The fact that the series “Ashoka” was produced under the title “Stormcrow” is no coincidence. Especially among “Lord of the Rings” fans, this name should ring a bell – and yes, the title heroine is deliberately in line with Gandalf.
In the world of “The Lord of the Rings” Gandalf is also called Stormcrow. Dave Filoni used exactly this term as a working title for the current “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” – and that’s no coincidence. He compares the path of the title character, played by Rosario Dawson, with that of Gandalf – and gladly accepts that he had to rewrite an existing “Star Wars” sequence for this purpose – in other words, he performs a small so-called retcon.
But one after the other…
AHSOKA IS THE GANDALF OF “STAR WARS “
That Dave Filoni draws parallels between Ahsoka and Gandalf was revealed by Rosario Dawson to Entertainment Weekly magazine in advance of the series. She and Filoni especially talked a lot about the transformation from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White.
Ahsoka is also going through such a transformation. She may already be a very competent and excellent leader at the beginning of the new series on Disney+, but she still has an evolution to go through. To illustrate this, Filoni changed an already existing “Star Wars” scene.
In the epilogue of “Star Wars Rebels,” we not only see that Hera Syndulla now has a son (who I’m sure will still appear in “Ahsoka”), but also how Ahsoka Tano collects the Mandalorian Sabine Wren on Lothal to go with her on a search for the missing Jedi Ezra Bridger. Here you can watch the scenes again in the video – please pay attention to Ahsoka Tano’s outfit:
In the lead-up to “Ahsoka,” we all thought that the titular heroine and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) had already been on a quest to find Ezra once (the “Rebels” ending) and were now taking on the task one more time (in “Ahsoka”). But this is probably wrong!
The second episode of “Ahsoka” very likely replays that very moment we already saw in “Rebels.” Accordingly, we’ve tentatively noted it that way in our constantly updated timeline article.
That there are some differences is related to a retcon by Filoni. The changed outfit of Ahsoka alludes to Gandalf and “Lord of the Rings”. Let’s take another close look at the outfit in “Star Wars Rebels”:
When the finale of “Star Wars Rebels” came out in 2018, Dave Filoni wanted to hint that Ahsoka has undergone a major transformation with her outfit. Her clothes are already almost white, plus she carries a staff. She is already almost Gandalf the White.
As he later explained repeatedly, the “Star Wars” maker had no idea at the time that there would be a chance to tell Ahsoka’s story in more detail later on – and in live action, too. Now this chance presented itself – and with it it was clear that he had to eliminate the previously existing version of the departure at the end (i.e. the images from “Star Wars Rebels”) and replace it with new ones. A classic retcon.
DAVE FILONI HAD TO NEGATE AHSOKA’S TRANSFORMATION SO WE COULD EXPERIENCE IT
Why was that clear? If Filoni had jumped straight to the version of Ahsoka at the end of “Star Wars Rebels,” he would have robbed us of the bulk of her transformation. The audience would not have seen firsthand how Ahsoka evolves.
The new version of the scene in the second episode of “Ahsoka” now makes it clear that the titular heroine still has a very long way to go. Let’s take another look at her outfit here:
The new version of Ashoka’s appearance
Ahsoka is now visibly wearing dark gray clothing. While she is a leader, she will guide the collective adventure, but she has much to learn herself. Just as the wise Gandalf could only become the white Gandalf because he learned something himself through his time with Frodo, we will see in the coming episodes of “Ahsoka” how the former Jedi also learns from her “student” Sabine. Filoni wants us to experience this for ourselves, but to do so he had to undo the previous version of the scene.
Nor can it be, in the opinion of the author of these lines, that the “Rebels” scene is a version of an earlier departure to which Filoni is only paying tribute. Yes, the “Star Wars” maker quoted a lot in the first two episodes of “Ahsoka.” There are other scenes that are staged 1:1 like moments from “Rebels” – but are still clearly new scenes (because, for example, Sabine is the acting character instead of Ezra). But this isn’t one of those moments, because that would mean Ahsoka went backwards in her development. She was almost Gandalf the White – but is now dark grey again? That makes no sense!
Ergo: Ahsoka and Sabine’s departure together in the second episode of “Ahsoka” is the same scene as in the epilogue of “Star Wars Rebels”. There are differences, but they are due to the fact that you can now tell a story that you had no idea about when you made the first version. And that’s where a retcon this small is probably the best option – after all, no one knows better than “Star Wars” fans anyway: “In constant motion, the future is.”
The third episode of “Ahsoka” will be available on Disney+ starting August 30, 2023 – and very early. As with the series opener with two episodes, the third episode will be released as early as 3:00 in the night. So if you feel like watching the “Star Wars” series right after waking up, you can stream it right away.
