Patreon supporters: here’s a few hundred words’ more on the rise of streaming-format TV, to peruse at your leisure: www.patreon.com/posts/endnote-for-and-89931509?Link& (KZfaq Members can find it on the channel community tab, too!) Now I’m gonna go watch Ep. 7 😊

I think Acrane did it best, 3 episodes drop every few weeks 3 times. You can binge a decent amount, but the relevance is drawn out still. And each block of episodes had good pacing with an intriguing cliff hanger.

You know, if Ahsoka released all episodes, the binge woulda been great for what the show is trying to achieve with all the action and story it’s been telling.

You're so right about ep 6 of Ahsoka feeling a mid point! I really wish the series was longer. Great video as always.

The fact that that “Ahsoka is awful, force is female” video got 1 million views is incredibly depressing.

It’s very interesting to me that since it’s start Disney+ was intentionally making tv more movie-like-arguably even more movie-like than Netflix made many of their shows-yet had them drop weekly like traditional TV

Your thesis regarding adjusting the releases to the flow of the show has been something I felt for years and I genuinely believe this should be the course for streaming shows going forward. Another element that I think also compounds the issues of recent TV culture as well is how frequent cancellations and hiatuses have been; leading numerous audiences to maybe wait out a show's run before finally jumping in as to avoid disappointment. I really hope that after this WGA strike, we start to see a more stable environment for streaming shows start to take shape.

I will say that from what I've heard the show's ratings have been getting better. Once the show got going it sounds like it got good word-of-mouth and more people decided to check it out. The fact that they could just breeze through the already released episodes as you suggested probably helped. I'm hoping this is a good omen for the show and the Mandoverse going forward.

I've been really enjoying Ahsoka. I love rebels and see so much of that show brought to life in this way has been very satisfying.

The end of Andor Ep 3 was just amazing, had we seen it without the fever pitch that was built by back-to-back viewing of the previous two episodes it would not have hit nearly as hard.

With the episodes being stylized as "chapters" that also kinda implies a more binge model for it

Keep the elephants out of rooms. Give the elephants room to roam. Rhyme roaming elephants with Timothy Olyphant.

Arcane I think had the smartest schedule drop with their 3 different arcs (the young, the jump, and the climax) dropped in three separate chunks. More shows need to do this of setting up arcs within a grander seasonal arc and the worst part: Filoni knows very well how to do this. He and the Clone Wars/Rebels teams did it all the time on those shows. If I have a complaint about Ahsoka, that’s the one I have.

As a Filoni-verse fan for a long time now, this video hurt. Been LOVING the show, but you're right, they haven't done much to make the show accessible in both format and story. I will always be sad some won't get to enjoy it as much as others.

I REALLY dislike "binge culture." I like taking time between episodes to fully digest what I've seen. Watching a bunch of episodes back-to-back causes everything to blur together and not be as impactful. I also don't have the free time to keep up with the pace binge watching demands, resulting in having to avoid spoilers both online and in the real world when discussion by bingers is prevalent. I also don't mind "slow burners." Maybe it's a by-product of getting older, but I appreciate when a series or show takes the time to "marinate in its own juices," so to speak. That's not to say that I don't appreciate a good action scene or dislike when scenes drag on too long (Ahsoka unlocking the map in the first episode springs to mind), but in this day and age of constant media barrages and shorter attention spans I feel that it's more important than ever to be able to slow down, catch one's breath and appreciate moments of "quiet time" every now and then. So yeah, I don't have a problem with Ahsoka's release schedule. If anything it reminds me of growing up back in the days before the internet and streaming, when you had to wait a week for the next episode of your favorite TV show to air. Sure it could be frustrating at times (especially if cliffhangers were involved), but it also fostered the Jedi virtue of patience.

I have the opposite reaction, both in that as a much older than a child person I still watched all the clone wars and rebels, but also in that I like the week to week releases. The two episode drop had me at a get go, I was in. Would I still be in if I had all 8 episodes two weeks ago? Maybe. But the ride would be over. Then again I'm also enjoying Netflix's one piece and I haven't watched more than two of those back to back. Heck with OP I'll stop part way through and pick it up again a week later. I will say this, having the complete backstory it even pieces, isn't necessary or even necessarily preferable. The backstory to Eppisodes 4 5 and 6 or Star Wars. Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi took decades to roll out and disappointed a lot of fans. The same phenomenon exists in Marvel, I haven't read the comics, I'm glad they are and people who have probably get more from the movies than I do, but I get enough to enjoy the films. I don't need to know which continuity Peter likes Gwen or MJ or other MJ to love tue Spiderverse movies, so my advice is enjoy things for what they are and dive in more if you are curious. Also watch the word abstract, I don't see how art apriciation could be anything but, maybe we use the word differently.

Okay, but I love Natasha Liu Bordizzo's Sabine: she is just incredibly gorgeous and perfect and I want her to be my wife. That's all I have to say.

This show is made for the Star Wars fans who have stuck by Filoni's side for the last 15 years. I personally don't feel much sympathy for those complaining that they have to watch The Clone Wars and Rebels to understand the show - they have had years to catch up, and were even provided with a catered watchlist of episodes from these two shows to watch before Ahsoka on Disney+. Ultimately, this show is for the fans who have been here since the very beginning, for those who have followed and loved these characters for over a decade. I don't think that's the fault of Filoni, therefore, that people feel as if they need to watch The Clone Wars and Rebels to fully appreciate Ahsoka. Many sequel shows and films are like this - the creator of a successor shouldn't have to cater to those who didn't bother to watch their predecessor. If one truly loves Star Wars, they'd watch The Clone Wars and Rebels before Ahsoka without complaining.

I wish they had released two episodes every week. You still get the cliffhanger with Anakin that leads into his final lesson in episode 5. But, you now also get to see the central threat of the show with Thrawn's return as well as Ezra's comeback. And you firmly plant what feels like a midpoint in the midpoint of the release schedule.

While I get what you’re saying, all the shows that get lots of engagement online and have that ‘water cooler show’ effect, are shows that have weekly episode drops (House of the Dragon, Succession, The White Lotus, Severance, The Last of Us etc…). And even big shows like Stranger Things don’t trend for that long with a binge model, and people are less likely to talk about it because they’re on different episodes and want to avoid spoilers. And the data we currently have on Ashoka suggests that the weekly release has actually helped viewership. And getting rid of the 12am drop did wonders for the premiere. Ashoka doesn’t need to change the release model, it just needs to adapt its storytelling to make a weekly release more satisfying I.e. strong arc and three act structure in each episode and a reason to keep watching week to week I agree about it being inaccessible though

"we'll talk about where Ahsoka stands" in the middle of the Volume, of course

I can get why you feel like it's not super accessible if you haven't seen Clone Wars and Rebels, and yeah, that's true. The thing I do want to add about Episode 5 being a "nostalgia-fest," though, is that, more than any other live action adaptation I've seen, those scenes seemed to have actual REASONS for why it needed to be in live action. In animation, it's easy to ignore that Ahsoka is child soldier, and it's easy to handwave the actions of the Jedi Order, because it's a cartoon, and we expect simplicity out of cartoons. Episode 5 laid out just how much the Jedi messed up, how they created Vader, in a way that couldn't really be ignored. My one complaint is that they haven't really addressed why Ahsoka left Anakin, and that's nothing to do with Anakin, but because the order seriously fucked her over. I imagine that could be extremely confusing to those who haven't seen Clone Wars. Regarding episodic vs. binge - I have mixed opinions on that. I feel like, if there's one good thing that's come of the demise of Twitter is that it's easier to avoid spoilers. Not all of us have big chunks of time to binge shows, and when lots is released at once, it's easy to feel like you've missed out on the chance to connect socially with others around it. So yes, while I understand the pacing complaints, there is another side of it as well.

I feel like Rebels is so much better structured and paced than both Clone Wars and Ahsoka even. Rebels for the most part didn't really have any "filler" episodes, yes some may of seemed filler on a first watch but they'd always tie back to the story like the episode *Out of Darkness* where Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren undertake a mission to an old Grand Army of the Republic asteroid base (Fort Anaxes) but end up getting stuck there with creatures who only come out in the darkness. They get refuelled and leave before the creatures could kill them seeming like a fun side filler episode. But later in the Season we return to Fort Anaxes where Ezia learns to control the native creatures who help in the fight against the Grand Inquisitor and his Stormtroopers. While for Clone Wars you could easily watch important story Arcs and still have a solid idea of what's happening. Disney Plus even has a playlist of Ahsoka themed episodes from both shows and I think it does a great job at breaking everything down. But yeah I would've preferred if they kept Mandalorian separate, Mandalore does have strong connections to Rebels and Clone Wars but I don't think they had to connect it to Thrawn, save him for Ahsoka. Ahsoka overall for me is great in it's episodes being connected but I do wish we had more episodes for build up. EP6 to me seems like a Mid Season episode where in a week they'll release a new trailer showing clips from the other half of the Season with Thrawn returning to the main Galaxy. But there's only one episode left and I'm both excited and worried. The show overall in tone and visually design I adore. Very Ralph McQuarrie in the design, colours, architecture, and fashion. Rebels by itself was heavily inspired by his work more so than any other Star Wars media beyond the original films with Rebels straight up using many of his original designs. I know there's people who don't like the "Space Whales" but I love them, Do people forget that Empire had a massive worm living in an asteroid, Star Wars should have these magical creatures to contrast the more grounded stuff like we see in Andor. Give me fun Jim Henson looking creatures with fantasy elements you'd only hear about in folktales and fantasy stories. It's just pure Star Wars to me and that's why I've been loving Ahsoka. Then you got the fandom Menace channels who this be real hate on anything, even Star Wars Theory video today was kind of picky and even his fanbase are like "Naw mate this was great" so idk, kind of stay away from those channels as it just bleeds depression.

This is a wonderfully mature video, the kind I hope to keep seeing on this channel. Subscribed

I feel like ahsoka should be one of the best examples for how marvel should plot thier tv shows. Every episode feels complete and it doesn't feel like a movie stretched to 6 hours. They should give her more episodes like 10 through 15 episodes

Weirdly enough, when I watched the first episode of Ahsoka I walked away thinking "now this feels like Star Wars." I had fallen off the Star Wars train after Mando season 2, but the pacing and cinematic portrayal that the first couple episodes had really felt like the type of show I'd deem a natural extension of the way the original trilogy was paced. It's what energized me to finally go watch Andor. Admittedly, I am coming from it as someone whose favorite piece of Star Wars media was Rebels. I definitely see the complaints about her characterization and fighting being a far cry from what an Ahsoka this experienced should be doing, but for me the slow burn helped accentuate the grand scope of the show's plot in a way that really worked for me.

I'm glad there are others who hold issue with the angry, anti-intellectual, reactionary starwars channels/review channels. I used to watch crap like Robot Head and Critical Drinker - when I was 14.

Imo it's ok for a show to be a bit less accessible for the wider audience, especially when the story of that show isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, Thrawn is all but guaranteed to be the upcoming villain of the Mandoverse and Filonis movie, but to the average viewer a simple explanation in an opening crawl about how a genius villain fled exile and has now reappeared will be more than sufficient.

Here's the thing, I am a huge fan of the animated Star Wars shows, and I can't finish more than 5 episodes of Ahsoka.

Yeah I can speak on this first hand. My dad and I have been watching the Star Wars shows together, and it's been becoming more and more apparent that he isn't big on the current story structure they've been doing for them (excluding the Mandalorian). He's someone who when bored with something you can tell very easily, and isn't a fan of the more slow burn type stuff/characters talking too much. Like we started Andor when all the episodes were out after both being huge fans of Rouge One, and like 8 or 9 episodes in after trying to be invested he eventually just gave up and told me I could finish it on my own cause it was too boring for him (I haven't seen the final eps yet but I intend to get around to it). I was genuinely surprised when he said he wanted to watch Ahsoka, considering neither of us had seen the animated shows and he only got introduced to her through Mando. He thought it'd be interesting though so we started it, and now with the added bonus of not knowing any of these characters I could tell by the 2nd/3rd ep the same thing was happening. He's on his phone a lot, barely commenting on scenes and this time I can't blame him cause I get where he's coming from. I wasn't even gonna watch it initially cause I knew it had characters I didn't know, but I didn't realize the story would essentially only be for fans of the animated stuff. There's no problem with this being case, I love that for those fans, but I wish it'd been more advertised as such so I could've know that going in. Like I can empathize with the Ezra plotline sure, but ik it'd hit so much harder if I had that previous connection I didn't even know was required to watch for an 8 ep mini series. Feels like I'm on the outside looking in with this story and that sucks cause I know I'm not the only one. I did finally start The Clone Wars last night after having it on my watchlist for years though and intend to watch Bad Batch and Rebels too once I finish the former so that's a plus ig (also I liked Sabine's cat creature thing they showed for like 10 mins total, he was cute)

I agree. If it was just the first episode that released instead of the 2 i probably wouldn't have continued with the show

Gen V is the only drip feed show in recent memory that had me like "I'm in!" from the first 2 episodes

over here waiting for the whole thing to release

I feel like the first four episodes should have been 3 hour long episodes and then the rest of the show follow roughly the same format as Andor. 4 big 3 episode arcs with really great payoff in each one.

Something I reckon could help new audiences out is that, in-universe, its been around a decade since we last saw the Rebels cast. Diehards are getting reintroduced to them in a new status quo. Newbies are meeting them for the first time, so can take advantage of the same context clues that reintroduction is providing.

I don't mind slow burn stories; Andor is a slow burn story after all, and it rules. My problem with *Ahsoka* is that it fails to give me a reason to care about the story it's telling and/or the characters in it. I've watched *Clone Wars* and *Rebels,* and I loved these characters when they were in those shows and Filoni actually cared about developing them. Now, they just feel lifeless and dull. They exist as either items to be checked off of a fan's Wookiepedia bingo card, or to name drop items to be checked off said card. The characters have shades of arcs set up, but they all get punted aside for more lore and fanservice. Names are dropped with these awed tones because they matter to the people watching, but the show does a shit job of explaining in-universe why any of the main characters would care. Thrawn in the greatest example of this. Why are these characters so terrified of Thrawn? Why has Ahsoka taken his pursuit up as her personal mission? I've watched *Rebels,* and I don't get it. He's about on par with Moff Gideon in terms of threat level. The Empire clearly didn't miss him by the time of *A New Hope,* and Ahsoka wasn't even around for the two seasons of *Rebels* that he was the primary antagonist in. His end goal in those two seasons was to make a new kind of TIE fighter, which isn't that different from Gideon's plot to make Mandalorian themed stormtroopers. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal. He's just a guy! He has no Force powers, and is armed with one rickety star destroyer and some janky looking stormtroopers. His importance is rooted solely in his importance to the fans rather than his importance in-universe. Filoni doesn't seem to be interested in telling new stories anymore. He just wants to play with his OCs and dream up new lore for them to be a part of, all while forgetting to give anyone who isn't already familiar with these characters a reason to care about any of it.

5:26 - "I tried to get tested for ADHD but I couldn't make myself complete the forms" Test completed, then?

I love the show so much and it’s flaws are minor in comparison for me. Love the Slow Burn but my main issue is this should have been a 12 episode show. It needs more to wrap up this story they’ve set up.

The weird thing to me is that the backstory to the animosity between Ahsoka and Sabine that the shows early episodes are built on isn't even in The Clone Wars or Rebels (I think they had like 2 scenes together?). So even people who had seen the cartoons had a period of adjustment.

I think what they should have done was either release it all at once or take the stranger things route and released up to episode 4 and then wait a month and then release the rest. That way it would have given it more time to Stew.

It's a pity people hate Ahsoka due to the finale episode and how it ended.

I think there's also a discussion about if all media needs to have mass appeal. And the how the way streaming companies are so quick to remove anything not doing well contributes to viewing habits.

Exactly my thoughts. Especially as a Clone Wars & Rebels fan, this show's pacing is painful. _Ahsoka_ took ~5 hours to get the plot actually rolling, was mostly just people sitting/standing around doing nothing in the meantime, all with like 5 minutes of stakes-less action per episode. _Ahsoka_ alienates the fans of the live action shows (only) by being too connected to Rebels, and alienates fans of Rebels by having little to nothing of what made Rebels good besides fanservice-y memberberries. It tries too hard to please both groups, and ends up being pretty mediocre to everyone that isn't a diehard fan. This show would've been 10x better if it was animated, but then Disney couldn't advertise it as easily to the casual fans.

I think it's a great point that these shows probably should adjust their format to whatever serves this story the best. Sticking to a specific episode length or number of episodes is ultimately arbitrary, so sticking to a standard of TV-shows can be dropped.

My big problem with Ahsoka's pacing is that it can't decide what kind of show it is. We have the whole plot about finding Ezra, the two Sith-wannabes, Thrawn, and then these weird "gosh, what a great guy Anakin was" moments. Spending an entire episode on that Anakin fan service feels like a waste when we have such a limited time with the series and no promise yet of a future.

Feloni no cap took one look at the Avengers' overreliance of lore from other Marvel films and said: "Hold My Blue Milk".

Well, yeah. As a SW-Fan who never watched or cared about "Clown Wars" or "Rebels" this series is ... a bit difficult to be engaged with. I know Ahoska and her gang from wiki-articles only, read the Thrawn-Legends-Trilogy back in the day but am aware what seems to happen with him in New Canon. But ... I feel no real emotional connection to Sabine and her missing that Ezra--dude. I almost felt understanding that corrupt Senator-Guys points due to that. And I can only imagine how difficult it is for any casual watcher. Thrawn? Who is he, why are these people so afraid of him? What is Ahsoka doing with Anakin, oh, he had a PAdawan? Was she in the movies, why did he not kill her there like he killed all the other kids, what are Nightsister of Dathomir etc... Its funny that many people still complain the Sequels did not explain enough in "Force Awakens" and beyond (what is the First Order, New Republic, why the resistance etc) - but this here is way worse, as it just assumes you watched hours of content prior, whereas the Sequels assume you are capable of having an imagination to fill gaps yourself until further explanation one day. and the Sequel still work on an emotional level imho, wheras Ahoska ... kinda leaves me cold. And we have only one episode left and ... I can already tell it will be unsatisfying. Baylan? Whats his shtick? First kills people in cold blood, then sends his apprentice alone, then interfers again...no clue what it is supposed to lead to, and its not intriguing, its confusing. Thrawn's plan? Two episodes with him, all we see is him standing around smugly (and he does that good) and we see cargo operations. At least with some knowledge of Nightsisters you could assume they bring in Nightsisters in those coffins, to ship them over, or undead soldiers, and stuff like "Project Necromancer" and Sabine answering to "Emperor is dead" "yeah, probably" ....that could lead to soemthing. But in one episode? I can laready see it: Its just about the three Jedi trying to hitch a ride on the hyperdrive-Ring alongside Thrawn, some standoff between them on the Chimera or something, some lightsabre action, plopping back into the old Galaxy, Hera and the Fleet awaiting them, but Thrawn seemingly getting killed but not or some shit...then he going into the outer rim, namedrop Exegol and we are "golden" ...not sure I like this.

The single central conceit of Star Wars 1977 Ep IV was that it be a single episode out of a vast canon. Now it's actually a real weekly serial and you visit the Complain Store? Dude. Doooooode.

I watched Clone Wars as an adult and yeah, its tough to get into. It DOES get good though and has an incredible finish.

Yeah i agree the Arthurian vibe is really cool!

I'm really liking Ahsoka and as a Star Wars fan I don't have the problem to return back each week but I have had this problem with other shows. For example Ted Lasso. Tho for some reason I agree, the first two episodes of Ahsoka felt really different than the rest of the show.

As someone who has watched both clone wars and rebels i am absolutely loving Ashoka

I havent watched Ahsoka. Do the episodes not have their own beginning middle and end? No intrigue or cliffhangers? They should release some of these shows as Filmic Novels. One big release in chapters. Like the old novel adaptation miniseries on the scifi channel

As someone who loves those cartoons and didn’t think they were hard to get into at all I am not connecting w how you feel in the beginning. I recommend those shows. They’re beautiful, artful and quite poetic.

Interestingly, anime has been working around this for a while with their “multi-episode” Episode 1’s. Does it take two to get the setup fully set up? Make a dual-length episode. Does the biggest impact come from the entire first manga volume? Hell, make the first drop “effectively a movie,” and then do your normal weeklies after that. No reason streamers can’t seek the same thing. Drop enough episodes to get to that first real high on Day 1, and then release the rest staggered. Could even drop “that final two-parter” as well; doesn’t have to just be how a series starts, but also how it ends, or how it midpoints. There are a great many options.

My friends made me watch rebels and the clone wars before starting Ahsoka, and I'm super glad they did bc the shows turned out to be great and the context was important. I totally agree about the first few seasons of TCW but for me it was unlocking memories of watching it when I was like 10, so it wasn't so bad. I get not liking this show if you're not a fan of Rebels. BUT that was pretty explicitly going to be part of this show from the trailers, and Ahsoka was almost exclusively a cartoon character until this, so I think it was fair game. With that context I'm loving the slow burn because the satisfaction (not just the cultural relevance) lasts a bit longer

As good as Ahsoka can be I still wonder why it wasn't a short form animated series. It would have been stronger for it. The most I would miss out on is Ray Stevenson's magnetic performance as Baylan Skoll.

I hate when full seasons get dropped all at once. Makes watching a tv show feel like a chore or an undertaking rather than something for fun. Looking forward to a new episode every week, thinking about possibilities, watching youtube vids about easter eggs etc is fun. All that goes away with a full season dump

Consider me eNgAgEd with this content. :) Real talk. Well put.

I've never watched Clone Wars or Rebels, but I've gotten the TL;DW from the internet. That was enough to fill in the gaps in Ahsoka, but... If I had no clue about all of that, at all, I would have WTFed so hard at the World Between Worlds. Ahsoka doesn't even try to explain that extra-dimensional nonsense. I love the show, but with such a slow pace, they could at least do a little hand-holding. Just a little.

Of course, the usual suspects are complaining about it the show that is.

I absolutely agree! I contend that Wandavision should have been released in three chunks: First four episodes, next three episodes, season finale. The first two episodes didn't really provide enough context to keep watching the story. Also, I think all the week to week theorizing really hurt that show. It built hype, but for the wrong reasons. After that, I tried to hold out for all the episodes, knowing it would make a clearer picture of if the show was worth it, but I broke my rule just before the Loki season finale...and was severely disappointed by the Kang thing. Since then, I adopted a policy of not watching from week to week, waiting until the show was out and the full consensus. I got burned too many times. Ahsoka is the one show I made an exception for. And you're probably right. It would have made a better binge. Or at least, a better two part binge.

I find it weird. I found Ashoka slow and boring in places but I loved Andor despite that also being slow.

I will say the last 2 episodes feel the most like the og trilogie than any other star wars things in my eyes

So far, I like it. Sadly, disney is cursed by making the last episode of each show suck.

Ahsoka doesnt feel like a slow burn to me. It feels more like filler. A bit of fun but nothing substantial ever happens. Similarly to Mando season 3. Andor on the other hand was very much a slow burn, I almost gave it up after watching 2 episodes but I started again from the beginning and ended up being hooked. I'm hoping once it gets another season that they keep up the quality.

They did release the first 2 episodes of Ahsoka. That's 1/4 of the show. And it was an attempt to do what you said, give the bingers 2 episodes to sink into, do the necessary build up whilst also having action and a cliff hanger. Remember Ep2 ends with Sabine being stabbed. Not a good cliff hanger but still, climatic since Shin took the map. It sounds like you think the first 4Eps should have been released at once. The entire 1/2 of the show.

As far as Clone Wars goes, there's only 20 or so essential 20 minute episodes that cover the most important stuff in the series. A lot of the rest is skippable. It's true Clone Wars has its fair share of episodes that won't appeal to adult audiences but the back few seasons are pretty strong.

Every "New" Star Wars project is oversaturated with Nostalgia for the Original Trilogy, the Prequel era. The empire fell over 50 year ago, yet they are the only enemy in Star Wars. What happened to the Sith? Where is the Jedi Order? Why are we still on Order 66? We're still on Vader, still on the death Star. When do we get something new? I'm sick of repeating the same old story. The empire was just destroyed and they're trying to make a comeback. News flash, they don't succeed. The Rebellion won. It's time to move on. Star Wars has more than nostalgia to offer.

Can I recommend that you watch Clone Wars and Rebels? First two seasons of Clone Wars are skippable besides a few episodes if you don't have the time/interest grinding through them.

I only watched the Witcher episodes when they came out because I hadn't noticed they weren't holding back the other half.

It’s a show that’s well done but I think those that have seen all the animated, read the books stuff, the comics, have a deep knowledge of the films & of Lucas’ inspirations will get a lot more out of it. Like the new rockstar recaps illustrate (& Star Wars Comics observations on episode 5 for instance). I’m not sure all the star wars stuff has quite cracked how to pull it off or their strategy is to just go for it & over time the stuff like Ahsoka will maybe gain weight for those without an encyclopedic knowledge. I think of the difference between it & Kenobi where there are a lot of references but most of them are in the films more people have seen. It feels like there’s an impatience in getting new viewers up to speed with the extensive canon - but I think part of this is down to Filoni’s view (unlike some of the others that have been involved in star wars of I don’t need to create something wholly new (which is an easier entry point for more casual fans) when there is this massive underutilized canon that has a lot of fans. But, in pulling from it the fans that haven’t gotten to see all the stuff beyond the movies are getting the stuff they’ve loved for decades brought in (after disney initially made non-canon)-it’s a trade off. Imo given time I think it’ll work out given if nothing else the care he has for it due to probably having the most extensive knowledge of it all beyond George Lucas.

Clone Wars and Rebels are great all the way through

1:26 - "To really know what's going on here you need to have watched 11 seasons of animated shows" Eh, I don't think so really. Familiarity with the story of "Rebels" and its finale would be helpful (for context on Ezra, Sabine, and Thrawn... And also Ahsoka, Canan, and Hera, though that context is less important). For Ahsoka herself I don't think you need much other than the fact she was Anakin's apprentice, and she has some knowledge of how things turned out for him. We don't really need other context bits like Ahsoka fighting Vader that one time or the fact that the other-worldly plane where Ahsoka encounters Anakin is similar to the one used to rescue her from the Vader fight in Rebels. Some of it just isn't relevant. I guess Clone Wars might be helpful to understand the Night Sisters, though I think there's not that much there that needs to be understood, they're spooky witches, we can get that by seeing them do their thing. Mostly it's, "Ezra Good, Thrawn Bad, Both Missing, Go Find." At least that'd be my take on it - of course I've seen Clone Wars and Rebels so I know the characters and story already, so it's possible I'm wrong there. It'd be interesting to see how well a smaller sampling like the Disney+ "Essential Ahsoka Tano episodes" playlist would do for familiarizing people with the character and storyline.

As anakin said Incorrect. Lol, good vid.

I like the staggered releases, but I also wouldn’t care if they released an entire season at once. I just get annoyed when I can’t watch the newest episode until 8 or 9 pm. That’s too late. Just release it at midnight on the day of. It’s stupid to force me to wait an extra day because I don’t want to start the show that late.

Now that I think about it I'm kind of getting tired of both models of modern release schedule. Either I never get to watch as much as I want, or I watch it all at once and don't get to have the show sit with me as much. It's making me wish all shows were released the way Arcane was. Three episodes at a time felt like such an amazing sweet spot.

The "1 episode per week" strategy is so exhausting for me to actively participate. This is actually the main reason why I have so little interest in shows like that.

As interesting as I find your point about being more flexible with release schedules and matching the release to the pacing (I quite like the idea of releasing in something like 3 weekly chunks, maybe with only one or two longer finale episodes towards the end but it doesn't matter quite as much) but damn I didn't even consider that people had such vile reactions to this show. Truly mask-off blatant misogyny

I'd argue they are trying to match the pace, or at least trying to mitigate the week-long KZfaq-iverse whining when the episodes are slow. That's why they've issued two and sometimes three episodes at launch. They want the weekly buzz, but also want to avoid the initial negativity while things get moving..

My problem with Ahsoka is not so much the format, it's simply that I feel like the show and Filoni are actively trying to morph Star Wars into something it shouldn't be. There were always plot holes and inconsistencies within the story and the overall lore, but I feel like it's gotten a lot worse since Disney took over, and I can't quite help thinking that Disney's breakneck release schedule is contributing to, rather than fixing, some of the continuity problems that I can't quite avoid fixating on (maybe I'm just impossible to please). A character like Ahsoka seems to be ever more important at the expense of the old characters but if she was ever meant to have existed in the first place (and accomplished things to this degree), why wasn't she even mentioned in the Prequels and/or the OT? I could go on all day about every little nerdy detail, but I'm not going to inflict that on anybody and I'm sure you get where I'm coming from (though you might not agree). I've just reached my personal limit regarding continuity fuckups and as a result I can't accept this as Star Wars, though I will say, seeing Hayden and his lightsaber moves back on the screen after all these years was a bit of a treat.

Hype and expectation is a factor. Like ep5 for example. I was so excited and hyped for all the possible outcomes. Like Ahsoka duelling on mustafar and lots of Anakin. But when ep5 came around, I was disappointed because it *could've been* more fan servicey and epic and more Anakin. I was left hyped for a week and when it didn't live up to my hype, I was so disappointed. After rewatching ep5, it was pretty good. But too short and sweet. If they released the whole season at once. I would've enjoyed this series much more. If one episode was mid, I would think, "a week wasted. What a waste"

I think they should've done a similar release as stranger things S4. They could've released the first four episodes at once, wait a few weeks (where people can talk about that cliffhanger) and then release the remaining four episodes weekly or all at once too. Even as a big Rebels fan my attention span suffered in the first two episodes ngl. The pacing is too slow sometimes, though I am pretty happy with the story.

The series is a good negative example of "show don't tell", especially in regarts to Thrawn. All the main characters talking about how important it is to get to him. I acceptet it as a plot point, but wasn't really able to feel the importance. And even when he finally appears on screen... he's just another imperial dude. You don't need to explain everything for people who aren't into the lore. Some things, like not knowing who the witches are, even makes the show more interesting for me. But I really miss not being able to feel the motivation. As a comparison: It would be as if "Mad Max: Fury Road" intodruced Immortan Joe as a guy behind a desk, not showing the fucked up society he build around him. It would be way harder to relate with Furiosas wish to get away from him.

I want to watch Ashoka but I feel like I need to watch Rebels first.

PYMTRON

IT's funny I only watched the first 3 episodes of Andor and haven't gotten back to it yet. The whole time I kept wondering, are we going anywhere or doing anything? And I really liked Rogue one. Ahsoka I agree was pretty slow at the start, but I really enjoyed it and have been waiting for every episode. Now i am a big fan of rebels and like the character of Ahsoka, so that can be influencing me. Shows how different people can be. Also I delayed watching Secret Invasion because of all the negative hype. Finished it this week and I don't for the life of me understand what is the problem with people. IT was a good show. not perfect, certainly not the best the MCU has put out, but it was good. Very enjoyable. Good acting. Exactly what I would expect from that type of show. Makes me sad that people have become so cynical with modern sci/fi, but happy that I still enjoy most of it.

Feel like more fan service than making good episodes, they stop making new characters and develop legends characters in Star Wars

My only real problem with these streaming shows is season length. Using Ahsoka as an example, eight episodes is just too short to tell a compelling story. The season is just starting to hit its stride now that there's just one episode left. So now we're going to wait what, 18 months, 2 years, whatever, for another 8 episode season. Maybe. Who knows. This is not sustainable. Something needs to change about the way they make and produce these shows. Spending a bit less per episode in favor of more episodes might be a good idea. Think back to shows like Star Trek TNG, Babylon 5, or Stargate SG-1. It wasn't massive budgets that made these shows great (in fact, Star Trek TNG had a notoriously tight budget). It was solid characters and good storytelling. Star Wars has these, it just needs to figure out how to use them more without blowing up the budget with special effects and spectacle.

I'm 100% convinced that nothing except a guaranteed two months of subscription to D+ is gained from the weekly release schedule. The more I hear the point about, "People binge it all at once and talk about it for a week then stop talking about it." the more I can't help but think "and?..." The "talking about it'" we've gained in especially the Star Wars scene has been at best well meaning critique that can only go so far since the narrative isn't done yet and of course at worst the grifter nit picking toxicity week after week. So are we REALLY gaining anything that's even comparable in value to just digesting the narrative at any pace the viewer choses if it's all out at once? I've hit a point where I certainly don't think so.

If staggered releases become more the norm and platforms begin trying to tell the stories differently to suit the format, I just hope to god that we don't go back to mystery boxes because that was a miserable trend and I'm glad it's (mostly) (hopefully) dead.

I heard its a direct sequel to rebels so i didn't even bother to watch it.

I disagree. I think Ahsoka releasing is ok. It's not the best show, as Pillar said, it's not Andor, but it has potential. But I think I can't fundamentally argue because I happen to believe that a weekly release is ALWAYS better than dropping an entire season at once. It gets the conversation going, it turns the experience into a collective one, and it lets us pay attention to the details and really sink into that world. Btw I srsly can't think of Ahsoka as a "slow-burner". If anything I feel it's actually kinda rushed at times. Apart for episode 5 (so far looking like only a big nostalgia bait time paddler), it's going a good way tho. And I say that not even having seen Rebels and Clone Wars. I imagine it should be awesome for the fans of those shows.

Apple is crushing it. But Disney and Amazon own everything.

I feel like the 8 episode runs kill these shows

I disagree about the clone wars being necessary to understand Ahsoka, it’s really not. You need to know the basics of her history sure but aside from knowing she’s Anakin’s padawan and survived order 66 that’s really it. Ahsoka is a **rebels** sequel, not one to the clone wars.

Honestly, I disagree with basically everything you said in this video. From Clone Wars not starting good, to BoBF not being great, to Ahsoka's premiere not being engaging or interesting enough. Hell, I especially don't agree that Andor was perfectly paced, or that its premiere did enough to make people interested. When the third episode of Andor ended, I wanted to watch more. But I don't know if it's because I liked it, or because I didn't like it enough. Andor, I feel, is far better as a binging experience. And I'm sure Ahsoka is, as well. Actually, ALL Star Wars shows are better as a binging experience. Maybe all shows ever. But I've been watching weekly releases for far longer, and I've been watching far more of them. So it's not a big deal if I have to stick it out a little longer. Especially if the show turns out as great as Andor or Ahsoka. But Ahsoka pulled me in immediately. Probably because I'm more attached the characters, but I don't care. Shows shouldn't have to cater to people who haven't seen other shows. Also, the weekly release format is done explicitly for money. If you release an episode a week, they're forced to either keep their subscription because even if there's nothing else they like, they like that show, or they're forced to pirate the show. Which is perfectly fine. Hell, it's legal in some countries. But studios don't benefit from piracy, and I'm pretty sure most people don't pirate shows.

Episode 7 doesn’t help… I like this show. But, it is a strange story to put so much money behind. I watched parts of CWs at the time. But I was in my 20s and skipped vast tracks of it. I did follow Rebels. But I find Ahsoka is hard for my partner to follow. We watch Lower Decks and my partner likes it regardless of getting some of the references. This… it doesn’t stand on its own. Why would you care about Ezra or Hera if you didn’t follow Rebels? Anyhow, glad they did make it.

Why are people afraid to call something bad? Oh the show did not do well, it must be the release model was flawed or people have too many choices or oversaturation or streaming model or attention span of audiences. It is never that show is bad, the writing is bad, the characters are bland, the acting is abhorrent, the pacing or the plot or the production bad. Or how despite being quite expensive it seems worse than something from 2000s. Oh it would have been better as a binge, oh it would have been better if this and that. And even if we know it was bad we just say 'It was something'. Why do people have to do what show is supposed to do, invent ideas and character backgrounds to make it bettter. Hard work does not always mean objectively better product, it only improves on your low effort results. So man up and say that something is bad if it is bad hard work that goes into it notwithstanding.

Way better than Mauler’s long spiteful rant on how modern Star Wars is bad because this and that and how the old Star Wars is better.