Clone Wars fans can now breathe easier, we have seen a live-action Ahsoka Tano and we got a Rebels reference as well with the mention of Admiral Thrawn. What an episode, not only did we get to see Ahsoka, but we got the Child's name, Grogu. The episode starts off great with Ahsoka taking on the Magistrates guards, and we got some cool looking lightsaber action. Grogu also has an interesting backstory, he was at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. At the Jedi temple, Grogu was trained by several masters and after order 66 he was hidden away, and he learned to conceal his powers so he could remain hidden. The episode was directed by Dave Filoni, which makes sense since Ahsoka was a character he shepherded from the Clone Wars to Rebels.
WHO IS THRAWN
After the original trilogy ended fans were clamouring for more adventures with our beloved heroes, in 1991 Timothy Zahn wrote a novel called Heir to the Empire in which we got those adventures. Heir to the Empire was book one in the "Thrawn trilogy", because Grand Admiral Thrawn was the main antagonist of the series. The Thrawn trilogy was a beloved series of novels and when Disney took over Star Wars those novels were removed from canon (official Star Wars lore). The reason they would remove it is that they would want to use the characters featured in the novels in their own way. Thrawn was a brilliant tactician and was the only alien to be promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral. In Star Wars Rebels Thrawn was introduced as a villain in season three of Rebels and remained a major villain until the show ended in season four.
EPISODE RECAP
Our first scene of the episode is Ahsoka Tano taking on troops that have similar attire to the empire, she disposes of them easily and then we see the Magistrate. Ahsoka is after something the Magistrate has or knows, we next see Mando and the Child entering the planet's atmosphere. Mando and the Child enter the village where he is escorted to the Magistrate who asks that he kills the Jedi (Ahsoka). Mando and the child then go looking for Ahsoka, after a brief but still cool struggle between Mando and Ahsoka they talk. Ahsoka can communicate with the Child whom she calls Grogu and she tells Mando his story. Grogu was a child living in the Jedi temple on Coruscant being trained by several masters and when order 66 was enacted Grogu was taken (by someone never mentioned) and left somewhere safe. Grogu then stopped using the force so he could remain hidden. There were a lot of questions answered but more questions arise from the answers. Ahsoka gives Grogu some tests and notices his attachment to Mando and she tells Mando she will not train Grogu. Ahsoka feels that because Grogu has forged such a bond with Mando that type of attachment in a Jedi can lead to very dark places (as in Anakin turning into Darth Vader). Mando then assists Ahsoka in attacking the town so she can get what she wants from the Magistrate. Ahsoka attacks and in more great-looking action involving lightsabers (she wields two of them), Ahsoka confronts the Magistrate and asks her where her master is. The Magistrate's guards attack and Ahsoka flees, Ahsoka disposes of the guards with a little help from Mando and she fights the Magistrate. Ahsoka wins and now asks where is Thrawn. The episode ends with Ahsoka reaffirming her decision to not train Grogu, though she tells Mando to take Grogu to Typhon (a planet tied to the Jedi) and bring him up the mountain.
WHY THIS EPISODE IS SO IMPORTANT
I was wrong in my thought that Moff Gideon would show up and Ahsoka would give herself up so Mando and the Child could escape (The Mandalorian: Season 2 Episode 4 Review - The Siege Spoiler Review). I am not sure how the rest of the season will unfold but I know this episode has a lot of important reveals in it. There are two that are major, Grogu's back story and Thrawn being mentioned. Grogu's backstory is interesting but there are holes in it that will need to be answered at some point. Who rescued Grogu from the Jedi temple during Order 66 and why was he on Arvala-7. There likely will be answers given to those questions at some point, though maybe not in the current season. Another question was who was the Jedi masters training Grogu, Ahsoka never mentioned he was a padawan. Also, how did Grogu come to the Jedi, we have never been given any information about the species that is Grogu, Yoda and Yaddle. For me, the big reveal was Ahsoka asking about the location of Thrawn. I watched Star Wars Rebels and I know Thrawn and Ahsoka were key characters to that show. Ahsoka popped up in Rebels in the second season and kept popping up until the show ended, one of the main characters from the show was Ezra Bridger a young force user. Ezra sacrificed himself, he had Purrgils (force whales, it is really a thing) transport him and Thrawn to an unknown location at the end of the show. After the Empire is defeated at the end of Episode VI, Ahsoka and Sabine Wren (a Mandalorian) go on a search to find Ezra. I hope the Thrawn mention leads to a new show (live-action or animated) about the search for Ezra. The possibility that we might get an Ahsoka spin-off show is fascinating, and I would not be surprised if that is the case. I was a fan of Rebels and I have been waiting for the continuation of that journey to find Ezra since the show ended in 2018.
EPISODE REVIEW
The Jedi contained some great action and reveals, though I am unsure of where I place it in terms of score. I think the episode was great, like all of season two so far. I feel that for me, the ultimate score I give this episode will be based on if we get a follow up on the Thrawn mention. If there is no follow up on the Thrawn mention then I feel this episode was half empty, the other half dealing with Grogu's history was great. The action was great and Ahsoka (played by Rosario Dawson) was awesome and have me hoping we will see her again before the season is over. There were more great Star Wars lore reveals and some great action to boot. This episode continues the trend of Season two, which has been bigger, better and more plot-focused than season one. I am excited for what happens on Typhon, does Moff Gideon show up or where will there be more Star Wars lore reveals. We will see what happens next week, I hope you enjoyed my article and please come back next week for my thoughts on Chapter 14.
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