Star Wars has always been a sci-fi-fantasy franchise – an assortment of philosophical discussions and yet concerned with space battles and lightsabers and still has time to marinate with species like Ewoks, the Noti in this episode, to offset the lighthearted moments. Whether fans want to admit it or not, Star Wars is all of these in a blender, existing in a singular tapestry. And while each fan can like one aspect of Star Wars, when an episode can remind you of all the aspects of the franchise and manage to do it well, it should be appreciated. Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode 6, appropriately titled “Far Far Away,” is a mixture of long revelations, world-building, Arthurian lore, and the humor that is so important to Star Wars since Return of the Jedi and continued by Dave Filoni in his Clone Wars and Rebels series, as well as by Jon Favreau in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, to admittedly mixed results.
Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode Episode 6 “Far Far Away” Recap:
The fact that this opening sequence is the only time we see Ahsoka in this episode kind of makes sense, considering last week’s episode had been completely Ahsoka-centric for the most part. The hyperspace travel by the Purgills looks trippy and gorgeous. What is not gorgeous, however, is Ahsoka still struggling to understand why Sabine took that decision without thinking about the greater good. It feels like a step back from the character development that Ahsoka underwent in the previous episode, but Huyang’s reaction that the force can give you insight but not all answers is perhaps one of those moments where Tennant’s voice as Huyang works very well as the counter conscience to Ahsoka. It is also interesting that Purgills and all these stories are like legends, which Huyang would have taught the younglings about in the Jedi Temple, and as they continue their intergalactic travel, Huyang begins with, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Star Wars is, at its core, a fantasy story passed down via generations, both in-world as well as in reality, and this is one of those clever ways by which Filoni pulls through the longevity of Star Wars.
Shifting to the Eye of Sion, we see Sabine imprisoned in a cage while Morgan, Hati, and Baylan look as the Eye of Sion finally completes its hyperspace jump and reaches Peridea, the inevitable last stop for the Purgills because, according to legends, it is a graveyard for the Purgills. As the ship enters the atmosphere of Peridea, we see the Purgill carcass and bones floating within space. It kind of reminded me of another Disney property, “The Elephant Graveyard” in The Lion King, and the ominous dread that both Simba and Nala felt as they explored through the bowels of that graveyard.
Peridea itself is no less desolate. The desolation and the windiness, along with the large square structures resembling another Stonehenge waypoint, are quite reminiscent of fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings and Dune. The Dune element especially becomes more prominent as Morgan leads their team, dismounting from their ship towards the waiting Dathomiri sisters, the elders for Morgan Elsbeth. The red cloaks, the voice modulation, and the angular facial structure, along with their dialogues dealing with the strands of destiny and fate, remind you of “The Three Witches” of Macbeth and their disgust at seeing Sabine, “reeking of Jedi,” and being brought again to another jail cell, as it turns out. As she tries to figure out a way to escape from there, she raises her hand, outstretched, calling for the force. The walls beginning to shake as we realize that a huge star destroyer has appeared above the waypoint, and as it lowers itself, we realize it is Thrawn’s Star Destroyer Chimaera, which had been destroyed but has clearly been repaired by what looks like golden-colored parts.
The kintsugi theme of all these broken parts of Thrawn’s arsenal is also evident in the Night Troopers, who are wearing half-destroyed, burnt, and yet joined by gold armor, the most prevalent being the leader of Thrawn’s Night Troopers, the gold-faced Enoch. But of course, the star of the attraction is walking through the middle of that army—Grand Admiral Thrawn, played in live-action by Thrawn’s voice actor in the animated series Lars Mikkelsen. And Mikkelsen’s voice sells Thrawn more than his live-action look, which, while having blue skin and lines on his cheek similar to Thrawn’s Chiss physiology, is a tad bit harder to buy. But he is definitely menacing with his silky voice, especially as he takes in the news of a Jedi with Morgan Elsbeth’s team and is disappointed to learn that the Dathomiri witches did not foresee this development. It gives the impression that Thrawn might have been able to raise his army and even repair his armada with the help of the dark magic of these Dathomiri Night sisters, but even he is unsure of their capabilities. It is, however, newer information that he recognizes who Baylan Skoll had been—a general in the Jedi army—and as he pointedly remarks to Baylan’s reply of not having to do anything with the Jedi order, “You wouldn’t be the first.”
Ahsoka as a show impressed me with its handling of actors, especially in how they manage to evoke the shared history of the characters they portray despite acting opposite each other for the first time in live action. While this is the first time new viewers will witness Thrawn and Sabine interacting, and Sabine is scared of Thrawn’s presence, her sarcastic barbs and pointing out that Ezra is alive are beliefs she shares because of her love of her family, which he would never understand. This perspective is informed by the interactions the Rebels crew had with Thrawn in Seasons 3 and 4 of Star Wars Rebels. How Thrawn answers Sabine’s reactionary barbs with one of his own is also very revealing—this is a man who is a master manipulator. Thus, he lets Sabine go; he even gives him a mount and weapons so that she can go off in her search for Ezra, as he would honor Baylan’s promise to Sabine. In reality, though, it is a ploy to finally figure out Bridger’s location, as Thrawn is unaware of or has been unable to locate Bridger and wipe him off the face of the planet. Thus, instructing Baylan and Shin to follow Sabine as she searches for Ezra is a logical way to search for Ezra, at least as much as Thrawn surmises.
As Sabine sets out on her howler (a cross between a horse and a dire wolf from Game of Thrones), Enoch warns her of nomads who might attack her and “to die well.” Interestingly, he chooses to warn her, perhaps because she is a Mandalorian, and he recognizes an old warrior kinship with her. Either way, Sabine finds herself jumped upon by the red-swathed nomads, who resemble old samurai warriors in their attire. The aesthetic and the environment itself, along with Sabine wearing a cloak, remind you of the old westerns that Star Wars is so fond of harkening back to. She battles these nomads, first with her blasters and Mandalorian weapons and finally forcing herself to use her lightsaber and mow through them, largely unscathed. However, her encounter with the nomads especially angers her towards her howler, and this area of the episode, with the characters interacting with the creatures and creating a bond with them, feels very much like Leia in “Return of the Jedi” connecting with the Ewoks. A similar situation occurs when the howler finally encounters a rock, only to reveal itself to be a creature titled the Noti. These rock monsters are the local fauna of the planet, and they interact in a language similar to Huttese. They also recognize the symbol in Sabine’s armor, and as Sabine excitedly asks them about Ezra Bridger, they recognize his name, repeat it, and ask Sabine to follow them.
This is also surprisingly a strong Baylan and Shin episode. As they both follow Sabine’s trail, they continue the previous conversation they were having on the waypoint before Thrawn’s arrival—how Baylan believes the inevitability of the cycle they are living in—the fall of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire, and how Baylan believes that the only way is to break this vicious cycle. It’s a similar method here, as Baylan points out that he misses the idea of the Jedi order but is not blind to the weaknesses and faults that exist within the order itself. He realizes that this is the planet of the Dathomiri civilization and that dark magic persists here. While Shin remarks that they all looked strange and eager to escape, and maybe the two of them should as well, Baylan points out that maybe that is because they are afraid of a power far greater than they could comprehend. It proves, with how Baylan describes Ezra as a “bokken” Jedi (raised in the wild, like the bokken ticks the samurai used to train) and how he believes he is training Shin to be more than a Jedi, that his cause for joining Thrawn is far more complicated than simply taking over. There is the possibility of a third alliance emerging here amidst the light (Sabine, Ahsoka), the dark (Thrawn, Morgan, and the Dathomiri), and now Baylan and Shin. As Shin points out that the nomads have found them, Baylan reassures her that they could be useful—the “enemy of my enemy is my friend,” after all.
Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode Episode 6 “Far Far Away” Ending Explained:
Sabine finally arrives at the camp of the Noti, which we see is filled with rock-like structures resembling little miniature houses. As she walks by and sees Noti trying to cook, make food, and even create fuel, director Getzinger sets the stage for the audience to finally see Ezra unfocused before Sabine hears his voice and turns behind. Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) looks older, a full beard adorning his face, but as they hug, we realize through these actors that these are the same characters who had been apart for a very long time, and Getzinger gives their reunion suitable weight. However, Sabine’s choice not to reveal to Ezra how she arrived here is one that is going to have lasting consequences.
As the episode closes out, we see Thrawn and Morgan discussing their plans to escape from the galaxy. Thrawn definitely doesn’t appreciate Morgan questioning his decision and asking for more troops to be sent behind Baylan and Shin for backup, reminding her that during exile, they have lost a lot of troops. So, these are the only troops they could currently spare. Knowing how cerebral Thrawn is, there is no way that Morgan is getting out of this season alive. As Thrawn explains, he is most interested in escaping from this galaxy and rejoining the army waiting for his return, and thus, he doesn’t care about Baylan or Shin, nor does he care about Bridger or Sabine Wren. But as the witches reveal that the star whales are coming here, with another Jedi in tow, Thrawn realizes that Ahsoka Tano is finally arriving here. Now, he is interested, and he asks Elsbeth to read up on her and her master. It would be interesting to see what his reaction would be when he learned who Ahsoka’s master had been. As Thrawn prepares himself for the inevitable arrival of the star whales, he asks the Dathomiri for their aid in using Dark Magick to strengthen his troops. “Ahsoka” is building up to a huge conflict within these final two consequent episodes, as the search for Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn has finally ended.
