Ahsoka Finale Sets Up The Next Star Wars Trilogy?
When the original Star Wars movie premiered, it gave birth to the blockbuster film, and the intervening decades established multiple Star Wars trilogies that were always meant to be, first and foremost, theatrical experiences. However, between the failure of the Sequel Trilogy and the success of shows like The Mandalorian, a funny thing happened: Star Wars became more of a TV franchise than a film franchise. However, we’ve been rapping with the Nightsisters, and we’re convinced that the Ahsoka finale has successfully poised the franchise to kick off a new trilogy of films.
Ahoska is the most ambitious Star wars series on Disney+, and we think it’s done the work to launch a new movie trilogy.
If you’re as skeptical as Yoda being asked to train Luke Skywalker, then you’re probably asking a simple question: How does Ahsoka set up a new Star Wars trilogy of films? For one thing, it has given us the return of the fan-favorite villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn. That means a new trilogy could have an awesome new Big Bad for the baddies to rally around, something the Sequel Trilogy didn’t (RIP, Snoke…you sucked, and then you died).
Additionally, Ahsoka shows us that Ezra Bridger finally made it back to the Rebels, meaning that a trilogy of new films could have a young, charismatic Jedi to rally around. While we’d be fine with more Star Wars stories that don’t focus on the mystical space monks, most audiences don’t want to see a Star Wars movie if there aren’t cool Jedi warriors in it. With Ezra, it looks like the Rebels will have at least one Jedi to throw at Thrawn, and since the young Jedi defeated the canny Imperial once before, we think the inevitable grudge (re)match will put butts in theater seats.
We say at least one Jedi because one of the more shocking outcomes of the Ahsoka finale is that Ezra and Sabine are stuck on the other side of the galaxy along with fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll and his apprentice, Shin Hati. We’re confident a new trilogy will focus on how the good guys get home, which means that the trilogy will have something The Last Jedi really lacked: a logical and compelling reason for our heroes to be separated.
The last reason we think Ahsoka’s finale laid the groundwork for a new Star Wars trilogy is a bit morbid, but hear us out: even as the franchise introduces all these cool new heroes and villains, Disney is going to need to hit the reset button sooner rather than later.
We imagine getting back home will be as hard as any of the trials Ashoka faced with the Jedi, and it’s a safe bet she continues to get guidance from Anakin Skywalker’s Force ghost. Let’s be honest: that sounds much more compelling than running some space horses through a casino.
It could be wishful thinking, but we also love that Ahsoka’s finale gave us a cool new foe: Night Troopers, or as most people simply call them, “zombie Stormtroopers.” In addition to being hard to kill, these foes would give a new trilogy a new foe for our heroes to fight. That may sound pretty unimpressive, but after the Sequel Trilogy gave us a First Order that was just a reskinned Empire, we think fans are hungry (so to speak) for some new bad guys onscreen.
The last reason we think Ahsoka’s finale laid the groundwork for a new Star Wars trilogy is a bit morbid, but hear us out: even as the franchise introduces all these cool new heroes and villains, Disney is going to need to hit the reset button sooner rather than later. The Force Awakens takes place only 24 years after Ahsoka, and by then, the Jedi have gone back to being nothing more than a myth only a handful of people have even heard of. And the Empire and leaders like Thrawn are gone, replaced by a powerful but erratic First Order.
…Ahsoka shows us that Ezra Bridger finally made it back to the Rebels, meaning that a trilogy of new films could have a young, charismatic Jedi to rally around.
What does that mean for Ahsoka fans? Forgive us if we’re blunt, but the most likely outcome for Jedi like Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine is that they are super-dead by the time Rey meets Kylo Ren for the first time, just as the glorious conquests of Thrawn are a distant memory to all but the most loyal former Imperials. We’re going to need one hell of a dark and ambitious story to explain why none of these characters were around to later help the Resistance or the First Order, and a new trilogy would be the perfect way to showcase how our favorite heroes and villains went down swinging.
