Summary
Warning: This review contains spoilers forAhsokaepisode 6.
The sixth episode ofAhsokapromisedStar Warsfans their first trip to another galaxy outside the galaxy far, far away where these stories happened a long time ago. Dave Filoni’s newStar Warsseries might have gotten off to a bumpy start with slow pacing and a lot of exposition and table-setting to get through, but last week’s episode elevatedAhsokato primoStar Wars. “Part Six” opens with Ahsoka asking Huyang to tell her a story. Before the cold open cuts to the title card, the droid begins, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” That familiar phrase feels like a warm blanket, and it tees up the episode’s tantalizing title – “Far, Far Away” – before plunging viewers into a brand-new galaxy full of space witches and crab people.
Ahsoka herself isn’t in the episode for very long. The show is named after her, but she’s seen commuting in the opening scenes and that’s it. Then, the episode pivots to Sabine and Baylan Skoll and a certain blue-skinned military tyrant. This pivot away from the title character isn’t as egregious asThe Mandalorian’s Coruscant episode, because it still focuses on major characters from the series and furthers the ongoing storylines even if Ahsoka is absent for most of it. Characters like Sabine and Skoll and a familiar face fromRebelsare so compelling throughout the episode that it’s easy to forget Ahsoka has been sidelined until she’s mentioned at the end. The episode ends with a passing mention of a Jedi’s arrival, so next week’s episode will surely put Ahsoka back in the spotlight in this now-fully-established new setting.
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As the episode gets into full swing, the journey to another galaxy is quickly overshadowed bythe live-action debut of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn’s entrance is breathtaking, and manages to live up to the hype. Legions of Stormtroopers in grimy old armor chant Thrawn’s name like a demented cult. The camera pans past rows and rows of armored legs standing perfectly still in loyal servitude (a haunting glimpse at the scope of the Imperial Remnants) as their leader, dressed in full Imperial regalia complete with puffy Patton pants, marches to the front. Kevin Kiner’s loud, booming musical score creates an unnerving feeling of dread to announce the big bad of the Mando-verse. Lars Mikkelsen makes the most of his ability to play Thrawn with more than just his voice, incorporating intimidating body language and a palpable pomposity into his performance. Eman Esfandi is also nailing his performance aslive-action Ezra Bridger. He doesn’t get as much screen time in “Far, Far Away” as Mikkelsen’s Thrawn, but he perfectly captures Ezra’s mix of charisma and sincerity.
Like every episode before it, “Far, Far Away” has some incredible visual effects. This series has delivered some of the best CGI of the year. Its intergalactic visuals look a lot better than most of 2023’s big-budget movies. This year has seen a lot of ugly CGI, from the blurry, orange-hued super slow-motion ofThe Flashto the bland subatomic scenery ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, butAhsokahas the crispest, most fully realized CG landscapessinceAvatar: The Way of Water. From the Purrgil hyperspace with dazzling waves of fluorescent color to the ominous overhead appearance of an Imperial Star Destroyer, the latest episode ofAhsokahas plenty of jaw-dropping CG imagery.
This is a mostly dialogue-driven episode, but there are a couple of riveting action scenes. It’s not just mindless violence chopped up into an incoherent flurry of cuts; every set-piece has its own little narrative structure. When Sabine is attacked by scavengers in a barren wasteland, she fends them off with her arsenal of Mandalorian gadgets, but they don’t relent. When she realizes she’s outnumbered, and she’s surrounded like Uma Thurman inKill Bill, shewhips out her lightsaberto slice and dice them. This sequence has clear stakes and keeps escalating those stakes with plenty of high-octane thrills and dazzling spectacle. After showing off her gadget-based combat skills in this scene, Sabine needs a team-up with Din Djarin in the very immediate future.
One of the things thatbothered George Lucas about the sequel trilogywas that those movies were content to confine themselves to familiar locales and plotlines. With each newStar Warsstory, Lucas always strived to introduce fans to new corners of his vast, sprawling space opera universe. Filoni is upholding that tradition here, introducing the ancient Dathomiri homeworld of Peridea. There, “The Great Mothers,” essentially the Bene Gesserit of the Nightsisters, dominate the screen with their terrifying presence.
At every opportunity,Ahsokastrives to be really cinematic (despite being made for the small screen). Director Jennifer Getzinger deftly conveys the monolithic scale of Thrawn’s refurbished Imperial Star Destroyer. The opening shot ofthe originalStar Warsmovieused the plucky little Rebel ship Tantive IV to illustrate the gargantuan size of the Star Destroyer chasing it. ButAhsokaframes the Star Destroyer next to a group of people looking up at it, so it looks even bigger and scarier. It’s like seeing the shark inJawsversus seeing the Meg.
Filoni is spearheading theAhsokaseries with a distinctive authorial voice. Every week,the upcomingMandalorianmovieseems to be in safer and safer hands. Filoni has proven withAhsokathat he has the visionary cinematic sensibility of J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, but also has the firm grasp ofStar Wars’ storytelling rhythms that they lacked, so he might be just the filmmaker to get Disney’s big-screenStar Warsoutput back on track.
Ahsoka
Cast
“Part Six: Far, Far Away” Sabine is taken to a new galaxy, where a few familiar faces from Star Wars history pop up.
