Ahsoka Episode 8 Breakdown and Easter Eggs

Ahsoka’s Episode 8 is a little bittersweet. It didn’t solve as many things as I expected but also sets up a lot for the future series and movies that Dave Filoni will direct. The wait is going to kill me!

Story Recap

Baylan parted ways with Shin Hati after he said that something called for him. This was his goal since the beginning, helping Morgan was just a means to an end. Shin tried to attack Ezra and Sabine with the aid of some Night Troopers but she was forced to run after Ahsoka arrived.

Ezra catches up with everything that has changed in the galaxy, both the good and the bad things.

Thrawn wasted Ahsoka’s time and this allowed him to move some mysterious cargo from the fortress’ catacombs to the Star Destroyer. From the way he refers to it, this will probably be his hidden ace when he wages war against the New Republic.

Securing Victory

Thrawn learned a valuable lesson after facing defeat in the Battle of Lothal; the rebels, and most importantly, the Jedi can never be counted out. Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader, and even Emperor Palpatine consistently underestimated the threat of their enemies.

This bad habit was passed through the lower ranks of the Empire and eventually caused them to lose more than they could afford. The Grand Admiral knows better than to repeat a mistake, from now on Thrawn won’t take any more chances regarding his new and old enemies.

Ahsoka Episode 8 Breakdown and Easter Eggs

It’s been a long time since his exile, he had a lot of time to plan every movement and a contingency plan for almost any adversity. But of course, that is just Thrawn’s nature. His superior intellect allowed him to climb the power ladder of an Empire that didn’t accept any alien species inside its ranks.

His loyalty to the Empire and brilliant strategies earned the respect and admiration of those who worked for him, a quality that is extremely rare in an army where personal interests seem to be the biggest motivation.

This is why the Shadow Council was so eager to hear from his return, only a leader that could truly inspire the Imperial Remnants would be able to bring everyone together. There are great risks involved in doing so, so it makes perfect sense that they wanted to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Morgan Elsbeth has played a key role in Thrawn’s plan. The Great Mother’s granting her “the gift of shadows” only increases her power and usefulness. She was an extremely good asset before it but now it seems like she is someone that could really achieve great things. Or at least that’s what I thought for a few minutes.

A Worthy Jedi

It’s so cool to see how Ezra has grown so much, from being so afraid and insecure to a confident Jedi. His training was standard at most compared to what the Jedi Order used to teach but even under such circumstances he managed to become someone worthy of being called a Jedi.

Ezra has already proved himself, Kanan would be super proud of what he did to win the Battle of Lothal. Just like Thrawn, I’m sure that Ezra has grown and learned from his successes and failures.

Sabine is quite new to being a Jedi (not sure if we can already call her that). Her lack of experience and immaturity already risked a lot but thankfully it paid off. The normal response would be for Ahsoka to be mad or disappointed but as she points out, she’s no stranger to making mistakes.

Anakin always supported her no matter the situation and thanks to that, she understands that while Sabine made a mistake, it’s not the most productive thing to lecture and scold her. Their relationship kind of reminds me of Anakin and Obi-Wan during Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin was always waiting for his master to reprimand him for something he said or did. Often defying Obi-Wan’s orders, almost like a child making a tantrum because his parents won’t order pizza.

On Revenge of the Sith, they were equals (despite still being Master-Apprentice). They worked as a team and became unstoppable when together, clearly showing an evolution in their dynamic as teacher and student.

After what happened in the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka was able to free herself from the ghosts that haunted her. And now she’s finally able to support Sabine, regardless of the outcome of her decisions.

Stop Thrawn

It doesn’t matter if it’s an animated show like Rebels or a live-action series, the sound of TIE fighters will always be intimidating (even if their pilots don’t live up to such expectations). Ezra’s face says it all when he hears them, probably not a pleasant thing to hear no matter how much time has passed.

Watching Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra ride the creatures and run straight into the fortress is probably the most Rebels thing I’ve seen in a lot of time. Just them avoiding the shots from the turbo lasers while also using the Force to open a huge gate and entering in the last second is a little cliche but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Even if it’s just to fight some “Night Troopers”, having all three of them wielding their lightsabers looked so cool. It was a good moment to see them flex on these poor troopers, though the best thing is what happened next.

Since the Nightsisters were confirmed to be involved in the plot of the story many fans (including myself) were eager to see them perform one of their haunting but very cool spells. I didn’t expect to see them perform reanimation so soon, it never even crossed my mind that they would be able to do it on non-Dathomirian beings.

I’ve never been a fan of zombie-themed movies/series/games but it was still enjoyable. An undead army isn’t the most exciting concept but it is something that hasn’t been explored in Star Wars. Sure, we’ve seen the undead Nightsisters in the Clone Wars and the mind-controlling Geonosian parasites but nothing that would severely impact the story.

Sticking Together

Ahsoka stays behind to fight Morgan Elsbeth while Sabine and Ezra head to the top of the fortress. For a brief moment, it looks like Ezra gives up but Sabine comes out with an idea that Ezra himself has done multiple times in the past. The jump and pull maneuver is like something straight out of a game, it might look a little silly but its effectiveness can’t be denied.

Ezra’s expression when Sabine suggested it was the same that I had. Sure, it was a good thing that she could use the Force to pull her lightsaber to take down the Death Trooper but to push a person for that kind of distance is on a different level.

Luckily for our heroes, the script is on their side and Ezra is able to reach the Chimaera’s hangar. But right before following him, Sabine sees Ahsoka getting cornered by Morgan and many Zombie-troopers.

The young Mandalorian girl might be a very slow learner but at least she now knows better than to leave her master behind (again). While Sabine takes out the remaining troopers Ahsoka and Morgan have a final exchange of sword strikes.

Morgan put up a good fight but Ahsoka is a more experienced fighter. The finishing move that Ahsoka made is so cool and very aligned with the lightsaber form that she uses. I’m a little disappointed that we only got to see Morgan in her “new form” just for a few minutes, it would have been cool to have her in the upcoming shows.

An Unusual Alliance

The Great Mothers are very intriguing, I have no doubt that their ultimate goal is just temporarily aligned with Thrawn’s. They needed to get to Dathomir and maybe there’s a debt to be paid. After all, it was Thrawn who “awakened” them, whatever that means.

If these great Mothers are like the Nightsisters we previously met then they only truly care about their kind. It’s not too crazy to think they’re using Thrawn, just like he’s using them. Let’s not forget that it was Palpatine who ordered to wipe them out.

Thrawn’s last words to Morgan were “For the Empire” but after he was gone Morgan quietly said “For Dathomir”. Maybe it’s not that deep but until proven wrong I firmly believe that their alliance is just temporary.

It’s evident that the cargo aboard the Chimaera is the key to Thrawn’s plan. I am almost certain that he’s transporting the bodies of either the fallen Stormtroopers or maybe even Nightsisters. I can’t wait to see Dathomir in live-action, it’s gonna be nightmare material.

The Will Of The Force

For better or worse, Ezra returned to the New Republic while Ahsoka and Sabine stayed behind. I think it’s fair to say that Ezra and Thrawn are each other’s nemesis so it’s perfect that both are back in the known galaxy.

Trusting in the Force is a phrase that is often repeated by the Jedi, according to them everything happens by its will. If we stick to this idea then there’s a good reason why Ahsoka and Sabine stayed behind.

Baylan Skoll is searching for something that could change the Force as we know it. The statues of the Mortis Gods that are behind him in his last scene give us a small idea of what he’s looking for. My prediction is that Sabine and Ahsoka will have to stop him and only then they’ll be able to leave.

Ahsoka might have evolved but she still has a lot to learn, with Anakin’s Force ghost looking out for her we’ll probably see more “training sessions” in the future. Who knows, maybe Anakin will make more than a few appearances in the future, especially if we consider that the Mortis gods are involved.

Easter Eggs And References

Some of the easter eggs and references of this last episode were very subtle but one is a very good hint of what will happen next.

Narnia?

This episode’s name is called “The Jedi, The Witch, and the Warlord”. It is way too similar to “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”. It might be just a coincidence but I can’t deny some similarities between both stories. The characters go to a mysterious land in an unconventional way, fight a Witch, and eventually return home.

Clone Wars and Rebels Anniversary

Episode 8 of Ahsoka was released on October 3rd, the same day on which both The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels came out in 2008 and 2014 respectively.

The Blade of Talzin

The sword that the Great Mothers give Morgan is called that way because it used to belong to Mother Talzin, the former leader of the Nightsisters of Dathomir and “mother” to Asajj Ventress and Darth Maul.

Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try

When Ahsoka asks Sabine if she has kept up with her training, the Padawan’s first words are “I’ve tried” and immediately after changes it to “I do”. She has probably heard the famous phrase that Master Yoda told Luke Skywalker during his training.

The Force Theme

This music theme is often played when a Jedi uses the Force to achieve something important. In this episode, it sounds when Sabine pushes Ezra Bridger.

The Mortis Gods

During an episode of The Clone Wars, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka end up stranded on a strange planet. This planet was the home of The Father, The Son, and The Daughter. The Son represented the dark side and the Daugther the light side while the Father embodied the balance.

Anakin ended up facing the Son and Daughter simultaneously in order to rescue Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. As the chosen one, he was able to overpower both of them to release his friends. These entities also appear on the mural at the entrance of the Jedi Temple that gave Ezra access to the World Between Worlds.

Final Thoughts

The last episode of this season left me with many conflicted thoughts. It had some very cool moments just like every other episode but it doesn’t feel like a season finale. They lost a great opportunity to show how menacing Thrawn can actually be, it would have been great to see him obliterate some New Republic ships without much effort.

I get that this is setting up multiple storylines that will connect with other shows but this sensation that something is missing will not go away. It’s not like these characters are new, we know their story, their struggles, and their qualities. And those who don’t can always just watch the Clone Wars and Rebels to fill in the gaps.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very curious and excited about where all of these stories might go from here but I really was expecting something shocking to happen in the last few minutes of the episode. It feels like something was missing.

On the bright side, we’re getting live-action Dathomir! It’s about time that we get something related to the horror genre and the Nightsisters are the perfect candidates for this kind of story.

Having to wait two to three years between seasons isn’t something that makes me happy but hopefully, it won’t take as much time to find out what happens next with Shin, Baylan, Ahsoka, Sabine, Ezra, and Thrawn.

What do you think about this last episode? Did it meet your expectations?

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