Summary
Star Wars: Ahsokabrought one of its protagonist’s lesser-utilized Force abilities to the forefront in a way that harkens back to theRebelsfinale.
Created by Dave Filoni with an explicitconnection toStar Wars: Rebels, the Disney Plus showStar Wars: Ahsokafollows its titular character, Ahsoka Tano, as she discovers new threats threatening the peace of the galaxy in the early years of the New Republic that formed from the ashes of the first Galactic Empire. Debuting to massive fanfare on the streamer, the show draws heavily from Filoni’s past work on animatedStar Warsproperties, setting the series up for some spectacular and well-appreciated live-action debuts of characters and concepts previously only seen in animation. There have also been a few new additions to the franchise’s canon.
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One such new addition toAhsokacame in its latest episode, drawing another link between the live-action series and its animated predecessors.Ahsokaepisode 5 played in select theatersas part of a mid-season fan celebration and debuted some of the best live-action additions to the series since its inception. In the episode, Ahsoka encounters Purrgils and realizes that they constitute her best bet of finding Sabine and potentially saving Ezra Bridger. Taking to the top of her ship, she uses the Force to connect to and communicate with the massive creatures, eventually hitching a ride into hyperspace by flying her ship into the mouth of one of the larger ones. This moment, which seems to be the final leap in connecting theAhsokaplot with the final act ofRebels, mirrors Ezra’s power to connect with animals and his actions in the final episode of the latter.
While Ezra used the Purrgils to remove Thrawn from the equation during the battle for Lothal, Ahsoka will seemingly finally find him using the same method. Unlike the lastchange thatStar Wars: Ahsokamadethat upset some fans, this Force ability isn’t new. The more recent animated series,Tales of the Jedi,reveals Ahsoka’s backstory, giving fans the first instance of her using this ability to great effect. After being taken from her mother by a wild beast on her home planet and standing seconds away from becoming its next meal, the young Ahsoka touches the beast on the face and communicates with it through the Force, eventually riding it back home safe and sound.
While Ahsoka has already been shown to have the ability to communicate with animals through the Force, the brains behind the Disney Plus show are likely aware that most of the audience, even those intimately familiar with theStar Wars: Rebelscontinuity, would have never known or forgotten about it. With that in mind, using the ability that most fans associate with Ezra as the final key to his retrieval has poetry that fans might key into more so than the callback toTales of the Jedi’s debut episode. This powerful connection, alongsideStar Warscharacter Captain Rex’s live-action debutin the same episode and many more similar surprises, has delivered what many consider an experience worth a theatrical release.
