Every time an episode of Ahsoka lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on the fourth episode, ‘Fallen Jedi’. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Ross Hollebon
Conflict. It is a theme throughout Star Wars. Luke Skywalker senses it in Darth Vader on Endor in Return of the Jedi. Rey tells Kylo Ren she senses it in him before they enter Snoke’s throne room in The Last Jedi. Well, let’s welcome this all-encompassing theme back to the spotlight in the latest part of Ahsoka.
Sabine Wren is swimming in conflict as the thought of having to choose between potentially finding Ezra and unleashing Thrawn upon the galaxy wrestles in her mind—knowing Ahsoka is reading it from her. The Togruta master is impressing upon her to think of the bigger picture—if the map exists, Thrawn can return and wage a new war.
All mental conflict is once again buried when Ahsoka, Sabine, and rock ‘em sock ‘em Huyang dispatch Morgan Elsbeth’s attacking droids beneath their damaged ship. Moments later, as the former Jedi and the Mandalorian move closer to the enemy base, they encounter Marrok and Shin Hati. Ahsoka channels her energy into one fatal blow at Marrok, who had just completed an extravagant, pre-attack choreography before his almost simple demise.
Sabine continues to duel with Shin as Ahsoka moves toward the lights of the living half-sphere. She encounters Baylan within the glowing 3D map and the “small talk” between the experienced Force users ramps up. The bearded warrior immediately brings up Anakin Skywalker, intent on distracting and upsetting his opponent. As the verbal sparring continues, Ahsoka eventually ignites her white lightsaber in an attempt to stop the map’s coordinates from reaching The Eye of Sion hyperspace transport ring. Baylan defends his approach to assist in the return of Thrawn by calling out the need to serve a “greater good,” the title of the second canon Thrawn novel by Timothy Zahn. Their battle intensifies as laser swords crack and sizzle, and stones are magically thrust through the air.
But then it is Shin Hati, not Sabine, who reaches the henge next. Ahsoka, fearing for the loss of her friend and Padawan, gives in to hate and Force slams Baylan’s protege into a rock, knocking her unconscious and igniting a new level of power in her immediate opponent. He exploits this surge to take the upper hand and place Ahsoka between his lightsaber and the edge of the cliff. There is a glimmer of hope for Ahsoka when Sabine arrives. The newcomer gathers the deactivated map in one hand, blaster pointing at it in the other. Knowing Dave Filoni’s fascination with the storytelling from The Lord of the Rings (where he has talked about Ahsoka following a similar path to that of Gandalf, the White Wizard), there exists a critical exchange in this episode similar to that of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy story. In a similar vein to Elrond commanding Isildur to throw the Ring of Power into Mt. Doom to save Middle Earth, Ahsoka pleads with Sabine to “Destroy it [the map]!” in order to keep the galaxy safe.
Sabine’s conflict returns, and like Isildur’s Bane [the ring], she can’t destroy the map—her pathway to reunite Ezra. Instead, Baylan forces Ahsoka off the cliff, preys on Sabine’s emotions, and regains the map. The next phase of Morgan’s plan is in motion. Unfortunately, Hera Syndulla (with her son Jacen, and Chopper) in the Ghost, Carson Teva, and four more X-wing pilots arrive too late to make a difference. The Eye of Sion jumps to lightspeed, destroying two X-wings. After all of that, it is now that the greatest moment of conflict is thrust upon the audience—and Ahsoka.
She wakes in what appears to be the World Between Worlds. And then a mysterious voice, coming from someone who looks like Anakin, calls to her. And now we wait for Part 5.
Jen Sopchockchai Bankard
Hello, Snips. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.
Well, I didn’t expect to see the World Between Worlds AT ALL.
“The what?” more casual fans might ask.
While Star Wars Rebels fans should instantly recognize the ethereal star-bridge upon which Ahsoka regains consciousness as the lore-shattering addition to Star Wars canon from Season 4 Episode 13, “The World Between Worlds,” viewers who have not seen that episode will probably scratch their heads and wonder whether or not Ahsoka has gone to some kind of Jedi afterlife, where she seemingly reunites with Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, portrayed by a de-aged Hayden Christensen wearing the same outfit he wore in Revenge of the Sith. To me, the line about not expecting to see her so soon heavily implies that he’s been waiting there for her since his death and, more importantly, didn’t think she would die this young.
I never would have guessed that the World Between Worlds would make it into live action. The World Between worlds, as I understand it, is not where Jedi go when they die. It is an extra-dimensional space that contains seemingly infinite portals into different points in space and time within all of Star Wars canon. Ahsoka has has been to the World Between Worlds before in Rebels. Ezra Bridger, who seems to be the specter of this series pulled her out of her fatal duel with Darth Vader in Episodes 21 and 22 of Season 2 of Rebels, Twilight of the Apprentice; he essentially saves her life so she can reinsert herself into the timeline and live on.
Imagine a door into every moment from every Star Wars story, accessible from one place. Dave Filoni makes this exceedingly clear when Ezra first enters an ancient portal he finds on Lothal and discovers the World Between Worlds for the first time. The episode begins with a montage of voiceovers from Jedi characters throughout all of Star Wars: animated, live action, original, prequel, and sequel trilogies. All of it. What’s so beautiful about this is that Filoni strings all these quotes from past Star Wars stories together to form a new text that comments upon what Ezra is thinking and feeling at this point in the Rebels story. He also puts different branches of Star Wars in conversation with one another.
It may seem obvious, but the World Between Worlds is, above all else, a place. And that’s significant because while it may evoke similar questions or afford similar powers to time travel, it is a place where jumping through time can happen and not a vehicle or mechanism through which to move along different points of a timeline. It a space that has a singular relationship with time, able to simultaneous contain all points in time within it. I suspect that the World Between World’s highest potential is in its ability to work out loftier ideas and resolve deep-seeded emotional conflicts.
Through Hayden Christensen’s Prequel Trilogy Anakin Skywalker specifically, this live action rendition of the World Between Worlds has the potential to put several stretches of Star Wars history in conversation with one another for the sake of the emotional and/or symbolic: The Prequel Trilogy, The Clone Wars animated series, the Rebels animated series, and the Disney+ “Mando-verse.” And I use the word conversation as opposed to continuity because that, to me, is the joy of doing this. Not that it all fits together neatly, but that, for example, the juxtaposition of Yoda saying “let go of everything you feel to lose” to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith — a warning about attachment — with Rey saying to Finn, “Well seeing each other again. I believe that” — an embrace of attachment — creates a debate about what The Force is and how we should engage with it and each other.
Upon her genesis, she was defined by her Padawan relationship with Anakin. Through it all, she has been tethered to the life and death of Anakin Skywalker. Even in this episode of Ahsoka, she cannot escape him, as Baylan expertly taunts her before their duel for the map ball. He says, “Everyone in the Order knew Anakin Skywalker. Few would live to see what he became. Surely that must leave a mark. Is that why you walked away? Abandoned him?” It’s a gut punch to Ahsoka because it says out loud what she’s likely already thinking: that her departure from the Jedi Order allowed, perhaps even pushed Anakin to the Dark Side. Baylan blames Ahsoka for Vader because Ahsoka blames herself.
The writing for Baylan and the acting by Ray Stevenson was off the charts in this episode. With each line of dialogue I felt as though we got to know him better and yet still wanted to know more. And his ability to quickly sense someone’s traumatic past in order to use their guilt, shame, and longing against them was chilling. Even though he is a brand new character, I feel as though he has a rich backstory and a fully fleshed out, complicated identity. It is this self-placed guilt and shame that Ahsoka must reckon with and let go of in the World Between Worlds. The final scene with Anakin is perhaps Rosario Dawson’s best acting as Ahsoka to date. She had to run through so many emotions in such a short amount of time: disorientation, realization, hope, fear, excitement, nostalgia, and shock. Kevin Kiner’s brilliant music perfectly encapsulates Ahsoka’s unresolved issues with Anakin as well because he mixes warmer, more hopeful melodies with the imposing Vader theme. We get all the warmth of a long-awaited reunion with all the dread of the darkest, most tragic fall in Jedi history. And we are reminded in that final moment, when that iconic refrain emerges more clearly, that Ahsoka feels she played a role in Anakin’s downfall and the galaxy’s subsequent demise.
We need to untether her from the Anakin/Vader story so she can be free to move on and start a new story with Thrawn, Sabine, and the rest of the Mando-verse. She needs to resolve this inner conflict before she can address both the galactic conflict and her interpersonal conflict with Sabine. We as fans need to close the book on The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, now that we are in a part of the Star Wars timeline that occurs after Vader’s death in Return of the Jedi.
Ahsoka deserves total narrative independence; she has grown into an all-time beloved character after so many years across so many different stories. This is not to say that her long arc with Anakin and later Vader hasn’t been beautiful and fulfilling; quite the opposite, in fact. Still, I’m ready to see her step out from the shadow of her Master — step out of the canon shadows in which she has dwelled for so long.
The fact that Ahsoka cheated death twice already: once with a Mortis god’s help and once when Ezra, using a painting of the Mortis gods, opens a portal to the World Between Worlds to save Ahsoka from Vader, cannot be a coincidence. Could she be the Force equivalent of a cat with nine lives? Has she been immortal since the Mortis resurrection, able to “respawn” in the World Between Worlds? Could she be the “chosen one” now? While I know we don’t have enough evidence with which to answer any of these questions, I am utterly giddy that this episode has prompted all of them.
IF — the Anakin we see at the end of this episode is not really a manifestation of Anakin through the Force, then it could be The Son impersonating Anakin. I went back and rewatched two of the episodes of Season 3 of The Clone Wars, “Overlords” and “Alter of Mortis,” and I hadn’t remembered that The Son takes the form of Anakin’s mother, Shmi. It’s unclear what his motivation is, exactly, but he utters an important line that also applies to Ahsoka right now: “It is time you realize that your guilt does not define you, my son. You define your guilt.” Hearing this made me consider, for the first time since seeing Part Four, that perhaps what we saw was not what it seemed.
Even if this version of Anakin is genuine and not some kind of malicious deception, I think it/he could still function as a way to alleviate Ahsoka’s guilt, or at least invite her to redefine it. I personally want this to be some earnest representation of Anakin. It seems cruel to tease us with the World Between Worlds and a reunion/reconciliation between Skyguy and Snips only to snatch it away next week.
(This is condensed and edited – with permission – from Jen’s The Long Take review, which you can subscribe to here)
Dan Lo
This is normally the part where I spend a few sentences idly illustrating my thoughts on an episode in a completely unrelated context. In my first Ahsoka review, I talked about Top Gun Maverick. Last week was Red Bull Racing F1 driver Sergio Perez, who incidentally looks a little like Tom Cruise. That was totally a coincidence, I promise. This time I’ve got nothing, other than I was completely blown away by how incredible the latest episode of Ahsoka was. As soon as the credits rolled, I dragged the slider back to the beginning and immediately watched it again. I have never done that with any episode of any TV show before. Ever.
At the risk of further sounding like a crazed fan boy, Fallen Jedi is peak Disney era Star Wars as far as I’m concerned. Behind the possibly rash proclamation is a very simple reason why: My favorite aspect of the franchise is live action lightsaber duels, and in my opinion we have just seen the best ones since the prequels. Rey and Kylo Ren’s fights look a bit rough in comparison, with neither of them being master duelists. Unless I’m completely blanking, there are no duels exclusively involving energy blades in The Mandalorian or Book of Boba Fett. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan and Vader’s final duel of the series is decent on paper but a bit let down by the camerawork and editing in my opinion.
In Ahsoka, the lightsaber duels are on another level. Both the title character and Baylan Skoll are arguably past their primes, but their training stretches back to the clone wars era which means they are still lethal in battle. Marrok the former Inquisitor (in more than one sense now) isn’t as skilled, but is still fun to watch. Sabine Wren’s additional bit of training with Huyang has clearly paid off, making for a much more compelling rematch against Shin Hati. I enjoyed seeing the little details in each fight: Ahsoka has faced Marrok before and already knows he is no match for her. She does not bother discarding her cloak, and ignores Marrok’s stance change and simply waits for his attack. She wears a small smile on her face throughout much of the fight, clearly showing she has plenty of mental bandwidth to spare. In the end she makes quick work of her inferior opponent that vaguely reminds me of how Obi-Wan abruptly finishes off Maul in Twin Suns. But what’s the deal with Marrok anyway? Is he made of witchcraft, or am I missing a reference here?
Sabine and Hati are obviously not at the same level as Ahsoka but the latter is presumably trained by Skoll, making her unusually skilled for someone her age during this era. As for Sabine, well, she’s a Mandalorian. They appear evenly matched this time and while Hati has a far greater command of the Force, Sabine has an alternate set of tactics to fall back on that prove more than adequate. Seeing her seamlessly transition between completely different forms of combat is indeed an impressive sight.
And finally, we have the main showdown between Ahsoka and Skoll: Two formidable Force users from a bygone era facing off for the first time. Their duel plays out like a chess match between two grandmasters. No rash opening moves; only small measured steps to establish positional advantage, carefully responding to each other’s stance changes. When Ahsoka finally launches the first assault, it only lasts a small handful of strikes before another round of positional play resumes. It’s Skoll who attacks next and it lasts far longer, his substantial physical strength clearly on display. By this point, Skoll likely realizes that he is the superior combatant and force throws a rock at Ahsoka’s face and completely turns his back on her before the next parry. Ouch. One thing I’m not clear on: Why didn’t Ahsoka deploy her second lightsaber?
Killing off a character in the middle of their own show is quite a bold decision, to put it mildly. But Ahsoka didn’t really die, right? Here’s where my unfamiliarity with Star Wars Rebels is starting to show. I’m aware that there’s a place called the World Between Worlds, that Ezra was in it, and that he eventually made it back out. What I have no recollection of are the circumstances surrounding how he got in or out. Without doing deep research, I can only assume that means Ahsoka is somehow not dead due to her appearance there. I mean, how could she be? She is the title character. But wait, a clone wars era Anakin Skywalker is in there too. I’m also unclear about how time works in the World Between Worlds, or if it’s even supposed to exist there. Anakin seems to imply that it does, remarking that he did not expect to see her so “soon”. Is she hallucinating? Whatever is going on, closing the episode with a hint of the Imperial March does not bode particularly well.
Of course, that isn’t the only shocking event to happen. Shortly after Ahsoka’s apparent demise, Sabine surrenders to Skoll. I’m not entirely sure what happens, but Skoll appears to have used the Force to at least read Sabine’s mind. After that, it’s unclear if he is just a master manipulator and leverages knowledge about Ezra, employs some Jedi mind tricks, or a bit of both. On the other side of the coin, Sabine may have also surrendered on purpose. Ahsoka did previously declare that “If we can’t make the journey to find Ezra, then no one should”. Does going along as a prisoner fulfill that criteria? Regardless, the remaining events happen at a jolting pace. Earlier on, Hera makes an unauthorized departure with five X-Wings and they arrive in time to see Elsbeth’s giant hyperspace ring. They even lock their S foils into attack position, setting us up for an intense showdown in space. But it never comes. Elsbeth casually disregards their arrival, gives the command to engage the hyperdrive, and just like that they are gone. Yikes.
I did go back to rewatch the Ezra hologram scene from the season opener. Two phrases stand out: “As a Jedi, sometimes you have to make the decision no one else can” and “I’m counting on you to see this through“. In its original context, the two statements aren’t really connected. Ezra says the first phrase in reference to himself and his plan to defeat Thrawn, and the second is directed at Sabine. But are they related now? Is Sabine a Jedi, and therefore surrendered herself to Skoll and Hati to “make the decision no one else can” (because Ahsoka is gone) in order to “see this through”?
To bring a bit of balance to the Force, I’ll also nitpick a little: It’s weird that blasters would require cartridges of some sort. Hera thinks it’s Take Your Child to Work Day when flying off on a potentially dangerous mission. Hati and Marrok know exactly where to stand in a gigantic forest to intercept Ahsoka and Sabine, who in turn somehow don’t see them until they are about 15 feet away. Witchcraft hyperspace calculations take just long enough to allow for a few (admittedly spectacular) fight scenes. Sabine waits for Hati to regain her composure after Marrok’s death instead of just attacking her distracted opponent. Sabine’s blaster makes real-life gun noises whenever she points it at the map. Uncanny valley Anakin. Not that long of a list, but I’ll also add that there are some other cool bits of the episode that I won’t take the time to mention. This review is getting long enough as it is.
In the end, my guess is there isn’t nearly as much finality as it appears. Killing off the title character of a show just four episodes into the (first?) season seems highly implausible. While Sabine’s surrender and subsequent hyperspace departure with Elsbeth and company was unexpected, surely they will return or there wouldn’t be any point in finding Thrawn if he has no opportunity to resume causing trouble for the known galaxy. On the surface, Skoll destroying the map seems to completely dash all hopes but it only takes a bit more thought to realize that it simply prevents anyone from following them and creating further problems prior to their return. Regardless, there is no way I could have predicted the events in this episode, and the twists all happen in a fairly shocking manner. If there is anyone out there who can benefit from taking notes, this is how expectations should be subverted.
Eric Onkenhout
Fallen Jedi is not just another Disney+ Star Wars series episode. Oh, no. It’s much more than that. It’s the beginning of taking live-action Star Wars to the weird places animation took it seven years ago. And it’s bold and daring steps like this that are necessary to keep Star Wars relevant as well as consistent. Lucasfilm has never shied away from bold filmmaking, a characteristic that started with its creator. Every minute of the 40-minute episode was full of action, tension, and suspense. In four episodes, Ahsoka could arguably be the best Star Wars series to date.
Fallen Jedi opens with Huyang working on repairs on the Ghost while Sabine tries to contact Hera. After failing her attempts, Sabine goes outside to talk to Ahsoka. Ahsoka believes if they cannot find Ezra, then no one should. Rather, if leaving Thrawn out there means not finding Ezra, then that’s how it should be. Ahsoka has been through a lot and lost a lot. She is preparing herself to lose again.
Shin Hati reports to Baylon Skoll that they’ve located Ahsoka’s ship about a dozen klicks away. Skoll sends Shin, Marrok, and HK droids to find them. I love how Shin gives Morgan Elsbeth the stink eye as she walks away. Elsbeth doubts their ability to slow Ahsoka down, and it’s obvious Shin has no love for Elsbeth. That little look tells another story coming later in the series.
The relationship between Ahsoka and Sabine is so complex; there is so much history there. Some of which have yet to be revealed. Sabine and Ezra, as shown in Rebels, have been through it all as well. Exploring Sabine’s talents with Kanan as a Mandalorian or Ahsoka as a Force user has been a giant experiment for Sabine. Does she have Force talents? I don’t think so, but she does have that Mandalorian spirit. She isn’t afraid to do what she thinks she has to.
Props to the effects department for the Huyang and the HK droid fight. It was probably all motion capture, but it still looked fantastic. However, the choppiness of his movements tells me it’s robotics. Which I’d prefer, but who’s counting? Huyang has 25,000 years of experience, so it isn’t surprising that he holds his own against assassin droids. Ahsoka and Sabine come out to help, but it bugs me that neither thought to ask Huyang if he was alright after the fight.
The scene of the New Republic fleet was straight out of Return of the Jedi. I loved it! In my head, I could hear the music of the Rebel briefing. Even the Lieutenant catching up to General Syndulla reminded me of Lando and Han speaking before they left for battle. Jacen appears again in the co-pilot’s seat of the Ghost. I appreciate how he gets more and more speaking roles. It looks so cinematic when the Ghost takes off, followed by four X-wings. Carson Teva leads the squadron. I love how Hera lets Jacen pull the hyperdrive lever.
Fallen Jedi was full of kick-butt lightsaber duels between Sabine and Shin Hati, Ahsoka and Marrok, and Ahsoka and Baylon Skoll. Not only were all the duels really well done, but I loved how Ahsoka and Baylon would pause, reposition themselves, size each other up, and continue. Doing that makes the action mean more, rather than constant fighting. It tells us what each person is thinking.
Turns out Marrok wasn’t Ezra. I jest. First, how Ahsoka slashes through him resembles how Kenobi cuts down Maul. One step. One swing. Marrok then disintegrates into nothing, like the Inquisitor in Tales of the Jedi, whom Ahsoka also cut down. However, his green “mist” could hint at a connection to the Nightsisters (Morgan Elsbeth). I was a little surprised at how well Sabine did against Hati.
We learn that Baylon Skoll knew Anakin Skywalker or knew of him. As most people did. You can see regret in Skoll’s face when he realizes he’s about to duel Ahsoka. He respects her but also has his own personal goals. Skoll is not a Sith, but his opinion that one destroys to create is a very SIth way of thinking. Ray Stevenson was a big guy, and watching him wield a lightsaber is an impressive sight. Shin Hati, on the other hand, reminds me more of Darth Zannah.
After Skoll forces Ahsoka off the edge, he convinces Sabine to hand him the map by telling her he will lead her to Ezra. For a bad guy, he seemed very genuine. Sabine gives in and hands him the map, which doesn’t help Ahsoka’s cause, but I don’t think Sabine meant to hurt Ahsoka. Right now, Sabine feels hopeless and sees no other alternative. She is desperate to find Ezra.
Hera arrives with Carson, but it’s too late. Now, with the map, the hyperspace ring enters hyperspace and is long gone. Ahsoka wakes up, finds herself in the World Between Worlds, and gets a visit from her old Master, Anakin Skywalker, played by Hayden Christensen. But why the Vader theme? Hmmm…
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Ahsoka – The Guide Part 4: Fallen Jedi.
Brian Cameron and Sander De Lange discuss Fallen Jedi on this weeks Good Morning Tatooine.
Mark Mulcaster and Mark Newbold discuss Part 4 on Making Tracks Reaction Chat: Ahsoka S1 – Fallen Jedi.
- Hardcover Book
- Mann, George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 416 Pages - 11/14/2023 (Publication Date) - Random House Worlds (Publisher)
