Television Star Wars: Ahsoka (Disney+) OUT NOW! - Discussion Thread

[GoldenTongue]

19 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

That being said, the constant focus on ancient thing solves modern problem/mystery is something that should definitely stop happening. What doesn't scan is why/how were these intergalactic hyperspace lanes lost, and when? Star Wars does imply that lots have been lost over millenia but who knows. 

I can agree that the map trope is a bit tiresome, but by the same token, I feel like the need for satisfactory explanations about how those hyperspace lanes were lost might require even more exposition that, in all honesty, most viewers wouldn't really care about.  

 

There's quite a bit of info out there in the SW universe that speaks to that to some extent (the more recent Thrawn novels discuss it to some extent), but that line of thinking only furthers the (somewhat legitimate) criticism of how Filoni is "Marvelizing" Star Wars, making each series less able to stand alone without having some degree of background information.

And I'm really not sure how well he's succeeding with that with Ahsoka.  I'm really enjoying it, but I know that a lot of what's engaging me is fan service (Rebels S5, KotOR easter egg references, etc.), and I can completely understand how/why some feel as though the show isn't as tight as it could be, with more than a little narrative sprawl that feels out of place.

[Greatoneshere]

44 minutes ago, GoldenTongue said:

I can agree that the map trope is a bit tiresome, but by the same token, I feel like the need for satisfactory explanations about how those hyperspace lanes were lost might require even more exposition that, in all honesty, most viewers wouldn't really care about.  

 

There's quite a bit of info out there in the SW universe that speaks to that to some extent (the more recent Thrawn novels discuss it to some extent), but that line of thinking only furthers the (somewhat legitimate) criticism of how Filoni is "Marvelizing" Star Wars, making each series less able to stand alone without having some degree of background information.

And I'm really not sure how well he's succeeding with that with Ahsoka.  I'm really enjoying it, but I know that a lot of what's engaging me is fan service (Rebels S5, KotOR easter egg references, etc.), and I can completely understand how/why some feel as though the show isn't as tight as it could be, with more than a little narrative sprawl that feels out of place.

 

Yeah, I agree with all of this (nice to see you pop in GT!). I'd argue the plot from the jump should just be written an entirely different way to avoid the ancient map balls and such altogether. This is the story as presented, but it never needed to be written with this approach to begin with, there were a lot of ways to go. Ancient map balls from lost civilizations of lost hyperspace lanes built on migratory hyperspace jumps by organic beings we can't communicate with that are hard to track and find all just seems a bit much. Feels like there were simpler, cleaner ways to write finding Thrawn and Ezra.

 

But hey, it makes more sense than how Rey and all had to find Palpatine in Rise of Skywalker (a quest run that makes no sense upon reflection) so at least this isn't that.  

[Reputator]

1 hour ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

Yeah, I agree with all of this (nice to see you pop in GT!). I'd argue the plot from the jump should just be written an entirely different way to avoid the ancient map balls and such altogether. This is the story as presented, but it never needed to be written with this approach to begin with, there were a lot of ways to go. Ancient map balls from lost civilizations of lost hyperspace lanes built on migratory hyperspace jumps by organic beings we can't communicate with that are hard to track and find all just seems a bit much. Feels like there were simpler, cleaner ways to write finding Thrawn and Ezra.

 

But hey, it makes more sense than how Rey and all had to find Palpatine in Rise of Skywalker (a quest run that makes no sense upon reflection) so at least this isn't that.  

 

Listen, that Death Star II debris was fated to land in the water that way!

 

[Massdriver]

I haven't watched Rebels, so I'll let you all know what I think when I finally start this, maps or no maps. 

[Kal-El814]

Expecting Star Wars to make sense beyond the vibes and character motivations has been vain since the first movie insisted that only Imperial Stormtroopers are accurate enough to fuck up Jawas then showing their aim is so fucking bad they can't hit Han, Leia, or Luke when they're within 15 feet. Then in Andor they absolutely dunk on people who aren't protected by plot armor. This is just Star Wars and always has been. Maps don't make sense, who lives and dies to seemingly identical injuries is a matter of what the plot needs only, etc.

 

Yes these things are executed with more or less care at certain points in time and in certain stories, but it's never coherent.

[cusideabelincoln]

On 8/30/2023 at 9:49 PM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

I thought this was a pretty interesting analysis as to why maps play such an important role in the Star Wars universe:

 

Why Is Star Wars So Obsessed With Maps?

GIZMODO.COM

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Ahsoka puts heroes and villains alike on a quest for cartography in its premiere. But why has contemporary Star Wars storytelling made this trope so crucial?

 

 

This builds off the notion that the vast majority of the inhabitants of the universe could very well be functionally illiterate:

 

Most Citizens of the Star Wars Galaxy are Probably Totally Illiterate | Tor.com

WWW.TOR.COM

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Not once in any Star Wars movie does someone pick up a book or newspaper, magazine, literary journal, or chapbook handmade by an aspiring Jawa poet. If something is read by someone in Star Wars, it…

 

 

Why do we need to know things when my droid Siri/Alexa/Google can do it for me?

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I have to occasionally remind myself that the location isn't in the Unknown Regions (where the Chiss Ascendancy, Exegol, and Ahch-To are located) which are considered part of the "known" galaxy but rather is located in a completely different galaxy entirely.

 

I decided to go down a Star Wars lore rabbit hole to find out if we've seen any locations that are confirmed to be external to the "known" galaxy and it turns out that we have as Kamino and its system is considered to be an "extragalactic" location!

[Greatoneshere]

7 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

I have to occasionally remind myself that the location isn't in the Unknown Regions (where the Chiss Ascendancy, Exegol, and Ahch-To are located) which are considered part of the "known" galaxy but rather is located in a completely different galaxy entirely.

 

I decided to go down a Star Wars lore rabbit hole to find out if we've seen any locations that are confirmed to be external to the "known" galaxy and it turns out that we have as Kamino and its system is considered to be an "extragalactic" location!

 

Yeah I've never felt to confident with Star Wars' use of astronomical terms, etc. I never got the sense Star Wars took place literally in one galaxy but at the same time it's never made a point to call out when it's going to other galaxies so it's surprising Kamino is in a different galaxy. Not a different star system but an entirely different galaxy is an order of magnitude bigger in terms of star travel. When Kamino shows up in Attack of the Clones they don't really call attention to it, though it is fair to point out Obi-Wan was using a starfighter version of the hyperspace ring that is being used now in Ahsoka. So I start to wonder how much of the main galaxy has been explored and how many other galaxies have been? Is it a big deal in Star Wars or not? Hard to say. 

 

Are the Unknown Regions part of the same galaxy Coruscant, Tatooine, et. al. are in then? See, I always assumed the Unknown Regions were extra-galactic given how Star Wars presents how "unknown" they are. It seems weird to have unknown parts of your own galaxy before knowing anything about other galaxies.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

23 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

Are the Unknown Regions part of the same galaxy Coruscant, Tatooine, et. al. are in then? See, I always assumed the Unknown Regions were extra-galactic given how Star Wars presents how "unknown" they are. It seems weird to have unknown parts of your own galaxy before knowing anything about other galaxies.

 

Yes, the Unknown Regions are part of the same galaxy as those planets.  It's called the Unknown Regions because while its borders are known, what's inside of those borders is largely unknown.

 

"Wild Space" is the name given to the area that's completely unmapped beyond the Outer Rim.

 

[Kal-El814]

20 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Yes, the Unknown Regions are part of the same galaxy as those planets.  It's called the Unknown Regions because while its borders are known, what's inside of those borders is largely unknown.

 

"Wild Space" is the name given to the area that's completely unmapped beyond the Outer Rim.

 

 

I recognize that map from the FFG Star Wars RPG series! A fun system if I do say so.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 minute ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

I recognize that map from the FFG Star Wars RPG series! A fun system if I do say so.

 

That's exactly where it's from!

 

I gotta say that tonight's episode was as close to "Maximum Star Wars" as you're gonna get minus a big-ass space battle.

 

I do get the sense that whatever Baylan Skoll and Morgan Elsbeth are looking to get out of Thrawn, it probably doesn't involve the re-establishment of the Empire.  It's something else entirely.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

On 8/30/2023 at 12:30 PM, Greatoneshere said:

Well, it's pretty clear that Marrok (the sub-villain with a mask on and a distorted voice wielding an Inquisitor lightsaber) is clearly important and not just a lackey

 

From tonight's episode:

Spoiler

OLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 hour ago, Greatoneshere said:

I never got the sense Star Wars took place literally in one galaxy but at the same time it's never made a point to call out when it's going to other galaxies so it's surprising Kamino is in a different galaxy. Not a different star system but an entirely different galaxy is an order of magnitude bigger in terms of star travel. 

 

Just to clarify, it doesn't seem that the Kamino system is actually located in another galaxy.  The system is extragalactic in the sense that it lies outside the borders of the known galaxy, but not necessarily within the borders of another galaxy.  The Kamino system appears to be located within the "Wild Space" area.

[Kal-El814]

6 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Just to clarify, it doesn't seem that the Kamino system is actually located in another galaxy.  The system is extragalactic in the sense that it lies outside the borders of the known galaxy, but not necessarily within the borders of another galaxy.  The Kamino system appears to be located within the "Wild Space" area.

 

Kamino is way up (or down, I can't recall) on the z axis compared to almost everything else in the galaxy. Not that the galaxy is "flat," anyway but Kamino is out there. Part of why the whole clone army plot was secret.

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

From tonight's episode:

  Reveal hidden contents

OLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

 

 

So . . . 

 

Spoiler

LOL looks like Marrok was just some scrub sub-villain with a mask for the stunt guy, kind of weird and random to have bothered to have the character at all. Also, what was Marrok? There was an exploding hiss and black smoke coming out of the breastplate and screams and that was it. 

 

1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Just to clarify, it doesn't seem that the Kamino system is actually located in another galaxy.  The system is extragalactic in the sense that it lies outside the borders of the known galaxy, but not necessarily within the borders of another galaxy.  The Kamino system appears to be located within the "Wild Space" area.

 

That helps make it make more sense - is this the case with where Thrawn and Ezra may be? Not extragalactic but in either "Wild Space" or the "Unknown Regions" or something along those lines? Has Star Wars ever actually left the galaxy to go to another one? The galaxy of Star Wars seems in look to emulate our Milky Way Galaxy. 

[johnny]

complaining about maps: 2/10 elbows too pointy vibes 

 

marking out over this episode: very cool! not a weirdo. enjoyer of things that are fun 

[jinx8402]

6 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

So . . . 

 

  Hide contents

LOL looks like Marrok was just some scrub sub-villain with a mask for the stunt guy, kind of weird and random to have bothered to have the character at all. Also, what was Marrok? There was an exploding hiss and black smoke coming out of the breastplate and screams and that was it. 

 

 

That helps make it make more sense - is this the case with where Thrawn and Ezra may be? Not extragalactic but in either "Wild Space" or the "Unknown Regions" or something along those lines? Has Star Wars ever actually left the galaxy to go to another one? The galaxy of Star Wars seems in look to emulate our Milky Way Galaxy. 

Thrawn and Ezra are in a different galaxy all together. When they use the map it shows two different galaxies, the line points between the path between both that they need to take from their galaxy to where thrawn is.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

2 hours ago, jinx8402 said:

Thrawn and Ezra are in a different galaxy all together. When they use the map it shows two different galaxies, the line points between the path between both that they need to take from their galaxy to where thrawn is.

 

Yup - this is absolutely the case!  Hence, the reason why they need to use "intergalactic" (as opposed to the usual "intragalactic") hyperspace lanes to get there!

 

9 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

So . . . 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

LOL looks like Marrok was just some scrub sub-villain with a mask for the stunt guy, kind of weird and random to have bothered to have the character at all. Also, what was Marrok? There was an exploding hiss and black smoke coming out of the breastplate and screams and that was it. 

 

Regarding Marrok,

 

Spoiler

I'm just gonna put him down as nothing more than a product of Nightsister/Dathomir Dark Side magic.

 

[69los]

The more I see of Baylan, the more I miss Ray Stevenson. I like him so much in this.

[Greatoneshere]

4 hours ago, jinx8402 said:

Thrawn and Ezra are in a different galaxy all together. When they use the map it shows two different galaxies, the line points between the path between both that they need to take from their galaxy to where thrawn is.

 

Yeah, that's definitely what it looked like - but is that the first time in Star Wars we've truly left the galaxy?

 

2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

Regarding Marrok,

 

  Hide contents

I'm just gonna put him down as nothing more than a product of Nightsister/Dathomir Dark Side magic.

 

 

I think that's a really good guess! Someone probably raised from the dead - makes sense.

 

1 hour ago, 69los said:

The more I see of Baylan, the more I miss Ray Stevenson. I like him so much in this.

 

Yeah, agreed completely. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

28 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

Yeah, that's definitely what it looked like - but is that the first time in Star Wars we've truly left the galaxy?

 

It would be the first time that we've ventured significantly out of the "known" galaxy, further than Kamino's relatively short external distance outside the borders.

[Greatoneshere]

4 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

It would be the first time that we've ventured significantly out of the "known" galaxy, further than Kamino's relatively short external distance outside the borders.

 

That's what I thought, so I imagine traveling here is an incredibly big deal (or should be) for Star Wars. It'll be interesting to see how its portrayed. Also Baylan mentioned that Sabine's Master (Ahsoka, I presume) got Sabine's "family" killed on Mandalore in the past, thus Ahsoka not keeping her "promise" to Sabine. Was this something from Star Wars Rebels or is this hinting at the fallout that occurred between Ahsoka and Sabine off-screen between Rebels and now when they were master and padawan? I only ask because Baylan saying "Master" made me think it had to be during when Ahsoka was Sabine's master, which never happened in Rebels. But maybe he was just speaking in a certain manner. What was up there?

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 hour ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

That's what I thought, so I imagine traveling here is an incredibly big deal (or should be) for Star Wars. It'll be interesting to see how its portrayed. Also Baylan mentioned that Sabine's Master (Ahsoka, I presume) got Sabine's "family" killed on Mandalore in the past, thus Ahsoka not keeping her "promise" to Sabine. Was this something from Star Wars Rebels or is this hinting at the fallout that occurred between Ahsoka and Sabine off-screen between Rebels and now when they were master and padawan? I only ask because Baylan saying "Master" made me think it had to be during when Ahsoka was Sabine's master, which never happened in Rebels. But maybe he was just speaking in a certain manner. What was up there?

 

Someone with better recollection than I have could provide a more accurate response (@Reputator? @69los?), but I believe that the events that Baylan is referencing occurred post-Rebels.

[CayceG]

34 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Someone with better recollection than I have could provide a more accurate response (@Reputator? @69los?), but I believe that the events that Baylan is referencing occurred post-Rebels.

 

Exactly. 

 

Baylan referred to something we haven't seen. But we know that between the end of Rebels/Return of the Jedi and when this takes place, an independent Mandalore is retaken by the Empire (Moff Gideon, defeating Bo Katan Kryze), then absolutely annihilated. Because of Ahsoka's history helping Bo Katan retake Mandalore from Maul, and Sabine helping her family (and Bo Katan) reunite and retake Mandalore, it would have been easy for Sabine to assume that Ahsoka would back her up. 

 

And as this episode hinted, sometimes you have to believe in Doing The Right Thing even when you're so emotionally close to it. That lesson was apparently one Ahsoka learned when she abandoned retaking Mandalore with Sabine in the event Baylan referred to. Whether or not it's the correct lesson is yet to be seen. 

 

 

 

 

I loved the recent episode. Lots of good advancement in plot and revealing of character. Baylan as a villain is so so so good. The way he handled that lightsaber was like he was an Arthurian knight fighting with a broadsword. 

[Greatoneshere]

2 hours ago, CayceG said:

Baylan referred to something we haven't seen. But we know that between the end of Rebels/Return of the Jedi and when this takes place, an independent Mandalore is retaken by the Empire (Moff Gideon, defeating Bo Katan Kryze), then absolutely annihilated. Because of Ahsoka's history helping Bo Katan retake Mandalore from Maul, and Sabine helping her family (and Bo Katan) reunite and retake Mandalore, it would have been easy for Sabine to assume that Ahsoka would back her up. 

 

And as this episode hinted, sometimes you have to believe in Doing The Right Thing even when you're so emotionally close to it. That lesson was apparently one Ahsoka learned when she abandoned retaking Mandalore with Sabine in the event Baylan referred to. Whether or not it's the correct lesson is yet to be seen. 

 

Ah, that makes sense. It'll be interesting to get further elaboration on this then in the show.

[CayceG]

9 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

Ah, that makes sense. It'll be interesting to get further elaboration on this then in the show.

 

Yep. We're all in this together. 

 

That's why I'm glad they're treating it like its own thing. Knowing the backstory is definitely great for understanding the characters and catching more subtle things, but calling back to things completely new really is a good way of keeping new viewers engaged. 

[Jwheel86]

Didn't Disney massively shrink the original canon galaxy? I recall something about 1,000 sectors each with 50 systems in the original. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 hour ago, Jwheel86 said:

Didn't Disney massively shrink the original canon galaxy? I recall something about 1,000 sectors each with 50 systems in the original. 

 

They sure did!

 

[Reputator]

11 hours ago, 69los said:

The more I see of Baylan, the more I miss Ray Stevenson. I like him so much in this.

 

I haven't seen his work but he is a GREAT villain here. He steals the scenes he's in, frankly.

 

  

7 hours ago, CayceG said:

I loved the recent episode. Lots of good advancement in plot and revealing of character. Baylan as a villain is so so so good. The way he handled that lightsaber was like he was an Arthurian knight fighting with a broadsword. 

 

Yeah I really like that aspect too. I noticed his pauldrons look like crudely hammered iron as well. He's very knightly.

[69los]

3 hours ago, Reputator said:

 

I haven't seen his work but he is a GREAT villain here. He steals the scenes he's in, frankly.

 

 

 

He was definitely a fan-favorite in Rome.

[SoberChef]

Ray Stevenson's non-spoken job WAS to steal every scene he happened to be in front of a camera for. Not only did he succeed, but damn near solidified HOW to be such a tremendously perfect scene stealer!

[brucoe]

Does anyone else wonder about the logic of a general going on a battle mission with a squad of tie fighters AND she brings her son for a joyride?

[Kal-El814]

8 minutes ago, brucoe said:

Does anyone else wonder about the logic of a general going on a battle mission with a squad of tie fighters AND she brings her son for a joyride?

 

Plot armor has an AC of 10,000,000, he’ll be fine.

[Reputator]

28 minutes ago, brucoe said:

Does anyone else wonder about the logic of a general going on a battle mission with a squad of tie fighters AND she brings her son for a joyride?

 

Not as much as I question the logic of your typing.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Disney is Bringing Star Wars: Ahsoka to Theaters

GIZMODO.COM

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Episode five of the Star Wars miniseries is apparently so big and important, Disney thinks it should be seen on the big screen.

 

 

Quote

As revealed earlier in the week, Disney’s holding screenings across various theaters in the US for fans to watch the upcoming episode at its regular Tuesday night time with other members of their local Star Wars community. Checking Gofobo, such theaters are affiliates of AMC and stationed in big cities like Chicago, Seattle, and Dallas. For international audiences, screenings will be held in the UK (London), Thailand (Bangkok), and Brazil (Sao Paolo). For those who plan on going, it’s definitely advised you get there early—screenings like this are first come, first serve, so it’d be best to show up at least an hour earlier (or maybe a little more).