The latest Star Wars TV show streaming on Disney+, Ahsoka, just concluded its first season which left many questions unanswered while providing lots of member berries for Star Wars fans. Whether or not that is bad or good would depend if you are a fan of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels.

Ahsoka is for the most part an enjoyable and even riveting Star Wars TV show with great characters, special effects and expands the Star Wars lore. On the other hand, its pace is uneven with some episodes feeling wooden and stilted thanks to timid direction and it crams in so many characters and sub-plots that could not possibly be resolved in eight episodes. Guess what? Many of the sub-plots were left unresolved. This gave the impression that Ahsoka was merely a prologue for a larger storyline. Evidence for this is the fact that a Star Wars film is being planned that will combine the stories and characters from Ahsoka and most of the recent Star Wars TV shows. That’s very ambitous, but after viewing the final episode, the overral feeling is that the TV show is incomplete.

Rosario Dawson stars as the title character, Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi who embarks on a quest with her former Jedi apprentice Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) to find their fellow Jedi Ezra Bridger (Erman Esfandi), who is trapped in another galaxy along with their formidable enemy Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelson). During their adventures the duo uncover a plot by members of the defeated Galactic Empire who are trying to bring Thrawn and his army to the main Star Wars galaxy in order to conquer the New Republic and restore the Empire. With the officials of the New Republic unwilling to help them, Ahsoka, Wren and their Jedi droid Huyang (David Tennant) set off on their own to stop the plot, in addition to rescuing their friend.

If this sounds complex, then you are correct. Anyone watching the series will be able to follow along with its storyline, but there is a nagging feeling that there are so many details and nuances that will go over the heads of casual viewers. The very first Star Wars film was like this, but it was easier to follow and was more engaing. A major flaw with Ahsoka was that the early episodes were a chore to watch thanks to its deliberate pace and line delivery.

This is concerning because the worst episode was the first one and it not only set the way Ahoska was presented but it was directed by Dave Filoni, the major producer of the recent Star Wars TV shows, including the acclaimed animated TV shows. He helped expand the Star Wars lore with Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, but his live-action directorial effort fell short and what’s worse is that he will direct the Star Wars film that combines these stories and characters. He was largely responsible for the creation and cultivation of Ahsoka Tano and his attempt to bring her to life was disappointing. Throughout the TV show, Ahsoka would stand around, fold her arms and take long moments to reply to others. This Ahsoka is not anything like the quippy and spirited young Jedi that first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and won the hearts of many fans. This older live-action version of Ahsoka is so stiff and stoic that Sabine easily steals the show with her emotional journey to become a Jedi. Sabine has more emotion and heart and it was easy to identify with her, especially since she had such a poor connection to the Force that Jedi tricks and skills were a chore for her.

The fact that we identified more with Sabine than Ahsoka is a another fault with Ahsoka given that the show is named after her. This is a troubling trend with many Star Wars TV shows like The Book of Boba Fett and the third season of The Mandalorian. Like with those TV shows, there was even an episode where Ahsoka barely appeared. There are too many moments where it feels as if this show is in reality the fifth live-action season of Star Wars: Rebels. It might have served the TV show and Star Wars fans better if it was retitled. This is a disservice to Ahsoka since she is one of the most captivating Star Wars characters.

Ahsoka was allowed the spotlight in the fifth episode, which largely focuses on her as her mind enters an interdimensional realm called the World Between Worlds where time and space are not linear. There she meets the spirit of her mentor Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) as they end up in past battles during the Clone Wars. This was thrilling for fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars as they finally got to see these two Jedi interacting in live action during that war. More importantly, these sequences provided fascinating insights into Ahsoka and her feelings towards Anakin Skywalker knowing that he ultimately became Darth Vader. With the way this episode showcased her guilt about Anakin and the Clone Wars, it was probably the best one in the series.

Despite Ahsoka’s issues there is so much that is admirable about it. Along with the spectacular cinema-quality special effects, brilliantly riveting lightsaber duels, action, and expanded lore, Ahsoka boasts some of Star Wars’ most captivating acting thanks to the late Ray Stevenson and Lars Mikkelson. After appearing in Star Wars books, comics and Star Wars: Rebels, Thrawn was not a disappointment when he finally made his live-action debut. He is exactly as many have pictured him to be: a cold, calculating tactician that is a welcome relief from the cackling Sith villains. Meanwhile, Stevenson’s character. Baylan Skoll, a villainous former Jedi, was full of majesty and mystery. He was more than a match for Ahsoka and there was so much about him that we are begging to know. But on the other hand, so little was revealed about his motivation that it was frustrating considering that unless the character is re-cast, this could be the last we see of Baylan, which would be a shame.

As with Baylan’s unfinished story, the series feels unfullfilled and incomplete. Without going into spoilers, major plotlines are left unanswered, which will infuriate viewers since there is not any clear indication of when the stories will be concluded. In a second season? The Dave Filoni Star Wars film? How long will we have to wait? Your guess is as good as mine, but don’t be surprised if in the fourth season of The Mandalorian, entire episodes without the Mandalorian will be devoted to finally resolving the cliffhangers.

Ahsoka has the core elements of a great Star Wars story that sometimes pokes through the muddled editing and scripts, which is frustrating. Ahsoka is much better and has more direction than The Book of Boba Fett and the third season of The Mandalorian, but it still falls short of Andor. Still, it is worth watching and hardcore fans will certainly enjoy it, and even casual viewers will find much to admire in Ahsoka. For the future, Dave Filoni and the other showrunners need to tighten their scripts and not assume that anyone watching their shows are hardcore fans who could read Aurebesh or know about the Mortis gods. The background details and the member berries should heighten a production, not overwhelm it. More importantly a show named after a character like Ahsoka should focus on that character. Without that the rest of it is ultimately superfluous.

José Soto