5x07 A Test of Strength

I often find that these episodes feel like mashups of other things set in the Star Wars Universe. The first part of this one felt a lot like the early scenes of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone where we see young wizards picking out their wands with Olivander. There, as here, it heightens the mystical quality of what these kids are doing by having this be a process that focuses on a sort of magical connection with their tool/weapon.

I also love Professor Huyang. Having an avuncular but ornery droid as the master of Jedi lightsabers is one of those little developments that makes the force and the Jedi feel more diverse and wide-ranging. The design is great (I loved the scene of him fumbling through drawers with six different appendages), and I didn't realize it until afterward, but David Tennant (Kilgrave, to you Jessica Jones fans), is the perfect choice to play him.

The rest of the episode had a very Home Alone vibe, with the younglings finding clever and resourceful ways to keep their attackers at bay and make it to safety. I liked that they set up little details like the malfunctioning lightsaber or the little training balls that the kids would later used to attack Hondo's pirates. And Ahsoka's fight with the remaining pirates, and her use of the force against them once the door of the ship was opened and it became a vaccuum were a thrill as well. All-in-all, I'm enjoying this little story arc.