Full spoilers follow for Ahsoka Episode 6.
Phew! If you thought that Ahsoka Episode 5 delivered an emotional blow wrapped in shocking secrets, then Ahsoka Episode 6 is here to knock you out. “Far, Far Away” explodes everything you thought you knew about the galaxy. Not only did the stunning episode introduce us to an entirely new galaxy that expanded our understanding of some of the coolest Star Wars characters of all time (more on that later), but it also brought two fan-favorite characters to live-action for the first time. So we’re here to answer all your questions and dig deeper than an Aleenian Kindalo into how this episode translates the best of the Star Wars animated universe into live-action.
Grand Admiral Thrawn Returns in Ahsoka Episode 6
Here's another important affirmative for Rebels fans and lovers of the now decanonized Star Wars Expanded Universe. Timothy Zahn’s iconic creation Grand Admiral Thrawn first debuted in the author’s fan favorite 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire, before becoming a staple of the Star Wars EU. But it would be years later when he made his on-screen debut, joining contemporary Star Wars canon in the two part Rebels Season 3 premiere “Steps Into Shadow.” Thrawn's voice actor Lars Mikkelsen returns to the role he originated, taking his first ominous steps into live-action in "Far, Far Away." Even if you aren't already familiar with the nefarious villain, his impactful entrance immediately established the immense threat he will represent going forward.
If you're wondering about the state of Thrawn and his Night Troopers — who are visibly decimated — since we saw the Purgil take them at the end of Rebels, it's clear that they've been battling something since they landed on Peridea. Perhaps this could also explain why Daddy Thrawn, as fans have eagerly called him since his reappearance in Rebels and more recent canon Thrawn books, is looking a little more like Uncle Thrawn by the time we meet him here. But despite his more rough and ready appearance, he's no less imposing thanks to Mikkelsen's chilling performance and Thrawn's immense army.
Something really interesting about the arrival Thrawn and his legion of troopers is the way that — similar to how Kylo Ren fixed his helmet in The Rise of Skywalker — they seem to have enhanced their broken ship, the Star Destroyer Chimera, and their armor via the Japanese tradition of Kintsugi. It appears that a golden substance has been used to fill the cracks and even craft a mask for the Night Trooper's Captain Enoch (played by Wes Chatham). Could this unnamed metal be another galaxy's version of Beskar? It definitely feels evocative of the Mandalorian tradition of melting the metal down to create something new. There's also the chance that the alloy could be connected to the Nightsisters. After all, Peridea is their home and we know that Thrawn could have enlisted their dark magic to help build his army. Perhaps the golden alloy channels their Force Magick and allows Thrawn to control his troops?
Also, who are those troops? Well, after what we learned about Marrok in Episode 4, it seems likely that the Night Troopers could potentially be Nightbrothers, or reanimated corpses — cool! — or at least magically brainwashed soldiers. Reanimating corpses is well within the Nightsisters' skill set and would add a bleak twist to Thrawn's army. Plus, let's just say Night Troopers and Nightsisters seems to be too close of a naming convention to be a coincidence. And with Elsbeth's help, both Thrawn and the Nightsisters look to be headed back into the main Star Wars galaxy, paving the way for an epic battle as we lead into Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni's eventual Star Wars TV crossover movie. This adds a whole new threat outside of the Sith, so dark magic is headed to the Galaxy Far, Far Away and we can't wait.
Ezra Bridger Lives!
In exciting news, the answer to one of Ashoka’s biggest questions is finally yes. Though we saw Ezra (Eman Esfandi) in hologram form in the series premiere, we get his proper live-action debut in Episode 6. This is a huge moment for Rebels fans, especially as Ahsoka has essentially acted as a direct sequel to the beloved animated show. How did the return of Ezra come to pass? Well, that was thanks to a reckless decision by Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Episode 5 to accompany Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) on the pathway to Peridea. Allowing them to take the map puts both galaxies in dire danger, but Sabine's desperation to see Ezra pushes her to align with the enemy.
Sabine's not-so-smart plan ends up working out and leads to a long-awaited reunion between the Rebels faves. It also blesses us with some beautiful Star Wars creature work as we get to meet Sabine's new wolf-dog companion Howler — let's hope she doesn't just abandon him like she did with her beautiful Loth-cat — and eventually the extremely cool Noti clan. Rolling, chittering, turtle-like creatures, the Noti are a traveling species who seem to be indigenous to Peridea as they and the other inhabitants who don't speak Galactic Basic all speak the "Noti language." In classic Ezra fashion, the now hunkily bearded freedom fighter has been residing alongside the kind and curious creatures while living on Peridea and even speaks their language. That's about all we get to know about Ezra's time on the planet, but his arrival represents big things going forward, not least being the simple confirmation that he has survived since we last saw him on Rebels.
With most of the surviving Rebels crew soon to be reunited in the final two episodes of the series, we can expect to see Ezra fighting alongside his old friends against Grand Admiral Thrawn. And as we move towards Filoni's epic crossover film, it feels likely that we'll get to see the Rebels crew as part of that fight alongside Din Djarin and the Mandalorians. This is uncharted territory, but we're still chronologically 25 years away from the sequel trilogy so there's a lot of ground to cover in that time period.
The Truth About the Nightsisters of Dathomir
Since her introduction in The Mandalorian, Morgan Elsbeth has been an engaging figure. A descendant of Dathomir, her connection to and role in Ahsoka seemed defined by her quest for Thrawn until we finally reached the legendary new galaxy Peridea. It was here that we learned she had her own reason for wanting to reach the location far, far away, and it wasn't just to help free the Grand Admiral. In a huge reveal, it turns out the magical Force users known as the Nightsisters of Dathomir aren't actually from the Star Wars galaxy where we first met them. Instead — as many viewers had hoped based on this season's early episodes — we learned that the Force witches actually hailed from Peridea, where they ruled "The Great Witch Kingdom." And just like we saw Ahsoka doing in Episode 5, Elsbeth shares that the ancient Dathomirians used the Purgils to reach the galaxy that we know from the classic Star Wars stories.
As Elsbeth and her allies arrive on Peridea, they meet the Great Mothers, elderly witches who appear to be a mix of Dune's Bene Gesserit and the Greek Fates. Star Wars lovers might have instantly recalled the iconic Clone Wars character Great Mother Talzin, who was the matriarch of Darth Maul's family. It's intentional that these live-action witches immediately evoke her design. And we learn here why the mantle had such meaning. The Great Mothers are revered and seemingly have the ability to tell the future and sense the past, giving them great power.
This is a huge moment that has massive ramifications for Star Wars going forward. Not only do we now know that there is a definite second galaxy — which gives the creators uncharted territory to explore — but we also know that Peridea is directly connected to the more magical elements of the Force. That's something that's been explored lightly in the animated series and in the EU where Force powers were far less regulated and wildly more superpowered, and it's never truly been explained or delved into in main canon. As the franchise moves towards Dave Filoni's crossover movie and presumably more seasons of Ahsoka, you can expect this to come into play far more. It could also potentially connect to one of the more intriguing recently announced Star Wars films, Logan director James Mangold's historical epic that is said to be set 25,000 years before A New Hope. With the confirmation that Peridea is the ancestral home of the Nightsisters, it's easy to assume that the new galaxy could be tied to the origins of the Force and its history.
A Surprising Strength
Though I obviously had to highlight the huge live-action arrivals and their impact here, I also wanted to use this piece to celebrate one of the biggest strengths of Ahsoka. Though many Star Wars fans were loath to give Rebels a try when it first hit Disney Channel in 2014, the series soon found a fervent and passionate fanbase. There were many reasons that the found family series hit just as hard as Clone Wars before it, but one in particular stands out. Filoni's first animated Star Wars series had introduced fans to Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan, adding new fan-favorite female characters to the canon of the galaxy far, far away. That was also where we met the fantastic Force Witches known as the Nightsisters of Dathomir and the complex Asajj Ventress.
In Rebels, Filoni expanded on that tradition, creating a world with many different women who held different roles and places in the universe. From Hera to Sabine to Ketsu Onyo to the Seventh Sister, Rebels gave us a rare expanse of women in space that felt more akin to the Star Wars EU where hundreds of novels introduced us to all kinds of characters, both good and bad. Ahsoka brings this to live-action as we meet women of all ages and all creeds. Villainous women, complex women, stubborn women, loving women, and — of course — heroic women.
"Far, Far Away" ironically probably has more men in key roles than any other Ahsoka episode so far, but still manages to showcase this strength better than any previous entry. While the titular hero is traveling Pinocchio style, we get to spend time with the maternal and ferocious Hera, the naive and recently compromised Sabine — who literally puts the entire universe and its future at risk just to see her best buddy again — and we get to meet the ancient and villainous Great Mothers. Shin Hati represents another multifaceted aspect of this strength as the morally conflicted apprentice of Baylan Skoll. So far she's been more of an antagonistic presence — with brilliant action scenes and a simmering sexual tension with Sabine — but in "Far, Far Away" she gets to question her master and begin to forge her own moral path outside of the man who trained her.
All of these moments make Ahsoka Episode 6 a truly great example of the power of adaptation. Though Filoni is taking from his beloved animated series' he's also expanding on what he introduced there, adding layers and complexity that promise a greater story to come. With only two episodes of Ahsoka to go we can't wait to see what else Filoni has in store *cough* give us Zeb *cough* but we know whatever happens, change is afoot in the galaxy far, far away.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/ahsoka-episode-6-showcases-best-rebels-and-the-clone-wars-ezra-thrawn