Podcasts TV Hyperspace Theories Ahsoka and Anakin Reunite!

Ahsoka and Anakin Reunite!

Published: Oct. 17, 2023, 12:47 p.m.

Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester return for another episode of Hyperspace Theories discussing the\xa0Ahsoka\xa0Disney+ series, specifically the second act of the story: Part Three \u201cTime to Fly,\u201d Part Four \u201cFallen Jedi,\u201d and Part Five \u201cShadow Warrior.\u201d Often Star Wars is at its best when it advances not only the character arcs of its principals, but also the mythology of the franchise, The episodes of\xa0Ahsoka, and \u201cShadow Warrior\u201d especially, mark a great success in that tradition.

As we mentioned in our previous episode discussing the two-part premiere,\xa0Ahsoka\xa0has excelled at representation and inclusion, particularly compared to Star Wars\u2019 less than stellar historical track record. In late September, the Women\u2019s Committee of the Critic\u2019s Choice Association (CCA) announced that it would be honoring\xa0Ahsoka\xa0with the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE), which \u201crecognizes outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective through authentically told female-driven stories.\u201d The\xa0press release\xa0noted that\xa0Ahsoka\xa0had achieved \u201ca perfect score in the numerical formula\u201d which evaluates whether nominated projects \u201chave a prominent female character arc, give female characters at least equal screen time to male characters, have female leaders behind the scenes, and pass elements highlighted in the Bechdel test.\u201d Congratulations to Carrie Beck, Dave Filoni, and the other leaders behind\xa0Ahsoka\xa0for their contributions to making this kind of recognition possible for a Star Wars project.

The second act of\xa0Ahsoka\xa0places the characterization focus on the titular character and the personal and spiritual journey she undertakes. \u201cTime to Fly\u201d and \u201cFallen Jedi\u201d reveal the ways in which Ahsoka Tano, despite her age and experience, still faces the emotional legacy of her past and still struggles to follow herself the Jedi lessons she imparts to Sabine. In \u201cShadow Warrior\u201d her near-death experience compels her to face her deepest traumas and fears \u2013 and to finally truly confront her feelings toward former Master, Anakin Skywalker, and his fate as Darth Vader, and what it means for Ahsoka to have been trained by him. After her rescue and return to land on Seatos, she has rediscovered her true self and made the transition, inspired by Tolkein\u2019s Gandalf, from Ahsoka the Gray to Ahsoka the White. In the Hero\u2019s Journey monomyth described by Joseph Campbell, a recurring topic on Hyperspace Theories, the Belly of the Whale marks a key metamorphosis from the hero\u2019s ordinary existence to their extraordinary adventure. For Ahsoka, her ascension to her Wizard\u2019s Journey requires such a transformation \u2013 and its culmination is indicated, literally, by her passage into the open mouth of a gigantic, ancient purgill.

These episodes of\xa0Ahsoka\xa0also present interesting perspectives on the Force, and what it means to be a Jedi, through other characters including Sabine, Hera, Jacen Syndulla, Huyang, and Baylan Skoll. All of these ideas are juxtaposed against Ahsoka\u2019s concurrent personal journey, and all of them pay off in the third act of the series. Check back soon for our next episode of Hyperspace Theories analyzing those episodes in depth.

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The\xa0Ahsoka\xa0series premiered and aired on Disney+ during the concurrent ongoing strikes against Disney and other major Hollywood studios by unions representing the writers (WGA) and actors (SAG-AFTRA) who are indispensable to their productions. Accordingly, neither Filoni nor any of the actors in\xa0Ahsoka\xa0could participate in promotional interviews or other marketing for the series (although they appear in material previously recorded, such as interviews at Star Wars Celebration in April, that is shared by Disney or entertainment journalists). Aside from its value in raising the visibility of the series to the prospective audience, such interviews with talent often provide fascinating insight into the storytelling process, characterization and motivations, and the themes and values underlying a series. We are disappointed that the studios have denied the talent the opportunity to participate in the excitement of the series launch, and the fans and audience the ability to share in their enthusiasm and learn from it, through their unwillingness to agree to reasonable terms relating to changing technology, shifts in production and distribution within the industry, and a fair sharing of billions of dollars in global profits with those who make those profits possible in the first place. Despite the ongoing strikes, the unions have not called for a boycott of the studios: they encourage fans and audience to watch newly released films and series (to demonstrate their value and profitability) and have clarified that non-promotional activities such as reviews, criticism, and analysis are not inconsistent with the terms of the strike. At FANgirl Blog and Hyperspace Theories, we intend to discuss Star Wars (and other projects from the struck studios) in solidarity with the unions and in conformity with their approved official guidance.