We knew going into this week’s offering of the Ahsoka series that it would be a pretty tough task to match last week’s amazing episode. But epsiodes five and six were the one-two punch fans were waiting for. Of course we are going to get into spoiler territory so be forewarned.
Here we go, in 3, 2, 1…
We finally found Thrawn and Ezra! After what felt like weeks of the show teasing us endlessly we finally found our boys! Lars Mikkelsen’s portrayal seamlessly lifts off the animated show (Star Wars: Rebels) and flawlessly works in live-action. Making Thrawn’s voice-actor also portray him in live-action is the anchor this show needed to really make us believe in the connection from Rebels to Ahsoka.
True, Clancy Brown appeared as his voiced character, Ryder Azadi, but he hasn’t been seen since the premiere. Thrawn needs that presence, that gravitas, that comes straight from the animated show, and Lars delivers. I’m not entirely sold on Ezra, but when he appeared behind Sabine I caught myself smiling. It was awesome seeing him and Sabine reunite at last since the entire show had been building to this exact moment.
Oddly enough though, there was very little of our titular character shown. Just some reminiscing with Huyang at the very beginning and then that is it for Ahsoka Tano herself. Granted, we didn’t NEED that much of Ahsoka, this was clearly a Sabine/Baylan/Thrawn episode! But I find it interesting that the same thing kind of happened with Book of Boba Fett, when Boba was gone for two episodes and Mando stepped in. But let’s get into some of the more interesting lore and visual things we witnessed this episode (besides the badass whale graveyard in space).
The Witches Of Dathomir Are Originally From Another Galaxy?
This was one of the big standout reveals for me, personally. Morgan Elsbeth just casually mentions, upon arriving on Peridea, that the witches of Dathomir’s ancestral home world is Peridea, not Dathomir. This would essentially make them an inter-galactic race of force users, and the first in the new canon.
We previously thought that Dathomir was the original homeworld for the Nightsisters. We were wrong.
Long time Star Wars fans may remember that in the old EU (Expanded Universe) the Yuuzhan Vong were a massive threat to the New Republic and were a warrior nomad race that also originated from outside of the central Star Wars galaxy. Could this narrative choice in Ahsoka be an effort to open up the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong or merely just a random remark? I am excited for the universe within Star Wars to now expand outward.
Is Sabine A Jedi Now?
When Morgan and her entourage come into contact with the Great Mothers on Peridea they are quick to pick up on the “stench of Jedi”. They look at Sabine immediately and beckon her forward with probe droids of some kind. But before that, Baylan Skoll bristles a bit and the camera focuses on him. Did they actually, unknowingly, smell Baylan? What does a Jedi exactly smell like to them? Perhaps their sense of smell is vague and more of a proximity based thing rather than pinpoint accurate.
Which one would you suspect to stink of “Jedi”?
After all Baylan is a former Jedi. We also see Sabine attempt to use the force to pry open a stone door right after, and we are lead to believe she can do it. That is until we realize that Thrawn’s stardestroyer is causing the dirt and rocks to be rustled, not Sabine. I think that was a good attempt at misdirection.
What Are The Night Troopers? What Does Baylan Sense?
Before we are treated to the Thrawn reveal, we see a large battalion of storm troopers with unusual garb chant his name. They have crimson sashes and gold interlay over portions of their armor and don’t look like regulation troopers. As they are chanting “Thrawn” over and over, the subtitles credit them as Night Troopers. Most likely a portmanteau of Nightsisters and storm troopers. So would these troopers include members of the night sisters/brothers’ society?
Thrawn’s right-hand man, Captain Enoch, has a golden mask superimposed on his stormtrooper helmet. The golden mask looks very similar to the Nightsister architecture we have seen throughout this episode, leading me to think Enoch is originally from Peridea. Of course the real answer to the question is that we need another trooper variant to merchandise.
Captain Enoch, in his gladiate-esque mask.
Lastly what does Baylan sense? He tells his inquisitive apprentice, Shin Hati, that he thinks the Great Mothers and Thrawn may be trying to flee from a power they don’t understand. A power that he wishes to seek out for himself. What could that power be? An army? A force relic of some kind? Maybe another temple leading to the World Between Worlds? We have no idea, but it is fun to speculate.
Closing Thoughts
What did you guys think of this episode? My fellow writer, John Ambrose, commented on our fan page (GNN Greats) and said: “My thoughts are that this was a really good “Previously on…” recap.” I don’t disagree with that. There was some time spent focusing on exposition and reminding viewers of “who was who” in this episode. I really enjoyed it.
I felt that we finally got some pay off for how the series had been teasing Thrawn and Ezra. Comment your thoughts down below. Make sure you follow the GNN Greats page so you can participate in our polls and be featured in a future article! As always stay geeky out there everyone!
