The Ahsoka season finale succeeds in bringing Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren closer as well as positioning Thrawn as a menacing villain. However, the season finale struggles to cap off all of the other running storylines.
Ezra Bridger gets in on the action as he, Asoka and Sabine attempt to stop Thrawn. However, he does so in a way that counteracts his choices in the penultimate episode. As strong as Ahsoka and Sabine’s reunion is, there is no attempt to dive deep into the issues that divided them in the first place. Huyang reveals Ahsoka’s worries about training Sabine to Ezra. Ahsoka should have given that explanation directly to Sabine as an opportunity to work through their issues instead Jedi force waving away the problem.
The Ahsoka season finale is as straightforward as it gets. The rebellious trio of Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra make a beeline for Thrawn. He employs countermeasures using the Witches of Dathomir to provide an army of undead stormtroopers and souped-up Morgan Elsbeth.
The action sequences are excellent for the most part. Watching Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra fight off waves of stormtroopers is pretty fun. The rematch between Ahsoka and Morgan is probably the best duel of the season. Anakin and Ahsoka’s battles in part 5 are terrific as well, but not as lengthy. The one action sequence that doesn’t work in the Ahsoka season finale is Sabine using the Force to guide Ezra over the long distance. If you thought Leia Organo floating through space in The Last Jedi was hoaky, this sequence probably won’t work for you.
Kevin Kiner‘s music is the most consistent aspect of the series and makes the case for why he should helm Star Wars movies going forward. Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo shine in spite of Dave Filoni’s penchant for showing emotional restraint.
The biggest issue in the Ahsoka season finale is every other character outside of Ahoska, Sabine, Ezra and Thrawn are wasted. Hera, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati only have one scene in the season finale. Hera, at least, gets to utter a line while Baylan and Shin don’t speak. Obviously, the real-life tragedy of Ray Stevenson‘s death could be a factor in his absence and would be somewhat understandable if a change was made after the season was shot. However, that doesn’t absolve Dave Filoni for the way he wraps up Shin’s arc. She simply ignites a lightsaber while looking at a camp of raiders and that’s it.
The season finale is a disappointment, following the strong penultimate episode. However, the performances, strong character development for Sabine and good action sequences still make the Ahsoka season finale a good episode, but like Anakin, this season finale had the potential to be so much more.
With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the three standout elements in the Ahsoka season finale. There will be some spoilers. Ahsoka is streaming on Disney Plus.
Master and apprentice reunite in Ahsoka season finale
It took the whole season, but Ahsoka and Sabine are on the same page as master and apprentice. Before launching the assault on Thrawn, Ahsoka and Sabine get a chance to clear the air.
Sabine feels guilty after overhearing a conversation between Huyang and Ezra. Huyang reveals he taught Ezra’s master, Kanan Jarrus, how to build a lightsaber. Ezra learned how to build a lightsaber based on Kanan’s instructions. Impressed with Ezra’s lightsaber-building skills, Huyang compliments Ezra on being a good student, which hurts Sabine. After Sabine leaves abruptly, Huyang reveals the reason Ahsoka left Sabine years ago. Ahoska feared the loss of Sabine’s family could lead Sabine to the dark side similar to Anakin.
Sabine leaves to make amends with Ahsoka. Her master pretty much absolves Sabine of wrongdoing. Ahsoka explains she made decisions that nobody understood, but her master always accepted her. She promises to remain by Sabine’s side no matter what.
Later, Sabine has an opportunity to join Ezra on Thrawn’s ship, which would leave Ahsoka by herself. Sabine doubles back and fights with Ahsoka. The Ahsoka season finale ends with Ahsoka and Sabine stranded on Peridea.
The Heir to the Empire returns
Thrawn is ready for Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra’s attempts to stop him and employs appropriate countermeasures.
He uses the power of the Witches of Dathomir to enhance Morgan’s skills. Later, after Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra successfully defeat a wave of stormtroopers. He utilizes the witches’ powers to turn the corpses into zombie Stormtroopers. Ahsoka faces off with Morgan, while Ezra and Sabine battle two souped-up troopers.
Sabine finally connects with the force. In a moment of struggle, she uses the Force to bring her lightsaber to her. After the battle, Sabine uses her newfound powers to Force push Ezra across a large gap between a platform and Thrawn’s ship. The jump doesn’t look great. However, the fact that Sabine can go from never using the Force to launching someone a long distance is pretty laughable. A simple fix would have been Ezra launching Sabine, but that would have taken Sabine further away from Ahsoka.
Thrawn speaks to Ahsoka for the first time via coms. He congratulates Ahsoka on her efforts but declares victory before jumping into hyperspace and leaving Sabine and Ahsoka behind.
Thrawn’s plan comes to fruition. His plan was a stall game. Thrawn needed time to complete a cargo transfer and used just enough resources to keep Ahsoka distracted. As his ship approaches Dathomir, the hull of his ship is shown containing an army’s worth of coffins.
Home
The weirdest disconnect between the season finale and the penultimate episode is Ezra suddenly building a lightsaber. In the last episode, Ezra said he didn’t need a lightsaber and told Sabine to use it. If his rationale in the last episode, was that Sabine needed the lightsaber more than he did, then Ezra should have said so at some point in these two episodes. Unfortunately, no context is given.
However, Eman Esfandi does develop a strong chemistry with Dawson and Bordizzo. Watching the trio fight as a unit is the highlight of the Ahsoka season finale. Ahsoka and Sabine succeed in sending Ezra home where he finally reunited with Hera. I appreciate Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s performance in her one scene. She’s so shocked at Ezra’s return that she can barely move. However, Esfandi’s oh-shucks demeanor, which is a choice by Filoni and director Rick Famuyiwa, undercuts what should be an emotionally charged scene.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka, Sabine, Baylan and Shin are left behind on Peridea. Ahsoka and Sabine are together more connected as master and padawan than ever before. Baylan stares at a large statue in another location. Shin ignites a lightsaber while looking at raiders.
The Ahsoka season finale use of Baylan and Shin is terrible and leaves a bad taste coming so close to the end of the episode.
Ahsoka season finale final thoughts
Overall, Ahsoka was a much better season of television than The Mandalorian season 3. The clunky dialogue and lack of depth when it comes to diving into issues between characters probably keep Ahsoka out of the best shows of 2023 discussion.
If you like the content on The Intersection and have the means, a donation is much appreciated. The Intersection will never have ads on the website. To expand coverage to golden-era tv shows and add new features, we need your help. You can provide a one-time donation via PayPal or Stripe below.
The Review
Ahsoka Season Finale
PROS
- The reunion between Ahsoka and Sabine hits the right beats.
- Thrawn's menacing brilliance continues to shine.
- Strong action sequences.
- Kevin Kiner's score is incredible.
CONS
- Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati and Hera Syndulla have only one scene apiece.
- Not enough emotion.
- Sabine's control of the force takes too big a leap.