The Mandalorian Chapter 13: The Jedi Review

 ALERT: if spoilers and reverence for the various works of Dave Filoni isn’t your thing, then turn away now.

Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano. That's it, that's the caption
(source: Lucasfilm)

I’ll admit that it was only between the Rebels episodes Twilight of the Apprentice and the recent finale of The Clone Wars that I started to really appreciate Ahsoka Tano. It would be ignorant – reckless, even – to pretend that, in 2008, I was not among the countless viewers that wrote off the brattish then-Padawan in her earliest appearances. Those rainy Saturday nights at the start of autumn over a decade ago do not necessarily equate to some of my favorite Star Wars memories.

However, almost singularly due to the nuance and commitment of Dave Filoni, throughout this calendar year in particular, to borrow the modern parlance I am here for Ahsoka Tano.

Unlike so many episodes of The Mandalorian and long form television in general, in particularly important instances the temptation is often to wait until a significant portion of an episode – or in this case, a chapter – has passed before revealing what we really came to see. We saw that only two episodes ago, where nearly a quarter of an episode passed before Katee Sackhoff’s Bo Katan made her series debut. Not here – not in the slightest. There’s no fooling around, no trail of breadcrumbs or teasing silhouette. In the pre-titles opening of The Jedi, Ahsoka Tano draws her ‘sabers.

Return of the Jedi: the cinematography gives Ahsoka a grand treatment
(source: Tenor)

This is the only moment of the episode which comes gift-wrapped in the easily-pleasing action that has come to define much of this show in its infancy so far, the only segment that gives that instant dopamine rush of “cool” combat and “big screen Star Wars” that crosses the table and appeases the largest possible cross-section of the franchise’s fan base. Truly, the best thing about these early moments is this: even if you’re a casual viewer, you now know everything you need to know as an introduction to Ahsoka Tano.

This seems the appropriate moment to praise the casting and performance of Rosario Dawson. In appearance and voice alone, she is a tremendous match for a wizened and matured depiction of Ahsoka. One can only imagine the work and research that Dawson went through to capture the essence of this character and her 12 years of backstory, and with just one flash of a trademark smile there can be no doubt that we are welcoming back “Snips” once again. It’s a little concerning and foreboding that the grin later gives way to a rueful, Ben Kenobi-esque smirk, full of the burden of fate when she realizes the potential of her tiny campmate, but until this episode becomes a bittersweet flashback then just enjoy this completely realized re-introduction.

That prologue is indication of what the rest of The Jedi confirms: that Dave Filoni has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Only his third solo live action directorial effort and a chance to finally deliver his greatest creation to some sort of mainstream, for the man in the cowboy hat and his scores of fans so far it’s all been leading to this.

As standard, there is contest and a body count to be found throughout the rest of the episode, but this is quite possibly one of the most deliberate, atmospheric and evocative installments that Star Wars has ever had to offer. The obsessive reference that Filoni and Jon Favreau have for classic Japanese cinema may threaten to swallow the episode whole, but for the first time since Din Djarin’s saloon debut this visual referencing effectively informs the audience about a single character. Again, for many this will be their first introduction to Ahsoka Tano, but with a Kurosawa infused environment coupled with a few visual cues undoubtedly borrowed from Kill Bill, there is no question of the honor and ability of the white-sabered former Jedi. 

As last looks go, you could do worse: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) matches up with Ahsoka
(source: multiversitycomics.com)

The 47 minutes on offer is, for the first time this season, never for a moment dissatisfying. Again, there’s little “travelling to a major reveal” or comic relief inserts – this is as tight as it comes, neither a scenario nor shot wasted. Maybe, besides wanting to do his cherished Tano justice, Filoni is also eager to showcase his qualifications as a film-maker. If the respect that his peers have shown in Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is of any indication, then I have no doubt that he has received all the help and encouragement he needed along the way.

Inevitably, this episode does casually drop a handful of Easter eggs in, from references to Yoda and Anakin Skywalker that are recognizable lodestars for casual fans to truly deep cuts like “the planet Tython” and HK-series assassin droids. There’s even time for a narrative development right in the middle of the casual-hardcore Venn diagram, one which stalks that “way-too-obvious” tightrope that The Mandalorian loves when after her tremendously edited swordfight, Ahsoka demands the location of one Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Between the realization of its director’s hopes and dreams to its lead star’s transformative performance, this is the chapter of this show for which I have been most intrigued to watch a dedicated Disney Gallery episode. Similarly, this is the story which I have most wished were to be fleshed out into an extended cut, or most lamented that it isn’t a feature film. It speaks to the power of this episode and the power of connection that audiences may have to its central Togrutan beacon that what would otherwise be a chapter-dominating reveal is not the most noteworthy development – that being, the reveal of ‘Grogu’, the actual name of ‘The Child’/’Baby Yoda’.

Call him by his name: meet Grogu (and there's the screen-accurate Tano smirk, too)
(source: LucasFilm)

It seems only right that her graduation to live action would come just months after the stunning and triumphant conclusion to the show that made her name. As she watches the Razor Crest take flight and begins a reflective walk back through the woods, it’s clear that for just one week we weren’t watching an episode of The Mandalorian. This week, this was the Ahsoka Tano show.