Ahsoka has reached its halfway point. Among Disney+ Star Wars shows, the series is neither the best nor the worst. It’s closer to the overall feel of the movies than most, but it’s also a lot less creative. The show mostly exists as a continuation, if not an elevation for the animated outings. Ahsoka is also a sequel to The Mandalorian, the first proper example of the format. Its predecessor offers lessons on tone, presentation, and originality.
Is This the Way?
It is clear that Ahsoka and The Mandalorian have different goals. The Mandalorian was a bold step forward. It introduced a host of new characters, many of whom happened to look like old characters. The show was developed from the abandoned shell of James Mangold’s abandoned Boba Fett movie, which then evolved again into The Book of Boba Fett. Thankfully, the simple joy of Din Djarin and his adopted boy was more than enough to build a new series around. The Mandalorian follows the titular bounty hunter and his son across episodic adventures with an overarching story gradually filling out each season. The first season was a landmark moment for the franchise, but each follow-up introduced more of the old flaws. Its structure couldn’t be much more different from that of Ahsoka.
Where The Mandalorian is a series of compelling adventures that can start to feel like video game levels, Ahsoka is a very long movie. The former is definitely better for the structure of a TV series, but the latter is more common. Many of the Disney+ shows for Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have felt like they would’ve been better delivered as feature films. Ahsoka, in particular, borrows so many notes from the films that a movie or two would have fit well. The series has refused to break new ground so far. This isn’t to say the show cannot innovate, but it doesn’t appear to want to. The structure of The Mandalorian wouldn’t fit onto Ahsoka, even though it’s a better format for the medium. The Mandalorian paved a new path while Ahsoka ran back to the old ways.
Star Wars Has Always Borrowed
The Mandalorian is a space western. The original trilogy adapts World War II movies, samurai epics, and Flash Gordon serials. Inspiration was clearly pulled from The Searchers, the Dollars Trilogy, and Once Upon a Time In Mexico. There’s some overlap, but the distinct feel of a taciturn gunslinger can’t be ignored. Ahsoka’s live-action debut came in an episode of The Mandalorian. It’s a strikingly different outing for Din Djarin, heavily inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. That heralded in Ahsoka, which went so far as to feature Jedi training with bokken swords. Ahsoka is ostensibly trying the same trick as Mandalorian. It doubled down on samurai-esque aspects, whereas The Mandalorian favored cowboy characteristics. Though the idea is sound, its execution is lacking. The Mandalorian slowly lost elements of its presentation, while Ahsoka started without its restraint.
For all its posturing, the most important point of reference for Ahsoka is Star Wars. The Mandalorian depicted new characters, locations, and source material. Each season introduced more obvious and inconvenient references. Luke popping up is always the killing blow of a new idea. Not because there’s something wrong with him, but because it’s a badge of honor for one of these Disney+ Star Wars shows to go by without a Skywalker. Ahsoka just brought Anakin back, but it was compromised much earlier. The show is packed with “hold for applause” moments with lesser-known characters. The Mandalorian could have shown it what restraint looked like. Ahsoka watched and copied the wrong aspect.
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The Mandalorian and Ahsoka don’t have much in common. If you were to watch only those two shows, you’d get the apparently false idea that Star Wars features a tremendous and varied universe. A full accounting of the franchise places the newer series in lower regard. The Mandalorian could have been the basis for a new wave of Star Wars shows. New stories about characters living lives millions of miles away from everything we’ve all already seen. The most important lesson The Mandalorian could have taught Ahsoka fell on deaf ears the moment the show was announced.
