TV Review: ‘Ahsoka’ Season 1, Episode 4 — The Action Doesn’t Let Up

Ahsoka has a bizarre pacing to it. It seems the sequence of events has moved quite slowly since the premiere, and yet the pacing of the show never stalls. The action comes up pretty fast and frequently, which keeps the tension and threat level high even though not much has occurred over the past couple of episodes. Last week’s episode was pretty much the characters arriving on the planet, and this week saw them on that planet’s surface. Devoting two episodes to one planet in a far-reaching Star Wars series is rare, and yet it’s not hard to acknowledge just how much has changed.

Ahsoka’s (Rosario Dawson) ship remains hidden in the forest while needing repairs. Shin (Ivanna Sakhno) tracks them down and engages Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in battle. Meanwhile, Ahsoka heads after Baylan (Ray Stevenson) and fights him for the map. She is able to disrupt the download, but he ultimately defeats her, sending her flying over the edge. Without Ahsoka, Sabine is lost and hands over the map. She’s then taken prisoner as Baylan promises to bring her to Ezra. The hyper drive ship then takes off as Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and her squadron arrive. In the episode’s closing moments, Ahsoka appears to be in the World Between Worlds and encounters her old master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen).

Christensen’s return to Star Wars has been an odd journey. It made a lot of sense for him to appear in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Ahsoka is a little different. Of course, Ahsoka and Anakin have a long history, but it’s pretty much all been in animated form. This is the first time their respective characters have met in live action. But for Christenson, someone who fans had mixed feelings about when he first showed up as the character, seeing him wholeheartedly embrace this return has been a treat. There are still a lot of surprises left in the show, but this was definitely a strong episode.

Ahsoka streams Tuesdays on Disney+.