In light of A More Civilized Age's take on Sabine, it does really feel like Filoni just doesn't know what to do with her. The decision to make Sabine Ahsoka's doomed-to-fail Jedi apprentice is still mind-boggling to me. They could use this as an opportunity to make a point about "anyone can learn to use the Force; Jedi are full of shit, actually." But, that doesn't feel like it's where they're taking things. I also feel like Ahsoka's flip from refusing the title of Jedi at the end of The Clone Wars and in Rebels to seeming to, at the least, passively accept the label in the post-OT Filoniverse feels weird. It seems like the switch is important enough that I'd have liked to see it flip.
If Thrawn has a million haters, then I am one of them.
If Thrawn has ten haters, then I am one of them.
If Thrawn has only one hater then that is me.
If Thrawn has no haters, then that means I am no longer on earth.
If the world is for Thrawn, then I am against the world.
They do kind of come around on "yeah, Sabine can actually use the Force. Despite having zero aptitude." Which, I'm interested in the implications of. Ezra's reaction when Sabine tells him Ahsoka has been training her is startled, but he doesn't seem to actually disbelieve that she could be trained to use the Force. Just a sort of . . . puzzled that either of them would bother with it, maybe?
There's definitely an anti-Jedi read that, like, the idea that only special people can be trained is propaganda the Order used to prop up their monopoly on legitimate access to the Force.
Things I liked, overall:
- It kicks ass when armor works. Sabine takes a ton of hits throughout the show, but her beskar armor means she can tank them.
- The idea of Shin and Baylan. I really dig Baylan's perspective as a surviving Late Republic Jedi. I want to know more about what he's after on Peridea and how exactly he trained Shin to be "more than a Jedi."
- (Grudgingly) Thrawn. I do think he's a well written villain. His superpower amounting to "not being an overconfident jackass and having some intellectual curiosity about his opponents" is fine. I mainly don't like how certain portions of the fandom worship him as the godhead of "fascism would be good, actually, if fascists weren't bigots" stuff you see in the late EU with things like the Fel Empire.
Things I didn't buy:
- Most of the fight choreography. With a few exceptions, like Ezra's unarmed scenes, the fights were serviceable-to-bad. Part of it is I don't think Rosario Dawson has the juice. Part of it might be that Filoni is directing the whole show like it's a cartoon. The bits in the last episode where Ezra and Ahsoka are deflecting a lot of blaster bolts feel completely weightless. I don't buy zombie stormtroopers as a threat when all three of our protagonists are armed with Laser Dismemberer 5000s.
- Hera Syndulla's arc. I get the narrative purpose of showing how the New Republic government is unwilling to entertain the possibility of the Imperial Remnant reuniting under Thrawn. But it seems like the resources Hera is asking for aren't that extreme and . . . they have evidence of the theft of a Super Star Destroyer hyperdrive core. Regardless of what it's for, you'd think they'd be concerned with keeping track of that kind of hardware?
- The Reality of Shin and Baylan. I've talked about it before, but both characters felt a bit undercooked. Shin especially has annoyingly opaque characterization. But also their relationship seems incredibly flimsy for Shin being Baylan's apprentice. Shin seems to ask a lot of questions as a way to have Baylan do some exposition about his own motivations. But . . . why is Baylan playing things so close to the chest that his student doesn't have a clue about his goals and ideology? There's room left to explore the characters more in season 2, but . . . well. RIP Ray Stevenson. I'm curious if they'll recast, do some digital necromancy, or just disappear that narrative thread.