'Ahsoka' review: Rosario Dawson's fan-friendly 'Star Wars' show lacks 'Andor' ambition

Ahsoka Tano is one of the more interesting characters in "Star Wars” lore, but you wouldn’t know it watching her new show.

In the title role of “Ahsoka” (★★½ out of four), Rosario Dawson double-fists a pair of lightsabers and hunts an old Imperial enemy. The two-episode premiere (streaming Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT/6 PDT on Disney+, then weekly) is filled with deep-cut personalities and fan service brought in from the animated series "Star Wars Rebels" but takes its sweet time getting the figurative starship off the ground. Given the storyline and characters, "Ahsoka" might as well be the fifth season of "Rebels,” so if you’re not caught up with that, may the Force be with you.

Here’s the least you need to know: Ahsoka, who first appeared in “The Clone Wars” cartoon as the young Jedi apprentice of Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader), is scouring the galaxy for clues that'll lead her to Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, reprising his "Rebels" voice role).

Years ago, before the fall of the Empire, he was scooted away to an unknown part of hyperspace thanks to some space whales (see: the “Rebels” series finale) and now, in the present day, Ahsoka hears rumors that, if found, he could unite Imperial remnants and spark another war with the New Republic. (Like “The Mandalorian,” “Ahsoka” is set after the events of “Return of the Jedi” and before “The Force Awakens.”)

To aid her mission, Ahsoka reaches out to a pair of “Rebels” characters brought into live action: Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a pilot during the Rebel Alliance years and now a New Republic general, and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), a Mandalorian with an artistic streak and defiant moxie. Sabine and Ahsoka are chilly to each other after a falling out, but the ex-Jedi knight convinces Sabine to look for Thrawn because when they find him, they'll also discover Sabine and Hera’s beloved missing friend Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi).

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Others are also seeking Thrawn, including the duo of Baylan Skoll (played by Ray Stevenson, who died in May) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). They wear cloaks and wield lightsabers but are definitely not Jedi – their red blades are in fact a mark of the dark side.

Writer/director Dave Filoni was (alongside George Lucas) the main guy keeping the “Star Wars” lights on with the various animated projects prior to the recent trilogy, and now he’s inserted beloved creations like Ahsoka – who appeared on "The Mandalorian" – and the “Rebels” crew into the live-action TV/movie world. But “Ahsoka” begs for an exposition dump that never happens: A skosh of extra background on these new characters would have been beneficial for casual fans. Instead, you’re left to wonder exactly why Ahsoka and Sabine give a lot of death stares to each other.

The show does reveal that Ahsoka walked away from Sabine as her Jedi-ish mentor (for reasons presumably to be explained in the next six episodes), and there are a few master-and-apprentice relationships woven in. But while Dawson is great with the Jedi moves, Ahsoka comes across more as a strict mom than a cool action figure.

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Bordizzo, on the other hand, is the highlight of the show as the puckish Sabine, whose personality pops off the screen. She rebels against authority while privately haunted, playing the same Ezra holo-message over and over again. Sakhno is another positive, but for the opposite reason: She’s such an enigma that she's captivating opposite Stevenson, who gives off nifty Vader vibes.

“Ahsoka” attempts to weave magic and mythology into a politically tense galactic landscape, with enough droids, speeder bikes and accouterments to check all the "Star Wars" boxes. It’s in many ways the anti-“Andor”: They both have slow builds, yet while the Emmy-nominated “Rogue One” spinoff focused on building up new characters, themes and corners of the galaxy, “Ahsoka” falls back on cherry-picking from its past. (Though for folks who just watch the movies, at least the "Rebels" folks will feel somewhat fresh.)

Ahsoka once turned her back on the Jedi order and the status quo to strike out on her own. It’d be nice if her series was as bold.

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