Star Wars Ahsoka – Part Three: Time to Fly review S1 E3
It’s wild how much Ahsoka just feels like classic Star Wars. Maybe wild is the wrong word. Writer/Creator Dave Filoni gets what makes Star Wars — Star Wars on a deeper level than anyone this side of George Lucas. Time to Fly was another fun installment of Ahsoka even if it (ahem) flew by way too quick.
Ahsoka got in some long overdue Jedi training with Sabine complete with the visor training and Star Wars/A New Hope shout out with Sabine asking how she’s supposed to see with the visor down. You can call it fan service, I call it Filoni continually reinforcing that Ahsoka is part of the Lucas Star Wars family tree branch.
I’m still not sold on Sabine needing to be a Jedi — she was already an awesome character as the graffiti-tagging Mandalorian member of the Rebels crew. But Filoni is doing what’s missing in too many modern hero’s journey’s tales — he’s making Sabine earn it. She makes mistakes, the training is hard and she’s not feeling a true connection to the Force even for something as simple as moving a cup.
This makes Sabine’s eventual Jedi-level ascension far more meaningful than if it all came together with little effort. And Huyang is refreshingly blunt in his assessments of Sabine’s progress.
Back at the Rebel fleet, Hera meets with Chancellor Mon Mothma (!) and some senators who had little stakes in the Galactic Civil War yet are confident they know more about the Empire and Thrawn’s threat than someone who actually was a combatant.
This exchange definitely felt like a scene straight from Rebels with Hera trying to get some assistance for the uprising effort. The know-it-all senator Xiono (Nelson Lee) just think Hera’s throwing out Thrawn’s name so she can waste Republic resources searching for Ezra.
MORE:
- McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Power Ring review
- Star Wars The Black Series Clone Wars ARC Trooper review
- Marvel Legends action figure reviews
- Gotham TV Reviews and Episode List
With that effort to aid Ahsoka and Sabine a failure, Hera gets some solace in seeing her son Jacen (Evan Whitten) with Chopper. It’s almost funny how it seems like Filoni continually draws from Expanded Universe themes with seemingly no one aware how he’s “sneaking” in these non-canon nods. Jacen wants to be a Jedi and I fill in the “like my father before me…” bit, but I can almost imagine Filoni smiling as he wrote that exchange.
Since backup isn’t coming, Ahsoka decides to drop out of hyperspace early right into an ambush from Shin, Marrock and four more fighter pilots. Director Steph Green mails the dogfight scene channeling that stellar space chase between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones as well as the obvious New Hope moments with Sabine gunning down the fighters.
Another highlight was Ahsoka climbing on the wing in space to take out a fighter. This had a Clone Wars vibe with the Jedi constantly doing larger than life moments like this seem like the norm. Morgan Elsbeth has a new weapon set up with a souped-up hyperspace ring complete with ion cannons. The tension with Morgan and Shin is interesting as if Morgan does not want to acknowledge Shin let alone give her any credit.
After some more clever flying and shooting, Ahsoka, Sabine and Huyang manage to escape their pursuers. And they encountered more of the Purrgil (whales) they last spotted the final time they saw Ezra. No further insight or clues into the identity of Marrock yet so prepare for another week of fan theories.
While Ahsoka and crew prepare to make repairs on the ship, Baylan Skoll sends his troops out to hunt them down in the forest. This ending felt slightly abrupt almost as if things were about to intensify just before the end credits began.
As much as I like the serial weekly release, Ahsoka might be more fun and play out like a highly enjoyable Star Wars movie if watched all at once.
Time to Fly didn’t ruin the show’s momentum while setting up some fun new dynamics and furthering other mysteries. If there was another gripe it would be when will someone call up Zeb to get in on this action?
Rating: 8 out of 10
Photo Credit: Disney