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The Star Wars Disney+ series have varied wildly in quality. The Mandalorian excelled with its superbly written original characters and episodic storytelling. Meanwhile, the likes of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan were critically panned but enjoyed higher viewership for having been based on household names. Andor looked like a pathetic grab for any memorable name, yet it defied expectations with the most radical Star Wars project in forty years. Ahsoka, then, has a lot to live up to, but unfortunately hasn’t delivered. Instead of reaching new heights, Ahsoka hides behind new lows of nostalgia.
Andor Was a Revolution, but Ahsoka Is a Retreat
The premise of Ahsoka is fine if put into a vacuum. Nevertheless, Ahsoka wouldn’t exist in a vacuum since it’s already a part of a massive universe. Its primary unique selling point is the joy of seeing characters and situations from Dave Filoni’s The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels in live-action. The show is a living reflection of the unfortunately common belief that animated media somehow doesn’t count. If fans and pundits respected cartoons as much as they did any other TV series, there would be no reason to make something like Ahsoka. Some enjoyed seeing Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla brought to life with makeup and hair dye. Others expressed excitement to see live-action lightsaber duels at the forefront of a big-budget Disney+ series. So far, the appeal of Ahsoka lives in the past, and not even particularly far back. The nostalgia is closing in on itself.
Andor can be said to be nostalgic for an earlier period of Star Wars as well. It’s not borrowing the tropes and familiar characters to earn a cheap pop from the audience, but it does call back to an early era. Andor longs for the days when Star Wars broke new ground. The series borrows new cinematic language from political thrillers and early-2000s war movies like the original trilogy borrowed from World War II epics. Some pretend that Andor was a departure from Star Wars. It’s more faithful than any recent adaptation. Andor uses nostalgia as a weapon, reframing the truths under the original trilogy to fit modern storytelling. Ahsoka, at least in its early episodes, uses it as a blanket, ensuring marketability through iconography.
Star Wars Keeps Shrinking
Is there any reason this epic space opera needs to focus on one or two chosen bloodlines and anyone they directly influence? The Skywalker family and their close personal friends dominate Star Wars media. Luke keeps popping up in Disney+ shows he doesn’t belong in, and now his dad’s trainee has her own series. Of course, they’re essential to the lore. Surely, other characters deserve a moment in the spotlight. Ahsoka hasn’t brought Luke in for a cameo yet, though there are still plenty of episodes to go, but it’s still built around callbacks and applause-break moments. I wouldn’t dare suggest that the series is unable to surprise in its upcoming episodes. Its marketing and place in the wider franchise fail to inspire promise.
It would be unfair and untrue to say that Ahsoka has nothing to offer newcomers to Star Wars. There are a couple of good action scenes, some solid special effects, fun characters, and decent performances. Disney didn’t make the show for anyone who has not absorbed at least 60% of the franchise. Paradoxically, it might be better for those who haven’t. New fans might feel out of place when a character they’ve never seen is framed as the most critical figure in the series for their brief cameo. That’s preferable to the experience of old fans feeling as if the franchise they once loved has been reduced to shameless pandering and dull repetition. Ahsoka is a live-action sequel to a series built out of nostalgia for the original series. Disney frequently allowed those animated shows to make strange choices. Ahsoka clamps down on that creative freedom. It’s an open statement against the ideals of Andor.
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When Is Ahsoka Set in the Star Wars Timeline?
A Star Wars Disney+ series like Ahsoka doesn’t exist to push the narrative forward. They tried that once and gave up. Andor doesn’t align with Disney’s goal for the franchise. It moves its audience, inspires conversation, pushes the envelope, and establishes a new baseline for what can be done in its universe. Ahsoka is much better for Disney’s long-term goals. It couldn’t care less about anyone who doesn’t sell action figures, references scenes already based on 40-year-old callbacks, and guarantees to deliver nothing fans haven’t seen before. Is anyone bothered that those who legally own the rights to the beloved universe of Star Wars will decide to collapse in on itself rather than innovate? Whatever merits Ahsoka has or may have in future episodes, it can’t outweigh its part in the ongoing hollowing out of the galaxy far, far away.
