‘Ahsoka’ Episode 7 Breakdown: We’re Experiencing “Dreams and Madness”
This week Ahsoka (and Thrawn) are lining up everything for a big finale. We know a battle is coming; will the New Republic be ready?
This week the penultimate episode of Ahsoka‘s season one lines up everything for a big finale, and maybe even a bigger season two. Here’s what’s happening, where all of the big players are, and what we noticed as the season hurtles toward its close.
As always, in order to break down this week’s episode of Ahsoka, I will need to spoil large portions of what’s happened in the episode. If you haven’t watched yet, proceed at your own risk.
Ezra and Sabine’s Reunion
After finding each other at the end of episode 6, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren seem to have been catching up on the last decade or so. Ezra’s last couple of years seem to be summed up in “So then I ran off of The Chimaera, found these nomadic hermit crabs, and made new friends,” and isn’t talked about on screen at all, a lot has happened to Sabine and the Empire turned New Republic in his absence.
Sabine mentions that Ahsoka Tano has been training her; a fact that Ezra is somewhat surprised by. And when Ezra asks about the end of the Galactic Empire, and more importantly, the death of Emperor Palpatine, Sabine says, “That’s what people say.” This is especially interesting because we as fans who have seen the galaxy’s future already know that not only are there or there will be Palpatine clones out there (“somehow”), but that one will turn up and ruin everything all over again.
I also noticed that Sabine didn’t mention Jacen at all, and I’m not sure if that’s because she forgot or didn’t think he would be an important new person to note, or if the implication was that Ezra already knew before his accidental exile.
Ahsoka (and Anakin)’s Training Session
From there we see Ahsoka and Huyang approaching the planet in the star whales. Ahsoka is taking the opportunity to get in some lightsaber training. And watching over her is Anakin Skywalker. Sort of. As a holo.
He had apparently recorded somewhere in the area of 20 of those holos, talking her through training exercises and generally being a good teacher and friend. While we know what eventually happens to Anakin, it’s nice to be reminded of the sweet, sibling-like relationship he and Ahsoka had throughout the Clone Wars and how that manages to live on even now.
We also quickly see that Ahsoka has a large collection of lightsabers. They’re not mentioned or even lingered on, but she seems to have quite the stash. It feels implied that Ahsoka has been hunting down the lost, stolen, and pawned sabers of her fallen fellow Jedi and retrieving their sabers as opposed to letting them fall into the wrong hands.
What the Heck is Going On With Baylan and Shin?
I’m enjoying Baylan and Shin as characters a lot. And while it feels very much like Baylan has been open with his intentions and Shin is somewhat one-dimensional, I have a feeling there’s more to either of them than we’re seeing.
In the last episode, the Great Mothers said that they sensed a ‘Jedi’ in the room, and the characters sort of landed on them talking about Sabine. But even Sabine doesn’t seem keen to consider herself a Jedi considering her very limited relationship with the Force.
Halfway through this episode, Baylan goes off to do his own thing, leaving Shin to take care of Ezra and Sabine and then eventually return to The Chimaera. And he’s previously mentioned wanting to start something new, perhaps a new Jedi or Sith order. But he doesn’t give me strong Jedi or Sith feelings as a character. Baylan feels very gray and unaligned in the same way Ahsoka was for a long time after quitting the Jedi Order.
Then there is Shin, who is newly abandoned by her master and while she seems to be doing her best to emulate him, she also doesn’t seem to be terribly loyal to any specific ideology. She is also the one of them with a strong white-and-light color scheme, including today having the one white howler to ride. Towards the end of the episode, Ahsoka offers to take in and help Shin, and she hesitates for just a moment before running off.
Thrawn, Anakin, and a Mixed Success
Towards the beginning of the episode, Morgan brings Grand Admiral Thrawn a full write-up on Ahsoka Tano. Thrawn seems most and immediately interested in who her master was. For many, it would be fair to assume that Thrawn had heard about this person and their reputation for being unpredictable.
But in this case, Thrawn and Anakin actually do have a history and have met in 2018’s Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn. If you haven’t read this one, and especially if these are two characters you enjoy hearing more from, I highly recommend it. But suffice it to say that Thrawn is personally and intimately familiar with just how “unpredictable and dangerous” Anakin could be to know what to expect from his apprentice.
Then towards the end of the episode, Thrawn pulls back the remaining forces he had on the field and declares his mission a success. They got all of the mystery cargo on The Chimaera and are ready to depart, putting them way ahead of team Ahsoka’s return timeline. And as Thrawn points out, time is currently their biggest asset.
We don’t know what was being loaded onto the ship or what the upcoming battle with the New Republic will look like. But we do know it’s coming, and soon.
What did you think of this episode of Ahsoka? Do you think everything will get wrapped up in one episode, or will there definitely have to be a season two? Which of the Thrawn books have you read? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
