TV Review | Star Wars: Ahsoka (Part 5) “Shadow Warriors”
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Max Nocerino 
“I geeked out when I knew Hayden Christensen was going to interact with Ahsoka again. This episode of STAR WARS: AHSOKA hit the nail on the head”
It’s time for our weekly dose of STAR WARS: AHSOKA and Part Five reunites us with Anakin and his Padawan!
Live or Die. Simple words, but very befitting of the teaching style of Anakin Skywalker. Part 5 starts where we left off. But first, I have to say how much I geeked out when I knew Hayden Christensen was going to interact with Ahsoka again. The last time they met, Anakin was clad head-to-toe in dark, scary armor and sporting a sinister (yet iconic) wheeze. So we have some catching up to do! Christensen has aged a tiny bit, (even though Ahsoka joked he didn’t) but more or less looks the same as he did in Revenge of the Sith.
He is back to “finish” Ahsoka’s training, and his demeanor and “aura” very much show a mix of Hayden’s Anakin and Matt Lanter’s Clone Wars Anakin. I think it’s a successful hybrid. I recall reading that Christensen binge-watched The Clone Wars to get into character for his return to the role.
LIGHTSABER DUELS
In my review of the last episode, I was complaining about how choppy and poorly choreographed the lightsaber duels of the 2020s were compared to the ’00’s. However, this has faded entirely with this episode. Anakin shows his advanced dueling skills (flourishes and smooth finishes included) as he tests his former padawan in a location where time and space have little meaning. I love that we got to see more uses for the World Between Worlds. I think the flashback montage to Ahsoka’s youth in The Clone Wars was well executed and made me feel the right amount of nostalgia. I also love how Anakin took the kid gloves off and gave her the tough truth about life. In war, you fight. You become a soldier. It isn’t always easy or fun, but if you stop, you die. Not the most elegant thought, but it is 100% true.
HERA AND JACEN
The whole Hera and Jacen mission to find Ahsoka was also very fun. It wouldn’t have gone so successfully if Jacen hadn’t lent his Force-sensitivity skills. Hera is a patient and caring mother and very much reminded me of my mother at that age. I hope he becomes Ahsoka’s next student.
There were even a few laughs sprinkled in. Humor in Star Wars is not new but needs to be approached very carefully. It needs to be subtle and not make it seem like you are trying too hard. The episode hit the nail on the head, and I found myself chuckling out loud at Huyang’s monotonic answers to Jacen’s eagerness to be a Jedi.
VERDICT
The narratives of STAR WARS: AHSOKA are shaping up quite nicely and I have nothing bad to say about this episode. Or the series in general! Well okay, I really wanted Marrok to remain in play (BUT I wouldn’t rule him out just yet!)
The next episode should be mind-blowingly intense, as we are truly going where no man, Tw’lek, droid, or Togruta has gone before. I simply cannot wait.
Future of the Force will cover the series from every angle. And that begins with our customary in-depth review that will drop within hours of each episode. And if that isn’t enough, our traditional poster and concept art coverage will keep you entertained as we build the hype for the latest episode.
Star Wars: Ahsoka is streaming on Disney Plus now!
FORCE FACTS
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The World Between Worlds continues to awe and amaze me as it also has the ability to literally transport you back in time, almost like a simulation of the caliber of the one Sidious and Dooku created to try and break Master Yoda at the end of the Clone Wars. I wonder what else this mysterious realm has in its potential and find it oddly refreshing that it can also be accessed by a Jedi who is experiencing an NDE. It makes me wonder why Yoda didn’t enter this realm when he did that deprivation ritual during the Clone Wars
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Ahsoka has the power of Psychometry like Quinlan Vos and Cal Kestis. This is quite extraordinary as I never knew that this skill was in her repertoire. Psychometry has been implied to not be something a Force-sensitive can train to develop. Rather it is an intrinsic skill that some Force-users have and others don’t. At least that’s what we’ve been told in the past.
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Leia is name-dropped and it seems that she is indeed a Senator again. This makes sense as Jacen is 9 years old and Ben is probably a baby or not even born yet. It will be interesting to see Leia’s early role in the New Republic Senate, and I am hoping she meets or interacts with Ahsoka at some point.
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The Purgill have been confirmed to be able to jump to hyperspace even in the intergalactic void and it makes me wonder what their natural hyperdrive-equivalent rating is. The Millennium Falcon (considered the fastest) has a 0.5 hyperdrive on a scale of 10-0. Most military-level ships sit at Class 1 and that means the Falcon is twice as “fast” as an X-Wing. I would love to know the Purgill’s speed. Also, how do these mysterious beasties survive re-entry when leaving the atmosphere of a planet into the vacuum of space?!
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
