‘Ahsoka’ Episode 7 Recap: "Dreams and Madness"

 

In Episode 7 of "Ahsoka," titled "Dreams and Madness," the series reaches its penultimate point, and the story remains far from its conclusion. After an episode-long absence, Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) returns to the forefront of the plot, accompanied by her loyal companion, Huyang (David Tennant), as they embark on the Purrgil Express into a new realm of chaos. While exploring the unknown, Ahsoka takes time to train with her former master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who left behind twenty training holograms before succumbing to the Dark Side. It's evident that Ahsoka, despite her rebirth, is still haunted by her past.

The episode begins in a more familiar galaxy, with Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) facing the consequences of her actions. She stands before a panel of skeptical and condescending senators who dismiss her reports on Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) as mere fairytales. At the last moment, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) arrives with an urgent message from Senator Leia Organa, who seemingly sanctioned Hera's mission. Although Hera escapes court-martial, Chancellor Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) senses that Senator Organa was unaware of the mission until her assistance was needed. Among the senators, Mon Mothma is the sole voice recognizing Thrawn as a grave threat.

As the Purrgils transport Ahsoka and Huyang to a distant galaxy, they find themselves amidst a massive Imperial minefield designed to thwart their arrival. Ahsoka skillfully navigates their ship through a perilous sequence of exploding mines, reminiscent of an early-aughts video game challenge from "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter."

Ahsoka's arrival proves she evaded death, and Morgan presents Thrawn with her findings about the Jedi, as he had requested. Thrawn appears pleasantly surprised to learn that Anakin Skywalker was Ahsoka's master, a Jedi with whom he had once formed an unlikely alliance in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Notably, he is among the few aware of Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader, which adds an amusing twist to the storyline.

Thrawn, the cunning strategist, deduces that Ahsoka's primary objective is to locate Sabine and conveniently knows her whereabouts. Baylan (Ray Stevenson) instructs Shin (Ivanna Sakhno) to eliminate Ezra and Sabine, citing his ambition as opposed to Shin's supposed lack thereof. Although he plans to part ways with her, he imparts sage wisdom about the perils of impatience for victory, a lesson that could have benefited the scriptwriting process, given Ahsoka's seemingly hasty pursuit of victory.