the ending blends some unfortunate events with an underlying sense of hope that I view as essential to Star Wars itself. Though Ahsoka and Sabine are stuck on Peridea, they’re almost optimistic, as Ezra finally got to return home. Though Thrawn is free, Ahsoka and Sabine have found their groove while Ezra is reunited with Hera and the New Republic. I can’t wait to see what happens next, as this is the most interested I’ve been in the future of the Star Wars universe since The Mandalorian’s first two seasons.
