Critics Have Seen Ahsoka’s First Episodes, And They Had Plenty Of Thoughts About Rosario Dawson’s Live-Action Star Wars Spinoff

Loyal followers of all the happenings in a galaxy far, far away have had plenty to sink their teeth into, thanks to multiple animated and live-action series for those with a Disney+ subscription. However, many fans have been looking forward to seeing Rosario Dawson embark on her solo adventure as the fan favorite Ahsoka Tano since The Mandalorian spinoff was announced back in 2020. The time has finally come, with Ahsoka set to premiere on the streamer August 23, and critics have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the first two episodes.

In addition to Rosario Dawson in the title role, Ahsoka’s cast is expected to include the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka’s Jedi teacher. Many characters from the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels will be brought to life for the first time, including Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). So how does the former Jedi padawan’s story translate to live action? Let’s see what the critics have to say. 

Justin Lawrence of Geekcentric says the first two episodes of Ahsoka perfectly set up this next chapter, with mystery and intrigue that makes the critic excited to see what the rest of the series holds. Lawrence tweets:  

John Nguyen seems to agree, calling the premiere some of the best live-action fare the longtime franchise has ever offered. The critic also praises Rosario Dawson as “perfect casting,” saying: 

Rosario Dawson’s isn’t the only performance that’s caught the eyes of the critics, however, with Josh Martin-Jones highlighting the introductions of Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ray Stevenson to the Star Wars universe: 

Klein Felt is also “blown away” so far by Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s portrayal of Sabine Wren and says the first two episodes of Ahsoka are pure bliss for fans of Star Wars Rebels:

In the Star Wars timeline, Ahsoka serves as a sequel to Rebels, and Jorgie of POC Culture posts that the two-episode premiere captures the animated feel of that and The Clone Wars in live action. He tweets: 

Ren Vieira of Mama’s Geeky concurs with that opinion, calling Ahsoka “brilliant” in its scope and character development: 

It seems safe to say that fans of Rebels are going to enjoy seeing these characters come to life. Laila of Agents of Fandom tweeted that she got chills from Kevin Kiner’s score and that the action is everything Star Wars fans are hoping for. In her words: 

Speaking of action, a couple of those who were lucky enough to access early screenings of the two-episode premiere have mentioned the lightsaber battles, and Molly Edwards of GamesRadar thinks fans are in for a treat with this “epic” series. She tweets: 

None of this would be possible, however, without Dave Filoni, who developed the series with Jon Favreau and wrote all eight episodes. Mark Pacis of Nerd Reactor thanks Filoni for his contribution to modern-day Star Wars, writing: 

It’s also noted by several who have seen Ahsoka’s first two episodes that prior viewership of Rebels and The Clone Wars aren’t needed to enjoy the Rosario Dawson-led series, though knowledge of previously established relationships between the characters does pay off for those who have watched them in full. 

If you haven't seen those animated series but can’t wait to catch Ahsoka when its first two episodes drop on Disney+ on August 23, CinemaBlend has got you covered with everything you need to know about Ahsoka Tano. You can also stay up to date on all of the upcoming Star Wars series and everything that’s new and coming in August to Disney+.