Lucasfilm has just revealed a brand new trailer for the Ahsoka series! It shows a little more about the plot, the characters involved, and a few more surprises. Here’s my breakdown about it and everything we know so far!
What we know about the series
Ahsoka has a total of eight episodes and the first two will debut on August 23. It was written by Dave Filoni and the music is made by Kevin Kiner who has previously worked on The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch.
Like other Star Wars live-action series, Ahsoka will be directed by multiple directors. The list includes Dave Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Rick Famuyiwa, and Geeta Patel.
The series will continue the story of Star Wars Rebels, and it all happens in the same time period as the events of Season 3 of The Mandalorian.
Earlier this year I made a recap of everything we learned about the Ahsoka series from Star Wars Celebration. Don’t forget to check it out as well.
We are no Jedi: a bold statement!
Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are two new faces in Star Wars. While their stories remain a mystery, we can speculate a few things about them.
Baylan used to be a Jedi during the time of the Galactic Republic and most importantly, during Operation Knightfall, This is confirmed when Baylan says “Anakin spoke highly of you” to Ashoka.
As we know, very few Jedi were able to escape Order 66 and remain under Emperor Palpatine’s radar while still “living” as Jedi. Cal Kestis, Cere Junda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tera Sinube, Coleman Kcaj, Yoda, Gungi, Kanan Jarrus, and others were constantly being hunted by Darth Vader and the Inquisitors. Those who were found had two choices, join the dark side or be destroyed.
So far, we don’t know about anyone who had a different destiny. Obi-Wan, Yoda, Kanan Jarrus, Cere Junda, Tera Sinube, and Coleman Kcaj remained Jedi until their last days.
The stories of Cal Kestis and Gungi are yet to be explored and a few others joined the ranks of the Inquisitorius, but what if Baylan isn’t a part of either group?
He might have become a bounty hunter or assassin. Perhaps not serving dark side users like Darth Vader but Imperial Officers, crime syndicates, or anyone who had to “clean” a mess.
Or maybe he remained hidden until the fall of the Galactic Empire and that’s when he was hired by Morgan Elsbeth.
Searching for power
One of the things that I’m most intrigued about is their lightsaber color. It’s not the bright crimson red that we’ve used to see on every Sith’s lightsaber but more like a tone between orange and red.
This isn’t made by mistake or accident, I am sure that there is both a lore explanation or at least a symbolic reason.
The brief exchange between him and Shin is important to understand his motivations. “What happens when we find Thrawn? Power. Such as you’ve never dreamed”.
Baylan isn’t interested in destroying a Jedi or causing chaos across the galaxy (or at least it doesn’t look like it). What he wants is power and what comes with it.
He is certainly not a good guy, but I’m not one hundred percent sure that he is entirely evil. To me, it sounds more like he is willing to do anything to achieve his goal rather than being motivated purely by fear, rage, or hate.
Morgan Elsbeth didn’t look like much when she first appeared on The Mandalorian but she is unmistakably a powerful and resourceful woman that has found two very valuable assets in her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Star maps of this kind are never good news when it’s the bad guys who use them. This one in particular reminds me a lot of those used by Malak and Revan during the Old Republic Era to find the Star Forge.
A Rakatan Force-powered shipyard that could create an unstoppable fleet. If Thrawn managed to find something half as dangerous then the galaxy is in great trouble.
The Spectres are back, as well as old allies
Star Wars Rebels is overlooked by most casual fans due to its odd-looking animation but its stories, characters, and narrative are just as compelling as any modern Star Wars media.
Sabine Wren (Spectre 5), Hera Syndulla (Spectre 2), and Chopper (Spectre 3) are characters with defined strengths and personalities that with the help of Zeb (Spectre 4), Kanan (Spectre 1), and Ezra (Spectre 6) made one of the most effective rebel teams.
With Kanan becoming one with the Force, Zeb joining the New Republic and Ezra being lost in unknown space the Ghost team is only memories and nostalgia.
However, that is about to change. Season 3 of The Mandalorian showed how Moff Gideon and other Imperial Warlords are trying to “re-establish order in the galaxy”.
Alone, none of them are a real threat to the New Republic but combined they could turn the galaxy upside down, especially if their leader is Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ahsoka, Sabine, Hera, and Chopper might have gone different paths but with the inevitable return of the heir to the Empire they must get together to fight their mortal enemy and most importantly, find their friend.
It’s so exciting to see Genevieve O’Reilly return as Mon Mothma. She made an incredible job on the first season of Andor and I can’t wait to see how she’s involved in this series.
It doesn’t matter if the senator’s appearance is brief, she always delivers a convincing performance that makes me want to see more of the character. I just hope her role involves more than just a few dialogues via holoprojector.
A new journey begins
After more than five years after the last episode of Star Wars Rebels was released, we’ll finally know (hopefully) what happened to Ezra. As the trailer shows, his disappearance is a burden that Sabine continues to carry.
Due to their close age and how they both developed it’s easy to think that out of all the members of the Ghost Crew, Ezra is the one who Sabine identified with and vice versa.
Sabine Wren held the Darksaber for a short period of time and Ezra trained with her for many hours until she became more confident and proficient with it.
I got chills when Sabine ignited the green lightsaber of her old friend to confront Shin Hati. But this also raises the question, is Sabine force sensitive or is it because of her being a Mandalorian that she’s allowed to wield it?
Normally I wouldn’t think too much about it but since Sabine apparently called Ahsoka “master” I’m not sure what to think about it.
Force-sensitive or not, this is probably going to be the greatest journey that Ahsoka, Sabine, Chopper, and Hera have ever embarked on. Watching a Purrgil in live action is incredible not only because of what they represent but also because of their intimidating size! Do you think these great beasts will lead Ahsoka and the rest to Ezra?
Thrawn! The greatest enemy since Emperor Palpatine
We finally get to see Lars Mikkelsen’s face as Grand Admiral Thrawn! The “Heir to the Empire” title perfectly embodies what Thrawn is and represents. I firmly believe that only Palpatine himself surpasses Grand Admiral Thrawn in terms of intelligence and instinct.
Unlike Darth Vader, Thrawn can’t use the Force to destroy or intimidate his enemies. He had to climb through all the Imperial ranks while fighting enemies outside the Galactic Empire and within its ranks.
He’s calculating, incredibly smart, and unlike Vader, his judgment isn’t clouded by emotions or ego. The hunger for knowledge is only surpassed by his loyalty to the Empire.
After so much time in the deep space, it’s going to be super interesting to see how he’s changed and his new purpose after the Empire he once loved is no more. There’s a reason why the Shadow Council eagerly awaits his return as leader of their new group. Compared to him, Moff Gideon is probably just a small inconvenience.
The unknown regions are home to ancient and dangerous secrets, who knows what he has learned during his absence? New Republic, independent systems, pirates, Jedi, Mandalorians, etc. Everyone’s existence is at risk with the return of the Heir to the Empire.
Easter eggs
This trailer has some subtle very cool easter eggs. The fun thing is that all of them are in the same frame.
Sabine’s Helmet
The Aurebesh letters in Sabine’s Helmet spell “BÆB” = Babe. The back of the helmet is a Loth-cat, an animal that appeared multiple times on Star Wars Rebels with the Ghost Crew.
E-Wing Fighter
The ship on the horizon is none other than an E-Wing. This starfighter appeared for the first time in the Dark Empire comics during the early 90s but it has never been shown in a live-action series or movies until now!
Do you have any predictions about what will happen? What are your first impressions of the series?
You can watch the trailer here.
