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Star Wars: The Clone Wars is now more than ⅔ of the way through its final season, having recently wrapped up its second arc: Ahsoka’s Walkabout. This one was pretty divisive. While fans were excited to see Ahsoka Tano, there was some frustration over the overall premise of the arc and particular ire directed at the supporting characters Trace and Rafa Martez. While I understand the frustration, I actually appreciated a lot of what this arc had to offer. There are definite issues, but ultimately I think it was a nice change of pace that added a valuable piece to Ahsoka’s journey.
Partly due to my disappointment with the conclusion of the Bad Batch arc, I really appreciated the first episode of this arc, Gone with a Trace. I noted in my review for the Bad Batch that I felt like it was missing some needed quiet, character exploration scenes. And here comes an episode that was mostly focused on character interactions! It’s not for everyone and I understand that some people wanted more to happen faster, but I appreciated how this episode gave the story space to breathe and grounded things in a sensible situation. Ahsoka has just left a life of grand battles and exciting adventure. Life outside of the jedi order should be comparatively mundane. That’s what we’re getting here. A hero who has spent her life out of touch with ordinary people now trying to get by in their world.
While the plot of this episode isn’t the most exciting, I really didn’t mind. I found it very engaging to see how Ahsoka has evolved since leaving the order and continues to struggle to adapt and redefine her identity. The opening crash is a great visual introduction to Ahsoka’s current life. This is a very capable person, but she’s having a difficult time trying to cobble a new life together, stay afloat, and move forward. I appreciated the opportunity to explore the lower levels of Coruscant and thought it a was perfect setting for this point in Ahsoka’s journey. She’s spent most of her life on the surface of Coruscant, but now that she is out of the order, she’s discovering more of the reality that ordinary people live. It’s fitting that the setting for this development is essentially the other side of her home.
The second episode has a nice escalation of stakes and expansion of scope as we leave Coruscant. Although it was arguably a bit too coincidental, I enjoyed the moment of Ahsoka and Anakin sensing each other as the Silver Angel passed the Republic ship. I love their relationship and it was touching to see the continued strength of their connection in this moment as well as earlier conversations in which Ahsoka tells Trace that she learned to fight from her brother and attended Skywalker Academy. As we move to Kessel, encounter their corrupt government, see the slaves working the mines, and make our way to the Pikes, it feels like we’re on a more dangerous adventure. The choice of Kessel feels very intentional to orient us in that Han Solo smuggler’s underworld of Star Wars that we don’t see a lot of in this series.
To get into the downside of this episode, this is where Trace began to annoy me. I really didn’t mind her in the first episode, but she felt surprisingly naive and immature here. Both during their encounter with the military and her decision to jettison the cargo, there was a frustrating ignorance and disregard of obvious consequences that made me wish that the character was slightly younger. While this wouldn’t have magically made her into a great character, I think it really would’ve helped her to come across less offputting. With kids, there’s often an endearing innocence that helps to temper the irritation viewers may have when they do something naive. Additionally, a younger Trace would’ve been a stronger callback to early Ahsoka. Thinking back to how annoying and occasionally shortsighted Ahsoka was at the beginning of the series, I think it could’ve been very effective to see the mature Ahsoka we love reminded of her past self. This would also play into the tension between Ahsoka and Rafa, since Ahsoka essentially becomes a rival role model and older sister figure to Trace.
Episode 3 drew perhaps the most criticism of the arc. Because the characters began this episode in their prison cell and ended in their prison cell, I saw a lot of people accusing the episode of being pointless filler, but I disagree. Being in the same physical situation does not make a story filler. Think about what the characters are actually experiencing. We learned more about Trace and Rafa, not only for the sake of their story, but to challenge Ahsoka's perception of the Jedi and morality. I loved that the death of their parents further complicates Ahsoka’s view of whether or not the Jedi truly serve the people. It reminded me of how Marvel’s Civil War looked at the collateral damage of super hero activity. In the previous episode, Ahsoka criticized Rafa’s spice dealing, pointing out that there are unseen victims to these selfish criminal actions. It was unexpected to flip this and have Ahsoka come to the realization that even in the seemingly noble pursuits of the jedi, there are also unseen victims.
It forces her to reevaluate her moral worldview, which is exactly the kind of development you want for a character at such a crossroads. Going into this arc she still had a relatively black and white perspective on things, but she can now appreciate how the good guys partly created and did nothing to fix the situation that put these two on the path to doing whatever they needed to get by. Just like her, they were essentially left to fend for themselves when they needed more from the jedi. That creates understanding and empathy, which leads her to be a little less judgmental.
I won’t claim that the rest of the episode held this much significance in its interactions, but there were some valuable moments and developments.
- Getting them out in the open gave them a chance for the Mandalorians to see Ahsoka, which is an important setup.
- Ahsoka's private conversation with Rafa about how Trace will follow her in spite of not being cut out for the criminal life is an important lesson for Rafa and also reflects on Ahsoka’s sibling-like relationship with Anakin.
- Rafa was finally able to admit that this job was a mistake when they were put back in their cell. She's not blaming Trace for dumping the spice or blaming Ahsoka for being trouble. She's taking responsibility.
My biggest issue with this episode is the tone. I would’ve liked to see them play it more intensely and a bit scarier, like a thriller. We had the dark moment of Rafa being tortured, but after that, we don’t really feel the danger. We’ve seen that the show can accomplish that thriller vibe with earlier arcs of Ahsoka being hunted for sport and on the run after being framed, so it was a shame to not channel that energy here, in what should be a defining emotional experience for all three characters. At certain points, they run around in the open rather than desperately hiding so there really isn’t that sense that these characters fear for their lives. Even when Trace and Rafa believe they are about to be executed, the episode lacks the sort of emotional intensity that could’ve made for a more gripping experience. Putting that aside, I didn’t mind that the plot of the episode put the characters back where they started. It’s an intentionally frustrating, disheartening setback for the characters but they seem more unified than ever.
The problem with this ending is that the 4th episode kills the momentum of their character development. We finished Episode 3 with Rafa admitting blame, but for some baffling reason the next episode begins with her regressing to blaming Ahsoka, even after Ahsoka came back to save their lives. It didn’t make sense and wasted the progression of the last episode to make it feel like we were at the same starting point as Episode 3. It would’ve been great to see that Trace and Rafa have both matured a bit and are prepared to work more effectively with Ahsoka without having to go through the repetitive bickering. That way when she put her plan in action, seemingly sacrificing herself for them, both would understand immediately because they have faith in her.
I was so annoyed when Trace didn’t comprehend that Ahsoka was lying for their sake. Just when I thought we had seen our last dumb Trace moment, she shows that she is still astoundingly imperceptive. This was especially frustrating in the last episode of the arc, when we should be seeing some growth. Since Trace’s greatest flaw is arguably her naivete, we should see her at her most competent going into the climax. Thankfully we did see Rafa transcend her self-serving tendencies to do something noble in returning to rescue Ahsoka but it was disappointing for this to not feel like a moment of shared growth for the sisters.
On the whole, the wrap-up of the Martez sisters’ collective arc was a little messy and unsatisfying. The climactic chase was a little underwhelming, Trace doesn’t really grow, and we’re not left with much of a sense of where the sisters are heading. We see them back at their garage, but we don’t know what they intend to do with their lives moving forward. It would’ve been nice to have a little exchange revealing that Rafa intends to give some of the spice to a good cause while turning a profit on the rest. Something simple to show that she is still the same somewhat sketchy person, but she has grown to care more about others and her impact on the world around her.
While I do wish the Martez sisters were more interesting and had a stronger arc, I think a lot of fans missed the main point of these characters. I’ve seen so many people complaining that it was a waste to focus on new characters when we only have 12 episodes to wrap up the series. Telling their story was secondary. Their primary role was to serve Ahsoka’s story. In that regard, they serve their purpose as catalysts that create a decent transitional journey for Ahsoka. When we see Ahsoka in the first episode she’s somewhat lost and directionless. Through meeting Trace and Rafa, she finds herself in a conflict that challenges her moral worldview and perception of the jedi’s impact, gives her a better understanding of the common people in the galaxy, and ultimately allows her to see that helping people is a part of who she is rather than merely an aspect of her old life.
Because we have this clear before and after for Ahsoka, in regard to character growth and exploration this felt like a more purposeful arc than the Bad Batch. I know that it wasn’t every fan’s cup of tea and I understand being frustrated when there are arcs that many people would've found more entertaining. However, not to get all Jedi on you, but I think the people who are dismissing this as horrible and pointless are letting their emotional response get in the way of their ability to rationally evaluate this story. While the execution was lacking in some ways, the story presents a worthwhile transitional experience for Ahsoka that shapes her values and identity as an individual outside of the Jedi order. It also provides some nice setups for the final arc through Bo-Katan’s appearance and our brief scene of Maul.
It was cool to start this arc feeling like it was just a side-adventure for Ahsoka then gradually discover how relevant it was for leading into the final arc. I am riveted any time Sam Witer’s Maul is on screen, so I loved the brief interaction we got. Even though we knew that he took over the Pikes, it was cool to see how they feared and respected him when they talked amongst themselves. This arc was kind of a cool glimpse at the food chain of crime bosses, from Pintu, the minor player on Coruscant all the way to Maul, the antagonist of the final arc.
If I had to grade Ahsoka’s walkabout, I’d give it a B. It’s kind of funny that this is the same grade I gave the Bad Batch because they have such different strengths and weaknesses. That arc got action right and handled its tone better, but dropped the ball in its handling of Rex and Echo’s transformative arcs. This arc suffers from some tonal problems, annoyingly written characters, and lackluster action, However, it wins points for taking Ahsoka on a purposeful transitional journey and providing some nice setup for the final arc.