Ahsoka Part 6 Far, Far Away Review: Behold the man in blue

A new galaxy is explored and a much-anticipated villain debuts in live-action form in Far, Far Away. While not quite as profound as the return of Anakin in Part 5, Part 6 is another strong episode of Ahsoka.

The title character takes a backseat in Part 6. After Part 5’s heavy focus on Ahsoka, it makes sense to focus most of Part 6’s story around Sabine Wren. The introduction of Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn delivers. Baylon Skoll’s past is explored with Ray Stevenson continuing his dignified performance.

Part 5 begins with Ahsoka and Huyang traveling in the mouth of a space wheel. After Ahsoka fills Huyang in on what really happened with Sabine, Far, Far Away stays with Sabine, Baylon, Shin Hati, Morgan Elsbeth and Thrawn for the rest of the episode.

Surprisingly, Part 6 has more in common with a fantasy genre than science fiction. Thrawn honors Baylon’s deal with Sabine. In exchange for her help in freeing him from exile, Thrawn provides Sabine with coordinates to Ezra Bridger’s whereabouts. Sabine spends the bulk of the episode traversing this strange planet, interacting with rock trolls (not unlike the trolls in the Frozen films) and fighting off raiders.

I’m really enjoying the ominous tone and pacing of Ahsoka so far. Some shots linger a little too long, but overall, I love the slow but steady pace. Kevin Kiner‘s score continues to hit all of the right beats.

The biggest blemish in another strong episode is the ending. Sabine has an opportunity to tell the truth about her role but doesn’t want to get into it at the moment. Dave Filoni is a great writer when it comes to Star Wars lore and big story moments. However, at times, he delays revealing important information in an obvious fashion. For example, in chapter 5, Ahsoka asks directly about the World Between Worlds, but Anakin ignores her question and moves forward. Sabine handles a similar situation the exact same way.

Overall, Ahsoka continues to shine due to strong performances, motivated villains and great world-building.

With the overview out of the way, let’s delve deeper into a time long ago in a new galaxy, far, far away. There may be some minor spoilers. Ahsoka is streaming on Disney Plus.

Thrawn emerges in Part 6

Thrawn’s live-action debut in all his blue-red-eyed glory doesn’t disappoint. Mikkelson infuses Thrawn with a cold intelligence that allows him to stand apart from other Star Wars villains. Thrawn’s never met Baylan. However, when Morgan mentions his name, Thrawn knows Baylan was a general in the Jedi Order. After letting Sabine go, he orders Baylan and Shin to follow Sabine to Ezra’s location. If all four of them kill each other, then that’s fine by him. His primary objective is to return to the main Star Wars galaxy.

Unlike Vader and even Palpatine, Thrawn remains calm even when he’s defied. For instance, when he comes face-to-face with Sabine, she challenges his viewpoint. Thrawn questions Sabine’s decision to risk her galaxy on a fool’s errand to find Ezra. Sabine responds by saying Thrawn wouldn’t understand. Without raising his voice much above a whisper, Thrawn says perhaps she’s right, returns all her weapons and provides her with coordinates to Ezra’s last location on the planet. He even warns her that Ezra may be dead and could wind up stranded on the planet.

Far, Far Away is a great introduction to Thrawn. His intelligence and ability to keep a cool head at all times make him a formidable enemy.

Search for a new beginning

The wait for Thrawn’s arrival and subsequent search for Sabine provides ample time for Baylan to reveal his past to Shin and allude to his plans.

During the wait for Thrawn, Baylan reflects on his past within the Jedi order. Baylan misses the idea of the Jedi order. However, the years away from the fall of the Jedi order reveal a sad truth. The Empire’s rise and the Jedi’s fall are part of a continuous cycle. He intends to break the cycle.

After Thrawn sends Baylan and Hati after Sabine, Baylan hints at his plans. Something is calling to him on this planet and he believes it’s power worth wielding. This section of the story touches on one of Filoni’s crutches. Baylan hints at the power and his plans, but never outright reveals it to Shin or the audience.

However, Stevenson continues to deliver a commanding and sympathetic performance. Through Thrawn and Baylan, Ahsoka features two unique villains. One in Thrawn who removes emotion from the equation and another in Baylan whose rationale is fueled by sentimentality.

Reunited at last

With her belongings in hand and a mount called a Howler, Sabine ventures across Peridea. The unfamiliar planet is the ancient homeworld of the witches of Dathomir and has a strong connection to The Force.

Sabine’s quest to find Ezra doesn’t go on too long. She’s ambushed by raiders. While she succeeds in fighting them off, her transponder with Ezra’s coordinates is destroyed. The cowardly Howler who ran during the ambush returns to Sabine’s side. Sabine wants nothing to do with the creature, but the dogged creature’s persistence pays off.

Eventually, Sabine runs into a small rock-troll-like creature. After noticing an article of clothing belonging to Ezra, the creature leads Sabine and the Howler to a camp.

After several years, Sabine and Ezra are reunited. There’s not enough time to gauge Eman Esfandi‘s performance as Ezra, but he seems to have the right demeanor. Sabine and Ezra are happy to see each other. To Ezra’s credit, he does ask how Sabine found her. When Sabine deflects the question, for another time, it’s clear Ezra’s worried. Sabine should have come clean right away.

Sabine confessing her role in allowing Thrawn access to their home galaxy would have dovetailed nicely with the ominous ending of Far, Far Away. Part 6 ends with Thrawn ordering Elsbeth to provide a complete history of Ahsoka and her witchy cohorts to kill any whale who enters this galaxy.

Part 6 final thoughts

Overall, Ahsoka continues to be a more consistent series than the 3rd season of The Mandalorian. Here’s hoping the final two episodes can keep the momentum going.

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