Ahsoka Episode 3: Epic Space Opera At Its Finest

The latest episode in Disney's Star Wars: Ahsoka has just dropped and by the moons of Tatooine, what a riveting, breathtaking spectacle that was!

Okay, so the haters and naysayers may be groaning at my bias right now. It was a great episode but yeah, not perfect. So let's get the not-so-perfect stuff out of the way:

The third installment, titled "Time to Fly" clocks in at a zippy 30 odd minutes as opposed to the prior two premier episodes which spanned 54 and 42 minutes each. The time constraint does damper the overall quality of what would have been a near-perfect third episode.

Notably, the scenes with Hera appealing to the New Republic Senate could have benefited from some more polishing and extra screen time. That said, Mary Elizabeth Winstead completely shines in the role of the rebel hero Hera. Her candid conversation with overly skeptical Senator Xiono is a real fun watch and the references back to her Rebels family and the threat of Thrawn are nice easter eggs foreshadowing the show's upcoming direction.

On to the good stuff. So, despite the time constraint, this episode was chock-full of great scenes. The training scenes with Sabine and Huyang (masterly played by David Tennant) adds nuances to the whole Master/ Padawan arc between Ahsoka and Sabine, particularly with Huyang's matter-of-fact dismissal of Sabine's ability as a suitable Jedi candidate. As Ahsoka steps in to assist with the training we get a nice homage throwback to Obi Wan training Luke with the vizor helmet on the Falcon. The chemistry between Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka and Natasha Liu Bordizzo's Sabine remains a standout as per the previous episodes. Also, I felt the use of Japanese styled bokkens for training was spot-on as George Lucas always envisioned the Jedi to have had Samurai influences. 

One thing that struck me with awe this episode is how far Ahsoka has come to reach the status of Jedi Master. Gone is the impulsive Togruta we saw in Clone Wars to the secret 'Fulcrum' operative of Rebels. Instead, we get a wiser, calmer, more force-matured version of Ahsoka that just hits all the right feels. 

The episode's pinnacle arrives with an extraordinary dogfight around the mysterious Eye of Sion - A hyperdrive gate that allows for intergalactic travel. The space battle scene is riveting to watch with the malevolent Shin and the enigmatic Marrok pursuing our heroic trio in a real edge-of-your-seat full on popcorn moment. Ahsoka 'spacing out' with her lightsaber was exactly the Clone-Wars type boundary-pushing that shows like this needs. And having Sabine Wren back in the cockpit and doing what she does best post-Rebels made this a super entertaining watch. Also, nice throwback on the gun-manning to Luke & Han on the Falcon again when Sabine finally manages to down one of the enemy interceptors. 

And just when we thought the space and aerial battle was over, the chase continues as they plunge down into the Seatos system's atmosphere only to find themselves surrounded by the all too familiar space-whale like creatures knows as purrgils.

Fantastic visual imagery, gritty action and gripping space battles made for exceptional viewing, albeit a little short on time.