Disney Plus’s series Star Wars Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 7, called “Dreams and Madness,” 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), and Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) 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 Hera getting court-martialed by the Senate Committee for disobeying orders and going rogue to assist Ahsoka in Seatos. Senator Hamato Xiono (Nelson Lee) is the prominent accuser of Hera’s insubordination because of his opposition to giving power to the New Republic Defense Fleet over helping the citizens of the fledgling New Republic with their daily problems. Soon, C3PO (Anthony Daniels) arrived with a message from Senator Leia Organa that Leia was the one who gave the order to Hera to investigate Seatos for Thrawn. Leia’s message is successful because she is the leader of the Defense Council and has a strong influence over the Defense Fleet. Hera thanks C3PO for the save, but Chancellor Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), not believing in Leia’s message, asks Hera to tell her the truth. Hera explains the possible return of Thrawn, worrying Mothma because the New Republic is not ready for another war.
In Peridea, Ahsoka and Huyang arrive but have to outmaneuver Thrawn’s attacks: Imperial Space Mines, Imperial Fighters, and the Eye of Sion firing on Ahsoka’s T6 Ship. Later, Baylan and Shin allied with Peridea’s “samurai” bandits and located Ezra, Sabine, and the Noti caravan. Baylan allows Shin to join Thrawn and his Imperial crusade on the Known Galaxy because he knows she will not adapt to Peridea well, unlike Baylan himself. Baylan plans to find Peridea’s secret power and spread his influence on Peridea’s inhabitants. Skoll parts ways with his apprentice and tells her one final piece of advice, “Impatience for victory will guarantee defeat.” Shin leads Peridea’s “samurai” bandits to attack the Noti Caravan and calls for the Night Troopers’ aid to kill Ezra and Sabine.
Shin fails her task when Ahsoka intervenes and joins the fight against Shin and her forces. As a result, Thrawn orders the surviving Night Troopers to retreat because he does not want to waste more resources and soldiers to kill his enemies. The Grand Admiral is victorious in the conflict because Thrawn gave his forces time to load most of the Nightsister and Imperial cargo onto the ship, allowing them to be fully prepared for their arrival in the Known Galaxy and the future war against the New Republic. In the battle’s aftermath, Ezra has a heartwarming reunion with Ahsoka, and he, Ahsoka, and Sabine are ready to continue their mission to stop Thrawn from escaping his exile on Peridea to bring a new war to the Known Galaxy between the New Republic and the Imperial Remnants.
Ezra vs. Shin
In Ahsoka Season 1, Director Geeta Vasant Patel and Writer Dave Filoni continued the main protagonists’ journey in Peridea. Thrawn has shown to be strategic against the heroes as he distracted them long enough to finish his preparations to end his exile on Peridea. The cargo loaded into the Chimaera seems to be Nightsister corpses, which could be resurrected as undead Nightsisters. The power of the Nightsisters might give Thrawn the proof he needs to show his strength to the Imperial Remnants, proving the Grand Admiral worthy of leading the remnants’ military operations. On the other hand, Ezra has shown to rely on the Force more as an ally and companion, seeking to fight his opponents with only the Force, although he used a blaster to fight the Night Troopers. In addition, Baylan’s crusade is mysterious as he believes his destiny is to gain Peridea’s power, and he seems confident in doing so without Shin’s support due to Skoll realizing Shin will not adapt well to Peridea. The episode was great to watch, even though the action sequences needed better choreography to make the fight scenes impactful.
Rating: 9/10