I just finished watching the final episode for the first season of Ahsoka, titled “The Jedi, The Witch and The Warlord” on Disney Plus, and it was pretty cool. I’m part of a generation where Star Wars consisted of only Episodes IV, V and VI, and anything additional outside from those movies existed mainly as books. Yes. Books.
Classics such as “Heir to the Empire”, which introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn, and “X-Wing: Rogue Squadron” were library and bookstore staples, and as I can recall, there were many story arcs, each consisting of a collection of books. Having finally watched The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and now Ahsoka, its pretty clear why the books were relegated to non-canon status…. the new live-action series ARE the new books.
I have to admit that I had to go read up on some of the elements of Ahsoka, having not being familiar with Mortis (and The Father, The Daughter and The Son). The online discourse about the content of various Star Wars series and movies rival or even surpass that of discussions surrounding books. I remember reading somewhere that viewers today are more prepared to handle this cascade of information, one just needs to look at the fandom surrounding Game of Thrones.
In the past, it would have been inconceivable to come up with so much output on screen, the technology wasn’t up to scratch and prestige TV wasn’t a thing back then. Books were much more economical solution to keep the Star Wars brand alive and bookstores were in vogue back then as well.
Back to live-action Star Wars series’. I particularly liked The Mandalorian. The premise was kind a like of a western, set in space. Even the planets look like they were inspired by settings from Red Dead Redemption. Not only did the series had the “look” of a western, the musical score played a large role in setting the tone.
What’s next on the watch list? I’m currently finishing up on “The Pacific” (and dream of visiting one of the islands in the Pacific theater of war as part of a bucket list item).
