The Force Is With This Star Wars Show, But It’s No Jedi (Yet)

As with most of the other live-action “Star Wars” series, “Ahsoka” was filmed on a StageCraft soundstage (commonly referred to as The Volume), and the virtual production technology continues to yield mixed returns. The series’ premiere benefits from utilizing the same pleasing, earthy color palette as “Rebels,” which serves to better distinguish the show visually from those that came before it. Filoni’s animation background also makes itself apparent in the striking compositions that fill out the series premiere, particularly during the sequences set on Lothal (Ezra’s home planet and the primary setting for “Rebels,” for those who’re not familiar). Like “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” though, the limitations of StageCaft once again rear their head here. There’s nothing to rival the world’s slowest speeder chase from “Boba Fett,” thank goodness, but there are multiple scenes during episode 2 especially where it’s painfully obvious the show’s actors are merely performing in front of a digital backdrop.

Is “Ahsoka” worth watching? I think so. As uneven as the first two episodes are, there’s plenty to admire (I’m only now mentioning longtime “Star Wars” animation composer Kevin Kiner’s enthralling score) and even greater potential for the series as a whole. I realize that might sound like damning with faint praise, but I can honestly say that’s not the case. There’s a compelling story being woven here — one as spiritually rich and politically-charged as the best “Star Wars” narratives before it — and as things progress, it may yet prove just as rewarding for “Star Wars” animation enthusiasts as it is for more casual viewers. To paraphrase an exchange between two key characters in episode 2 on the subject of inherent promise, “Ahsoka” itself is the only thing standing in the show’s way right now.