There’s a common notion that Star Wars is meant exclusively for kids, and I used to argue that it was actually meant for everyone, regardless of their age, nationality, or religion. It tells these universal stories that transport you to galaxies that exist far, far away from our own. That’s why the franchise became a hit in the first place. But the more I watch Ahsoka, the more I believe that it’s actually a show meant for kids. It’s not like Star Wars hasn’t catered to kids before. They’ve used the medium of animation to do that. However, this seems like the first time they’re using the live-action medium to do the same. Everything about the presentation is so bland, but it has flashing lights occasionally, that it can only keep toddlers engaged. If you’re looking for emotional depth, interesting cinematography, or basically anything that Star Wars used to be synonymous with, then you won’t find that here. Anyway, in last week’s episode, Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang found the Eye of Sion, a device that’s meant to bring back Thrawn. They got stranded on a planet called Seatos. Yes, that’s it.

Spoiler Alert

Hera Syndulla and Her Team Head To Seatos

The Fulcrum, the ship that Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang use, is not functioning properly. So, they’re basically sitting ducks, and since they’re prone to attacks by Imperial forces, they’ve got to move. Obviously, Ahsoka and Sabine proceed towards the base from which Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati, and Morgan Elsbeth are operating. When Skoll, Hati, and Elsbeth learn about the Jedi’s presence, Hati and Marrok go in their general direction. We hear Ahsoka and Sabine have the most boring conversation in a Star Wars project. It’s not even exposition. It’s not conversational. It sounds like a toddler’s attempt at writing dialogue between two adults. To be honest, it’d get a pass from me, but these guys have apparently known each other for a long time, and they’re on a pretty significant path that’ll end with Sabine becoming a proper Jedi. And this is how they choose to convey their feelings? Okay. 

A little lightsaber fight ensues as the heroes are attacked by some Imperial soldiers and droids. Guess what happens? The heroes win. They don’t struggle, not even a little bit. There’s no tension. There is no thrill. Just lights and sounds. Anyway, at the New Republic base, Hera Syndulla forms a team that will go to the coordinates that she has received from the tracker on the cargo ship carrying a part for the Eye of Sion. One of the employees tells her that she can’t leave without authorization, but Hera just leaves because that’s how much she loves her friends. How sweet and how boring! Do you remember how, in Andor, they showed how the New Republic essentially worked like the Empire? Hera’s last conversation with certain members of the New Republic hinted at the same undertones. This could’ve been a good opportunity to double down on that. I guess the great Dave Filoni was busy with his toys, and that’s why he forgot to craft moments like these properly. No worries. Hera and her team board their craft and jet off to Seatos.

Ahsoka Falls Off a Cliff

Baylan Skoll and Morgan Elsbeth talk about coordinates and witchcraft. Again, it’s meant to sound mysterious and cool, but it boils down to getting the right information to go to the spot where Thrawn is exiled, I guess. The pretense to be something more than that is straight-up funny. While heading to the Imperial base, Ahsoka and Sabine are stopped in their tracks by Marrok and Shin Hati. Marrok engages in a lightsaber duel with Ahsoka, while Hati does the same with Sabine. They spend some time fighting each other. The choreography is alright. The stunt work is fine. It’s the lack of commitment from the actors, the lighting, and the overall aesthetic that kills any kind of excitement. It’s a lightsaber duel! How can one not make it look like the coolest and most dangerous thing in existence? The guy in the director’s chair is Peter Ramsey. He has co-directed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Rise of the Guardians. What exactly happened here?

Anyway, coming back to the plot, Ahsoka slices through Marrok, which causes smoke to emanate from his ribcage region. What’s that about? Is he like Johann Kraus from Hellboy, who doesn’t have a flesh-and-blood body, just ectoplasm? Is Marrok dead? I severely doubt the effect of lightsabers at this point because Sabine was stabbed through and through with them and is alive and well. So, I have my doubts about Marrok. Also, if you think the chances of Marrok being Ezra have gone down, think again. Because the person of interest here is: Dave Filoni. Don’t make any rash decisions yet by assuming that the great Dave Filoni can do anything remotely surprising, e.g., letting a character stay dead. With Marrok out of the way, though, Ahsoka heads to the Imperial base while Sabine and Shin Hati continue their fight. The only thing that Morgan does is oversee the act of getting the coordinates. Riveting stuff. Ahsoka gets into a fight with Baylan Skoll. I don’t want to disrespect the late Ray Winstone. He was one of the finest actors of all time. However, Ahsoka didn’t utilize his skills at all. Shin’s fight with Sabine ends with Shin using a smoke bomb to run away. Baylan and Ahsoka’s fight ends with Ahsoka “falling off a cliff.” Yes, it’s her show, and I am supposed to believe she is dead.

Does Ahsoka meet Anakin Skywalker?

Before falling off the cliff, Ahsoka knocks out Shin Hati so that Baylan Skoll and Sabine Wren can have an uninterrupted conversation, I suppose. Yes, yes, Hati was going to give the map to Baylan Skoll. But Sabine gives it to him anyway after learning that Skoll and his crew are going to the place where Ezra Bridger is probably exiled along with Thrawn. So, what’s even the point? I don’t know. Well, once the “conflict” is over, Shin Hati wakes up and tries to choke Sabine. It’s supposed to create tension or express the characters’ kinks. At this point, I don’t really know. Baylan tells Hati to knock it off so that they can board the ship and go to Thrawn. Hera and her team reach the boundaries of Seatos, and they do absolutely nothing. Morgan gets the coordinates and Baylan quickly gets rid of the map. The villains blast off into hyperspace with the help of the Eye of Sion. That’s it. I suppose the great Dave Filoni and his team didn’t want to waste any more time on crafting something visually interesting because they’re literally incapable of doing such a thing. So, they move on to what they actually think is interesting: nostalgia.

At the end of Ahsoka episode 4, we see that the titular character has entered the World Between Worlds. That’s where she meets Anakin Skywalker. This isn’t the first time that Ahsoka has entered the Vergence Scatter. In Rebels, she was pulled into this Force plane by Ezra Bridger, who was trying to save her from Darth Vader. What is the role and significance of World Between Worlds in all of this? It’s the ultimate nostalgia machine because it connects every moment in the Star Wars franchise with each other. I mean, it has something to do with time and space. But when has a franchise ever used time travel for anything other than to milk the audience’s sense of nostalgia? I’m sure fans of Hayden Christensen will be excited to see him in action. However, after watching his talents go to waste in Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m not all that interested in seeing how they’re going to use them in Ahsoka. I hope it’s just a cameo, and he gets to exit this show as soon as possible, cash that check, and live a happy life while the rest of us wait for the next episode.