With the Bad Batch arc wrapped up, this episode brought us the return of Ahsoka, an exploration of the smaller-scale galactic underworld, and a discussion of the Clone War’s social climate. This may very well be the beginning of a new Ahsoka-centric arc, so let’s jump right in!
For a show that usually struggles with writing Jedi, the Clone Wars has always done Ahsoka’s character very well. This episode is no exception; it felt great to see our favorite Jedi back in action after her departure last season from the Jedi Order. After a trip on her speeder bike went wrong, Ahsoka finds herself staying with a mechanic named Trace in the city underbelly. Trace has aspirations of being a pilot of her very own freighter, but she currently is running a small-scale shop with her sister Rafa, or as I like to call her, Overwatch’s Sombra dropped into the Star Wars universe. Together, they take a shady deal assembling droids from an even shadier guy, and after some slightly racist remarks about droids being inherently more prone to violence than the rest of us, Ahsoka helps them stop a rogue droid from destroying the sector and a low-level crime boss from squeezing them from money.
The story and side characters honestly felt pretty cliche, but one thing this episode did really well is discuss how people on the lower rungs of society view the Jedi. To Ahsoka’s surprise, Trace explains how the Jedi, supposedly protectors and peacekeepers, have forgotten about the very citizens they are supposed to protect. She paints a scene of people at the bottom how feel betrayed and uncared for and points out how things like politics, wars, and Jedi mean little to people just trying to get by. It’s a surprisingly poignant scene that really highlights the fact that the Jedi had been falling, not only in integrity, but also in public favor long before the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith. It was particularly impactful to see Ahsoka struggle with these concepts as someone who has also recently become disillusioned with the Jedi Council and is now trying to find her way as just another face in the crowd. This episode may not carry any lasting impact on the series as a whole, but it definitely will be something to look back upon as we see Ahsoka continue to develop and discover her new purpose. I for one am excited to see more of our ambidextrous friend in the weeks to come!
