S01.E08: Part Eight - The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The heroes race to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn’s escape.

Season finale, dropping Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 9pm EDT/8pm CDT/7pm MDT/6pm PDT.

[chitowngirl]

I was very underwhelmed ☹️

[baldryanr]

You'd think tactical genius Thrawn would send more than just TWO TIE fighters to stop Ahsoka and friends.  He's obviously OK with leaving troops behind, so maybe use some overwhelming force?  Did he not learn the lesson from when Tarkin only sent a few fighters and subsequently got blown up by Luke?

I can't believe they just made Ezra's miraculous escape from Thrawn's ship some off-screen wizardry.  Speaking of Ezra, the man is clearly a drama queen since there was no other good reason to exit his stolen shuttle with his helmet ON.

One complete season and I still have no idea what Baylan's deal is.  Seriously, how does getting stuck in another galaxy with no obvious way home fit into his plan?

Edited October 4, 2023 by baldryanr

[paigow]

Baylan found the creepy statue ... meaning ..????? WTF!!!

Ezra stole a shuttle and NOBODY noticed??? WTF!!!

Shin has elected herself Scavenger Queen,,, of Narnia

Edited October 4, 2023 by paigow

[Sakura12]

So Sabine got Ezra home but now her and Ahsoka are trapped in a galaxy far far away. 

Although it looks like Baylon was after the Mortis gods. And I'm assuming we finally saw Morai. So Ahsoka is supposed to be there since she has the essence of the daughter.

How are they going to do a movie with people in different galaxies.

I'm happy Huyang didn't die. So there's that. 

 

[Guest]

I thought it was underwhelming as a finale but satisfying as a transitional episode. I’m excited about where they go from here. 

I loved all the callbacks to Rebels. 

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

Although it looks like Baylon was after the Mortis gods. And I'm assuming we finally saw Morai. So Ahsoka is supposed to be there since she has the essence of the daughter.

I thought the same thing. Statues of The Father and The Son. No statue of The Daughter but a Morai appearance.

I really love that they are delving into non-Jedi force users. I want to rewatch the Mortis arc of Clone Wars to see if it was the same planet. Even if it’s not there should be something there to get them back to their universe. 

The official Star Wars social media accounts are calling it the season finale. Same as the two shows that have gotten multiple seasons. The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were both labeled the finale. 

With how this one ended, I would be very surprised if there isn’t a second season planned. 

[Chyromaniac]

30 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

Did he not learn the lesson from when Tarkin only sent a few fighters and subsequently got blown up by Luke?

Thrawn was exiled to this galaxy pre-Battle of Yavin- so it probably depends on what small talk he and Morgan were up to. “Oh btw - the Death Star? Bad idea…”. Beyond that, his plan basically worked.  Those two TIEs were enough to force  Ahsoka and friends into a ground attack - and from there, the Night Troopers and Morgan provided just enough of a delay to permit his escape.  Of course, he doesn’t know about Ezra yet.  But he’s the bad guy - he can’t win everything.

Overall though, it was a bit of a drag when I realized about halfway through that we were heading for an inconclusive ending.  I’ll be happy to get more of these characters… eventually… and I see the plot values for where they all end up in this episode.  But I wish that the season as a whole didn’t end up feeling like another cog in the Favroni Wars saga.

That being said, I do think we got some good elements here.  Esfandi continues to bring an interesting vibe to Ezra- I can definitely still see the streetwise kid from Rebels in him (and hey, he always liked a helmet…), but it’s also mixed with a more mature disposition.  The Night Troopers were really well done- for me they were zombie-like enough to be scary and relentless, while still feeling like Star Wars. Otherwise I feel we did come full circle on Ahsoka and Sabine’s storylines for the season.  Sabine’s Force training kicks in at just the right moment, Ahsoka finally opens up and trusts her apprentice, and they both actually work together like they should have been doing all along.

I wish we could’ve actually learned what Baylan is doing at the Argonath, or what Shin is up to with the random raiders, or what’s up with the mystery cargo.  Mostly I just wish they would’ve told us when and in what show this was all going to be continued in - hopefully we’ll get some clarification in the coming days.

[magdalene]

I don't understand what Baylan was all about.  Obviously his story was not meant to be resolved. Good luck with the recast.

This was unsatisfying to say the least.

I had hoped for a Grogu teaser at the end.

[Fool to cry]

I knew two episodes ago they weren't going to resolve everything in the finale so I'm okay with it. We know theres the upcoming theatrical movie that all the shows are leading up to.

I hope they continue Baylan's story in animation.

Loved Ezra's interaction with Huyang. As was Chopper knowing it was him. Also disguising himself as a Stormtrooper was cool since we know he did that a lot on Rebels.

I liked seeing Anakin's Force Ghost(and that he isn't wearing the same robe as Obi-Wan's like ROTJ!)

[Cthulhudrew]

Baylan's secret plan was to get to Middle Earth using the One Hyperspace Ring, only he wasn't counting on Ahsoka the White to make the trek, too.

[thuganomics85]

Morgan:  "The Jedi can't stop us, now!"

Thrawn:  "Oh, for Christ sakes, you fool!  Have you not watched the previous nine films, the various animated series, or any of the Disney+ spin-offs?!  If there is one thing that is finite in this galaxy, it's that a ragtag group of rebels and/or Jedi are always able to find a way to stop us big bad Empire guys!  Please quit jinxing us!  You know what, forget it!  No ride home for you: go be the sacrificial lamb!"

 

 

A good enough episode on its own, but I agree it was kind of an underwhelming finale.  Mainly because it was obvious that a lot of this won't be solved until either a future film or another season, so it was just waiting to see what the cliffhangers will be.  Not too surprised that Thrawn managed to win this round (with his go to strategy of... sending various troopers to be slaughtered to by him time.  Man, he really does see everyone else as just his pawns), but I was surprised that a sizable portion of the main cast is going to be staying behind on the new planet/galaxy.  Can't see them not getting back into the fold eventually, but I wonder what is in store for them?

At least Ezra made it back and has already reunited with Hera (and Chopper!)  But there really was no reason for him to still be wearing that Stormtrooper outfit, so I'm totally choosing to believe he did that on purpose to make a grand entrance.  Classic Ezra!

Looks like Shin Hati is joining that bandit group that Sabine fought a few episodes ago?  Still wondering if she'll end up being another advisory or a reluctant ally.  Or maybe she'll be the classic "reluctant ally, who goes back to being the advisory once their needs no longer meet" instead?!

Baylan is in Middle Earth!  Okay, not really, but that did give me some Lord of the Rings vibes.  But it looks like he is sticking around too, so I guess a recast is happening.  Good luck to whoever has to tackle that role.

Will we ever get to see Wes Chatham's face as Enoch?

David Tennant's performance as Huyang really might be some of the best voice work out of the franchise.  Dude probably could have easily phoned it in and got by with his natural talents and charisma, but he didn't slum it here which I appreciate it.

Will probably need to rewatch and mull over the series for a bit, but I generally enjoyed it despite not knowing what to think going in, and thought it mainly delivered on most fronts.  I still think it will play stronger with those who saw Rebels, but I'm curious to see if non-Rebels viewers still liked it.  Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo carried the series well enough and Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a pleasant surprise here despite my initial questioning over the casting, but I think my favorites where Eman Esfandi's almost flawless performance as Ezra, Lars Mikkelsen getting to reprise Thrawn in the flesh/CGI, and especially Ray Stevenson going out on a high note by making Baylan one of the more fascinating characters in the Star Wars universe. 

Oh, and I'm enjoying the Hayden Christensen Redemption Tour.  May it never end!

[Anduin]

5 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Will probably need to rewatch and mull over the series for a bit, but I generally enjoyed it despite not knowing what to think going in, and thought it mainly delivered on most fronts.  I still think it will play stronger with those who saw Rebels, but I'm curious to see if non-Rebels viewers still liked it.

Yes. I do love the space magic side of Star Wars, and that's the biggest aspect of this show. More than the military side, and a lot more than the whole underworld/bounty hunter etc aspect. More space magic, please!

Despite the episode name being a CS Lewis reference, I see Filoni can't keep away from Tolkien. Look at Baylan, climbing up an Argonath. :) I wonder what they'll do with no more Ray Stevenson around. Gone too soon.

All in all, I really like the show. I want more, but I realise that can't be less than a year away if at all.

[Sbeetle]

It was fine, but I really think Filoni needs to tighten up his pacing in live-action. This show needed 2 more episodes to flesh things out. Plus, no hug for Hera and Ezra? That was his MOM. Ezra hugged the person he was least involved with. 

Interesting Deus Ex Sabina with The Force. 

No background at all on why Thrawn was in cahoots with the Nightsisters. And I almost feel sorry for Morgan, if we actually got any character development.

Force Ghost Anakin was expected but cheesy. 

[ApathyMonger]

1 hour ago, Anduin said:

All in all, I really like the show. I want more, but I realise that can't be less than a year away if at all.

Mando S4 was written pre-strike, so that'll likely film next year and air in 2025; Ahsoka S2, if it happens, is unlikely before 2026 at the rate they're currently putting things out.

[Anduin]

29 minutes ago, Sbeetle said:

No background at all on why Thrawn was in cahoots with the Nightsisters. And I almost feel sorry for Morgan, if we actually got any character development.

They were in the same place, and Thrawn is very much a 'work with the forces you've got' person. So he found a way to make an alliance.

28 minutes ago, ApathyMonger said:

Mando S4 was written pre-strike, so that'll likely film next year and air in 2025; Ahsoka S2, if it happens, is unlikely before 2026 at the rate they're currently putting things out.

A three-year cliffhanger. Wonderful. But it's not your fault, unless you're actually Filoni. Thanks.

[Sakura12]

It was nice of force ghost Anakin to show himself to his new grand padawan. 

Hopefully they can continue Baylon's story in animation. 

[tv-talk]

I get they want to do more seasons, but really more should have been explained. Why did Baylin travel across the galaxy to get to Gondor? They didnt even hint at his actual plan. Why were the Sisters so beholden to Thrawn? He really isnt all that with his supposed genius tactics that amount to standard Empire tom-foolery. All he really does is claim his failures were on purpose a la Pee Wee "I meant to do that." What is the cargo?

Was not a fan of Star Wars meets Walking Dead with the zombie troopers, nor that extended battle scene in general. Ahsoka vs Morgan was much better tho.

As far as Ahsoka and Sabine know, they are now relegated to living out their lives with the turtle people. Yet not a moment of "Oh shit how do we get out of here?" Just Ahsoka's weird satisfaction at the turn of events and Sabine being peppy she is now using the Force.

Did Shin find her way to a Mad Max sequel? She's be awesome in that and it looked like what was happening.

Overall as someone who hasnt seen Rebels but has seen most of CW, this series was thoroughly meh for me. Definitely the lowest ranked of the live-action series.

[revbfc]

Good show, messy finale.

Suggestion for the show runners: work on crafting better cliffhangers.  I know there’s always going to be unanswered questions, but what’s missing is suspense.

Get me excited.

[Uncle JUICE]

Whoo boy. 

On balance, this show landed where I needed it to: above Kenobi, below Mando 1/2. In other words, it's decent, but it's not compelling, and I found this finale frigging deflating. In hindsight Ray Stevenson ends up entirely wasted, having no lines in most of the last two episodes, it's the one miss I can't really blame anyone but the fates for. 

Everything else, problematic. It leans far too heavily on stuff that can only be known from watching Rebels, which is unfair as this show was pitched as a standalone. Can someone point me to the episode where they explain the Mortis gods? There isn't one. So Baylan standing on those two Argonath (I love that no one is calling them anything but that), it doesn't land like I think the show thought it would. Shin's going to join / lead a band of raiders; what exactly are they meant to raid? Those turtles? Who wants whatever they have??? WHAT FOR? The same can be said of the Night Sisters. In this show's frame of reference, there's nothing but "These Are The Night Sisters And They Work For Thrawn." So who the fuck are they and why should we care? What's this sword we've never heard of, and why is it so important? Never explained beyond "Needed to get a night sister to have a lightsaber so we could see a rematch of a fight we never saw and didn't ask for, while better and more interesting opponents are still on the board."

Is Thrawn a tactical genius? Where's the show's evidence? A tactical genius would have forgotten about the jedi he's stranding on the planet completely, and just taken off! He even is quoted in the recap saying it doesn't matter if they die or they're stranded, but he still futzes around sending resources after them. 

Why is Ezra so important? Never explained. As someone pointed out above, his escape, from Super Genius Thrawn's capital ship, is executed entirely off screen!!! If you're going to do that sort of shit, then leave him aboard the Chimera until next season, which should probably have just started with the Chimera dropping out of hyperspace in the proper galaxy. 

Sabine goes from "the least talented Jedi candidate" Huyang's seen in 25000 years to basically superb force user in a space of about two screen minutes. Honestly what's the point of the Force in general, and the Jedi specifically, if using the Force is this easy to pick up? What exactly did this pay off?

THis show doesn't do lightsaber fights well, either. Rosario Dawson, whose performance really grew on me, might be getting done dirty here by production, but the saber fighting looks slow and stodgy with her. THe woman who played Morgan is a martial artist and her action showed it. Rosario Dawson is tentative and stiff looking by comparison. Her fight with Baylan was far better because he too was slow and brutish. 

Good season, bad bad bad finale. 

[KeithJ]

Overall, I enjoyed the series but the finale was a letdown.  I'm not even sure where to begin (so these thoughts are probably gonna be all over the place):

Ezra:
It's great that he built a new lightsaber but where did he get the crystal?  Ahsoka just has extra laying around her ship?

How did he manage to steal a shuttle, get off Thrawn's ship, and then not have Thrawn send fighters after him.  Then, how did he know where the fleet was?  On top of that, during the whole flight to the fleet, he didn't once think to take the trooper armor off?  And, for arguments sake, let's say he was naked under the armor, there was zero reason for him to exit the shuttle with the helmet on.

Baylan:
Now stranded in Lord of the Rings territory.  Sadly, with Ray Stevenson's passing, I'm not sure where they can go with this now unless they recast Baylan.

Shin:
She went back to get her army (or whatever they are).  Who are they anyway (either I don't remember or they didn't say).  Are those some of Thrawn's troops?  Are they natives of the planet?

Morgan Elsbeth / Nightsisters:
Now we have Star Wars meets The Walking Dead.  I know Nightsister zombies have been around a long time but this just felt weird.  After Morgan re-joined the Nightsisters she's just ok with Thrawn leaving her behind? I'm not sure I would have been accomodating.

Sabine:
Sabine finally uses the Force under great duress but then she can just flip Ezra onto Thrawn's ship like she's been using the Force forever?  I'll have to go back and watch but wasn't her helmet lost back on the map planet?  Did Ahsoka bring it with her?  Did Sabine sense Anakin at the end or something else?  Not really sure why she would.

Ahsoka:
One of her lightsabers is now gone but I guess she'll just be able to build another since her ship seems to have a lightsaber factory on it.

[Eliza422]

I am one of those who has never seen CW or Rebels (although I've started a watch of them, I'm sure I have plenty of time before the next stuff comes out).

I liked this series OK, but my main problem is *not* that I don't know the years of history about the characters. I mean, at its core it's a simple enough story - the good guys trying to stop the bad guys from returning.

However, my bigger beef was I never felt like I was getting anything from Rosario Dawson. She had the same facial affect the whole time - no emotion other than occasional smug something? I mean, Mando in his helmet managed to convey more emotion than she has.

I know it's not her as an actor, she's amazing,but I really question the direction of her character!

Another thing that bugged me. I know that Ezra has been missing for 10 years - both Ashoka and Sabine had, to me, amazingly calm reactions to seeing him after all this time, not knowing if he was alive or dead!  At the end of the ep when Hera actually showed the hint of tears, I was like finally! Someone showing some kind of emotion over this missing guy!

Ashoka and Sabine also seemed nonplussed at being left behind in another galaxy. I mean, *we* know they'll get back some how, but wouldn't normal people be at least upset about the whole thing?

I did laugh at the end when they showed the two bad Jedi - I frankly had totally forgotten they were even in the show, oops.

I guess i wanted to feel like the characters themselves were more invested in their own futures then we are.

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by Eliza422

[MissLucas]

2 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

Ahsoka:
One of her lightsabers is now gone but I guess she'll just be able to build another since her ship seems to have a lightsaber factory on it.

I think she got Morgan's blade instead? Which will come into play next season as it is a blade powered by magick.

I'm still not sure the whole Jedi stuff with Sabine really worked. To sell that (better) we should have had a flashback. The idea that Ahsoka pulled back with the training because she feared Sabine would go on a revenge trip and ultimately end on the dark side sounded like an interesting plot.

I wasn't expecting them to resolve all the major plotlines, so I wasn't disappointed with the many open plotlines.

It was cute that Chopper recognized Ezra but it was wild that we did not get to see how Ezra escaped and that he did not bother to communicate before reaching the Republican fleet.

Too bad Morgan Elsbeth got killed. Diane Lee Disanto was probably the most skilled martial arts actor among the regular cast and I wish they had given her more fight scenes.

I'm glad show remembered that Sabine used to be a kick-ass pilot for a brief moment.

Looks like we're really going down the Mortis rabbit hole. They clearly crafted the Father's head to look like Baylan and the Daughter statue is missing. The arrival of Morai was more or less a given at that point. No wonder that planet is out of balance. Though the Noti seem to do just fine. Anyhow, good luck recasting Ray Stevenson.

Did I like it? Yes, because I loved CW and Rebels. But I can't deny that there were some problems with plotting and character building. Two episodes more might have helped with that. Sabine's character required more backstory. Stoic Ahsoka went on for too long. Baylan talking in riddles all the time just barely worked because Ray Stevenson was awesome delivering those lines.

Also: You cast Wes Chatham and never give him more to do than utter lines robotically or show his face? WTF show?!? He is that guy!!! 

[paigow]

11 minutes ago, Eliza422 said:

At the end of the ep when Hera actually showed the hint of tears, I was like finally! Someone showing some kind of emotion over this missing guy!

Hera is his surrogate mother. Ahsoka was not in Rebels regularly. Sabine felt guilty because she had made deals with Baylan & Thrawn.

[KeithJ]

2 minutes ago, paigow said:

Hera is his surrogate mother. Ahsoka was not in Rebels regularly.

I rewatched Rebels before Ahsoka was released and I forgot just how many episodes she was actually in.  It was a good amount over the first two seasons.

[Sakura12]

Hi Hera, I'm home. But now Sabine and Ahsoka are trapped there. So like in Lost they will have to go baaaccckk. 

It kind of sucks they didn't utilize having Bruce Lee's goddaughter in more fight scenes. She actually made Rosario Dawson have to move a little faster. 

Sabine's line comes from Tar Visila, the first Jedi Mandalorian. So we can just go with she had the possibility to be force sensitive.

 

[Chyromaniac]

7 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

David Tennant's performance as Huyang really might be some of the best voice work out of the franchise.  Dude probably could have easily phoned it in and got by with his natural talents and charisma, but he didn't slum it here which I appreciate it.

I swear- the one thing that could compel me redo the $220 “build your own lightsaber” experience is if there was an animatronic Huyang in the workshop, with David Tennant talking everyone through the assembly process.  Call my bluff, Disney…

[magdalene]

54 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Also: You cast Wes Chatham and never give him more to do than utter lines robotically or show his face? WTF show?!? He is that guy!!! 

A disappointment for me, what a waste of an excellent actor.

Another disappointment is Thrawn himself as a villain for me after he was so hyped up by fans.  One note evil and no layers in his performance.  I get it - he sacrifice anything and anyone to get what he wants.  Yawn.

I did enjoy the actor playing Shin Hati for the entire show, she was the stand out for me along with the great Ray Stevenson whose wonderful performance was in the end wasted by his arc going nowhere.

It's bound to be like three years before any cliffhangers are resolved.  They made it so I have no reason to be eager for it.

[Eliza422]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

Hera is his surrogate mother. Ahsoka was not in Rebels regularly. Sabine felt guilty because she had made deals with Baylan & Thrawn.

So that means you are “meh, hello” after 10 years? I still think a normal person would have a strong, visceral reaction to seeing that person after so long.

🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited October 4, 2023 by Eliza422

[Uncle JUICE]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

 

Another disappointment is Thrawn himself as a villain for me after he was so hyped up by fans.  One note evil and no layers in his performance.  I get it - he sacrifice anything and anyone to get what he wants.  Yawn.

 

This is a major problem, because this is actually what the show Thrawn behaves like. The character originally is far, far more interesting. But his main tactic seems to be "acceptable losses" and that's supposed to translate into tactical genius. I feel like the Night Sisters would have had some strong reactions to his destruction of their temple, that's not something book Thrawn would have done. He'd have just left. No turbolasers to take out some folks on horseback, in fact he wouldn't have even bothered with that. Book THrawn would have just said "Let's close and seal all doors in the main staircase while the engines warm up." 

[Shanna Marie]

I have mixed feelings about the finale. It reminded me of a book I recently read, book 1 in an epic fantasy series in which the whole book was essentially an extended prologue putting all the pieces in place and ending just as the actual story kicked in. In this case, it seemed to be all about getting Thrawn back to the Alpha Quadrant (or whatever they call it in the Star Wars universe), and nothing else in the story really went anywhere. The season had good stuff in it, but it seemed to be all about setting stuff up rather than actually doing stuff, and the result was that it wasn't very satisfying.

I did think that Ezra responding on the comms and putting on the Stormtrooper suit to hide out before just flying away was Peak Ezra, exactly the sort of thing he would have done as a teen. I didn't even need to see how he escaped because he probably just made up some reason he needed to be on a shuttle and left. That's pretty much how he always rolled, though teen Ezra would have set up a bunch of fun booby traps all over the ship during the trip that would start being triggered once he was gone.

It did occur to me during this episode that Sabine's defining trait in Rebels, aside from her artwork, was gleefully and creatively blowing stuff up, and I don't think we got to see her do that at all in live action. Nor did we see her painting anything.

I'm wondering what's up with Shin, considering the last time we saw her, she was leaving on the ship with the Stormtroopers, heading apparently to be part of Thrawn's Empire, but then she ended up staying behind and joining up with the bandits. So, did she change her mind about what she wanted or did Thrawn kick her out? What's she planning with the bandits, another attack on the turtle people or to go after Baylan?

29 minutes ago, Eliza422 said:

So that means you are “meh, hello” after 10 years? I still think a normal person would have a strong, visceral reaction to seeing that person after so long.

I didn't feel like anything was lacking from the reunion between Sabine and Ezra. She was shocked at first, and then there was the big hug. I'm not sure what more there could have been.

[Morrigan2575]

20 hours ago, paigow said:

Baylan found the creepy statue ... meaning ..????? WTF!!!

That was The Father and The Son right? Looked like a space was missing for The Daughter

I really enjoyed this episode , good fight,  hood character movement.  I'm happy Ezra is home.  His reunion with Hera was lovely.  I'm really impressed with the casting for Ezra, he's spot on.

It was nice to see Force Ghost Anakin, at the end.

 

20 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

Although it looks like Baylon was after the Mortis gods. And I'm assuming we finally saw Morai. So Ahsoka is supposed to be there since she has the essence of the daughter

Ah, makes sense looked like The Daughter was missing and, this is the first time we saw Morai all season...I think. 

I loved the Mortis Gods stuff in TCW and the little bit we covered in Rebels. 

[Sakura12]

8 hours ago, KeithJ said:

rewatched Rebels before Ahsoka was released and I forgot just how many episodes she was actually in.  It was a good amount over the first two seasons.

Hera and Kanan were like Ezra's parents and Ahsoka was the Aunt that visited every once in awhile. But I also think Ezra saw her as the older wiser Jedi. Like Yoda and Obi Wan were for Luke. 

I do wonder if Sabine will find out Anakin became Darth Vader. She might understand a little more about Ahsoka's reluctance in training her. She gave a look when Thrawn wondered how alike Anakin and Ahsoka are. 

I don't know if anyone watches this guy but he does funny recaps of most of the Star Wars content as deepfake Obi Wan, Qui Gon and Anakain reacting to them. He's an impersonator so he does all the voices. 

 

[ribboninthesky1]

This was...okay.  I agree with others in that Ray Stevenson was wasted, but so was Rosario Dawson. I also thought that Diana Lee Inosanto was more interesting as Morgan in that one Mandalorian episode that this entire season.  Not like the writer/director was any different, so not sure what happened there. 

Maybe this would have worked for me if I binged the series, as week-to-week it felt like there wasn't much happening and the pacing was glacial. 

Plus, I was either actively annoyed by or indifferent to pretty much everyone in the protagonist group except for Ahsoka. I didn't care about Ezra, Sabine was a dud, and I'm probably the one viewer who wasn't a Hera or Huyang fan. 

I never watched Rebels, so maybe not having that backstory impacted my experience.  In any case, if there is another season, I won't bother watching weekly, if at all. 

[tv-talk]

2 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I loved the Mortis Gods stuff in TCW and the little bit we covered in Rebels. 

The scene was so Gondor to me, didnt realize that's who they were. One thing about that arc though, it presents Anakin as effectively the most powerful Being in the galaxies. Maybe it's time to go further than ghost Anakin doing lightsaber drills. 

[paigow]

8 hours ago, Eliza422 said:

I still think a normal person would have a strong, visceral reaction to seeing that person after so long.

Are any of these characters normal?

2 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

That was The Father and The Son right? Looked like a space was missing for The Daughter

All well and good.. but did Baylan get the password? Or is he just supposed to stare at these statues forever?

[Morrigan2575]

36 minutes ago, paigow said:

All well and good.. but did Baylan get the password? Or is he just supposed to stare at these statues forever?

He was standing on The Father's out stretched arm, looking at where The Father is pointing.  Perhaps there's a Temple in the distant mountain, perhaps there's a doorway to the World Between Worlds. Or maybe Abeloth is the one calling Baylan and it's her prison that The Father is pointing towards. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Morrigan2575

[paigow]

38 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

He was standing on The Father's out stretched arm, looking at where The Father is pointing.  Perhaps there's a Temple in the distant mountain, perhaps there's a doorway to the World Between Worlds. Or maybe Abeloth is the one calling Baylan and it's her prison that The Father is pointing towards. 

He has a lot of ground to cover... luckily, there is nobody on the planet that would try to kill him on sight.. oh wait...

[DoctorAtomic]

I thought you had to actually go get the crystals to build the sabre as part of the training. That there were 'living' and you couldn't pick them and store them for later. 

Clever Thrawn sending in the two TIEs as pawns. Although, I would have thought Ezra would be more hip to Thrawn's deal overall. 

If I didn't know Thrawn was using the night troopers as just one part of the gambit, I'd be doubled over cackling that a handful of them would have been anything more than a sneeze for Ahsoka alone. Of course, I didn't know they were going to get up again. This is where I think force lightning comes in handy. 

Credit to Sabine for being able to deflect the blaster bolts though. 

Why didn't anyone think of force pulling opponents right into the sabres before now? 

I don't understand how you get a fancy sword and now you're jedi level fighting all of a sudden. You got to be kidding me she sliced Ahoka's sabre. Come on. 

I like how Thrawn says 'please' to the droids. 

Well, I've said Ahsoka is more to the original ronin concept of the jedi, and I will thank Thrawn for validating me. 

On 10/3/2023 at 8:03 PM, Sakura12 said:

Although it looks like Baylon was after the Mortis gods. And I'm assuming we finally saw Morai. So Ahsoka is supposed to be there since she has the essence of the daughter.

That huge mountain and the owl was quite front and center. I wonder if Ahsoka's final fate is going to become part of the mountain as the Daughter. It would be way way too ooc for her to legitimately lose to anyone. Unless she pulls a Kenobi, but I can't see why. She's not that old. 

I would like another season than just going to a movie just because there seems so much ground to cover, and so many shows say they're going to be a movie and they're not. Like it was said, two plots in two different galaxies is hard to pull off in a 120 minute movie. 

I'm surprised Thrawn actually did make it back simply because none of these people are in the sequels. Thrawn isn't one to be off on a side quest. I would think there has to be a final showdown with Ezra and Thrawn though. 

Huyang could easily park the ship in orbit or build some kind of satellite to alert them if the whales return too. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Huyang could easily park the ship in orbit or build some kind of satellite to alert them if the whales return too. 

Rebels Ezra initially summoned the whales via old school radio, not the Force. Hopefully, he told Sabine to activate a beacon...

[MissLucas]

9 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I don't understand how you get a fancy sword and now you're jedi level fighting all of a sudden. You got to be kidding me she sliced Ahoka's sabre. Come on.

Morgan Elsbeth was a skilled fighter back in the Mandalorian too. Ahsoka defeated her but it took some work and she lost one of her lightsabers in the fight. This time ME was additionally juiced up by Nightsister magick (and it seems the Great Mothers are more powerful than the standard Nightsisters from CW) and she was wielding the sword of Talzin. 

[alexa]

This was a very sedate series.  I don't know all of the ins and outs of all of the Star Wars stories although I have been a fan for years, and I don't typically need to know them to enjoy the various series that come up on Disney.  This one, especially for the finale, I felt like I was missing a lot of information.  It just ended very meh.  Anyway, I enjoyed parts of it, but it wasn't really must see tv.

 

[tv-talk]

with just a Beskar spear Elsbeth was able to do well vs Ahsoka in Mando, so if anything the souped up version of her with a special sword might have beaten Ahsoka if she hadnt upgraded via ghost Anakin training. 

Given how so many characters live despite being gutted with a light saber, would be nice if they BS Elsbeth back into existence. She definitely has the best sword skills of the cast and in a show where so much hinges on lightsaber battles they shouldnt have tossed her aside so easily.

Did Ahsoka even acknowledge that they had fought before? Was there any sort of callback indicating they already knew each other?

 

On 10/4/2023 at 11:47 AM, Uncle JUICE said:

I feel like the Night Sisters would have had some strong reactions to his destruction of their temple, that's not something book Thrawn would have done.

I dont think the series did a good job of explaining WHY Thrawn is such a big deal. I have to assume that the Witches were so beholden to him based on the cargo, which is still odd since it was in their possession, but there must be something to that and the show didnt even give us a hint. I'm sure that Temple is supposed to be 100,000yrs old or whatever and he just blew it up- which they clearly didnt like but were too cowed by him to do anything. Why??

Remember when Ventress enlisted 2 sisters and they all got spells placed on them by the Mothers to go kill Dooku? And after an extended 3v1 lightsaber battle he ended up just wiping all 3 out and tossing them out the window? They limped back to the Sisters and were all "damn that old man kicked our asses, he's too powerful." Same for Maul and Savage when they tangled with Dooku. So you clearly understood WHY Dooku was able to call the shots. Thrawn? The show gave us no reason to view him as as powerful as other characters treated him.

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, tv-talk said:

Given how so many characters live despite being gutted with a light saber, would be nice if they BS Elsbeth back into existence. She definitely has the best sword skills of the cast and in a show where so much hinges on lightsaber battles they shouldnt have tossed her aside so easily.

Inosanto was a stuntwoman before she was an actress. She was doing fight scenes way back in the 90s. Her father worked with Bruce Lee! It was great seeing her cut loose, and I agree that I want to see more from her.

[Tuggy]

On 10/4/2023 at 1:42 PM, tv-talk said:

Why did Baylin travel across the galaxy to get to Gondor?

To me, that looked a lot like the Southlands, with Mount Doom in the distance. So my new headcanon is that the spinoff from this series is actually Rings of Power and I do not have to wait several years to watch it 😎

On 10/4/2023 at 8:15 AM, Fool to cry said:

I hope they continue Baylan's story in animation.

 

This! A hundred times this!

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, tv-talk said:

I dont think the series did a good job of explaining WHY Thrawn is such a big deal. I have to assume that the Witches were so beholden to him based on the cargo, which is still odd since it was in their possession, but there must be something to that and the show didnt even give us a hint. I'm sure that Temple is supposed to be 100,000yrs old or whatever and he just blew it up- which they clearly didnt like but were too cowed by him to do anything. Why??

There was a throw away line by Thrawn that he 'woke up' the Great Mothers. And we had more than one hint that some bad sh*t went down on Peridia. Bad enough for them to go into hibernation. And it seems whatever it was that caused all the destruction is still brewing and that's why they wanted to get the hell out of Dodge with Thrawn.

Agreed that Filoni kept his cards way too close to the chest this season. With any other writer I would get annoyed and suspect that he himself has no idea where things are going (still bitter about 'and they have a plan') but Filoni has already given evidence that he plays a long game. I'm willing to trust him here and hope he delivers more next season YMMV.

[Morrigan2575]

12 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

thought you had to actually go get the crystals to build the sabre as part of the training. That there were 'living' and you couldn't pick them and store them for later. 

I don't think so although it may have been a ritual or test for the young Jedi in the temple. IIRC in the books Ahsoka's white light sabers are because she cleansed the crystals from Inquisitors helicopter sabers.

So you can definitely take other blades/crystals and use them for new lightsabers...maybe just need to commune with the crystal?

 

[DoctorAtomic]

11 hours ago, paigow said:

Rebels Ezra initially summoned the whales via old school radio, not the Force. Hopefully, he told Sabine to activate a beacon...

Even better. I was just saying that he could stay up there and look for one of them to just show up. They don't really need the ship to be on the surface and he doesn't need food, supplies, so he can just stay up there. 

3 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Morgan Elsbeth was a skilled fighter back in the Mandalorian too. Ahsoka defeated her but it took some work and she lost one of her lightsabers in the fight. This time ME was additionally juiced up by Nightsister magick (and it seems the Great Mothers are more powerful than the standard Nightsisters from CW) and she was wielding the sword of Talzin.

I remembered later that it was a rematch. The sword did boost her though. I'd say fighting with the staff v a sword is a little different, so I think it's fair to say that it was a little much for me. Worth it for the move at the end though. 

17 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I don't think so although it may have been a ritual or test for the young Jedi in the temple. IIRC in the books Ahsoka's white light sabers are because she cleansed the crystals from Inquisitors helicopter sabers.

Probably ritual. I didn't think there were just crystals on the ship so you could just make them. I meant - I thought prior to being inserted in the lightsabre that the crystals were sort of 'living force'. So if you just took them on their own and put them in a drawer that they would 'die out'. 

I assumed in Ahsoka's case they were indicating her level of tune with the force because only Kenobi had the white blade iirc. 

[Morrigan2575]

47 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Probably ritual. I didn't think there were just crystals on the ship so you could just make them. I meant - I thought prior to being inserted in the lightsabre that the crystals were sort of 'living force'. So if you just took them on their own and put them in a drawer that they would 'die out'. 

I don't think they're living force, IIRC in Rogue One they were mining the Kyber Crystals for the Death Star. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some ritual to harmonize or sync with the crystals but, I think anyone can use them.

[Ilovepie]

Well, I finished it. This show was not for the casual Star Wars viewer. I consider myself somewhere above the average viewer, but I don't see how anyone that hasn't seen either Clone Wars or Rebels would understand or be able to fully appreciate this show without having to go online to get the backstories, and to me, that is poor story-telling. Maybe a little more exposition and less Ahsoka navel-gazing and quiet, slow-talking would have helped, but I doubt it.

As a finale, this sucked. Almost zero resolution to any of the plots. Ezra got home and Morgan is no more. That is it. Oh, and surprise, surprise, Sabine tapped into the force at the exact moment she needed it. I would have preferred for her to die. I can't stand her, or the almost zombie-like Ahsoka. Hands down my least favorite Star Wars, and that includes the prequels, sequels, and all other D+ Shows.

And I second the absolute bafflement of hiring Wes Chatham and just having him in a mask the whole time - what a waste! Or maybe this is just one of those wink wink, it's a famous person having a moment playing a star wars character just to be able to say they did Star Wars?

[tennisgurl]

A bit of an underwhelming season finale after what has been a fun season, but I am glad that at least it seems like we'll be getting another season to wrap things up...eventually. It feels like not all that much happened, I wish that these shows were just a bit longer, so often we feel like we stop just when we're getting started. 

I did like how things came full circle with Sabine and Ahsoka, we started out with them at odds, Sabine not connecting with the force and Ahsoka still dealing with her issues surrounding Anakin and being unable to fully trust her apprentice, and by the end they've come back together, Sabine can use the force, and Ahsoka has made peace with her past and has opened herself up to Sabine, which ghost Anakin approves of. 

Its really too bad that we didn't get any real resolution to Baylan's plan, he was a really good character with an interesting goal played masterfully by the great Ray Stevenson, but sadly it seems like there wont be resolution. I hope they had least follow up on the Mortis Gods, I would love to see the show explore that more. I'm disappointed that we ended up with so much of the usual empire/first order/remnants vs republic/rebellion/republic 2.0 instead of the mystical aspect of the lore. There is so much to explore with the force that the franchise has rarely dug into. 

At least Ezra made it back and reunited with Hera and Ezra, I love that he apparently put on a Stormtrooper outfit just to fuck with them a bit, such a little shit still.