Episode 1: Return to Rebels
The opening of this show had me hyped. I really liked the opening text crawl – it was reminiscent of both the original movies and The Clone Wars. And Ahsoka being called a “former Jedi Knight” in the text was something of a relief. I wrote a post here about Ahsoka’s status as a Jedi and how it’s odd for characters to keep using that title for her, so I liked that her own show disavowed it from the get-go.
Also, it’s minor, but it’s a good sign that Ahsoka is actually using episode titles. It’s still doing the “Part 1” thing that Kenobi did but, unlike Kenobi, there’s a tangible title to go with it.
Since I hadn’t seen any trailers or promos for this show, I didn’t know who the villains would be. But I had heard about the tragic death of Ray Stevenson, and the tribute to him at the end of episode 1 was nice. He makes for a good antagonist. Part of me, though, was really hoping to see Barriss Offee. Her story can’t be over yet, and I’d love to see an older Barriss interacting with Ahsoka.
Speaking of – Rosario Dawson is an absolutely incredible older Ahsoka. She has so many of Ahsoka’s motions and speaking patterns down perfectly, but she still gives the character her own touch. You can see both the reckless warrior that Ahsoka once was and the more mature teacher she’s grown into. The show is very true to who Ahsoka is while still letting us see how she’s changed over the years.
A possible concern, however, that cropped up early on in episode 1 came from the music. This issue persisted across the first two episodes, and it’s the same one that Kenobi had – the music shouldn’t be doing the heavy lifting of a scene. If the event happening is low stakes, such as Ahsoka using the statues to find the map in the episode’s beginning, don’t fill the background with dramatic music. Like Kenobi, the music is trying too hard to copy the brilliance of the original movies. This was an area in which Andor succeeded greatly, as its soundtrack was stirring and relevant all on its own. That’s because, unlike Ahsoka and Kenobi, Andor wasn’t trying to rely on its origin’s previous success.
But I digress. The music, while over the top, is still good, as are the sets and action scenes. There’s a beauty to live-action Star Wars that isn’t easy to match.
The introduction of Huyang in episode 1 was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. He’s a droid who hasn’t been seen since the Clone Wars, and he makes for an entertaining companion to Ahsoka. And I’m not complaining about David Tennant voicing him!
Out of everything in this first episode, however, nothing filled me with more excitement than seeing Hera Syndulla in all her live-action glory. She’s one of my all-time favorite Star Wars characters. And she’s portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who I loved in the Netflix movie Kate! (Who’s married to Ewan McGregor, so that’s crazy.) My own minor critique, though, comes in the form of Hera’s lipstick. It’s a more bold shade than she dons in Rebels, and it somewhat takes away from the character’s overall appearance. It’s not easy to convert a character from animation to live-action, and small details like that can detract.
But I LOVED all of the direct Rebels references in here! Before beginning the show, I foolishly thought that Ahsoka would take the same path as Kenobi – it would steer clear of direct references, making itself more palatable to the casual Star Wars viewer who might not have seen Rebels. But I should’ve known that wouldn’t be the route.
My excitement began at the casual mentions of Ezra’s name, and it only grew as we got to see live-action Lothal for the first time. Ahsoka truly brings Rebels to life in a beautiful new way. The city, the MURAL, the appearances of Jai Kell and Ryder Azadi, Sabine driving down the same roads we’ve seen in Rebels dozens of times, the tower, and the live-action Loth cats – it’s all incredible. I can’t explain how long I’ve been waiting for this.
(Side note: I couldn’t help feeling a bit sad when Ahsoka told Hera that they had Thrawn’s location and Hera responded with “Thrawn died at the Battle of Lothal.” If Hera thinks that, does that mean she thinks Ezra is dead too? It’s been over nine years since then – I’d hate for Hera to have thought Ezra dead that whole time. But, given the time jump, it’s very possible that Hera lost hope at some point and tried to let Ezra go. Geez, it feels depressing just writing this. This show better give us the Hera-Ezra hug that Rebels never did.)
Also! Live-action Sabine! I loved seeing her taking residence in Ezra’s tower. Like Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo does a fantastic job of showing a Sabine who’s both different and the same. She’s still brash, but her attitude has mellowed out. And I was already taking notes when I noticed her long hair – since we’ve never seen Sabine grow out her hair beyond her shoulders, it was a great way to show how she’s changed without needing to say a word.
And the purple edges of her hair were nice, too – I liked how it showed that she’s grown out her hair since dying it in Rebels.
But… my giddiness at this show dropped very quickly at this next part.
Look, I know the Rebels fandom is well-divided between whether or not Ezra and Sabine are meant to date or to be siblings. I’ve seen arguments for both sides. Personally, I’ve always been more in the “they’d make a cute couple” camp, but I could’ve respected them just being best friends. They have a great dynamic that developed across Rebels. But I’ve never labeled them as siblings.
So, yeah, honestly… it kind of broke my heart when Ezra called Sabine his sister right out the gate. Ugh, I hate even typing that.
Whether or not you ship Ezra and Sabine, it just feels gross to pretend like their relationship is familial. For goodness sake, Ezra flirted with Sabine for half of Rebels! Despite her not being very responsive, it’s still clear Ezra certainly never saw her as a sibling. Even when he rolls back on the explicit flirting in seasons 3 and 4, the two of them have a lot of couple-coded moments. Again, those can be ambiguous, and they don’t mean that these two have to date by the series’ end. But… come on. In the very last scene of Rebels, Sabine runs her finger along Ezra’s cheek in the mural she painted of him. You’re telling me that’s platonic? That’s a sibling dynamic to you?
But here’s the thing – it would’ve been fine if Ahsoka didn’t have Sabine and Ezra being romantically involved. That’s fine! But the fact that the show spelled out immediately that they’re supposed to be brother and sister now just shows that their relationship was always ambiguous. Again, while I am a Sabezra fan, I would’ve been content with them staying friends. But the siblings line is just too much.
I feel like Dave Filoni is gaslighting me. I’m not rewatching Rebels under the lens of Ezra and Sabine being siblings! That’s just gross.
Anyway. Other stuff was happening in this episode, right?
I found Baylan Skoll being a former Jedi to be a done plotline – how many survived Jedi have we seen by this point? What, did the clones have a 60% success rate on Order 66? He’s clearly a character who has more to be revealed, so I’m interested. But I liked Morgan Elsbeth being a Nightsister – now that’s a cool character connection. Let’s go.
Sabine and Ahsoka’s relationship also intrigued me. Despite the two of them going off together to find Ezra at the end of Rebels, they don’t interact too much in Rebels itself. Given their personalities, it makes sense that they’d bump heads. Within the context of episode 1, I was very curious about their dynamic. How exactly has Ahsoka trained Sabine – is Sabine Force-sensitive now? What does her use of Ezra’s lightsaber at the episode’s end mean?
These were questions that were answered in episode 2, but I still enjoyed considering them. Having Ahsoka and Sabine at odds at the beginning of Ahsoka made me engaged in their relationship all the more.
I did wonder at Ahsoka’s line to Hera, though, nearer the end of the episode. Ahsoka says that she walked away from Sabine, just like she walked away from Anakin. This comparison felt off to me – while these are both technical truths, they don’t feel parallel to one another. Yes, Ahsoka did walk away from Anakin, but that’s something she’s already redeemed herself for in the season 2 finale of Rebels. She knows Anakin is Vader, but she faces him and doesn’t let herself run away. Not this time.
I’m probably overthinking it – Ahsoka musing on her relationships with her past master and her current apprentice is a fine comparison, and it’s a nice way to bring up Anakin this early on. Plus, I like the detail that Ahsoka was the one to leave Sabine.
Also, speaking of Rebels – it might’ve been brief, but I caught Kanan’s voice speaking to Sabine when she’s sleeping in the tower. (I’ve seen Rebels four times in the past three years. I’m onto their stuff by now.) If we don’t see Force ghost Kanan in this show I will revolt, but I like Kanan being present in small ways like this. It subtly shows his impact on his family.
The ending of the episode, though… um, what the kriff was that.
In the midst of Sabine’s lightsaber fight with Baylan’s apprentice, there’s a brief moment where it looks like Sabine was swiped across the face. This gained my interest instantly – was Sabine okay? Was she going to be partially blinded, sort of like Kanan, or scarred like Ezra?
But no, nothing came of that. And then… she just gets stabbed through the abdomen. And the episode ends.
My only thoughts were “Well, I guess I see why they released episodes 1 and 2 together” and “That’s so dumb.”
What, was I supposed to be worried about Sabine? We’ve waited over five years for the sequel to Rebels. Not a single part of me believes that Sabine’s dead, in danger of dying, or even out of commission for more than one episode.
It’s so ridiculous that I felt more tension when Sabine might’ve gotten scarred than when she actually got stabbed. There’s just no real conflict there. Either she’ll live or she won’t. We could’ve had something cool, like having her lose an eye or an arm or a leg – a significant shake-up to the character that still has weight. But no, she just collapses and plays dead.
It’s a bit of a disappointing ending to the episode. Like I said before, this show was definitely made for Rebels fans, and I absolutely don’t see any of them believing that Sabine is going to die in the first episode. It’s such a cheap form of tension that it doesn’t pay off at all.
Oh, but I still had fun, make no mistake. Parts of this episode might’ve felt disconnected from Rebels, but the physical similarities to the show were brilliant. And those ending credits with the Loth wolves and purrgil were great.
Onto…
