I'll state right off the bat that I have never seen an episode of "Star Wars rebels," and only a handful of "The Clone Wars" episodes, so I was naturally caught a little off guard with how well received the first few episodes were amongst Star Wars fans. There's no way for me to sugar coat this, but it was painfully slow. When you take away all the fan service and the joy of seeing animated characters in live-action for the first time, it's honestly a little bit dull. Episodes 1-3 really should have been combined into one, maybe two, episodes.
I'll also throw out the fact that this feels much more like Sabine's show than Ashoka's aside from the frequent Anakin references. I wish Ashoka Tano's character was more centered in a show named after herself. That doesn't drag down the quality of the series though, at least not as a whole.
All that being said, I carried on watching because I do enjoy Star Wars and I quite like the character of Ahsoka based on my limited experience with her. And, boy oh boy. Nothing could have prepared me for how good it gets.
Episode 4 is good, for sure. It's nothing insanely special, but it was refreshing to see the show finally pick up the pace and throw us into the stakes it's seemingly promised us from Episode One. When the credits rolled, I found myself actually wanting to keep watching for a reason other than saying I watched the whole series.
Now, Episode 4 may be good, but Episode 5? I can confidently say that Episode 5 is one of the best pieces of modern Star Wars media out there. It's a perfect reminder that fan service is a perfectly valid form of storytelling when combined with genuinely good writing and direction. Yes, there's plenty of fan service to go around, that even made myself (the casual viewer) lose my mind in anticipation, but the main reason Episode 5 is so good is simply because it was well-put together. It's a beautiful piece of media that truly makes you realize how much potential "Ahsoka" has.
Now, past Episode 5, the show had its ups and downs for sure. The difference in episode quality is noticeable (it seems like Dave Filoni should have just directed them all because his are much better). That being said, while I do criticize how the show starts off slow, the fact that there are tonal inconsistencies, quality gaps, and sometimes the acting seems just a tad bit less-than, I can still say with full confidence that "Ahsoka" is ended up being a spectacular watch.
My advice? Push yourself threw the first three episodes and forgive your lack of past knowledge, if you have my same inexperience with these characters.
I promise you it's worth it.
I'll also throw out the fact that this feels much more like Sabine's show than Ashoka's aside from the frequent Anakin references. I wish Ashoka Tano's character was more centered in a show named after herself. That doesn't drag down the quality of the series though, at least not as a whole.
All that being said, I carried on watching because I do enjoy Star Wars and I quite like the character of Ahsoka based on my limited experience with her. And, boy oh boy. Nothing could have prepared me for how good it gets.
Episode 4 is good, for sure. It's nothing insanely special, but it was refreshing to see the show finally pick up the pace and throw us into the stakes it's seemingly promised us from Episode One. When the credits rolled, I found myself actually wanting to keep watching for a reason other than saying I watched the whole series.
Now, Episode 4 may be good, but Episode 5? I can confidently say that Episode 5 is one of the best pieces of modern Star Wars media out there. It's a perfect reminder that fan service is a perfectly valid form of storytelling when combined with genuinely good writing and direction. Yes, there's plenty of fan service to go around, that even made myself (the casual viewer) lose my mind in anticipation, but the main reason Episode 5 is so good is simply because it was well-put together. It's a beautiful piece of media that truly makes you realize how much potential "Ahsoka" has.
Now, past Episode 5, the show had its ups and downs for sure. The difference in episode quality is noticeable (it seems like Dave Filoni should have just directed them all because his are much better). That being said, while I do criticize how the show starts off slow, the fact that there are tonal inconsistencies, quality gaps, and sometimes the acting seems just a tad bit less-than, I can still say with full confidence that "Ahsoka" is ended up being a spectacular watch.
My advice? Push yourself threw the first three episodes and forgive your lack of past knowledge, if you have my same inexperience with these characters.
I promise you it's worth it.