Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode 7: At this point, to lament that Ahsoka is not that easily accessible because it is essentially Season 5 of Rebels is a moot point of complaint. While it can be argued that Filoni hasn’t made too much of an effort in the last episode to make it all the more accessible to the regular audience, by this point, if you are out of the show, I am hard-pressed to blame you. What I am critical of is something that has been bothering me throughout the show: a distinctive amount of slowness in reaction, as well as the camera holding a reaction shot far longer than necessary. I can safely attest that this is a translation problem for Filoni while switching from animation to live action. In animation, longer reaction shots can be taken in stride, but in live action, they stand out as dead space. And in this episode especially, it felt egregious.
Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode 7 “Dreams and Madness” Recap:
We see Hera in front of the New Republic Senate, having been forced to answer for the apparent abuse of powers as General for the New Republic. Senator Xiano brings her to task, and when Hera brings up the point of “Imperial remnants” rising to power, he even tut-tuts at her, condoning her for using such a derogatory term when the empire doesn’t exist. However, in what can only be described as “fan service” in a positive way, or “deus-ex machina” if one wants to squint their eyes, a certain golden-coloured droid fluent over innumerable languages in the universe, comes and breaks this court. Revealing that this mission had been authorised by Senator Leia Organa, C-3PO advises that this hearing be dropped, much to the chagrin of Senator Xiuno as well as quietly pleased Senator Mon Mothma. There are two items of interest here: firstly, Senator Ki-Adi-Mundi’s interjection about the events of Madalore and Xiuno’s staunch dismissal that Gideon had been acting like a warlord on his own, planting “Ahsoka” definitively post-Mandalorian Season 3. The second point is that Hera’s cover is definitely longer than Carson Teva’s misgivings, but as Mon Mothma fears because of Hera’s misgivings, they might have to prepare for the worst.
I think the one point of validation that even the naysayers would admit is that Hayden Christensen essaying the role of Anakin Skywalker while also incorporating the inflexions of Matt Lanter’s version from The Clone Wars brings out a version that most had wanted to see for a long time. The Clone Wars version of Anakin teaching Ahsoka via hologram about stances and reminding her to trust her instincts if something happens is again emblematic of a relationship fans have been aware of, but live-action fans will also appreciate it because both Christensen and Dawson manage to essay their roles exceptionally well during this moment. When Dawson, as Ahsoka, states that Anakin had recorded 20 such modules like this, she manages to voice her longing and sadness very well. Having reconciled her feelings about Anakin and Vader, what is left is a bit of regret, missing her master, and acknowledging that he was a good master. In a way, this is Star Wars essentially giving back and rehabilitating Hayden Christensen’s version to canon, and after having seen this version through two such episodes, I am completely okay with this version.
So now we are in Thrawn’s world, literally and figuratively. As Ahsoka and Huyang beneath the maw of the whale prepare themselves to exit from hyperspace, it becomes clear to them that something is wrong. They exit the maw of the whale to find themselves stranded in a minefield leading up to the orbit of the planet. To make matters worse, the whales, perhaps because of being hit by the mines, decide to jump into hyperspace, leaving Ahsoka and Huyang without cover. Ahsoka, emblematic of her master, flies expertly through the mines, managing to duck explosions and reach the planet, only to be chased by fighters, forcing them to traverse the debris field surrounding the planet. That serves as a problem for the fighters who can’t follow them into the debris field, but Thrawn (almost calling back to his machiavellian chess moves in Timothy Zahn’s “Heir to the Empire”) plays 4D chess here, utilising the powers of the dark mothers to track Ahsoka within the debris field. Meanwhile, Ahsoka had brought the ship to a halt in what is clearly the rib of a space whale. It’s a gorgeously terrifying image, and while Huyang and Ahsoka hide out in the sludgy, foggy darkness of the space debris, Ahsoka tries to connect to Sabine through the force after Huyang fails to find her through a scan.
Sabine, meanwhile, is travelling with Ezra and his Noti Rebel Alliance in their small tank-like vehicles. During that time, she starts catching up with Ezra on the events that he missed while still being reticent about how she actually found him. But before their conversation could broach those waters, they are attacked by Shin Hati and the local bandits. Baylan Skoll had, meanwhile, curiously decided to abstain from the battle. His conversation with Shin and his advice on impatience towards victory scream like a finality because it has become clear that Skoll’s endgame is completely different from Thrawn’s and lies in this galaxy itself.
Meanwhile, as the fighting begins on the ground, with Ezra refusing to take Sabine’s lightsaber and using the force to battle, Thrawn tracks down Ahsoka and instructs Enoch to attack her. What is interesting is the blink-it-and-miss moment of sheer panic flitting across Thrawn’s face as he learns who Ahsoka’s master had been. That kind of makes sense as to why Thrawn would plan to attack Ahsoka and force her out of hiding and directly into the planet to search for Sabine. Meanwhile, stormtroopers and armour held together by cloth and strings are sent in by Thrawn to attack Sabine and Ezra. Eman Esfandi as Ezra truly shows why he is dangerous, and there is a playful yet manic spark to him that shows why Thrawn would have wanted him out of his sight. The battle begins to occur on two fronts, as Sabine, Ezra, and Shin battle the Stormtroopers, while Ahsoka jumps out of her ship to aid Sabine, only to run into Baylan, who is surprised but pleased to see her alive. That battle begins anew, with Ahsoka managing to match Baylan blow for blow until Huyang fires at them, distracting him and allowing Ahsoka to escape on Baylan’s howler. As Sabine and Ezra team up to combat Shin, Ahsoka attacks and overpowers Shin. With the three of them against one force user, the odds do not look good for her. The odds further change as the Stormtroopers, having dwindled in numbers, are now recalled back, and Shin too follows them.
Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode 7 “Dreams and Madness” Ending Explained:
As it turns out, all of these 4D chess moves were Thrawn managing to distract the Jedi before he made his big escape from the galaxy. Thrawn had been biding his time until mysterious boxes had been loaded into the Chimaera, and they were ready to embark on the return trip to the other side of the galaxy. As the reunion between the three Jedi occurs, there is still a niggling sensation that all of it feels too easy. Maybe that is because the plot of this episode is quite serviceable, and the fact that Filoni is still keeping things close to the vest will make for a packed revelatory finale (hopefully).
However, one thing is made abundantly clear: There isn’t a possibility of this show ending satisfactorily, which lends credibility to the rumours that there will be a second season leading up to Filoni’s movie, culminating all of the pot threads from the Mandalorian to now. Here’s hoping Filoni manages to at least show a satisfactorily designed plan for this labrinthine storytelling.
