The Jedi
A popular Jedi returns, two names are dropped, and we finally get a legitimate Wild West showdown between the Mandalorian and a guy who is no stranger to facing off against fast guns. In this installment of the series, our hero takes the Child to the planet Corvus as directed by Bo-Katan and comes face-to-face with the very first live action version of one of Star Wars‘ most famous newer characters. He aids this character in battling a ruthless magistrate in a local city who has information on yet another popular character who was first introduced to Star Wars fans in Timothy Zahn’s 1991 book, Heir To The Empire.
The episode is filled with a number of brilliant fight sequences and doubles down on the continued Western atmosphere of the series. The Mando’s relationship with the Child is explored on a deeper level and we gain important knowledge about the Child, including his name. Director Dave Filoni keeps the action fast-paced while managing to develop our hero even more. Check out the spoiler section below for a few more goodies!
Spoilers Below Photo Of Futuristic Johnny Ringo!!!!!
This episode introduces us to quite possibly the most anticipated character in all of live action Star Wars lore. Rosario Dawson breathes life into Ahsoka Tano, former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker. You might remember him as a dude named Darth Vader. No biggie. Voiced by the beloved Ashley Eckstein in her animated form and in a brief vocal cameo in Rise of Skywalker, Ahsoka finally gets the live action treatment in The Jedi. Not only did Dawson have massive shoes to fill thanks to the brilliant performance by Eckstein, Filoni had the grand task of making the character believable in live action. To be honest, he’s the only man for the job and both he and Dawson did a great job.
With moves that echo the animated version of the character, this is an excellent live action adaptation of Ahsoka Tano. The web was all abuzz about her look, especially that of her lekku, and there was a ton of your standard fan hate, but for the most part fans love and appreciate this version of the character. I personally enjoyed Dawson in the role and thought that she gave a solid performance as an older and wiser Ahsoka. “Snips” looked great in my opinion and I hope that she makes a return in a later episode.
We also learn about the Child’s background and his name in this episode. Grogu was trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and hidden away during the Great Purge. He suppressed his powers in order to hide from the Empire. Ahsoka notices that he has developed a powerful bond with the Mando and she refuses to train him, fearing that the anger and fear that he hides in his heart will be his undoing much like her former master, Anakin. Angered by this, the Mando offers to help Ahsoka battle Magistrate Elsbeth and her right hand man, Lang, in return for training Grogu. The duo battle against the magistrate and her minions in a brilliant sequence that features a showdown between the Mando and Lang and a battle between Ahsoka and the magistrate. The magistrate has information about Grand Admiral Thrawn, yeah, that guy, and Ahsoka wants it. Does she get what she wants? Does she agree to train Grogu? Check out the episode to find out!
As previously mentioned, this episode features some amazing battle sequences, my favorite being the first one featuring Ahsoka battling some of the magistrate’s soldiers in fog. I loved how Ahsoka would seemingly appear out of nothingness, wreak havoc, and vanish once again. I also loved the showdown between Lang and the Mando. Lang is portrayed by Michael Biehn, better known to science fiction fans as Kyle Reese in The Terminator franchise and Hicks in the Alien franchise. For me though, he’ll always be Johnny Ringo, arch nemesis of Doc Holliday in 1993’s Tombstone. It’s this movie that made me fall in love with Biehn as an actor, and the fact that he gets to show off a little bit of his gun magic in this episode was pure joy for me. Diana Lee Inosanto portrayed Magistrate Elsbeth. Best known for her stunt work in numerous films including Blade, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and The Patriot, and as a fight choreographer and trainer, Inosanto was the perfect foil to Ahsoka in this episode.
This was an excellent character-developing episode of The Mandalorian. It drove the narrative forward, baited the audience for future episodes, and did a great job of introducing the live action version of one of the most popular animated characters in Star Wars lore. Check this episode out. You won’t regret it!
Thanks for reading my post. Sorry that it’s a couple of days late. I’ll do my best to get the next chapter reviewed on time! Be sure to give me your thoughts and comments on the episode and any of the new and old characters introduced in it below!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 