Ahsoka is perhaps one of the most anticipated Star Wars series since the first season of The Mandalorian. Fans have been waiting half a decade for the conclusion to the Star Wars Rebels Season 4 animated series, which ended back in 2018. How is the long-awaited series? Well, read on to find out in this spoiler-free review. Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we were given access to the first two episodes of Ahsoka Season 1.

Rebels Return

(L-R): Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

There’s been a lot of confusion as to whether Star Wars Rebels would be required viewing for Ahsoka. The answer to that is both yes and no. No, you don’t need to have technically watched all four seasons of the animated series to understand Ahsoka. But to fully appreciate and enjoy Ahsoka? Yes, you need to have watched Star Wars Rebels. In all but name, Ahsoka really feels like the fifth season of Star Wars Rebels that we never got all those years ago. Ahsoka introduces the returning Star Wars Rebels characters like The Mandalorian introduced Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker into the series. Someone who doesn’t know these characters wouldn’t have understood what a big deal Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker’s appearances were in The Mandalorian, and the same reasoning applies to Ahsoka. Ahsoka never bothers to explain why she’s looking for Ezra and Grand Admiral Thrawn (at least in the first two episodes), so those who have never watched Star Wars Rebels would feel a bit left out. Even in the first two episodes alone, there are several deep cuts, references and easter eggs for Star Wars fans who watched Rebels.

All that being said, Ahsoka does have something for all Star Wars fans, even those who never watched Star Wars Rebels. Even though these people won’t care about the Rebels characters or how Ahsoka continues the story left behind in Star Wars Rebels Season 4, there are still other intriguing mysteries; like who are these mysterious new villains (the late Ray Stevenson’s Baylan Skoll, Ivanna Sakhno’s Shin Hati and Marrok) and others. Beyond that, there’s a good amount of action in the first two episodes alone. Not even five minutes go by in the first episode of Ahsoka and a lightsaber is already being ignited (no spoilers). Yes, the first two episodes have a healthy number of lightsaber duels, as well as some space starship action (just like on The Mandalorian, it amazes me how they can accomplish movie-level Star Wars space action on a TV series budget).

(Center): Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) with with New Republic Security Guards in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Just like The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett, the production value for Ahsoka is out of this world. It’s clear that Disney and Lucasfilm spared no expense for this series. Ahsoka continues to be the prime example of how a high-budget sci-fi series can look just as good as a high-budget sci-fi feature film. If there’s one thing that anything Star Wars never disappoints, it’s good effects, be they practical or VFX, and Ahsoka is no exception. In addition, the music in Ahsoka also sounds unique, just like how The Mandalorian sounds like a Western, Ahsoka has its own distinguishable style.

The first two episodes of Ahsoka Season 1 have good pacing. Viewers can rest assured that there’s no filler content in these first two episodes, which I hope will continue for the rest of the season’s remaining six episodes. As I’ve previously mentioned, there’s plenty of action to satisfy even those who aren’t invested in the Star Wars Rebels characters, not to mention the mystery of the new villains and where Grand Admiral Thrawn. However, viewers who aren’t invested in the characters of Star Wars Rebels might feel differently and they might feel that the pacing is a bit slow for them, considering that most of the focus is on Ahsoka and Sabine in these first two episodes. Ultimately though, it’s hard not to be biased about this series (being a Star Wars fan who has watched all the canon animated content myself) and it’s hard to say what the general audience’s reception to Ahsoka will be, but I can say that Star Wars fans will be very satisfied and be watching every second of Ahsoka with a grin on their face (I know I did).

Heir To The Empire

(L): Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

With these two episodes, we can probably expect more great Star Wars content in the coming weeks. It feels like Ahsoka will be paying off and rewarding years of fans who have been diligently following all the canon Star Wars animated series. Having Star Wars movie characters appearing in a Star Wars TV series is something significant, but seeing Star Wars animated characters being brought to life in live-action feels like a dream come true for fans.

As of now, Ahsoka is the ultimate fan service for Star Wars fans and even more so than The Mandalorian in that regard. Many people (even so-called Star Wars fans themselves) tend to look down on animated content as something made exclusively for children. Hopefully, Ahsoka will change their minds about that, and convince more people to watch an animated show like Star Wars Rebels.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We received screeners of the first two episodes of Ahsoka Season 1 courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia. The first two episodes of Ahsoka Season 1 will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 23 August 2023, with new episodes every Wednesday at 9am GMT+8.