[7.4/10] “Time to Fly” had a real A New Hope vibe. You have the blast-shielded lightsaber training, the fancy shooting when the bad guys attack your ship, and the sneaking into the enemy stronghold. I’m not sure if there’s a particular point to it beyond casting Ahsoka as a wizened Obi-Wan type, and Sabine as a young Luke type, but it’s an interesting motif nonetheless.
I’m also noticing a pattern with Ahsoka through its first three episodes. There tend to be quiet, meditative parts, and then louder, action-y parts. And I like the loud stuff, but I tend to love the quieter stuff.
Case in point, I’m pretty sure I could watch a show that was just Sabine’s Jedi training, without a larger threat. The session where Ahsoka tries to draw the force out of her, using a blinded training exercise to spur Sabine to rely on her other senses, is compelling as all get out. Their conversation about using The Force, and how it requires some talent but flows through all living things, replete with a coffee cup attempt, is the sort of thing I’m here for. Hearing different perspectives on this thing that binds the universe together, hearing both sides of the teacher/pupil struggle, is fascinating.
My theory is that Sabine will develop force abilities when it matters most, but honestly, I’d be just as happy if she never did. Having a Jedi without Force abilities, who carries on the spirit and the training beyond the magic, is a cool idea. And we have too many force-sensitives running around canon anyway. Huyang speaking matter-of-factly about her not having much in the way of talent with his dry delivery is a laugh, but Ahsoka striving to train her despite that is heartening.
I’m also a fan of Hera’s scenes here. The idea of the New Republic demilitarizing, and that causing frustration for the people who fought in the Rebellion is a theme that’s been with Star Wars since The Force Awakens. It’s interesting to see it in action here, especially since Mon Mothma seems torn between her personal loyalty to Hera from their joint efforts during the war, and her political obligations to democracy and other government commitments. (Hello other folks who read the Aftermath trilogy.)
Hera running into bureaucracy and a skeptical senate who thinks this mission is personal not practical adds to that thread nicely. Plus hey, for anyone who watched Star Wars Resistance, it’s kind of a hoot that the jerky senator who gives Hera the business is the father of the main character from that show. It’s also nice to see Jacen in live action, already aspiring to be a Jedi and getting into trouble. I doubt it’ll be the focus of the show, but I’d be interested to see more of the relationship between Hera and her son.
The big set piece here, though, is a dogfight with Shin Hati and the other baddies. The best part of it for me is the banter between Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang, and the parallels to Episode IV. (I practically expected Ahsoka to say, “Don’t get cocky” when Sabine took out some enemy fighters.) Here’s the thing, though. I’ve watched a lot of Star Wars, and I’ll admit that most of the dogfights blend together for me, this one included.
That said, there’s two parts that stand out. One is Ahsoka doing a frickin’ mid-battle spacewalk. Don’t think too hard about the logistics of it, but holy hell that is badass. Seeing her fend off the blasts with her lightsabers and flip from wing to fuselage was thrilling as all hell. In the same vein, the first live action appearance of the purrgils (space whales) was a treat, and a nice sign that we’re (presumably) getting closer to Ezra and Thrawn.
The other teases are fine. It’s already pretty obvious that Morgan Elsbeth is building a hyperspace launcher to wherever Thrawn is. The fact that it follows purrgil lanes is a nice enough detail, but I’m not compelled by the steady plot movement as much as I am the character exploration.
Still, the character exploration remains nice; the world-building is good, and even the action sequences I’m more indifferent to have some real high points. Ahsoka keeps building, and I’ continue to be interested to see where it’s going.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-09-01T03:20:49Z
[7.4/10] “Time to Fly” had a real A New Hope vibe. You have the blast-shielded lightsaber training, the fancy shooting when the bad guys attack your ship, and the sneaking into the enemy stronghold. I’m not sure if there’s a particular point to it beyond casting Ahsoka as a wizened Obi-Wan type, and Sabine as a young Luke type, but it’s an interesting motif nonetheless.
I’m also noticing a pattern with Ahsoka through its first three episodes. There tend to be quiet, meditative parts, and then louder, action-y parts. And I like the loud stuff, but I tend to love the quieter stuff.
Case in point, I’m pretty sure I could watch a show that was just Sabine’s Jedi training, without a larger threat. The session where Ahsoka tries to draw the force out of her, using a blinded training exercise to spur Sabine to rely on her other senses, is compelling as all get out. Their conversation about using The Force, and how it requires some talent but flows through all living things, replete with a coffee cup attempt, is the sort of thing I’m here for. Hearing different perspectives on this thing that binds the universe together, hearing both sides of the teacher/pupil struggle, is fascinating.
My theory is that Sabine will develop force abilities when it matters most, but honestly, I’d be just as happy if she never did. Having a Jedi without Force abilities, who carries on the spirit and the training beyond the magic, is a cool idea. And we have too many force-sensitives running around canon anyway. Huyang speaking matter-of-factly about her not having much in the way of talent with his dry delivery is a laugh, but Ahsoka striving to train her despite that is heartening.
I’m also a fan of Hera’s scenes here. The idea of the New Republic demilitarizing, and that causing frustration for the people who fought in the Rebellion is a theme that’s been with Star Wars since The Force Awakens. It’s interesting to see it in action here, especially since Mon Mothma seems torn between her personal loyalty to Hera from their joint efforts during the war, and her political obligations to democracy and other government commitments. (Hello other folks who read the Aftermath trilogy.)
Hera running into bureaucracy and a skeptical senate who thinks this mission is personal not practical adds to that thread nicely. Plus hey, for anyone who watched Star Wars Resistance, it’s kind of a hoot that the jerky senator who gives Hera the business is the father of the main character from that show. It’s also nice to see Jacen in live action, already aspiring to be a Jedi and getting into trouble. I doubt it’ll be the focus of the show, but I’d be interested to see more of the relationship between Hera and her son.
The big set piece here, though, is a dogfight with Shin Hati and the other baddies. The best part of it for me is the banter between Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang, and the parallels to Episode IV. (I practically expected Ahsoka to say, “Don’t get cocky” when Sabine took out some enemy fighters.) Here’s the thing, though. I’ve watched a lot of Star Wars, and I’ll admit that most of the dogfights blend together for me, this one included.
That said, there’s two parts that stand out. One is Ahsoka doing a frickin’ mid-battle spacewalk. Don’t think too hard about the logistics of it, but holy hell that is badass. Seeing her fend off the blasts with her lightsabers and flip from wing to fuselage was thrilling as all hell. In the same vein, the first live action appearance of the purrgils (space whales) was a treat, and a nice sign that we’re (presumably) getting closer to Ezra and Thrawn.
The other teases are fine. It’s already pretty obvious that Morgan Elsbeth is building a hyperspace launcher to wherever Thrawn is. The fact that it follows purrgil lanes is a nice enough detail, but I’m not compelled by the steady plot movement as much as I am the character exploration.
Still, the character exploration remains nice; the world-building is good, and even the action sequences I’m more indifferent to have some real high points. Ahsoka keeps building, and I’ continue to be interested to see where it’s going.