And that’s a wrap! Ahsoka episode 8 “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” has brought an exceptional end to this extraordinary, eye-opening series. The enemy may have prevailed, but the wise Ahsoka Tano doesn’t seem to be broken just yet. The conclusion to this episode provided a proper chef’s kiss to the masterpiece that was this series. Not only that, but it also didn’t fail to provide a strong platform for Ahsoka Season 2, a film centered on Grand Admiral Thrawn, or whatever opportunity Filoni gets to continue this amazing story.
Thrawn’s great victory
As many expected, Thrawn and his army succeeded rather easily in their efforts to escape exile. Thrawn’s calculated thinking and strategizing had finally led him to victory. While Ahsoka, Huyang, and Sabine attempted to follow the massive hyper-space ring in their starship, their efforts were essentially futile. Before jumping into intergalactic hyper-space, Thrawn delivered a chilling speech to Ahsoka via ship communications.
Thrawn commends Ahsoka’s efforts and attempts to stop his departure, especially after vanquishing the late Morgan Elsbeth. He continues to explain to Ahsoka that he was able to predict her actions due to his prior knowledge of her Master, Anakin Skywalker. While we’ve never seen Thrawn interact with Anakin on screen, the warlord and the Jedi worked together in the novel Thrawn: Alliances, which you can read a summary of here. Thrawn ends the message by claiming his victory and uttering the puzzling phrase, “Long live the Empire,” just before disappearing into the stars.
Emerging victorious, Thrawn sets a course for Dathomir upon landing in his home galaxy. With Elsbeth, Shin Hati, and Baylan Skoll all far, far behind him, the Grand Admiral might want to find some more dangerous allies as part of his next move. However, with the help of Great Mother’s dark magic, Thrawn has nearly unlimited resources when it comes time to lay waste to the New Republic. Thrawn’s return is sure to result in bloodshed in some amount. Thankfully, someone managed to escape and warn the others that the warlord was indeed coming.
Ezra’s return
Unlike the rest of his allies, Jedi Ezra Bridger managed to sneak aboard Thrawn’s Star Destroyer just before departure. With Sabine’s help, Ezra just made it aboard and headed straight for a smaller ship to escape with. Ezra managed to sneak out of the Star Destroyer after the journey on a vessel of his own. This seemingly went way over Thrawn’s head; shockingly, he didn’t seem concerned about anything besides reaching Dathomir.
Ezra landed at a New Republic base where his old friend, Hera Syndulla, was stationed. As the ship’s door opened, many people aboard the base held up their guns in fear of the Stormtrooper suit that Ezra was wearing, including Hera. Suddenly, Chopper, Hera’s droid, rolls over to Ezra as he suspects something unusual. After Ezra places his hand on Chopper, the droid seemingly fills with joy. When Ezra removes his helmet, Hrra freezes in shock of who she sees.
The scene concludes with Ezra slowly approaching Hera, then fades. While we did see Ezra’s heartwarming return, we did not see him deliver the bad news that Hera probably already suspects: Thrawn’s return. Due to the magnitude of the situation, Ezra and Hera will need to act quickly. Because most of the New Republic did not believe that Thrawn was even alive, combating him and his undead army would be all the more difficult. That said, it’s up to Hera and Ezra to warn the New Republic and hopefully acquire aid in what might be an ongoing war.
A guardian angel watches on
In the closing scene of this episode, Ahsoka and Sabine can be seen in a small village with the Noti, making camp in what will most likely be their new home. After a valiant effort, Ahsoka had failed to stop Thrawn from escaping this mysterious Galaxy. Oddly enough, Ahsoka doesn’t appear too distressed from the issue. She assures Sabine that they and Ezra are right where they must be. Sabine is then caught off guard by something she can’t see or explain. She tries to describe it to Ahsoka, then disregards her concern.
Ahsoka then looks to Peridea’s sky, pondering what could be out there and why they are still here. Ultimately, Ahsoka smiles and walks back to her camp. The camera slowly zooms out, and we get a wide shot of the village. Then, once again, we see just over the shoulder of a proud Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin watches on with a grin. Surely, this kind of life journey was not what he would have wanted for his padawn. However, he must be proud that with all the obstacles thrown in her way, dating back to childhood, Ahsoka had managed to keep her life and a positive mindset. While Skywalker may no longer be there in physical form, Ahsoka can feel his presence and graciously accepts it. Regardless of what he went on to do, Ahsoka will always be grateful for Anakin’s teachings and positive mentorship.
Now that Sabine and Ahsoka are in a brand-new galaxy, many questions could be raised regarding how the Force works in this new, uncharted territory. After Sabine seemingly sensed Skywalker’s presence, one has to wonder if the Jedi Knight will reveal himself to her in the future. Additionally, Anakin’s force ghost may be the last shot of the season, which infers that there’s a lot more of Hayden Christensen to come in the future.
Unfortunately, it may be some time before we see Ahsoka Tano again. No future projects regarding this story have been officially announced yet. However, when we revisit it, Dave Filoni will surely have another amazing story ready to be told.