Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

Star Wars: Ahsoka is a rollicking dive into a beloved franchise - review


  • English
  • Arabic

Last week, Disney announced it was to close Lucasfilm’s Singapore VFX and animation studio after two decades because of “economic factors”. Meanwhile, its $350 million Galactic Starcruiser immersive hotel in Florida is to close in September, after customers failed to rush to stump up around $1,000 a night to role-play the life of a rebel soldier.

In cinemas, the franchise is on something of a hiatus until at least 2026, after the studio reworked its schedules following lukewarm reactions to 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

You’d be forgiven for wondering if Disney is losing faith in the magical box office qualities it saw in Star Wars when it handed $4 billion to creator George Lucas in 2012 for ownership.

From the opening seconds of Star Wars: Ahsoka, however, it’s clear that the cutbacks haven’t extended to the small screen. A big-budget spaceship looms into view, a pair of mysterious hooded figures dispatch an entire security unit, half a planet is wiped out in an FX-heavy act of mass destruction, and we’ve barely had time to settle.

Star%20Wars%3A%20Ahsoka%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Regular viewers will recognise Ahsoka from her appearances in The Mandalorian, as well as a voice-over cameo in The Rise of Skywalker, while hardcore fans will know her well from frequent appearances in the vast Star Wars animated universe.

Rosario Dawson reprises her Mandalorian role for the new series, set in roughly the same period – during the first few years of the New Republic, immediately after the defeat of the Empire at the end of Return of the Jedi.

The one-time Jedi, and Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice, now operates alone, although the series finds her reunited with her own former apprentice Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in short order, and the pair set about hunting down Grand Admiral Thrawn, a powerful Imperial commander who threatens to destroy the fragile peace the Republic has established.

Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

That’s the briefest outline of the background to Ahsoka. It’s fair to say you can lose hours studying the timelines of the sprawling Star Wars universe, but thankfully that’s not necessary to enjoy this latest instalment.

Series creators Jon Favreau, who also created The Mandalorian, and Lucasfilm’s animation chief Dave Filoni, turning his hand to live action, know exactly where the right buttons for Star Wars fans are. They don’t waste any time pressing them.

If you find the franchise can be too conservative in its use of lightsabres – perhaps the most recognisable object in the entire Star Wars universe – Ahsoka could change your mind. The Jedi order may have been destroyed several years ago, during the events of 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, but a few former Jedi survive.

Star Wars: Ahsoka starts off on a rollicking pace. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
Star Wars: Ahsoka starts off on a rollicking pace. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

Some, like Ahsoka, put their abilities to good use, helping the fledgling Republic establish itself. Others put their powers to more morally ambiguous purposes as lightsabres for hire. Unsurprisingly, the two approaches don’t sit comfortably together and we don’t have to wait long for the first unmistakable buzzing and crackling of a lightsabre duel.

Mandalorians are another firm fan favourite, ever since bounty hunter Boba Fett first suited up in 1980s The Empire Strikes Back. If you ever wondered what would happen if you gave a Mandalorian warrior Jedi powers and a lightsabre, Ahsoka has the answer: Sabine Wren, who seems a guaranteed hit with her combination of two of the franchise’s most popular tropes.

There’s much reverence for Star Wars lore on display, with Easter eggs aplenty for the devoted, while big-hitting newcomers include David Tennant as Jedi training droid Huyang and Lars Mikkelsen as the hunted Imperial admiral.

The result is a tantalising blend of some of the most-loved aspects of Star Wars’ past alongside some grade-A newcomers, all firing at a rollicking pace from the outset, and eschewing the slow burn of the last new entry to the Disney+ canon, Andor. It’s hard to see fans doing anything short of approve.

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

----

Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Coming 2 America

Directed by: Craig Brewer

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones

3/5 stars

Star%20Wars%3A%20Ahsoka%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: August 23, 2023, 7:20 AM`