Much like the more frustrating episodes of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka returns this week with a brief thirty-minute episode that keeps the plot rolling but really gets at its most interesting at the end of the episode. Heavy on action with some characterization and world politics thrown in for good measure, this one felt like it lacked a bit but had a much faster pace as a result of its shorter runtime.

The episode picks up with Ahsoka and Sabine training inside their starship, en route to Seatos to investigate their missing hyperspace drive. Sabine is “not bad”, according to Huyang, (who is a scene stealer by the way), but a little rusty. To help improve her swordsmanship, Huyang suggests Sabine practice Zatoichi or blind sword fighting. This is a neat reference to the blind swordsman Zatoichi, a popular literary hero from Japan that spawned many serialized stories and films over the years. While she seems decent at martial combat, she shows a lack of proficiency with the Force and lets her emotions get the best of her. I wouldn’t be surprised if the series ends with Sabine with some base-level Force abilities, especially after Ahsoka’s pep talk about how all living things have the Force in them, but this piece of the story does seem a bit of an abrupt development considering the absence of this characterization from Rebels. As such though, because Sabine is on the hero’s journey, she’s the far more interesting character next to the titular Ahsoka, at least so far. I’m sure we’ll see Ahsoka struggle with her identity as a Jedi, but so far, this series is dominated by Sabine.

Elsewhere in the episode, Hera pleads to Chancellor Mon Mothma and other Senators to send backup to assist Ahsoka in their pursuit of the missing hyperspace module. She reveals that she suspects a plot to bring Thrawn back into play, but her request is ultimately denied. One Senator, the father of Kazuda Xiono from Resistance, cites that Hera is merely using Thrawn as an excuse to find Ezra, showcasing some shortsightedness on the part of the New Republic. Despite being a pillar for the formation of the Rebellion, as seen in Andor, Mon Mothma makes numerous critical errors after the battle of Endor that allow for the Empire to grow in the shadows and not willing to investigate a possible threat for the fear of war is one such mistake. It was also wild that the Senators would provide no resources, considering what’s already transpired in this show to date with Morgan, Shin and Baylen but that’s probably a reflection of the arrogance and hubris of politicians.

The rest of the episode is largely focused on an action chase scene, in which Shin Hati, Marrok and plenty of red shirts chase down Ahsoka and Sabine as they arrive at Seatos. I guess we can safely say that Marrok isn’t Barris at this point, now that we’ve heard him speak, albeit heavily modulated and distorted.

Ahsoka boasts some great production design, with this space dogfight sequence invoking the original trilogy in all the right ways, with some production values that make the spectacle rival a theatrical offering. All this, and the whole episode for that matter, is heightened once again by Kevin Kiner’s score, which riffs heavily on Japanese cinema. In short, this show feels cinematic, which is something that plagued Obi-Wan Kenobi with its poor use of the Volume Stagecraft.

The episode concludes with the trio of heroes on the surface of the planet, with the villains shifting to a ground search. This means the episode ends right as it starts to get really good. I’m excited to see what comes next but was kind of frustrated at the cut to black. Surely this episode could’ve been longer, with subsequent story beats from future episodes just being allocated to this one? After a fifty-minute premiere, going back to thirty once the recap and credits are factored in doesn’t feel like enough time to fully marinate on the story. The pacing is faster, true, but I’m left feeling slightly unsatisfied. But I’m also eager for the next episode at the same time, which is a testament to the level of engagement and investment I’m having with the show. I’m so grateful that it feels like a big movie, as it’s created a sense of anticipation and has so far avoided filler content, something that Filoni was known to do in shows like Rebels or Clone Wars. I’m on board with this show, it’s fun and I’m digging the tone and the impending doom, plus the general intrigue. Let’s just hope future episodes are a bit longer.