Spoilers for Ahsoka Part Six: Far, Far Away
We held our collective breath until we were blue in the Face. He’s finally here. Ahsoka “Part Six: Far, Far Away” took a page out of The Book of Boba Fett, spending less time with the titular character in favor of someone Star Wars fans have been holding out for. It was “Episode One of Thrawn” and “The Adventures of Sabine Wren” in a galaxy far, far away!
But wait! There’s more! All the fanfare for Thrawn’s arrival seems to have overshadowed another character’s introduction into live-action. What started out as an animated adventure, seemingly targeted to a much younger audience, Rebels transformed itself into a fan favorite with an ensemble of characters we fell in love with. Rebels arguably featured one of the most devastating deaths of a character in Kanan Jarrus.
His sacrifice for the rest of the Ghost crew and his beloved Hera also saved his young Jedi apprentice, Ezra Bridger. It was Ezra who saw the opportunity to rid the galaxy of Thrawn. In doing so, he was whisked away with Thrawn’s ship among a pod of purrgil in the final episode of Rebels. Until now, no one knew where they’d gone or if they’d ever get back.
Before Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) spent the previous episode in the World Between Worlds, we last left Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) onboard the Eye of Scion, heading to Peridea as a prisoner. Ahsoka found her way to communicate with the “star whales” to hitch a ride to the same place. Huyang (voiced by David Tennant) takes the time to begin an archived tale to pass the time during the long journey, at once giving us the title and stroking us with nostalgia; “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) ends her journey to Peridea with Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) on the bridge. Peridea is revealed to be the ancient homeworld of Morgan’s ancestors, the Dathomiri, while the rings around the planet consist of gargantuan bones. It’s a Purrgil graveyard, a place the “star whales” go to die. Perhaps the pod that dragged Thrawn’s ship was going together for a final rest. When Morgan’s ship receives a beacon from the planet, we know who’s on the line. Sabine is escorted to the shuttle so that Baylan can keep his promise to her.
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The topography and sparse monoliths paint an appropriately alien environment for newcomers and viewers alike. Somehow, Peridea is as exotic as it is isolated and unfamiliar. The source of the beacon leads them to an ancient landing platform adjacent to a henge, similar to the one they departed on Seatos. Three Nightsisters greet them, one being addressed as Great Mother. It was their messages and visions that guided Morgan to find them. The witches bind Sabine for reeking of Jedi, perhaps a compliment to her untapped abilities. She’s left in yet another cell to wait.
A few short conversations between Baylan and Shin in the episode shed more light on their history and relationship. We learn in the episode that Baylan was once a General of the Jedi Order, as Obi-Wan Kenobi once was. More importantly, we learn through a cryptic response that Baylan has another calling that has yet to be revealed. Something on Peridea lures him, a power greater than ruling a galaxy.
The arrival of Thrawn’s Star Destroyer is ominous and majestic, while his remaining crew is haunting and disciplined. As much damage as they’ve taken in time and passage to Peridea, Thrawn has clearly kept his charge in line and on continuous duty to the Empire. The tidy vessel is held together with bubble gum and shoe strings while Stormtroopers have repaired damaged armor in a Kintsugi style, very similar to Kylo Ren’s damaged helmet.
In this case, the Kintsugi is done with traditional gold. One trooper, Enoch, being the captain of Thrawn’s guard, wears a partial Stormtrooper mask that somehow feels like it belongs in Clash of the Titans. And then Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). He cooly drifts to the front of his ranks to greet his visitors the way only Thrawn can. He’s dressed in his Grand Admiral whites as if he’s ready for Palpatine’s inspection.
After learning it will take three days to depart, Thrawn is informed by the Nightsisters that there is a prisoner amongst them, a familiar name to Thrawn. Sabine is brought forth to him. She addresses the collected Grand Admiral with a spunk and verve only Sabine can serve. Her only concern is Ezra. Honoring Baylan’s promise, Thrawn sends Sabine away on a Howler with provisions and her weapons so she can search for Ezra herself. Being the conniving strategist he is, Thrawn sends Baylan and Shin to kill both Sabine and Ezra once the promise of finding Ezra is honored.
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On the wastelands, Sabine is confronted by marauders, but she handily defeats them with Ezra’s lightsaber, leaving one to run. Once on the move again, her howler fins a Noti, one of the native species of the friendlier variety. The Noti turns into a group that brings Sabine back to their camp upon recognizing the symbol on Sabine’s pauldron. The symbol is one they know from Ezra, the Rebel emblem.
The reunion is somewhat anticlimactic and less emotional than it should have been. A bearded Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) casually greets Sabine as if he hasn’t been self-exiled for years, save for the nomadic creatures that have accepted him into their group.
Thrawn is informed of the impending arrival of Ahsoka Tano, giving him reason to be skeptical of Baylan and Shin. He believes Baylan’s former status as a Jedi means he might be unworthy of his trust. Thrawn is fully aware of the capabilities of Jedi. And in true Thrawn fashion, he orders Morgan to provide intelligence on Ahsoka. He wants to know her background, history, home world, and everything, including her Master. Thrawn never picks a fight without knowing more about his adversaries than they know themselves.
While Ahsoka knows what became of Master Skywalker, it is unclear, in the new canon, whether Thrawn knows the original identity of Darth Vader. But one thing is certain: with only two episodes left, we can expect Thrawn manipulation to mess with Ahsoka’s confidence. However, Ahsoka has learned conviction outside her corporeal interactions with her Master.
Let the showdown begin with the penultimate episode. It should be a doozy.
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