Ahsoka

[biostem]

5 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Chop and Hera have repeatedly proven to be a formidable opponent in whatever craft they fly.  That, and it is supposedly peacetime, and she's meeting one of the most lethal Force users in the galaxy.

Well, I was more wondering why she wasn't flying the Ghost, proper.  Appreciate all the answers, though.  😎👍

Edited August 25, 2023 by biostem

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Thoughts...

 

Spoiler

18 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Perhaps along the way, they managed to awaken the trace amount of Force that exists in her, but it would be negligible against a force user, which we've not watched.

My own theory is that she is Force Sensitive (ish) and Huyang was just goading her. With a thousand years of experience, he has plenty of knowledge of which buttons to push in padawans, and Sabine's cynicism badly masking her imposter syndrome is a big flashy red one.

 

22 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Probably few generals have their kids in tow at the office.

That would be a fun Bring Your Kids To Work Day, especially if you let them play with the concussion missi...

...oh, it's okay, I'm sure we didn't need that building. Much.

 

 

 

[Mr. Vee]

ep 3 

Spoiler

"She's on the wing."

"Yes, I see her. Shoot anywhere else and blow up the ship."

 

[Techwright]

Sorry for the delay.  I have been traveling for work, and have not had access to my usual resources. I will give a proper Techwright over-analysis on my return. 

Great episode. Not perfect as @Mr. Vee noted, but still quite enjoyable.

[Mr. Vee]

11 hours ago, Techwright said:

usual resources

 

imagining a tv style CSI lab with screens everywhere and a greenish tint

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

So, in the absence of m'learned coll (and having finally chewed through sixty pages of due diligence research in the real world), time to catch up with our new favourite Jedi...

Spoiler

• Thing to note in the intro: Huyang, Chop and Marrok's helm have been added to that weird StarWars icons ident. I still don't like it, but nice that it's evolving.
• Training day! Zatoichi is a fairly obvious reference... and parallels Luke's training on the Falcon.
• Anger, fear, frustration, self-doubt... the Dark Side are they. (Huyang's commentary may not be helping with that).
• Xiono seems like an asshole. But I suspect the other two senators may be more of a problem...
• First thing when comms are being jammed... Shields. Up. Always.
• Shooting where a plane or spacecraft is now ain't gonna hit where it's gonna be. So learn to anticipate...
• Huyang getting awesome lines again, especially the SOP crack. Guess he runs off mains power now because they don't make his batteries any more...
• Yeah, the wing thing is daft, but the idea is the kind of direct challenge that an impetuous young apprentice might not be able to resist. 
• Some well-timed Purgill. I think that they're more important than just a distraction - is this planet where they hatch young, or on their migration route? 
• ...yes, yes it is. Ha. I sense plots before they happen...
• Ooh, smart villains. Don't chase the good guys into the woods when there's only the two of you. This is probably where we get the big mirrored duels next week, Marrok vs Ahsoka and Shin vs Sabine. 

 

One other thing: has any Deep Nerd tried to translate any of the notes and directions of the credit maps?

Edited September 1, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

13 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

So, in the absence of m'learned coll (and having finally chewed through sixty pages of due diligence research in the real world), time to catch up with our new favourite Jedi...

  Hide contents

• Thing to note in the intro: Huyang, Chop and Marrok's helm have been added to that weird StarWars icons ident. I still don't like it, but nice that it's evolving.
• Training day! Zatoichi is a fairly obvious reference... and parallels Luke's training on the Falcon.
• Anger, fear, frustration, self-doubt... the Dark Side are they. (Huyang's commentary may not be helping with that).
• Xiono seems like an asshole. But I suspect the other two senators may be more of a problem...  I'm concerned that one or two of them might be Thrawn-sympathizer plants.
• First thing when comms are being jammed... Shields. Up. Always.  Makes sense.  I'm trying to remember if Star Wars story-making rules permit full shields in hyperspace or is it some quasi-science violation of something. 
• Shooting where a plane or spacecraft is now ain't gonna hit where it's gonna be. So learn to anticipate...  Dogfight 101
• Huyang getting awesome lines again, especially the SOP crack. Guess he runs off mains power now because they don't make his batteries any more...  He's now down to 70% original parts.
• Yeah, the wing thing is daft, but the idea is the kind of direct challenge that an impetuous young apprentice might not be able to resist. 
• Some well-timed Purgill. I think that they're more important than just a distraction - is this planet where they hatch young, or on their migration route?   I believe it is depicting this system as the purgill's origin point for the galaxy-hopping journey.  Like salmon remembering a specific river to return to.  Could one or both ends of the galactic route be spawning grounds? While we call them "whales" they also look like cephalopods, and those aren't mammals, so there's a chance they've got spawning grounds.
• ...yes, yes it is. Ha. I sense plots before they happen...
• Ooh, smart villains. Don't chase the good guys into the woods when there's only the two of you. This is probably where we get the big mirrored duels next week, Marrok vs Ahsoka and Shin vs Sabine. 

 

One other thing: has any Deep Nerd tried to translate any of the notes and directions of the credit maps?  Yes, and it's interesting.  New Rockstars' Eric Voss looked into it, and discovered enough characters that he was able to translate most.  They're a combination of well-known Star Wars planets like Lothal and Corellia and a few never-known planets.  Where it breaks down (in my opinion) is that the line work doesn't match previously published galactic maps.  Unless Disney is re-writing the galactic maps, little of the line work is accurate.  That said, I did say "little".  Some of the planets, never more than four at a time, do have a proximity to each other on the galactic map, but then another is tossed in that's nowhere near the others, not even in the same sections of the galaxy.  I'm not really sure if there's something missing.  It seems to me if they went to so much trouble to create a fictional alphabet, they'd at least follow through on the mapping.  One other note: not every map put out there completely agrees with the others, but largely they do, and discrepancies are usually only a little off.

 

14 hours ago, Mr. Vee said:

 

imagining a tv style CSI lab with screens everywhere and a greenish tint

 

Rewatching now that I'm back with the "usual resources".

 

Spoiler

1. Liked the training session.  I'm not sure we've ever seen a droid handle training before, unless you count the Jedi stun orbs as "droids", but it makes sense that Huyang not only aids younglings in preparing lightsabers, but gives them their first training experiences.  I also like the tally sticks, and how you can immediately see good and bad strikes at them.

 

2.  This episode seems to confirm something that I said earlier: that Filoni is once again re-writing how Jedi can be made.  With the release of the Original Trilogy, everyone thought that anyone could become a Jedi with the right skill training to tap into their natural connection to the Force.  Then we got the Prequels that said "Nope! Got to have midichlorians".  Now we back to "anyone with the right training can access their portion of the Force."  With the revelation that the Old Order would never accept one so low in Force connection, might this be setting us up for two schools of thought in the Jedi?  Luke representing the classical form, and Ahsoka, willing to consider alternate directions such as training those with standard (or possibly very weak) connections to the Force.

 

3. If you look at the entirely of Mon Mothma's story to-date, she's something of a tragic figure.  She's more inclined to sit on her hands and wait for the perfect moment, than to act and adjust for flaws along the way.  Time and again she holds back resources, only rarely allowing aid, and then only sending a fraction of what was needed.  She's not unlike the real, historical General George McClellan, who built an impressive Union army, but was reluctant to smash his beautiful creation in actual combat.

 

4. Senators stating they "see no enemy" right after a gutting of a New Republic cruiser by two Dark Jedi, the aided escape of a recognized lieutenant of Thrawn, and the follow-up discovery that Corellia has an operation feeding ship parts to Thrawn's allies should be sufficient evidence to tell the senator they are far more blind than Kannan Jarris ever was.

 

5. These "buzz ships" for lack of their name are really cool to look at: sort of like kitbashing WWII fighters.  However, their weapons are seriously underpowered. So many direct hits with so minimal damage.

 

6. Huyang demanding a long, steady scan time in a highly dangerous situation after previously, impatiently pulling the plug on Sabine's research of a droid brain about to explode.

 

7. I've developed a new theory about Inquisitor Marrok.  Admittedly it's still a long shot, but Iook to it as I'm dismissove of I'm dismissive of the "It's Ezra" theory.  The tale needed to get him alive off a ship in hyperspace, then be capture alive by Thrawn's people , and converted against his will into an inquisitor is just working.  More hesitant, I still don't think it's Starkiller.  Yes his real name sounds similar to Marrok, but again, the story you'd have to weave to underpower him would cause problems with the fans.  That leaves us to find a third option, and I have a candidate:  Petro.  A classmate of the Wookie Jedi, Gungi, Petro was nearly always impulsively rash and self-serving.  We've seen two Jedi younglings survive Order 66, one of whom, Reva had become an Inquisitor.  So there's potential there for Petro's self-serving cockiness to make him vulnerable to flipping.  That gives Petro 29 years to grow up, placing him around age 40 or so.

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by Techwright

[Mr. Vee]

It could also be the old amusement park owner.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

21 hours ago, Mr. Vee said:

It could also be the old amusement park owner.

And Thrawn would have got away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling Rebels kids...

[Techwright]

I've been playing catch-up watching reaction videos to episode 3, and I've a couple of thoughts from the collective body of material.  Spoilers with spoiler references to Star Wars: Rebels:

Spoiler

1. People are shocked to see Jacen Syndulla.  Some shocked to see him in live action, others shocked to see Hera has a kid.  And these are reactors who watched the show.  One of them actually said "Oh, that's right.  Hera was pregnant at the end."  Dude, it was long past that point.  *Sad head shake*  Okay, now, what concerns me is that they've put a bug in the viewers' minds that Jacen wants to be a Jedi.  Luke is looking for students.  I hope we all can connect the dots?  This could be a huge tragedy for the Rebels family.

 

2. In stating their reasons why Marrak the Inquisitor must be Starkiller, fan reactions are citing that Marrak's name is very similar to Merrick, Starkiller's real family name.  They also cite that Sam Whitworth, the voice and face of Starkiller, is voicing Marrak (how they can tell with clipped speech and electronic growl is beyond me).  I think it fair to admit that these two points, taken together are compelling.  However, I'll still note that Marrak is woefully under-powered if he is Starkiller.  I realize they cannot place him at the levels that he demonstrates in the games, but he should at least rival Vader in power.  What we've seen so far shows him no more powerful than any of the other Inquisitors that Ahsoka fought.  He's clearly over-matched in their fight on the ship breaker dock.

 

3, I've now seen a hypothesis that Marrak is Sabine's brother, Tristan Wren.  They go on to state that he'll be the founder of the Knights of Ren.   I'm not liking this.  It seems entirely built on the similarity of names.  Where would Tristan receive force and saber training, and how would they even be aware he could be trained that way?  Sabine's training is groundbreaking apparently, based on comments by Huyang.  I'm liking the Starkiller theory better than this one.

 

4.  Marrak as clone Luke - this one gave me a slight pause.  The hypothesis states that they cloned Luke from his hand lost in The Empire Strikes Back.  I might, might just actually see a mentally tortured Vader trying to retrieve the hand and preserve it as some sick memento of a son that he wanted.  Anakin/Vader was always over-emotional regarding his family.  But it still remains (and Mando season 3 SPOILERS ahead) ... it still remain that the First Order/Empire at this point lacks a valid means of cloning.  The one means they had that did succeed was kept secret from their allies, never had a clone reach full maturity, and all involved in the operation have been ended.  The mainstream effort admitted that they were still not at a place to make a viable force-wielding clone.  (I suspect they are close, however.) Even if they succeeded, there's still the matter of training which for an adult would take months at least, if not years.  (Luke's training took about 2 dedicated years, if I recall correctly.)  Additionally, Marrak is portrayed as a head taller than Ahsoka.  Actors Mark Hamill and Rosario Dawson are the same height, 5 foot 7 inches (1.7 meters).  Dave Filoni would not be making such a height difference mistake.

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Regarding the guy in the helmet:

Spoiler

Without gainsaying The Great Filoni's talent/obsessive need for proper backstory, I'm not sure Marrok is anything other than an ex-Inquisitor, possibly with a grudge given Ahsoka's talent for offing his colleagues, a mid-level boss, and possibly a deliberate red herring to confuse the fans.

 

I suspect his plot purpose is to tie Ahsoka up long enough for the Eye Of Sion to escape and/or make Ahsoka lose one major ally during next week's mid-season cliffhanger. And while I don't think it's Sabine buying it, I think Huyang might be going to that great backup server in the sky. This leads to lots of anger, guilt, self-questioning, normal mid-hero's-journey stuff.

 

Baylan and Shin are much more interesting and enigmatic characters. Then you've got Brainy Smurf on top of that, who's going to need all the screen time he can get to brood at people for the last four eps. Stuffing yet another big reveal of a past/future/twisted clone/game character port in seems excessive - unless Baylan and Shin are the decoys (in which case, say bye to Shin, and Marrok is the actual Big Bad.)

 

In the event that Marrok really is Starkiller, I suspect he may be one of the assorted Marrek/Starkiller clones made on Kamino. The one featured in the second Unleashed game was Subject number... ah yes, 1138. Obviously.

 

But there were a bunch of other copies, many of whom Vader states went completely mad due to the imperfect cloning process and retention of Marek's memories. Vader oversaw the training of many of these clones: and if there was talent but Marek's memories were the problem, maybe he's been wiped? Which would also wipe out some of Marek's powers. Not that this would be such a bad thing from Vader's perspective, since that makes him more controllable.

 

I also have a question regarding Thrawn:

a) does he know these "allies" are coming to find him?

b) will he be entirely welcoming knowing they want to use him for their own ends?

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Regarding the guy in the helmet:

  Hide contents

Without gainsaying The Great Filoni's talent/obsessive need for proper backstory, I'm not sure Marrok is anything other than an ex-Inquisitor, possibly with a grudge given Ahsoka's talent for offing his colleagues, a mid-level boss, and possibly a deliberate red herring to confuse the fans.

 

I suspect his plot purpose is to tie Ahsoka up long enough for the Eye Of Sion to escape and/or make Ahsoka lose one major ally during next week's mid-season cliffhanger. And while I don't think it's Sabine buying it, I think Huyang might be going to that great backup server in the sky. This leads to lots of anger, guilt, self-questioning, normal mid-hero's-journey stuff.

 

Baylan and Shin are much more interesting and enigmatic characters. Then you've got Brainy Smurf on top of that, who's going to need all the screen time he can get to brood at people for the last four eps. Stuffing yet another big reveal of a past/future/twisted clone/game character port in seems excessive - unless Baylan and Shin are the decoys (in which case, say bye to Shin, and Marrok is the actual Big Bad.)

 

In the event that Marrok really is Starkiller, I suspect he may be one of the assorted Marrek/Starkiller clones made on Kamino. The one featured in the second Unleashed game was Subject number... ah yes, 1138. Obviously.

 

But there were a bunch of other copies, many of whom Vader states went completely mad due to the imperfect cloning process and retention of Marek's memories. Vader oversaw the training of many of these clones: and if there was talent but Marek's memories were the problem, maybe he's been wiped? Which would also wipe out some of Marek's powers. Not that this would be such a bad thing from Vader's perspective, since that makes him more controllable.

 

I also have a question regarding Thrawn:

a) does he know these "allies" are coming to find him?

b) will he be entirely welcoming knowing they want to use him for their own ends?

 

 

Responses:

Spoiler

It's very good to bring a bit of gravity to the speculation on Marrok.  Yes, you're quite right: he may be nothing more than just another inquisitor.  If that is the outcome, I'll be fine with it.  I do find some suggestions that point elsewise, starting with:  why isn't he just a number then?  With all the other inquisitors, they begin with a number and we gradually learn their backstory and names.  Sometimes not even those. 

 

I truly hope Huyang will not be permanently destroyed.  Now that we have him in live action, we could see him for ages to come. Tennant could be voicing him until David was as old as Bendu, or at least Tom Baker.  That said, much as I hate that they are canon, he's not in the Sequel Trilogy.  I'd think he'd be contacted by Luke to aid with Rey if he still existed, but then that trilogy is a hash, and a hack.

 

I'd not considered a Starkiller clone.  Interesting...  though that still doesn't match up with the lack of force cloning in the canon at this point in the ABY timeline.

 

One other fan hypothesis floating around is that this Starkiller was not Vader's secret apprentice, but Sidious' secret.  One being groomed to replace Vader.  That still leaves questions, especially regarding his power.

 

Regarding your questions:

a) I suspect he does.  Morgan mentions she can feel him calling out to her.  This is something new for Thrawn.  While he was aware of the Force and its users, he was never good at controlling the outcomes involving it.  It was one of his two big weaknesses (tolerating insubordinates until too late at critical moments was his other).  Morgan's comment suggests that they established some sort of link while she was still under his direct command, perhaps something to relay information quickly or to advise him on Force matters.  The distance dials it down.  While we've been given demonstrations of potent Force use at tremendous distances, it does seem to be tied to the user's ability making distance a factor because of the user.

b) I'm not sure "entirely" is the word.  He'll definitely be welcoming, and this wouldn't be the first time he'd allow someone to "use" him while in reality, Thrawn is the manipulator.  For those who saw Rebels, I reference Agent Kallus.   While we have no guarantee that Thrawn does make it to the Star Wars galaxy again (SPOILERS from trailers:  he does make it onto the Eye of Sion) He would immediately understand his role in pulling the Empire back together.  I'm actually intrigued if that were to happen.  The series may end with Thrawn back home and being contacted by the emperor.  If so, this links the Mando-verse to the Sequels.  Thrawn is utterly loyal to Palpatine, and would see it as his duty to both shield the emperor and rebuild the empire.  I could picture him being given control of The Final Order, that massive fleet buildup that dwarfs the First Order.  Likely, though, the Filoni movie will take out Thrawn once and for all.

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Thought on your thought:

Spoiler

7 hours ago, Techwright said:

With all the other inquisitors, they begin with a number and we gradually learn their backstory and names.  Sometimes not even those. 

In which case, the act of choosing a name (or self-identifying at all) could be seen as an act of rebellion and independence. Hadn't known that when I saw Obi-Wan, but it fits Reva quite well: especially if other Inquisitors using her actual name is like chiding a rebellious child. And yes, I still get nervous when someone uses my government name on me...

 

Force cloning: depends if the Unleashed games are canon, as 1138/Starkiller Mk2 was successfully cloned from Vader's original apprentice...ish...after quite a lot of trial and error. 

 

[Techwright]

Episode 4.  My, oh my...

Spoiler

...was this ever a chunk o' fun.

 

First off, we're "treated" to a Snoke-like ending to Marrok, that is, whatever speculation around him/it didn't matter.  He's toast.   Actually that's not entirely fair.  He exploded, and I think therein lays a clue.  We know of one species that must exist in a containment suit or explode due to pressures different than their homeworld: the Skakoans.   The problem is, like Clone Wars-era Wat Tambor, their suits were bulky.  Marrok had a very slimming suit and little armor.  But the Skakoans at least establish that there are species in Star Wars for whom the pressure of other worlds is violently lethal.  Still, the mystery surrounding Marrok was tantilizing, and I fear that there are many who will make the comparison to the way Snoke and Captain Phasma were dealt out of the story with little regard to character building.  That is, unless there's a backstory that will play out in the latter half of this series.  Incidentally, this is the second inquisitor whose form has collapsed that Ahsoka has killed, and at least the third she's killed overall, with a contribution to a fourth.  She may lead the pack in inquisitor kills.  Vader had at least one, Kanan had one (and contributed to another), Maul killed two and contributed to a third, Cal Kestus has killed at least one.

 

Backing up a little, I find Huyang's lack of awareness outside the ship to be a bit sloppy.  Ahsoka had just cautioned him after sensing something.

 

I loved Sabine's fake-out displaying non-existent force-push powers to get Shin to drop her guard, then using the old Mandalorian wrist-rocket.  She definitely got Shin to break her cool, but more importantly, we may have gotten the first glimpse of what Ahsoka was telling Huyang when she said she wasn't training Sabine to be a Jedi, she was trainer her to be herself.  Effectively integrating Jedi fighting styles with her natural Mandalorian savvy sounds about right.

 

Baylan is being overly harsh and hypocritical regarding Ahsoka's death count.   I mean, he did just wipe out a big ship of it's crew.

 

Why use a hand to move a searing sphere?  Why not use, I don't know. the Force?

 

I'd have Carson Teva as wingman any day.  The man is smart and grounded.  That said, the New Rep crew continuing to move in the path of the powering up hyperspace ring was not smart.  I would have turned to the side as fast as possible.  Hera apparently didn't remember that she used a similar trick before that blew everything out of a ship's hanger deck.

 

Jacen's beginning to show Force powers.  Unless Ashoka or Ezra trains him, he's looking a lot more like a candidate for Luke's academy. I'm getting scared for the kid. 

 

And we're brought to the World Between Worlds again, but not via a door, at least one that we can see.  This suggests a hypothesis of mine that I've had for a while, but I'll preface it with a question:  have we seen Ahsoka's owl friend, Morai at all in this series?  If not, why not?  I wouldn't put it past Filoni to have the owl hidden in the background each shot like some Star Wars version of Where's Waldo.  The hypothesis is that Ahsoka not only received the gift of life from the Mortis Daughter, but she became something more in the process. What that something is, I've never quite pinned down: a developing reincarnation of the daughter? a new Mortis light-side being?  Not sure, but I'm wondering if her latest visit to the World between Worlds is due to this life-force she inherited.

 

And lastly we have Anakin.  The de-aging looks a bit rough, but I'm willing to overlook that.  Anakin was also tagged by the Mortis family.  I'm interested to see if he's here in the capacity of balance or darkness.

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Thoughts...

Spoiler

• 12 hours ago, Techwright said:

  He's toast.  

  Not just toast, man, He's Powdered Toast Man. I'm presuming the green smoke was some kind of internal atmosphere rather than his actual form (as some people who were being spoilery elsewhere posited?) Anyway, Marrok was a big ol' red herring. Chalk one up for DW on the Smug Board.

• Given what Sabine came along for, abandoning Ezra to save the galaxy is not the easiest choice.
• I like Baylan. He's a very relatable bad guy. That fear/experience line - simply put, in any op, what can screw up, will screw up... I also get a sudden feeling there could be a redemption arc for him at some point.
• Huyang doing a little foreshadowing. But he's not wrong.
• More candy: The Ghost in living colour. And also the return of Carson Teva from Mando. He gets around a lot... but losing four pilots on an unauthorised mission, even one where the unexpected happened, is going to get everyone in that crew in the brig.
• Ooh, clock wipe! More SW throwback... er... yeah, nerdy cinematic stuff. But we like.
• ...and yeah, they didn't listen to Huyang. But nice Crouching Tiger fight setup.
• Hasn't she pulled that stunt on Inquisitor propellorheads before?
• Jedi smack talk. Genteel. But still pointed. What is Baylan's ultimate plan and why does he want to use Thrawn to change the balance of power?
• Ahsoka elegant, Baylan hulling rocks and using raw power. So far, so Sithy.
• ...but Ahsoka just pulled a Force Choke/Throw... when she despaired about Ahsoka.
• Sabine folded. Or was this all part of the plan? Baylan is very insistent on keeping his promises. Was there some other meaning to Ahsoka not keeping hers?
• Did Ahsoka die and portal into the World Between Worlds? Or is she having a near-death experience?

Much candy in this episode. Including musically: can we get a yeaaaahhhh for Kevin Kiner, who previously worked on CSI:Miami, and also a little thing called Star Wars Rebels? Highly excellent beard too.

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Mr. Vee]

At least we're getting a better picture of New Republic rankings - general gets 4 cherry sucrets, ensign? gets a single nyquil, child of general gets a marked out student or corporate ID ripped off its rightful owner's lanyard.

[Techwright]

On 9/6/2023 at 11:12 AM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Thoughts...

  Hide contents

• Not just toast, man, He's Powdered Toast Man. I'm presuming the green smoke was some kind of internal atmosphere rather than his actual form (as some people who were being spoilery elsewhere posited?) Anyway, Marrok was a big ol' red herring. Chalk one up for DW on the Smug Board.  Love the Powdered Toast Man snark.  Some reactors have chimed in with their take on the destruction of Marrok, and I must admit, it is interesting.  Where I saw a dark material decompression explosion, others believe they saw Night Sister magic.  Perhaps it is my screen, but I didn't see much of any green, just dark bits.  Night Sister magic tends to be luminous green.  We saw this, admittedly in animation, with the destruction of Savage Opress, a luminescent green pouring from him.  I cannot dismiss this possibility for Marrok, especially referring again to the Arthurian Sir Marrok who was ensorcelled by Morgan.  The parallel there seems deliberate.

• Given what Sabine came along for, abandoning Ezra to save the galaxy is not the easiest choice.
• I like Baylan. He's a very relatable bad guy. That fear/experience line - simply put, in any op, what can screw up, will screw up... I also get a sudden feeling there could be a redemption arc for him at some point.  I'm going nuts wanting to know his back story.  What triggered his loss of faith?  If we don't get it this series, maybe it is part of the next Tales of the Jedi?
• Huyang doing a little foreshadowing. But he's not wrong.  It does begger the question as to how much time this trio spent together in the past and what they were up to, that Huyang could come to this observation.
• More candy: The Ghost in living colour. And also the return of Carson Teva from Mando. He gets around a lot... but losing four pilots on an unauthorised mission, even one where the unexpected happened, is going to get everyone in that crew in the brig. Three pilots, actually.  Minor detail, except to the pilot who escaped destruction.
• Ooh, clock wipe! More SW throwback... er... yeah, nerdy cinematic stuff. But we like.
• ...and yeah, they didn't listen to Huyang. But nice Crouching Tiger fight setup.
• Hasn't she pulled that stunt on Inquisitor propellorheads before?  Not exactly, but she is a master at figuring out when to strike against the helicopter.  Last time she destroyed an Inquisitor (at least that we currently know of) she reached into the center and grabbed the handle, turning off the blades and bringing it to her control.  Ultimately, the Inquisitor sabers are weapons of terror.  They're designed to cause terror and loss of focus.  You'll notice Marrok deliberately thrust the weapon forward and goes through all kinds of drama to display the weapon.  He's running through a routine that terrified others.  However, the ring has been proven a big vulnerable spot and several inquisitors have failed because of it.  Kanan, for example, figure this out and thrust two sabers in the middle, tearing it apart.
• Jedi smack talk. Genteel. But still pointed. What is Baylan's ultimate plan and why does he want to use Thrawn to change the balance of power?  Good question.  I don't know the depths of that plan, but I strongly suspect there's a desire to rebuild the Order to his specifications.  It's possibly why he bemoaned the order to kill Ahsoka.  Perhaps he was hoping they were similar enough that he could turn her to aiding him.
• Ahsoka elegant, Baylan hulling rocks and using raw power. So far, so Sithy.
• ...but Ahsoka just pulled a Force Choke/Throw... when she despaired about Ahsoka.
• Sabine folded. Or was this all part of the plan? Baylan is very insistent on keeping his promises. Was there some other meaning to Ahsoka not keeping hers?  Well, we've seen it often in Star Wars that the Force has a plan, and will often use a defeat to propel its will forward towards an ultimate victory.  As to Ahsoka, I'm very interested to learn what transpired between her and Sabine at the moment of the Night of a Thousand Tears, something that Baylan considers Sabine was in the right and Ahsoka was in the wrong, to the point of the destruction of House Wren, and possibly all of Mandalore due to her actions.  Perhaps that is why Baylan keeps referring to Ahsoka as a willing killer, something that seems entirely counter to Ahsoka's nature as we know it so far.
• Did Ahsoka die and portal into the World Between Worlds? Or is she having a near-death experience?  Or did her special nature move her to the WBW?  There's one fan theory out there, that with the essence of the Mortis Daughter in her Ahsoka can never truly die, at least not easily.  I believe we've now seen her "die" three times: on the Mortis homeworld (save by the Daughter), her fight against Vader (changed by Ezra), and now this.  Each time being touched by Mortis or World Between Worlds, which Rebels drew a connection between.

Much candy in this episode. Including musically: can we get a yeaaaahhhh for Kevin Kiner, who previously worked on CSI:Miami, and also a little thing called Star Wars Rebels? Highly excellent beard too.  Do you refer to Baylan?  If so, yes.  Wish I could grow one that impressive, but I've too fine a hair for that.

 

Responses in orange.

 

One other note:

Spoiler

Why the Vader music with the appearance of Anakin?  Is it truly Anakin, or Vader, or...?  You know the Mortis Son is still out there, and I believe he actually impersonated Anakin once.  I've always wondered if Ahsoka's ultimate fate was to balance him (again referencing the Daughter's essence in her) and probably destroy him, taking herself in the process.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Techwright

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Spoiler

11 hours ago, Techwright said:

Why the Vader music with the appearance of Anakin?  Is it truly Anakin, or Vader, or...?  You know the Mortis Son is still out there, and I believe he actually impersonated Anakin once.  I've always wondered if Ahsoka's ultimate fate was to balance him (again referencing the Daughter's essence in her) and probably destroy him, taking herself in the process.

For the draaamaaa, dahlink.

 

Right now, we don't know if that's Anakin's actual Force Ghost, someone impersonating him, or a comforting vision as Ahsoka's brain fights for life or drifts into peace. But it's exactly the right foreboding music that you need for your mid-season cliffhanger. Though both literally and metaphorically, she already went off it... how does she get back up?

 

Re: explodey boy. It's quite hard to see, but the cloud appears very dark green on my screen and there's an audible, unnatural squeal as it leaves. Whether or not that means anything, I leave to unnumbered legions of Redditors  and reactors to debate for years to come. 

 

From both the plot and Force points, Sabine is exactly where she needs to be. She's made the jump across to where Ezra is. And I do wonder if with one Jedi on each end, both of whom have experience traversing the WBW, Ahsoka might be able to take a short cut.

 

Sabine also knows Brainy Smurf. Smurfy boi respects Sabine, not just as a formidable opponent, but for her obvious intelligence and artistic ability. If he's not keen on what either Morgan or Baylan have in mind, perhaps he'll see an ally. And do bear in mind, just like you thought with Ahsoka, Morgan may have been hearing someone else calling her across the galaxies... possibly Baylan tricking her, possibly someone or something else entirely.

 

...so if Thrawn is surprised when she turns up, then we're in a whole new ball game. Perhaps a very fun one.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

11 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

  Hide contents

Sabine also knows Brainy Smurf. Smurfy boi respects Sabine, not just as a formidable opponent, but for her obvious intelligence and artistic ability. If he's not keen on what either Morgan or Baylan have in mind, perhaps he'll see an ally. And do bear in mind, just like you thought with Ahsoka, Morgan may have been hearing someone else calling her across the galaxies... possibly Baylan tricking her, possibly someone or something else entirely.  Someone...like the Mortis Son?  I know I belabor the point, but it seems exactly like something he'd do.  Plant an idea to rescue the man who would bring war back to the galaxy. The Son is basically Star Wars' version of Ares, perpetuating war and the Dark Side.  Sith are but a small fraction of his potential and hardly worth his notice.  If this is not Anakin, the Mortis Son might make sense.  He would see the last embers of his sister within Ahsoka.  The love for his sister is the only bright spot he ever demonstrated.  Of course, then he tried to manipulate her, and he'd undoubtedly try to manipulate Ahsoka.

 

...so if Thrawn is surprised when she turns up, then we're in a whole new ball game. Perhaps a very fun one.  One fan concept recently presented to me was that (hypothetically) Baylan is actually after the World Between Worlds...the "power" he spoke of to Shin.  So, beating the dead horse of the Son once again, what if this is not Anakin, but the Son, and Thrawn doesn't want to be his puppet?  The Son vs. Thrawn is the conflict I didn't know I wanted.  Everyone else on both sides aligning behind Thrawn because the stakes are so high.  Baylan...might be tempted if the Son promises access to the WBW.   Well, it's a fun idea. Probably not close, but fun.

 

Responses in orange.

[Techwright]

Episode 5

 

Great episode.  Slower pace, for the latter half, which may rankle some, but I rather liked it.  Not everything need be full-throttle turbo.

 

Spoiler

First off, I've got to say it is sooo satisfying seeing Hayden get to play Anakin the master.  This is how it should have been all along.  Parts of his performance reminded me of Matt Lantern's voice acting version.

 

The young lady playing young Ahsoka was visually a little jarring at first, but for a youngster, her acting was pretty good.  I wish they could have let her train in combat a bit more, but I have no major complaints.

 

The visuals for the Clone Wars battle were great.  Using the fog of war to create the suggestion of war all around was a great use of "less is more".  so satisfying to see the "beetle" walkers in the background.

 

Rex for the cameo win!  And we even get Tem voicing him!

 

The Siege of Mandalore was also a surprise.  Could have had a Bo Katan cameo there.  I'm guessing Katie might have been up for it. 

 

Anakin showing his Vader side, and I just realized that what we're seeing is Anakin balanced, able to draw from both sides now without succumbing.

 

Jacen showing some real force sensitivity there.  I'm really hoping that if Ahsoka survives this and the Filoni movie that they have her training Jacen, not Luke.  That is, assume Jacen accepts training.  Hera has lost her mother and her soulmate in attacks, and she's only known war with very little peace.  She does not need to lose another, and end as a tragic character.

 

Senator Organa (Leia) reference for the win!

 

I don't remember beds being along the sides of the open hallway of the Ghost right behind the cockpit.  I thought the ship only had rooms with bunks.

 

Frankly, I was surprised Ahsoka and Hera didn't hatch a scheme to get the purrgil to latch on to the fleet and drag them along to fight Thrawn.  I guess someone has got to go tell the New Republic "I told you so", or more likely face the music and be drummed out of the military.    I wonder if this means she'll drop off Carson and get to see Zeb.

 

I normally don't comment on this, but I have to say I'm loving the natural textiles the costume team gave to Ahsoka for the purrgil scenes.  It really beats the old "space costumes should look like shiny, very synthetic, uncomfortable materials"  theme of past SciFi.

 

The purrgil looked great!

 

And last, but certainly not least, the old winsome Ahsoka is back, having shed the tense version of herself in the World between Worlds! Rosario played it well.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by Techwright

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

finally back from holiday and doing some short commentings:

Spoiler

• Very solid episode, not too obstructing if you've never seen Clone Wars, but enough in there to satisfy any fans without a YouTube account or Collider column to feed.
• The Purgill helping out was flagged way in advance but still satisfying when it happened.
• Just wondering if Filoni's a LOTR fan too, with the switch from Ahsoka the Grey to Ahsoka the White. (And where I can get one of those wool cloaks. If I ever go to a con again with ludicrous airconditioning, that'd put the cos-y into cosplay.)
• Still no Brainy Smurf, not even the merest sneer. So he gets his Big Reveal next episode. 
• Solid perfs from Hayden and Rosario - and also from Ariana Greenblatt (baby Gamora in Avengers, and America Ferrara's kid in Barbie). That's both on screen, standing up to Hayden and echoing some of their shared look moments from Rebels: and on socials, telling the haters to GTFO.
• Plus of course Tennant packing as much emotion in as a measured robotic delivery will allow.
• Can't say I'm quite as enamoured of Jacen - the whole wide-eyed-wonder of the Force thing was getting a little Phantom Menac-y for my taste - but that's on the writers and director, never the child actor. I do also wonder slightly morbidly about how human/twi'lek genetics work, since Jacen has zero characteristics from mum.

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:10 AM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

finally back from holiday and doing some short commentings:

  Hide contents

• Very solid episode, not too obstructing if you've never seen Clone Wars, but enough in there to satisfy any fans without a YouTube account or Collider column to feed.
• The Purgill helping out was flagged way in advance but still satisfying when it happened.
• Just wondering if Filoni's a LOTR fan too, with the switch from Ahsoka the Grey to Ahsoka the White. (And where I can get one of those wool cloaks. If I ever go to a con again with ludicrous airconditioning, that'd put the cos-y into cosplay.)  Yes, I believe I heard/read that he is indeed a huge LotR fan.  He probably sees wargs as big, bad wolves.
• Still no Brainy Smurf, not even the merest sneer. So he gets his Big Reveal next episode. 
• Solid perfs from Hayden and Rosario - and also from Ariana Greenblatt (baby Gamora in Avengers, and America Ferrara's kid in Barbie). That's both on screen, standing up to Hayden and echoing some of their shared look moments from Rebels: and on socials, telling the haters to GTFO.
• Plus of course Tennant packing as much emotion in as a measured robotic delivery will allow.  I do hope Huyang survives all this.  To my thinking he should be the Horatio to the Jedi's Hamlet: the survivor who tells all the tales to others, in this case future generations.  As a voice actor, Tennant could do this for (hopefully) decades.
• Can't say I'm quite as enamoured of Jacen - the whole wide-eyed-wonder of the Force thing was getting a little Phantom Menac-y for my taste - but that's on the writers and director, never the child actor. I do also wonder slightly morbidly about how human/twi'lek genetics work, since Jacen has zero characteristics from mum.  Keep in mind that Jacen appears to be reared away from other children, and with a murder-bot for his playmate, so he's bound to be a bit weird socially.  Jacen actually has green hair, the pigmentation being a representation of his mother's and grandmother's skin tones.  It's not clear in live action, but in his brief animated spot, Jacen's ear tips fade to green as well.  Twi'lek are an oft-debated species: are they humanoid (similar to human, but with a different origin), are they near-human (strong human characteristics with a possible common ancestry).  I personally feel Jacen's existence is a canon demonstration that they are near-human, and have a common ancestry, likely that, in some vastly distant past, someone tinkered with human genetics and perhaps other species genetics and created the Twi'lek.  This explains their reproductive compatibility and is further backed when you realize that Twi'lek women have cones for ears, but Twi'lek males have human ears.  As the human genetics would have been the baseline, they are the dominant genes, creating Jacen's look.  (If that sounds weird, keep in mind that I only had two biology classes in high school, and most of the genetic discussion centered around legumes. )

 

Just dropping a couple of comments in the spoiler part.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

On to this week's adventure, and...

Spoiler

 

8 hours ago, Techwright said:

Yes, I believe I heard/read that he is indeed a huge LotR fan.  He probably sees wargs as big, bad wolves.

...and whaddyaknow, Sabine spends most of the episode riding one through Mordor / thinly disguised Scotland / Peridea, ancient home of the Dathomiri.

• Nice opening dialogue between Ahsoka and Huyang, especially the far far away gag.
• Side note: Tennant can indeed tell a story when he wants to.
• At last, we meet Brainy Smurf, and after all the hype and chanting... tiny bit underwhelming. (Would have quite liked Sabine to ask if he'd put on weight.) Clearly his ship and crew have seen much better days, though some seem to have been taking up his more artistic temperaments. I'm liking the first officer's helmet, which could be referencing a whole bunch of different artistic trends, from Renaissance masks to Japanese kintsugi craft of patching broken but treasured things with gold.
• Big Damn Chekhov's Gun #1: why are the Nightsisters bringing all those coffins with them back to the new galaxy? I mean, other than sentimental reasons...
• Big Damn Chekhov's Gun #2: I guessed wrong a couple of spoiler thingys ago. It's not Elspeth who's been hearing something Hellish Dark And Smells Of Onions. That's what Baylan's been after, and... dammitall, Ray, why did you have to buy it just when you nailed this role? Just that tiniest flash of the edge of madness poking out from his normal calm demeanour is enough to put the heebs into his apprentice and the audience. Beautifully played, Sir. What do we think he's up to?
• I'm gonna need a chart to figure out who's supposed to be betraying who at this point...
• Coming after Ezra at the expense of unleashing Thrawn on an unsuspecting galaxy - and whatever wyrd nasty stuff the Sisters packed in their carryon - probably ain't gonna make him too happy with Sabine. Or, for that matter, bringing Baylon and his posse down on the "Noti". Not something they'd whelk away from. See what I did... oh, never mind. 
• I'm afraid Brainy Smurf is going to be quite operational when your friends arrive. Though maybe not ready for Nu-Model Ahsoka.
• Save The Whales! (Unless the whales knew they were going to die and agreed anyway, because Circle of Life an'all that.) 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Mr. Vee]

Spoiler

I kinda liked how they paused for a moment to have a meta discussion of the canon/legends divide

 

[Techwright]

Episode 6:

 

Spoiler

Ahsoka backtracking in her nature a little during the journey.  Why does it not occur to such a master of the Force that it is the will of the Force that directs Sabine?  A certain blind Jeddah temple guard would have had something to say on the subject.

 

Okay a planet with an eons-old ring made of whalebone is remarkable in its creative design.

 

Wedge of gold shuttle is pretty cool.

 

Three Nightsister mothers with their "thread" bear a striking concept resemblance to the Greco-Roman Fates.

 

"Great Mother" is played by Claudia Black of Farscape and Stargate:SG-1 fame.

 

So Baylan not only seeks power, but somehow a power that will break the cyclical power struggle of the galaxies.  And he'll do that by finding "the beginning".  It sounds, on the surface, that he seeks another entrance to the World Between Worlds, something by which he may rewrite time and space.  But in counterpoint, if it is here, why haven't the Dathomiri found it? Or Thrawn for that matter?  And why do we get a speculation that the Dathomiri are trying to flee before a greater power?  That sounds like one of the great invader races from Legends might be on the horizon.  Very curious.

 

Really great entrance for the Chimera.

 

Considering the damage to the Chimera, that's a lot of guards that survived...unless...hmm, armor bound by what appear to be Dathomirian cloth strips. Oh, and Japanese Kintsugi. No doubt inspired by Thrawn's passion for art.

 

Thrawn's comment about Night Sisters and Jedi both playing with death and resurrection.  Thrawn pausing as if considering what parts to tell his subordinate, then stating they've had losses...are we looking at an undead army raised by the witches?

 

The howler is adorable.  I want one...and kevlar gloves if I'm going to roughhouse with him.

 

Henson creature shop outdid themselves with the little rock-backed Noti.

 

Hey, Thrawn: what's in the box(es)?

 

Red-armored bandits appear to be the Tuskan Raiders of this world.  Very interesting: close captioning at one point says the bandits are speaking the Noti language.  I wonder what the connection is?

 

Ezra doesn't know how to tame and ride a howler.  For one who is a master of animals, that is surprising.

 

Where did Ezra get the chain mail?

 

If the Nightsister originated in this galaxy, might others in the Star Wars universe come from there too, like say, little green big-eared people with force abilities?

 

I'll end by passing along a fan theory I heard:  This might not be a singluar visit to another galaxy.  The theory goes that Filoni might be creating a second Star Wars galaxy to explor in new stories, basically skirting around the Sequel Trilogy.