Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney Plus

  • REVIEW: Reunion and Separation in the Midst of “Dreams and Madness”

    REVIEW: Reunion and Separation in the Midst of “Dreams and Madness”

    For every way that Ahsoka has felt very, very Star Wars-y, there continues to be the personal touch that creator Dave Filoni has always put on his work for Lucasfilm. And so, while Episode 7, “Dreams and Madness” has plenty of lightsaber fights, space scenes, a touching reunion between friends and even a cameo from everyone’s favorite protocol droid, it once again gives us something new to think about hope we see come to fruition at some point.

    There’s no questioning that Baylan Skoll, played magnificently by the late Ray Stevenson, has quickly ascended the hierarchy of very impressive characters created and curated by Filoni. In case you missed the declaration, he’s no Jedi but as we’ve learned through his relationship with his apprentice, Shin Hati, and their ongoing mission in the service of Morgan Elsbeth, he’s no Sith either. Skoll is rather a pretty damn enlightened Force user who saw the Jedi order for what it was: a wonderful idea that fell to pieces as the galaxy changed around it. Skoll wants something “more” and he has eaten a lot of shit from some pretty evil people in order to get to the far reaches of ANOTHER galaxy to find it and now, with whatever it is he seeks just outside of his reach, he imparts one last piece of wisdom to Shin and abruptly bails on Elsbeth and Grand Admiral Thrawn. For as long as we’ve seen the Master/Apprentice relationship in Star Wars (and if you’ve watched Filoni’s animated series, that’s a lot), we’ve NEVER seen something remotely similar to what Skoll just pulled here…and it is fascinating. Is he displeased with Shin? Has he taught her everything he thinks he can? Whatever this man wants on Peridea, it was worth losing everything to find.

    Balancing out the separation of Baylan and Hati is the reunion of Ahsoka with her apprentice, Sabine, and, of course, with Ezra. While it takes all of the episode’s run time to get there, Ahsoka’s warm embrace of Ezra feels incredibly authentic and wonderfully earned. It’s hard to remember sometimes that much of Star Wars has always centered around wonderful friendships and this warm and fuzzy moment reminds us just how important to their survival these friendships have been. Sooner or later, however, Ahsoka and Sabine are going to have to come clean with Ezra…

    Speaking of coming clean, with–as Thrawn points out–time working against the trio of heroes how long will it be before one of more of Ezra’s secrets will come to light. As fans of Rebels may remember, Ezra has quite an interesting history with Dathomiri folks and owes a debt to the Nightsisters. His being on their ancestral home of Peridea simply cannot be a coincidence. It’s possible, no matter how terrifying, that he and Baylan could be on a collision course and Ezra’s bill may just come due.

  • REVIEW: “Far, Far Away” Provides Some Calm Before the Storm

    REVIEW: “Far, Far Away” Provides Some Calm Before the Storm

    Episode 6 of Ahsoka, “Far, Far Away” left fans feeling pretty fantastic…and we should all have a bad feeling about that. Dating back to his work on Star Wars Rebels, Dave Filoni has occasionally chosen to end seasons of his series with two-part blockbusters. Those blockbusters, however, don’t typically go well for the heroes and often leave things unresolved until the two-part premiere of the next season. With only two episodes left in the first season (to be directed by Geeta Vasant and Rick Famuyiwa, respectively) of Ahsoka, things are trending in that direction again.

    With most of the action taking place on Peridea, “Far, Far Away” gave us the first Star Wars story set outside of the galaxy far, far away we’ve all come to know and love and that means, to some extent, all bets are off. No matter what you think you know about Star Wars, things are likely to be a little different in this new galaxy. And indeed despite intentionally layering in some of the familiar Star Wars tropes like marauders reminiscent of Tusken Raiders and horseshoe crabs who dress like Jiminy Cricket reminiscent of Jawas, Ewoks or whichever strange species you want to compare them to, something just ain’t quite right on Peridea. Revealed to be the ancestral home of the Nightsisters of Dathomir–a group of witches who have already been well-established to view and use the Force quite differently than groups like the Jedi or Sith–Peridea, as explained by Baylan Skoll, is a place of great and terrifying power. “Far, Far Away” reveals just the tip of that iceberg as any further exploration of it takes a back seat to the reunion of Sabine and Ezra and the return of Thrawn. However, as wonderful as Ezra looks sporting a beard reminiscent of his father’s, as perfect as Lars Mikkelsen is bringing his Thrawn to live-action and as terrifying as Thrawn’s Chimaera full of some interesting-looking Stormtroopers is, Ahsoka isn’t done with Peridea just yet.

    Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    First and foremost, it’s made very clear that Ahsoka and Huyang–who may have been revealed to be the narrator of every Star Wars story we’ve ever been told–are indeed on their way to Peridea thanks to the Purrgil. Ironically enough, while Sabine and Ezra are entirely unaware that Ahsoka is on her way, Thrawn is, as Thrawn does, preparing for the possibility of her throwing a monkey wrench into his long-gestating plans. The Grand Admiral has already indicated that he’s low on troops and it now seems only a matter of time before Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati face off with the reunited, Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra, who could do quite a bit of damage to the Heir to the Empire’s plans.

    And so it seems that “Far, Far Away”, while a very neat episode of the ongoing Filoni-verse narrative in its own right, is the calm before a very nasty storm and likely the conclusion “second act” of the New Republic era of stories. Though the cavalry, in the form of Ahsoka, is coming to Peridea, there’s almost certainly nothing she can do to prevent Thrawn and his minions from making the jump back to the galaxy from whence they came. Expect, as is often the case in Filoni’s stories, for the heroes to suffer–and perhaps even die–as they fight valiantly against the evil Empire. While Filoni has done a masterful job of putting his own spin on Star Wars, specifically the Force, he still loves to follow the path laid out by George Lucas and the master storytellers from whom he drew inspiration. So, if Ahsoka is the end of the second act of a larger story–in the way that Attack of the Clones, The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi were in their corresponding trilogies–the next two episodes are going to hurt.

  • ‘Loki’ Season 2 Gets a New Premiere Date

    ‘Loki’ Season 2 Gets a New Premiere Date

    Following in the footsteps of Lucasfilm’s most recent Star Wars streaming series, Ahsoka, the upcoming second season of Marvel Studios’ Loki has shifted its release date just a couple of weeks away from its premiere. Originally intended to debut on Friday, October 6th, Tom Hiddleston will instead make his glorious return to Disney Plus on October 5th.

    The new promo also revealed that, like Ahsoka, new episodes of Loki will roll out at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET rather than the 12 AM PT/3 AM ET slot that Disney’s streaming shows had previously been attached to. While it’s still to early to know exactly how big of a difference the new time slot will make, anecdotal evidence suggests that fans are much happier not having to wait until the middle of the night to catch their favorite show.

    Loki Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.

  • REVIEW: ‘Ahsoka’ Episode 4 is the Star Wars You’re Looking For

    REVIEW: ‘Ahsoka’ Episode 4 is the Star Wars You’re Looking For

    Marrok theories be damned, Episode 4 of Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, Ahsoka, provided just about everything a fan of the franchise could hope to see in 40 minutes or less. Wonderfully choreographed lightsaber duels, heroes doing what’s right instead of what’s easy, an homage to the samurai films that inspired the franchise, complex villains and the sort of twists that have largely been missing from some of the more recent theatrical efforts combine to make “Fallen Jedi” a very entertaining,–and tantalizing–end to the first half of the first season of Ahsoka.

    Without counting minutes, it seemed as though half or more of the episode was spent watching warriors clash their lightsabers against the beautiful backdrop of Seatos with each battle carrying its own weight. Though fairly quickly dispatched by Ahsoka, the mysterious Marrok slowed the former Jedi down and ultimately separated her from Sabine (when are these guys going to learn to listen to Huyang??). Better prepared and fully armored, Sabine was able to survive her rematch with Shin by relying on her training as a Mandalorian though the extended duel kept her from having her master’s back. It’s Ahsoka’s battle with Ray Stevenson’s fascinating Baylan Skoll, however, that deserves the attention.

    (L-R): Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Clearly deeply connected to the Force, Baylan is the type of non-traditional villain that the franchise has been missing. While he’s no Jedi, he’s a man who though he’s lost his religion still holds on to some of the tenets of the faith. He serves the will of his benefactor–for now–but harbors no ill will for neither Ahsoka nor Sabine though as indicated in his first appearance, he also won’t hesitate to take on whatever challenge is presented to him. Though his own agenda is yet to be defined, he seems far to complex of a character to simply be serving Morgan and his past seems far too interesting to simply have him killed off quickly. Though Ahsoka and Sabine are the series’ leads, creator Dave Filoni certainly hit a home run with Baylan.

    And finally, no discussion of the episode would be complete without addressing Ahsoka’s surprising return to the World Between Worlds. While the nature of how she arrived there remains a mystery, her presence there–and the presence of her former master–is a promise of a whopper of a next episode. Knowing that Filoni was behind the camera for next week’s Part Five only makes the week-long wait more tantalizing. Ahsoka has been part “what happened” since Rebels and part “unfinished business” and it now seems that Ahsoka may just find herself in the same scenario she talked Ezra out of when he hoped to use the World Between Worlds to save Kanan.

    Ahsoka has quickly become “must see TV” for Star Wars fans because it, like Star Wars Rebels before it, draws on what made the first three films so memorable; however, Filoni has proven capable of not just rhyming with the fun beats of the original trilogy but also adding to the mythology. While Tony Gilroy’s Andor stands as a shining example of how to make a Star Wars show that’s not very Star Wars, for fans of the original trilogy (and don’t ever forget that’s exactly who Filoni is) Ahsoka is the Star Wars you’re looking for.

  • Marvel Studios’ Reshuffles its Disney+ Release Slate as ‘Agatha’ Gets a New Name

    Marvel Studios’ Reshuffles its Disney+ Release Slate as ‘Agatha’ Gets a New Name

    Marvel Studios has been shifting quite a few of its release dates as of late. While they certainly are going to for all projects that have yet to finish, it seems they also decided to map out some of their TV shows that were set to release on Diseny+ in the coming months. The biggest surprise is that Echo was pushed back (again) to a January release date even though it was previously slated for November 29th.

    What If…? is going to be released on Christmas Day, which is our first confirmation as it was initially going to be released in 2023. So, it’ll be the only other show releasing this year besides Loki later in October, which is already being heavily advertised by Marvel Studios. X-Men ’97 also seemingly is getting a release timing, as it is set for early 2024 after initially planned to release later this fall. Season 2 of the series is already in the works.

    Ironheart is off the schedule for now, as it seems it is affected by the strikes. The same goes for Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man, which had to pause in the middle of production. The big surprise is that Agatha: Coven of Chaos is getting another new name, this time Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. It initially was announced with the title Agatha: House of Harknes and is now set to release on Halloween next year.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘Loki’

    The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘Loki’

    With the recent news that Marvel Studios had once again reshuffled their streaming slate, fans have just one more live-action adventure to look forward to on Disney Plus in 2023. The good news, however, is that it’s the second season of what was undoubtedly one of the studio’s strongest beginning-to-end streaming series to date: Loki!

    With a strong core cast returning and Season 1 writer Eric Martin taking over as showrunner, Season 2 of Loki should prove worthy of the lofty expectations fans have for it. While it certainly has some heavy lifting to do in terms of furthering the ongoing narrative of the Multiverse Saga–especially filling in some more of the background of its big bad, Kang–the second season also promises more of what made the first season so great: the bromance between star Tom Hiddleston’s redeemed Loki and Owen Wilson’s Mobius.

    With Season 2 of Loki slated to premiere on Disney Plus on October 6th, it’s time to start your rewatch and, as always, we’ve prepared THE only resource you’ll need to get you started.

    Tier One

    Tier One projects are non-negotiable essentials to be watched/re-watched before streaming Season 2 of Loki. If you want to understand what’s happening, these two projects–listed in chronological order– are all you truly need.

    Loki Season 1

    Since first appearing in 2011’s Thor, Tom Hiddleston has curated one of the MCU’s most enduring and beloved characters in Loki; however, one of the most interesting and certainly most important things to remember while watching Season 2 of Loki is that this iteration of the character, for the most part, isn’t the one fans got to know so well through his five film appearances. This Loki is a Variant–Variant L1130, to be exact–created when Loki escaped with the Tesseract during the Battle of New York during the Avengers’ time heist. While an argument could be made, then, that Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012) could be included in Tier One, those projects don’t seem to have a significant amount of influence on the streaming series so for folks who need their rewatch to be short(ish) and sweet, those can probably be avoided.

    Of course, Loki isn’t just the story of Hiddleston’s Loki Variant but also the wonderfully spicy L1190 Variant, Sylvie Laufeydottir, played by Sophia Di Martino. It was her actions, after all, that allowed the timeline to branch and create the Multiverse and set the MCU on the path toward Secret Wars. Her relationship with Loki Laufeyson was one of the most interesting aspects of Season 1 and she once again plays a massive role in Season 2. There are also the to-be-continued stories of Wilson’s Mobius, Wunmi Mosako’s Hunter B-15 and Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Ravonna Renslayer (please give her something more to do) that will play a role in the sequel season as well. And, of course, there’s Jonathan Majors‘ incredible debut as He Who Remains which provides as much insight into the Multiverse and the Multiverse Saga as anything so far. There’s just no way you can watch Season 2 without at least refreshing yourself on the highlights on Season 1!

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

    Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.

    Jonathan Majors‘ Kang Variants haven’t really accomplished too much onscreen just yet but relative to what Thanos got done at the same point in time in the Infinity Saga, the new Saga’s big bad has the edge. The death of He Who Remains in Season 1 of Loki allowed for Kang the Conqueror to menance Scott Lang, the Ant-Family and the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and his death (or disappearance) at the hands of those allied forces put the Council of Kangs on watch. When the Multiverse Saga is all said and done, Kang is going to play/will have played a key role which makes Quantumania must. The film also helps to get an understanding of how the MCU’s Multiverse works and with how little we actually know, it’s worth it for that alone. Additionally, at least one more Kang Variant, Victor Timely, is known to appear in Loki Season 2 and their are rumors that He Who Remains will find his way back into the mix. It’s possible other Variants will pop up, too, and it’s also very likely that the Conqueror plays some role as well.

    Tier Two

    As mentioned, these three films are the prelude to the opening of Season 1 of Loki. As such, they certainly inform who the character is when he’s apprehended by the TVA’s Minutemen in the Gobi Desert. That Loki underwent significant character development in Season 1 but it’s still worth your time to revisit these projects if for nothing else than to enjoy Hiddleston’s devilish performances as the God of Mischief.

    Thor

    After originally auditioning for the role of Thor, Hiddleston accepted the role of Loki after Chris Hemsworth was named as the God of Thunder…and Marvel fans everywhere have benefitted from it for over a decade. While it took Hemsworth a couple of projects to grow on fans as Thor, Hiddleston owned the role of Loki right away. While Thor may not be at the top of everyone’s rewatch lists, simply ask yourself what the MCU would have been without it and then sit down and enjoy.

    Avengers

    By the time Loki arrived on Earth in the opening of 2012’s The Avengers, Hiddleston’s legend had already taken on a life of its own…and it grew greater as the Prince of Lies became the driving force for the Avengers to assemble for the first time. While he ultimately found himself on the business end of one of the MCU’s most memorable beatings, he was still a dirty, rotten scoundrel with designs on fulfilling his glorious purpose.

    Avengers: Endgame

    Endgame is always worth the rewatch but in this case it provides the Nexus Event that allows for the divergent timeline on which the events of Season 1 of Loki took place to be created. While you really only need to rewatch the film’s retelling of the Battle of New York, feel free to relive one of the MCU’s greatest films in its entirety.

    Tier Three

    These six Tier Three projects are unlikely to have much of anything to do with the plot of Season 2 of Loki; however, if you’re a completist, you’re going to want to do all of your relevant homework!

    The first three projects on the list complete the story of the redemption of Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson who ultimately died at the hands of Thanos. They also give you an opportunity to see Hiddleston fully inhabit the character in some of his best work.

    Thor: The Dark World

    Admittedly one of the toughest films to rewatch in its entirety, it’s no fault of Hiddleston; if anything, he makes it watchable. The Dark World begins to truly dive deeply into who Loki is and what is motivations are, creating a version of the character that you love, hate, trust and fear all at once.

    Thor: Ragnarok

    Like everyone else, Hiddleston was having a lot of fun in this one and gave one of his most complete performances as Loki. Ragnarok gave Loki a chance to be the god and hero he always longed to be…but Loki’s gonna Loki and by taking the Tesseract, he sealed his own fate.

    Avengers: Infinity War

    As painful as it might be to watch Loki have his godly neck snapped by Thanos, it’s one of the most important deaths in the entirety of the MCU. Audiences learned quickly that Thanos was a threat to be taken seriously and Thor was given all the motivation he needed to avenge his newly-redeemed brother’s death.

    Spider-Man: No Way Home

    Eh…it talks about the multiverse.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

    Though this movie doesn’t reference any of the Loki Variants, it does introduce the idea of Incursions and it’s likely that idea will be revisited or further explored in Season 2.

    What If…?

    Season 1 of Loki created the Multiverse in which the stories told in What If…? exist and Loki features as major character in one of the series’ most interesting episodes. The series also gave fans a look at Loki fully realized in all his frost giant glory, something that after being teased briefly in Thor was never really addressed again. So rewatch the entire season or just the episodes with Loki, if you want, but don’t leave these animated stories off your list!

    Frost Giant Loki in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

    There you have it! Now put down your phone, pick up your remote control and get to it!

  • ‘Ahsoka’: Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir?

    ‘Ahsoka’: Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir?

    Ahsoka featured the return of Diana Lee Inosanto’s nefarious Morgan Elsbeth. First seen in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, “The Jedi”, Elsbeth was the magistrate of the small, walled city of Calodan on her home planet Corvus. The episode revealed that Elsbeth was loyal to Grand Admiral Thrawn and had some knowledge of where he had disappeared to. In the hopes that finding Thrawn would help her find Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano sought out, battled and defeated Elsbeth, who proved a capable adversary. When last seen, Elsbeth was headed to a New Republic prison for her crimes as an Imperial Loyalist.

    The first episode of Ahsoka, “Master and Apprentice”, reveals that not much has changed for Elsbeth since she was last seen. While headed to trial for her crimes, she’s freed by Dark Jedi mercenaries Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. By the end of the second episode, “Toil and Trouble”, Elsbeth’s plan to find Thrawn by following the Path to Peridea is revealed. The first two episodes also touch on something even more sinister: Elsbeth is a descendant of the Nighsisters of Dathomir!

    Who are the Nighsisters of Dathomir?

    First introduced in Season 3, Episode 12 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Nighsisters are a clan of witches from the planet Dathomir–the same planet from which Darth Maul and Savage Oppress’ Zabrak species hailed. While neither Sith nor Jedi, the Nightsisters were adept Force users who gave little care to the duality of the Force so often chattered about in Star Wars projects. The clan was often caught up in the Sith’s plans, however, due to their powerful connection to the “magick” they wielded. Darth Sidious coveted Maul, the son of the Nightsister’s leader, Mother Talzin. Another powerful Nightsister, Asajj Ventress, became the apprentice of the fallen Jedi-turned-Sith Count Dooku before being betrayed. Upon returning to her people, Ventress was hunted down by General Grievous who massacred the Nightsisters, putting an end to their small civilization.

    The revelation that Elsbeth is a descendant of the Nightsisters instantly makes her a much larger threat than she was previously revealed to be and gives Ahsoka further room to explore different interpretations of the Force. Elsbeth is seen tapping into the familiar green magical ichor that the Nighsisters manipulate as part of their connection to the Force. Using the ichor to help power the map to Thrawn, Elsbeth speaks of finding the lost Grand Admiral among an “ancient people from a distant galaxy.” One of Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni’s favorite themes is exploring alternate explanations and understandings of the Force. It’s something he explored through not only the Nightsisters but also Bendu. Elsbeth’s connection to the Nightsisters provides an immediate reminder that while the Jedi (and thus the audience) have one very strict interpretation of the Force, it’s not the only interpretation and it seems possible–even likely–that Ahsoka is about to unveil another new take.

  • Episode 1 of ‘Ahsoka’ Featured the Surprising Return of a ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Fan Favorite

    Episode 1 of ‘Ahsoka’ Featured the Surprising Return of a ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Fan Favorite

    In the ranks of voice actors, Clancy Brown stands as a legend. Over the course of his four-decade career, Brown has voiced more popular and familiar characters than most people realize. While he may be best known for voicing Mr. Eugene H. Krabs, Brown has also dubbed as Lex Luthor, X-Men villain Mister Sinister and multiple characters in the Star Wars universe including Star Wars: The Clone Wars baddie Savage Oppress. As Ashley Eckstein fans know well, rarely do voice actors get to bring their animated characters to life; however, in the Disney Plus streaming series Ahsoka, Brown was given the opportunity to do just that.

    Episode One of Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streamer, entitled “Master and Apprentice”, saw Brown bring the character of Ryder Azadi, who he voiced on Star Wars Rebels between 2015 and 2018, to life. Once an Imperial governor of Lothal in the early years of the Empire’s reign, Azadi became a loyal supporter of revolutionaries Ephraim and Mira Bridger and was later imprisoned for his betrayal to the Empire. Later, Azadi befriended and aided their son Ezra and his Rebel friends in their efforts to liberate Lothal from the Empire’s rule.

    Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    In “Master and Apprentice”, Azadi is revealed to once again govern under the now free Lothal and is seen presiding over a ceremony in which a monument to Ezra is being dedicated. Azadi was often one of the funnier characters on the long-running animated series and Brown is given an opportunity to play up some humor in live-action as his plans to have Sabine Wren help dedicate the monument go–predictably–awry. It remains to be seen what role, if any, Azadi and Lothal may play over the rest of the 8-episode series but given the importance of the setting to the particular cast of characters at the heart of Ahsoka, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see more of the character as way to further understand what’s become of Lothal since it was last seen.

  • Episode One of ‘Ahsoka’ Features the Return of a Classic Star Wars Staple

    Episode One of ‘Ahsoka’ Features the Return of a Classic Star Wars Staple

    When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuted in 2016, it became the first Star Wars movie without the trademark opening crawl. In an interview with Variety, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy explained that the narrative crawl, which was created by Dan Perri and first appeared in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, was “indicative of what those saga films are,” and that non-saga films, like Rogue One would begin “with just the title.” Perri unloaded on Kennedy for the omission and the President took note.

    “Frankly, it is a huge mistake, because the image is so iconic and it’s so important to tens of millions, hundreds of millions of fans. I couldn’t imagine it starting without that. It’s foolish.”

    Dan Perri on omiiting the opening crawl from Rogue One

    During 2023’s Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy revealed to EW that “the crawl’s coming back” with the caveat that “the crawl is for movies.” Either Dave Filoni didn’t get the memo or he just went full honey badger because Episode 1 of Ahsoka, “Master and Apprentice”, was preceded by the traditional opening crawl, albeit with one minor difference.

    The EVIL GALACTIC EMPIRE has fallen and a NEW REPUBLIC has risen to take its place. However, sinister agents are already at work to undermine the fragile peace.

    A plot is underway to find the lost IMPERIAL GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN and bring him out of exile. Once presumed dead, rumors are spreading of Thrawn’s return which would galvanize the IMPERIAL REMNANTS and start another war.

    Former Jedi Knight AHSOKA TANO captured one of Thrawn’s allies and learned of a secret map which is vital to the enemy’s plan. Ahsoka now searches for the map as her prisoner, MORGAN ELSBETH, is transported to the New Republic for trial….

    Albeit in red text rather than the traditional yellow, Filoni’s decision to attach the crawl to the beginning of Ahsoka–and to follow it up with the traditional shot of a ship in space–makes a strong statement about how the heir to George Lucas‘ empire feels about his new series.

    Sources: Variety, THR, EW

  • REVIEW: Dave Filoni Proves to Be the Heir to the Empire in ‘Ahsoka’

    REVIEW: Dave Filoni Proves to Be the Heir to the Empire in ‘Ahsoka’

    The Filoni Ascendancy has begun. Following the sequel era of Star Wars films–an era seemingly plagued by the lack of long-term planning as to how the trilogy would unfold–fans of the franchise hoped desperately that someone would come forward and take control of whatever it was that Star Wars was to become. With the debut of Ahsoka, the next installment in Dave Filoni‘s New Republic era of stories, there’s no longer any question about who should have dominion over the franchise.

    The master and apprentice relationship is as foundational to Star Wars as nearly any other aspect. The Jedi and the Sith, for all their differences, are both beholden to the tradition of taking on apprentices, and, for quite some time, it’s been pretty clear that Dave Filoni was, in almost every way, the apprentice of George Lucas. Filoni worked closely with Lucas as he created two of Lucasfilm’s most widely beloved projects in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. And, over time, it became clear that more than maybe anyone else who had worked on Star Wars projects, Filoni truly understood what made Star Wars tick. Not EVERY episode of those series was perfect but they resonated with fans so well because they were longform narratives that more deeply explored the things fans so dearly love about Star Wars. When he made the jump to live-action with The Mandalorian, Filoni brought many of those characters with him and as he continued to dig into what Star Wars was, it started to seem as though he was coming to understand it better for himself. And again, not every choice was perfect and not every episode was for everyone but his passion for the material was built into everything he created or helped create. With Ahsoka, it seems clear that the learner has become a master.

    (L-R): Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Appropriately enough, Part One of Ahsoka is titled “Master and Apprentice.” That title is equal parts appropriate to the relationship between Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren, the relationship between Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati and Filoni’s ascendancy from apprentice to master. There’s no small irony that Filoni has staked his claim as heir to the empire in a series that will seemingly begin an adaptation of Timothy Zahn‘s beloved Thrawn novel nor is it a coincidence that Filoni’s best work to date comes with Ahsoka Tano at its center. Ahsoka is not only Filoni’s most popular creation but also the one he seems to have taken the greatest care in curating over the years. Much like wielding the Force, directing takes not only talent, but training, and is best done when the director is calm, at peace and feel the flow. Reuniting her with the cast of Star Wars Rebels has seemingly put Filoni at ease and the result–at least through the first two episodes–is peak Star Wars.

    Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    From a storytelling standpoint, Ahsoka acts and feels like a fairly straightforward continuation of the overarching plot of Star Wars Rebels. While those who haven’t watched the animated series can quickly be caught up to speed, there are enough Easter eggs, nods, references, call backs and appearances packed into the first two episodes to make devoted Rebels fans feel rewarded. Filoni’s growth within his craft as a director is evident here as he continues experimenting with shot choices and finds wonderful ways to bring familiar locations like the road to Lothal and the Communication Tower into live-action. However, it’s not only when he’s playing around with familiar characters in familiar locations that he’s at his best.

    In the past, Filoni has made it clear that many of the action sequences in Star Wars Rebels took inspiration from the Indiana Jones films and he doesn’t hesitate to go to that well again in Ahsoka. One of the opening episode’s most beautiful sequences finds Rosario Dawson’s former Jedi tomb raiding during a scene wonderfully reminiscent of Indy’s Well of Souls expedition. Paired with the very A New Hope-inspired introduction to Ray Stevenson‘s Baylan Skoll and Ivanna Sakhno’s spicy Shin Hati, Filoni demonstrates an ability to by homage to what’s come before without stealing or making it too rhymey, which was a common complaint among fans during the sequel trilogy. Imitation and creation. And Filoni is getting very, very adept at pairing those two tools to great effect.

    (Center): Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) with with New Republic Security Guards in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    It’s not all about familiarity in Ahsoka, though, as the series–specifically in the second episode directed by Steph Green–looks as though it will continue the New Republic narrative that’s so far been spun in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. “Toil and Trouble” calls back to The Mandalorian’s revelation that Imperial Loyalists have infiltrated all levels of the New Republic and that today’s good guys were probably just yesterday’s bad guys. Thematically, the episode examines the postulate of horror vacui that’s been building in the Filoni-verse series and–with a bit of shocking twist–reveals Morgan Elsbeth’s true nature and her plan to retrieve Grand Admiral Thrawn and install him atop the New Empire. By the end of the shorter second episode, it seems clear that Ahsoka is destined to be a convergence point of “what came before and what’s really possible” in the Star Wars universe, just as Filoni explained it would be.

    And just what might really be possible moving forward as Filoni grows in confidence and ability as a director is a thrilling mix of everything we always loved about Star Wars set on a new and fertile narrative landscape. The first two episodes hint strongly at Ahsoka taking the audience on a journey not only to new places but to new interpretations of long-held beliefs about the way things work in the galaxy far, far away and that’s exactly what the franchise will require to stay alive and well.