Star Wars: Ahsoka

[MeatHookGekko]

Another Lord of the Rings homage in the finale:

View attachment 667142

Just saying....

 

[jye4ever]

I enjoyed it. I still think Ray Stevenson stole the show.

Rosario was no slouch though.

 

[ScoutingForToys]

Rosario was no slouch though.

Really? I thought she was pretty meh in this.
Ray was the only actor who wasn't meh in this series actually. Such a shame he can't come back for more.

 

[slynger]

Rosario was no slouch though.

Overall I enjoy her. However, a few lightsaber swooshes were very flat. Besides that and some unnecessary pauses to show us reflecation, she’s pretty good.

 

[davejames]

I thought Rosario was good, but the show just didn't give her all that much to play. She was the same wise, serene Jedi from beginning to end (with a few moments of mild frustration), and even a near death experience didn't change her all that much.

 

[ZE_501]

The show as a whole still feels like a Saturday morning cartoon to me; pretty at times, gives some spectacle, with hollow and cheap writing. Very much high-fructose corn syrup. I was entertained here and there, which makes this better than BoBF and Kenobi.

Spoiler

I like that Morgan's dead and hope that FOR ONCE she stays that way.

Ezra's homecoming was dumb as hell, zero tactical smarts on both sides of the conflict as usual (I get that Star Wars has never been great for that but there's bad and then there's worse) ... Thrawn is dumb, zombies are dumb, I don't mind the Night Sisters as a concept but Morgan was less creepy threat and more angry schoolteacher. (Asaj Ventress, now she was scary, cartoon or not.)

For a do-gooder Ahsoka sure smiles a lot when she's butchering opponents with her lightsabers. Just sayin'.

Anyway ... not something I'd ever re-watch but I'll admit some of the visuals were cool -- they better be, given Filoni's background and experience.

 

[ajp4mgs]

They've completely dropped the ball on Thrawn. He should have been threatening and dangerous. His troopers should have been a cut above the typical trooper. The hero's should have barely survived him. They should have had Thrawn winning battles decisively. They should have had him utterly and easily ruin a NR fleet waiting for him when he got back to the galaxy.
He doesn't come across as a brilliant tactician or a terrorfyingly competent genius commander. He's a loser that somehow claims victory. And he has a dad bod.
Are we supposed to give a crap that Thrawn is returning?
They tell us he’s a threat but in the Ahsoka series they show us he’s nothing special and we've nothing to worry about.
We're a long way from Timothy Zhan here.

I couldn't agree more. Thrawn is rather pointless in this plot, and it could've been any other Imperial admiral (established or new) accomplishing the same things in this show.

They've made Thrawn into someone who basically relies on using magic witches as a crutch. It seems that all Filoni knows or cares about in SW is the crazy mysticism component. He's either uninterested in, or incapable of, presenting Thrawn as a tactician who can be vastly outnumbered and still defeat opponents with nothing more than brilliant strategy.

It wasn't enough to bring back the WBW, complete with all of its lazy mystical shortcuts... It wasn't enough to bring back Force bonds with hyperspace whales... It wasn't enough to have the Mortis nonsense brought back for what will be Baylan's quest...

Nope! Even Thrawn now has to be dependent on magic spells and undead zombies in stormtrooper gear. It's almost as if he forgot how much a character like Tarkin added to SW in the first place. A franchise that started as a reaction to real-world tyranny now can't have more than two Filoniverse scenes in a row without mysticism injected into it, with no discernible analogue to actual human experience.

I know that mysticism has always been a part of SW, but damn, it was never the whole freaking story. How much actual "magic" was in the OT? Not a lot. And yet it's being treated as if that trilogy's formula wasn't the most successful version of SW ever (by a wide margin!). Somehow, the relatively niche animated series are perceived as a better direction to take the next big phase of SW instead - and for some reason involve Thrawn in it. I don't get it.

 

[ZE_501]

It seems that all Filoni knows or cares about in SW is the crazy mysticism component. He's either uninterested in, or incapable of, presenting Thrawn as a tactician who can be vastly outnumbered and still defeat opponents with nothing more than brilliant strategy.

That's Filoni. No subtlety, ham-fisted homages, mysticism cranked to eleven. I've been down on him in every post I've ever written about him but what he's doing has made him beloved of a certain (perhaps significant) demographic of fandom so clearly I'm in the minority.

I know that mysticism has always been a part of SW, but damn, it was never the whole freaking story. How much actual "magic" was in the OT? Not a lot.

What we saw in the OT was *enough*. Levitation. Telekinesis. Limited telepathy. Reflexes verging on precognition. Freaking lightning blasts and unnatural resilience/lifespans being hinted at (not spelled out). Yet tempered by vulnerability and limitations.

Sure there was plot armour and convenience, but in that era you generally ducked for cover when someone shot at you and the dead stayed that way. There were risks, there were stakes.

But we have Lucas himself to blame for escalating everything and Filoni for turning it into Harry Potter. And even as I type the latter I can't help but wonder if it's not completely intentional, given how successful *that* magical franchise was.

Somehow, the relatively niche animated series are perceived as a better direction to take the next big phase of SW instead - and for some reason involve Thrawn in it. I don't get it.

People seem to love it. We don't, but we're not the target.

 

[ajp4mgs]

[...]People seem to love it. We don't, but we're not the target.

I suppose the only relevant question is: Just *how many* people love it? The viewership numbers will dictate that. I have to imagine that will be of great interest before officially forking over a 9-digit production budget for a crossover movie based on this. We will see.

 

[TheeWanderer]

I enjoyed it. I still think Ray Stevenson stole the show.

Nah, Hera's literal *** stole the show.

 

[jye4ever]

I couldn't agree more. Thrawn is rather pointless in this plot, and it could've been any other Imperial admiral (established or new) accomplishing the same things in this show.

They've made Thrawn into someone who basically relies on using magic witches as a crutch. It seems that all Filoni knows or cares about in SW is the crazy mysticism component. He's either uninterested in, or incapable of, presenting Thrawn as a tactician who can be vastly outnumbered and still defeat opponents with nothing more than brilliant strategy.

It wasn't enough to bring back the WBW, complete with all of its lazy mystical shortcuts... It wasn't enough to bring back Force bonds with hyperspace whales... It wasn't enough to have the Mortis nonsense brought back for what will be Baylan's quest...

Nope! Even Thrawn now has to be dependent on magic spells and undead zombies in stormtrooper gear. It's almost as if he forgot how much a character like Tarkin added to SW in the first place. A franchise that started as a reaction to real-world tyranny now can't have more than two Filoniverse scenes in a row without mysticism injected into it, with no discernible analogue to actual human experience.

I know that mysticism has always been a part of SW, but damn, it was never the whole freaking story. How much actual "magic" was in the OT? Not a lot. And yet it's being treated as if that trilogy's formula wasn't the most successful version of SW ever (by a wide margin!). Somehow, the relatively niche animated series are perceived as a better direction to take the next big phase of SW instead - and for some reason involve Thrawn in it. I don't get it.

And then Ezra lands on a Republic cruiser and walks out of an imperial shuttle WEARING full stormtrooper armor as if he was attending a boonta eve cantina party!

How did he not at least get tased!

Thrawn’s master plan pretty much amounts to this…

 

[davejames]

I couldn't agree more. Thrawn is rather pointless in this plot, and it could've been any other Imperial admiral (established or new) accomplishing the same things in this show.

They've made Thrawn into someone who basically relies on using magic witches as a crutch. It seems that all Filoni knows or cares about in SW is the crazy mysticism component. He's either uninterested in, or incapable of, presenting Thrawn as a tactician who can be vastly outnumbered and still defeat opponents with nothing more than brilliant strategy.

It wasn't enough to bring back the WBW, complete with all of its lazy mystical shortcuts... It wasn't enough to bring back Force bonds with hyperspace whales... It wasn't enough to have the Mortis nonsense brought back for what will be Baylan's quest...

Nope! Even Thrawn now has to be dependent on magic spells and undead zombies in stormtrooper gear. It's almost as if he forgot how much a character like Tarkin added to SW in the first place. A franchise that started as a reaction to real-world tyranny now can't have more than two Filoniverse scenes in a row without mysticism injected into it, with no discernible analogue to actual human experience.

I know that mysticism has always been a part of SW, but damn, it was never the whole freaking story. How much actual "magic" was in the OT? Not a lot. And yet it's being treated as if that trilogy's formula wasn't the most successful version of SW ever (by a wide margin!). Somehow, the relatively niche animated series are perceived as a better direction to take the next big phase of SW instead - and for some reason involve Thrawn in it. I don't get it.

I understand the argument, but for me the introduction of more mystical elements in this show is what actually made it feel kinda fresh and different. And it also gives our heroes a different and more unpredictable threat to face besides the usual troopers, bounty hunters, and sith lords. Which have all been done to death by this point.

Obviously OT SW will always be the best, but after multiple series and movies I think they have no choice but to change things up and vary up the style and tone a bit.

 

[e30ernest]

The way I see this, Thrawn was foiled by mystical/magical stuff in Rebels (Bendu and the Purrgil). I guess him employing something similar for his side this time around as a counter makes sense.

 

[DarkChocobi]

Not sure was kind of "big victory" or tactical genius strategies you guys expecting from Thrawn here. He was deliberately avoiding direct confrontation with the protagonists from the very beginning and the ultimate objective was to GTFO of this forsaken planet..and he've achieved.

 

[MyenShi]

They've made Thrawn into someone who basically relies on using magic witches as a crutch.

We honestly don’t know enough about Thrawn to determine that yet. He was barely in the show.

It would make sense for him to have many options to counter various variables. The Nightsister element was also a necessity based on the location of his exile. It’s also clear he used their powers to formulate his return.

I’m hopeful his main focus will be the more traditional militaristic element when he’s reunited with the Imperial Remnant fleet. And that the mystical side is just one tool at his disposal. One that is also designed as a counter towards the Jedi devilry that took him down the first time.

 

[chrisstbh]

I can’t believe Thrawn ever relied on using Star Destroyers and Stormtroopers as a crutch, what a chump.

 

[The Buffinator]

I couldn't agree more. Thrawn is rather pointless in this plot, and it could've been any other Imperial admiral (established or new) accomplishing the same things in this show.

They've made Thrawn into someone who basically relies on using magic witches as a crutch. It seems that all Filoni knows or cares about in SW is the crazy mysticism component. He's either uninterested in, or incapable of, presenting Thrawn as a tactician who can be vastly outnumbered and still defeat opponents with nothing more than brilliant strategy.

We honestly don’t know enough about Thrawn to determine that yet. He was barely in the show.

It would make sense for him to have many options to counter various variables. The Nightsister element was also a necessity based on the location of his exile. It’s also clear he used their powers to formulate his return.

I’m hopeful his main focus will be the more traditional militaristic element when he’s reunited with the Imperial Remnant fleet. And that the mystical side is just one tool at his disposal. One that is also designed as a counter towards the Jedi devilry that took him down the first time.

I have to go with Myenshi on this one. Ezra indicated that Thrawn was the one who discovered the Nightsister temple & forged an alliance. Clearly he wouldn't have done so if the circumstances didn't warrant it. As I've theorized previously, I still think his reliance on magic witches is a result of his own forces being severely depleted, and this last episode did nothing to disprove that theory. And I can't think of any other Imperial admiral in the SW canon who's ever displayed the acumen to recognize the need for outside assistance let alone act on it, so on my Imperial Command scorecard Thrawn's already way ahead on points.

 

[ajp4mgs]

I understand the argument, but for me the introduction of more mystical elements in this show is what actually made it feel kinda fresh and different. And it also gives our heroes a different and more unpredictable threat to face besides the usual troopers, bounty hunters, and sith lords. Which have all been done to death by this point.

Obviously OT SW will always be the best, but after multiple series and movies I think they have no choice but to change things up and vary up the style and tone a bit.

Regardless of my personal view of the amplified mysticism, all of that could've still been an equally major facet of the show without connecting it directly to Thrawn. He could've been portrayed more to his reputation of relying on masterful strategic thinking. As a fan of his prior characterization, I would've appreciated that in live action.

If the witches/zombie sorcery/magic sword stuff need to be part of the story, a separate way to introduce it (similar to how the Mortis stuff is part of a Baylan side quest) would've been easy enough. Thrawn not needing anything more than his own tactical genius could've also added the benefit of having a more grounded element in a story that really could've used it, IMO. But hey, as ZE_501 already pointed out, I'm not the target audience for this.

 

[ajp4mgs]

I can’t believe Thrawn ever relied on using Star Destroyers and Stormtroopers as a crutch, what a chump.

Ah yes, because a renowned military leader utilizing strategy, vessels, and troops is a crutch in the same way as relying instead on witch magic to revive dead troops, discover hidden adversaries, and arm allies when conventional tactics keep *failing repeatedly.*

Oof.

 

[chrisstbh]

Ah yes, because a renowned military leader utilizing strategy, vessels, and troops is a crutch in the same way as relying instead on witch magic to revive dead troops, discover hidden adversaries, and arm allies when conventional tactics keep *failing repeatedly.*

Oof.

He has limited resources and the troops/equipment he does have aren’t exactly running at peak efficiency.