We’re four episodes into “Star Wars: Ahsoka” and “Rebels” protagonist Ezra Bridger and antagonist Grand Admiral Thrawn have yet to make an in-person appearance. This episode looks to change that.
After taking refuge on the surface of the plant which Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and Baylan Skoll’s (Ray Stevenson) hyperspace ring is hovering over, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Huyang (David Tennant) are ambushed by Morgan’s robots, whom they quickly dispatch. Ahsoka then finds herself locked in lightsaber combat with the Imperial Inquisitor Marrok (Paul Darnell), while Sabine has a rematch with Baylan’s apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno).
Spoilers.
Marrok is defeated, but dissipates into some sort of gas — he likely was the result of Nightsister witchcraft. Sabine does defeat Shin, but ultimately allows herself to be captured after Baylan defeats Ahsoka. Sabine has a chance to destroy the hyperspace map that would lead them to the galaxy where Ezra and Thrawn are but doesn’t, as she is too attached to Ezra.
Ahsoka and Baylan’s fight is one of the best of the show so far. I like how Baylan, like Darth Vader, isn’t as agile as Ahsoka, but is cool and calculated, overwhelming her with well-placed and powerful blows that mirror her fight with Vader in “Rebels.”
It’s unclear where the show will go from here or if Ahsoka is even alive (she gets hit so hard she gets sent to the World Between Worlds as seen in “Rebels,” where she sees the force ghost of her old master, Anakin Skywalker [Hayden Christensen]). But I think come Episode 5, the major conflict of the show will finally begin.
There are some really strong moments in what essentially is a chore episode. We all know that Ezra and Thrawn will return — how they do isn’t really important. In fact, I’d argue the show would be stronger if it started with their return, though I understand why showrunner Dave Filoni chose not to, as it allowed him to slowly introduce Ahsoka, Sabine and General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who shows up just a tad too late in this episode to be of any help.
Ahsoka’s fight with Baylan is the best part of the episode. We don’t yet know what Baylan’s plan is or even what type of force user he is — he holds the Jedi Order in reverence, as well as its teachings, yet he wields a red blade commonly associated with dark side users. He is clearly a fallen Jedi cast in the same role as Joruus C’baoth in “Heir to the Empire,” so I expect his goal to be a little insane.
“Star Wars: Ahsoka” Season 1: Episode 4 “Fallen Jedi” gets a 7.5/10
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