Star Wars Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 7.08: “Together Again” Review

Ahsoka’s (Ashley Eckstein) return to The Clone Wars establishes a critical aspect of her character – although she is longer a Jedi, she exemplifies the very best of what a Jedi ought to be. For the Martez sisters, Ahsoka became the Jedi that they didn’t have when they became orphans. After her shocking departure from the Jedi Order, Ahsoka had both a world of options and no options at all. That she still chose to help two random people speaks highly of who she is – and sharply contrasts her with the leadership of the Jedi Order.

When Bo-Katan (Katie Sackhoff) arrives to seek her help in overthrowing Maul (Sam Witwer), Ahsoka hesitates. It’s not the idea of taking down Maul or helping someone else in need – those are no-brainer decisions for someone like Ashoka. Rather, it’s the idea that she might go down the path of becoming a Jedi once again. She now knows that the ideal Jedi is central to her being, but the possibility of embracing the institution that abandoned her is troubling. It is especially troubling now that she has grown enough to understand that the Jedi Order’s claims of moral righteousness are far more flawed than she realized.

Ahsoka doesn’t want to lose sight of the path that she is on right now. She doesn’t know where it might lead but she has finally found something resembling comfort after her ordeal with the Jedi Order. Jumping away from that into a conflict that will inevitably involve the Republic and the Jedi Order is a terrifying thought. Ahsoka is perhaps afraid of losing some of the progress she has made and becoming complacent and forced into an institution she had outgrown. But she makes the choice to help Bo-Katan, with the contingency of leaving her bike behind with the Martez sisters, just in case. And we move on to the final act of The Clone Wars.

The story structure of this arc is a bit wonky and, in retrospect, needs to be sharper. The character arcs and emotional beats are there, but the show sometimes doesn’t trust its own instincts in terms of when it needs to slow down and allow the characters to reflect upon their actions. The action sequences are great, and arguably what The Clone Wars is known for, but the characters in those action sequences need to be meaningful in their own right. That this arc succeeds in spite of the structural flaws speaks in large part to Ahsoka’s strength and, while the Martez sisters need more detailed characterization and space to breathe, there is enough material to make this an interesting exploration of how people live outside of the Jedi and the war, but are impacted by both.



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