Disney Plus’s series Star Wars Ahsoka, Season 2 Episode 1, called “Master and Apprentice,” explores the story of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Huyang (David Tenant) learning of the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelson). They are on a mission to locate Thrawn’s location to not only eliminate Thrawn as a threat but to find their friend Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), who likely survived alongside the Grand Admiral during the aftermath of the Battle of Lothal during the Age of the Rebellion. However, the Dark Jedi mercenary Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), Baylan’s apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), Nighsister Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), and Inquisitor Marrok (Paul Darnell) seek to bring Thrawn back as Heir to the Empire. Therefore, the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant are on a race to find Thrawn, and the fate of the Known Galaxy lies on who reaches the Grand Admiral first.
The episode begins with the Dark Jedi mercenary Baylan Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati infiltrating a New Republic ship transporting the Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth to the New Republic for trial. Baylan and Shin attempted to secure Morgan as disguised Jedi, but their act fell, forcing the two to fight their way to Morgan. They reveal themselves as Dark Jedi via their orange lightsabers and aggressive Force abilities, signaling they use some but not all aspects of the Dark Side. Shin Hati kills most of the New Republican crew while Baylan saves the Nightsister, who tells the Dark Jedi of Ahsoka Tano and her desire to seek the Star Map to Thrawn’s location. Baylan, Shin, and Morgan escape on a New Republic ship and head to the world of Arcana.
At the world of Arcana, Ahsoka enters an ancient Dathomiran temple, the location of a Star Map that could lead her to Thrawn. Ahsoka uses the Force to find the Star Map in a pillar deep in the underground Dathomiran temple. The star map is in the shape of an orb. Ahsoka retrieves the Star Map, but Baylan’s HK Assassin Droids ambush her. When the surviving droids attempt to destroy Ahsoka via bombing, Ahsoka escapes on her T-6 One-Nine-Seven-Four ship with Huyang’s help. Ahsoka and Huyang head to a New Republic ship to share what she found with New Republic General Hera Syndulla. Some moments later, Baylan, Shin, Morgan, and Marrok arrive on Arcana. The Dathomiran witch tells the Dark Jedi that Ahsoka might have the Star Map. With this realization, Morgan tells Baylan to send Shin to hunt down Sabine, Ahsoka’s former apprentice, so they can force Ahsoka out and steal the Star Map.
In the New Republic ship, Hera briefs Ahsoka of Morgan’s escape with the help of two Dark Jedi. Ahsoka doesn’t know who the two Dark Jedi are, and Huyang believes the Dark Jedi were probably once Jedi due to their skills in the Jedi arts. Tano briefs Hera that she heard rumors of Grand Admiral Thrawn being alive, and the Star Map is the key to knowing where he is. Hera is shocked because she thought Thrawn perished during the Battle of Lothal when Purgill took his Star Destroyer into hyperspace. If Thrawn lives, Ezra could be alive as well. However, since Huyang does not know how to open the map, Hera advises Ahsoka to ask Sabine, Ahsoka’s former non-Force sensitive student, for help unlocking the Star Map.
In Lothal, Governor Ryder Azadi (Clancy Brown) gives a speech commemorating the Ghost Crew for their valiant victory in liberating Lothal from the Galactic Empire during the Age of Rebellion. However, Sabine is absent in the celebration, and Azadi sends two pilots to find and bring Wren back. Meanwhile, Senator Jai Kell (Vinny Thomas) takes over the celebration speech, much to his confusion. Sabine returns to her home and evades the two pilots sent to bring her back to the celebration. While at home, Sabine watches a past hologram message from Ezra, signaling she misses her friend, who was like a younger brother to her.
The next day, Sabine reunites with Ahsoka. Ahsoka tells her former apprentice the Star Map she found can help them find Ezra as a motivation for Sabine to help unlock the Star Map and help locate Thrawn. Sabine can help open the map because of her skill as an artist. The Star Map was uniquely created and shaped in an “artistic” by an ancient civilization that traveled to the Known Galaxy. Ahsoka insists Sabine stay in her T-6 ship to open the Star Map because many dangerous people, such as Imperial Remnants, are searching for the Star Map. Tano later leaves to meet Huyang, and the ancient Jedi droid tells her he analyzed the two lightsaber hilts the Dark Jedi used: one belongs to the former Jedi Baylan Skoll, while the other hilt he does not recognize. After the discovery, Ahsoka becomes annoyed when she learns Sabine left her T-6 ship to study and open the Star Map at Wren’s home in an old communications tower.
Ahsoka contacts Hera about what Sabine has done. Hera is amused and tells Ahsoka that Sabine’s nature is complicated because of her background as a Mandalorian. In other words, Mandalorians are stubborn, hardy, and honorable warriors. Since Sabine was Ahsoka’s former apprentice, Hera also mentions Ahsoka might not have been an easy and obstinate padawan to her former master. Saddened at the mention of Anakin, Ahsoka tells Hera that Anakin did not finish her training and that she walked away from him as she walked away from Sabine.
Sabine arrives at her home and unlocks the Star Map. Before she could decipher Ezra’s location, two of Baylan’s HK Assassin Droids attacked Sabine, took the Star Map, and destroyed the data Sabine collected in her home. Sabine calls Huyang for help, and Ahsoka flies the T-6 ship to help her former apprentice. Wren attempts to retake the map, but Shin confronts and fights Sabine, who used Ezra’s lightsaber, in a lightsaber duel. Shin defeats and stabs Sabine and escapes with the Star Map, and the episode ends with Ahsoka finding an unconscious and defeated Sabine following the fight.
Sabine vs. Shin
In Ahsoka Season 1, Director and Writer Dave Filoni gave an excellent classic Star Wars introduction and tone for the Ahsoka series. Ahsoka is somewhat an adaptation of the Star Wars Legends novel “Heir to the Empire,” a story of Luke, Han, and Leia fighting Grand Admiral Thrawn. Instead, Ahsoka and the surviving Ghost Crew from Rebels take over to fight Thrawn and the Imperial Remnants, who desire the Chiss to be the new de facto leader of the Imperial Remnants’ military. Thrawn’s skills as an intelligent military strategist would indeed herald the return of the Imperial Navy and its ability to fight the New Republic once they regained their strength and power. The episode also did well in introducing Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll, likely an adaptation of Legends’ Jorus C’baoth. Baylan, Shin, and Morgan were great, as menacing Force-Sensitive foils to Ahsoka as they race to reach Thrawn using the Star Map. Although Star Wars Ahsoka is a new series, it feels like a Rebels Season 5 story since the show continues where Rebels Season 4’s finale left off: Sabine and Ahsoka heading out to find Ezra.
Rating: 9/10