The episode by episode analysis begins, and I couldn’t be more excited!

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I am so excited to finally get back to episode by episode analysis and what better series to start with than Ahsoka. One of my all time favorite characters now portrayed in live action by one of my favorite actors… giddy doesn’t even come close to describing my mental and emotional state right now.

Going into this episode though I’ve have to admit wasn’t easy.

First of all, I’m rusty. There’s no getting around it. Honestly, I didn’t think I would have this hard a time but it makes sense that there’d be a lot of kinks to work out not having done it for two years.

The second thing is that the Ahsoka series is so plot heavy. Understandable. So much has to be filled in from the time since the fall of the empire or even as far back as the end of Star Wars Rebels when we last saw Sabine, Hera, and the rest of the crew.

And not that I haven’t watched this series multiple times since it’s release back in 2023. It just took me longer to suss out the deeper messages and meanings.

Eventually I found it. Where?

In the relationships.

At least for this episode.

The dynamic between Ahsoka and Sabine not only gives us so much of the back story while also driving the story forward, but it also gives us valuable insights that can help us work through any hiccups and roadblocks we might be experiencing in our own relationships.

In this episode we discuss the tensions between Ahsoka and Sabine and where that tension might be coming from. Where do you think the tensions in your relationships come from? Listen to this episode and find out.

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Transcript: Path of the Jedi

Ahsoka Part One – Master and Apprentice

[Preview Clip: “We learn quickly that they’re not Jedi, that they are in fact Sith. Well, maybe not exactly Sith, but they’re definitely Dark Side Force practitioners.”]

[Show intro: “You’re listening to Path of the Jedi, with your host, Ronnie Cruz.”]

All right, welcome to Path of the Jedi, the podcast where Star Wars meets Personal Development. My name is Ronnie Cruz, your host for this strained adventure. That’s right, strained.

[laughs] It was not really that serious, but I did choose this word for today for a couple of reasons.

The first reason is that it has felt strained for me. Producing this episode has, it’s just been difficult. More difficult than I remember this process being.

So yeah, strained was really, it was a fitting word. It has felt very labored. In fact, this is the third day of multiple tries of trying to get this thing in the can — well, I mean, I guess if you’re listening to this episode right now, that means I got through it, so thank you.

And really, the only reason I can think of of why I’m having such a hard time is because I’m just so out of practice. I’m so rusty. I guess that’s what I get for being gone for almost two years.

Okay, so let me backtrack.

If you’re brand new to the show, first of all, welcome and thank you for tuning in. I have been, well, I haven’t released an episode in almost two years, and so I’m only three episodes back. And given that, yeah, like I’m realizing how out of practice and how rusty I actually am.

I really didn’t remember this process being as labored and strained as it is right now for me. But anyways, we got through it and you’re listening to the episode, so thank you.

The second reason I chose the word strained is because our discussion today revolves around our two main characters in Ahsoka, or two of the main characters in Ahsoka, Ahsoka herself and Sabine. And we see in the first episode of the show, of the series, that their relationship is very strained.

That’s gonna be kind of the focal point of our discussion today.

So I thought, hey, strained is a perfect word for today’s episode.

[Star Wars sound clip: “I’m going in. Cover me, Porkins.”]

Okay, so another kind of side reason why I think I’ve had, you know, a challenge. It’s been challenging to record this episode, is the fact that I love this show so much.

I have loved this character, Ahsoka, since she first made her appearance. Well, since she made her first appearance in the Clone Wars animated series, and then making appearances again in Rebels, that animated series. And then, you know, when she popped up in Mandalorian Season 2, I was like, yes, we have a live-action version, a whole new iteration of this character, and, you know, a whole new chapter in the storyline.

So there’s lots of things that I really love.

And the fact that she’s played by Rosario Dawson. I mean, come on. I’ve loved Rosario Dawson’s work since, you know, the beginning of her career, and I’ve followed her work since then.

So, yeah, yeah, again, there’s lots, lots to love. There’s lots of things that I love about this show.

And so what I’m going to do right now is, I’m going to spend the next two to three minutes gushing, just to get it out of my system.

Because again, I think this is why, you know, I’ve been so scatterbrained and having a hard time getting to the actual point of this episode in this recording. It’s because there’s so many things that I want to talk about. So I’m just going to try to get as much of it out of my system as I can before we get into the main topic.

So there’s those things, right?

The first thing that I love about this show is that it’s about Ahsoka. I love that character.

Number two, the fact that Ahsoka is played by an actor that I absolutely love, Rosario Dawson.

Number three, I love that we get to see other characters from the animated series in this live action version, right? In this live action chapter of the story, we get to see Sabine, of course. We get to see Hera Syndulla. We’ll get to see Ezra down the road and many supporting characters from the animated series.

So that’s always fun, right?

We get to see this new version of them in this next chapter of the story.

And that’s really the last thing that I love about this particular series because we get to a whole new chapter in the Star Wars saga that we haven’t quite gotten yet, right?

Like, there’s a lot of blanks that I hope and that I feel will get filled in with this series, and especially the fact that it’s gotten picked up for another season, right? You know, we’ve seen Ahsoka in the Clone Wars. We see her, you know, towards the beginning and the formation of the rebellion. And now we see her post fall of the Empire.

And I think this is going to lead to the rise of the First Order, right? Like, I think that’s where this is going to go.

And this chapter in the story is being told and revolves around, told through the lens of and revolves around Ahsoka, right?

And so, yeah, I absolutely love it. And I’m so excited. I loved this first season when I watched it. I’ve watched it multiple times and I cannot wait for season 2.

So what to expect from me and from this show here in the next couple of weeks is that we’re going to be doing an episode by episode of season 1.

And yeah, hopefully, I will have gotten all the gushing out of my system. But, you know, I’m human. Expect there to maybe be more gushing as we get into further episodes.

[Star Wars sound bite: “I find that answer vague and unconvincing.”]

All right. Before I go off on another tangent, let’s go ahead and kick this off and get our discussion going.

Today, we’re going to be discussing Ahsoka Part One, Master and Apprentice.

I love that this is the title for this episode because we see immediately that it’s exactly what it’s about. It’s about a master and apprentice.

In the opening scene, we’re introduced to Baylan Skoll, played by the late, great Ray Stevenson, and Shin Hati, played by Ivvana Sakhno. And we see that they are, in fact, the master and apprentice.

They introduce themselves, at least we think they introduce themselves as Jedi, and we learn quickly that they’re not Jedi, that they are in fact Sith. Well, maybe not exactly Sith, but they’re definitely dark side force practitioners.

And I love how we get a nod to one of Ahsoka’s most famous quotes from The Clone Wars, when Balen Skull reveals to the captain of the ship that they are in fact dark side users.

He says, “We are no Jedi.”

That line beautifully delivered by Ray Stevenson, another actor whose work and career I have followed for many decades, and I have loved for many decades. I think the first time I saw Ray Stevenson was on the show Rome, if any of you remember that.

If you do remember that, you’re old, first of all. [laughs]

But yeah, I’ve loved his career and I’ve loved his work ever since. And Ray Stevenson will definitely, definitely be missed.

Special mention to Ivana Sakhno, who plays Shin Hati, the apprentice in this scene. I got to say, man, I’ve never seen her in anything before this series, before this show, but I am a fan. I am a huge fan. Coming right out of the gate, man, like for me anyways, I think she’s so compelling to watch as this dark side force user.

Her physicality, she’s great in the movements. Like, she has a certain ferocity, but focus at the same time, very calm, very cool. And it’s just, again, it’s so compelling for me to watch, at least for me, I feel like it’s so compelling to watch.

So I’m really looking forward to seeing more from her in the future seasons. And just seeing how, you know, she evolves as an actor, as well as how, how, you know, she evolves in her portrayal of this character, Shin Hati.

Now, coming out of this scene, we think, okay, so this is the master and apprentice that the episode is going to be focused on, right? It’s going to be about Baylan and Shin.

However, however, as the episode goes on, we see that that’s really kind of a red herring. There’s another master and apprentice that is more of the focal point for this particular episode, and that is Ahsoka and Sabine.

Now, this is a huge reveal. It was pretty subtle in the episode, but it’s a big detail. It’s a big detail to learn in this episode. Like, you know, in that time between [Star Wars] Rebels and now, we learn that Ahsoka has been training Sabine as a Jedi, and that’s huge.

I mean, first of all, she’s a Mandalorian, so having a Mandalorian Jedi that’s not Grogu… I mean, I love Grogu to death, but having a Mandalorian Jedi would be awesome.

And then, of course, we have her back history, Sabine’s back history as having trained with Kanan using the Darksaber.

So, you know, I think it’s going to be an important detail that will not only help drive the plot forward and the story forward, but it’ll also inform the relationship, right?

And therefore, the character development of these two central figures in this series, which, you know, when you put it all together, it makes for a much richer story telling experience.

As I mentioned at the top of the episode, the relationship is very strained between the master and the apprentice. And in fact, we learned very quickly that they, for whatever reason, had to part ways. And it has been, it had been quite some time before the reunion in this episode. It had been quite some time before they saw each other.

So this is creating a lot of tension between the two in seeing each other once again. We see that Sabine is harboring a lot of resentment for, you know, having, I guess for that relationship having ended the way it ended, or at least for the training to have ended the way it ended.

And so now that they’re back, we’re seeing a lot of those perhaps unresolved issues between the two bubbling back up again.

We’re not entirely sure why the relationship fell apart or why Ahsoka decided to leave and end the training. But I really want to focus on something that she said in a conversation that she was having with Hera.

Hera says something to the effect of, well, I’m sure you had your reasons, to which Ahsoka replied, “Sometimes even the right reasons have the wrong consequences.”

I think there’s a lot we can learn from this, not only in the context of Ahsoka walking away from Sabine and walking away from training Sabine to be a Jedi, but to us here on earth, to the decisions we make, to the choices we make in life.

The first thing I want to communicate to you regarding right reasons having wrong consequences is that we can’t predict outcomes, not really. So no matter how good your intentions are, good intentions will always come with unintended consequences.

However, that shouldn’t stop you from doing what you think is right and doing what you think is good, making the right choices and making what you think are the right decisions in any situation. Always work towards doing what’s right, doing what’s good, what’s best for you, and then what’s best for everybody else involved, right?

And as long as you do that, no matter what happens afterwards, your conscience can be clear. Because again, we can’t predict, we can’t fully predict what the outcome is going to be and how others will react as a result of that decision.

Now given that, since we can’t predict the outcome, the second thing then is to detach yourself from it.

Whatever happens, good or bad, detach yourself from having any kind of attachment to a specific result that you were hoping to achieve or attain.

Let go of thinking about the outcome as being wrong or right in the first place. Really try to approach it as much as possible with equanimity and neutrality. So that way, if things happen to not be ideal, the outcome happens to not be ideal, then you can make new decisions moving forward.

I think this is really, really important because as volatile as the world is around us, we can be very, very reactive to the outcomes and the circumstances that’s happening in our lives.

And then as a result, we make decisions that are emotionally charged. And we all know that emotionally charged decisions sometimes aren’t the best.

So approaching whatever the outcome is, without any labels of wrong or right, good or bad, whatever the outcome is, approaching that with neutrality and equanimity will allow us to make, I think, healthier and better decisions, so that we can course correct any situation that happens to have gone sideways.

It really goes back to point number one, where really just make the best decision that you can in that given moment or in any given situation, right? Do your best, work to do your best, work to be your best, do what you think is right, of course, without harm or malice towards others, right?

You want to make the best decision for you, as well as a decision that hopefully benefits the other person, and accept whatever happens.

That’s what it means to be neutral. That’s what it means to be in a state of equanimity.

Detach yourself from the outcome and the labels of wrong or right around that outcome, and just be really okay with yourself that you made the best decision that you could have at that time.

Again, if things have gone sideways or if the outcome is less than ideal, then you can approach it with an even head and make a clearer decision moving forward.

Now, the last thing is specific to if your decision making and the choices that you make involve someone else or potentially can impact someone else, just communicate, communicate clearly.

Seek understanding, communicate with empathy towards that other person if it’s gonna really affect, if your decision is really gonna affect that other person.

I think this is important.

I mean, we see in this example with Ahsoka and Sabine, I don’t know necessarily that Ahsoka communicated well enough why she made the decision that she made, right?

And it’s not to really justify what your decisions are or to justify your choices, but to help other people, again, who are going to be potentially affected by the decision you make, to help them understand why you’ve made that decision.

That way you can alleviate the tension that Ahsoka and Sabine are going through right now.

Again, the tension is thick. You can cut it with a knife in this episode, right?

You know, the last thing I would want is my decisions to… Well, the last thing I would want is for people to be resentful of the decisions I make.

Again, we can’t control that outcome necessarily, but if we communicate well enough on the onset, then maybe we can spare some feelings and maybe, you know, this tension and, you know, this difficulty that Ahsoka and Sabine are having in this episode, maybe it wouldn’t exist, you know, if everything were communicated a little bit more clearly, so that all parties involved have more understanding in why the decision was made.

Really important stuff.

I think the fact that Ahsoka says “sometimes even the right decisions have wrong consequences”, all of that could have been avoided had she followed these three things that we just talked about, right? Had she really remembered that we can’t predict outcomes, you know, no matter how good our intentions are, but that should not keep us from having good intentions and doing what we think is right.

And then number two, being detached from those outcomes, you know, removing labels of wrong or right and approaching whatever happens with equanimity and neutrality so that you can make, you know, healthier decisions moving forward just in case things had gone sideways.

And you need to adjust, as opposed to making, you know, emotionally charged decisions.

And then just communication, right?

I think that’s the biggest takeaway from this particular lesson, is that, yeah, the communication piece is so important.

You know, we live in a world where I think our ability to communicate is, yeah, well, it’s getting less and less. It’s decreasing, you know. And I think our desire to communicate and seek understanding has decreased given the nature of social media and the instant gratification and the dopamine hits that we get in our feedback loops and our echo chambers, right?

So seeking understanding is important, and that’s only achieved with clear communication, open communication, communication with empathy and understanding for and with the people and the person or people that you’re communicating with, especially in a situation where your decisions and the choices that you’re making is going to impact those other people, right?

So yeah, yeah, really important stuff, really important stuff.

I think the wrong consequences that Ahsoka is talking about here is the fact that there is so much tension and friction with in her relationship with Sabine, and the fact that Sabine is still very angry at her and is very much resentful of that decision that she made.

And you know, that’s also Sabine’s responsibility, right? Her resentment is her choice.

However, all of this friction and all of this tension, I think, again, could have been alleviated if they had really come to an understanding. And that understanding cannot happen unless you have good communication.

So if you have a decision — especially a major decision, right — that decision that’s going to impact other people’s lives, please, please take the time to have open and honest conversation.

And conversation not to justify your decisions, but to seek understanding between everybody that is involved and everybody that could be impacted.

This is the only way, really, even though, as I mentioned, we can’t predict outcomes and, and, and, you know, we can’t, we can’t really know how things are going to turn out. This is the only way we can avoid the unintended consequence of strained relationships, of friction between the two parties involved.

If we have open and honest conversations that seek understanding behind the choices that we are about to make, then we can all move forward knowing that that decision was made in the best interest of everybody involved.

If Ahsoka had done this with Sabine, then their reunion would definitely not be as strained as it is.

But of course, if they had parted on good terms, then we wouldn’t necessarily have the story that we have, right?

The tension and the friction between Ahsoka and Sabine helps drive the story forward. So we’ll take it. We’ll take it.

We’ll walk away with the lesson, and we’ll take the episode as it comes, because there’s a lot of good stuff in this entire season that springboards off of this first episode, and again, the relationship between Ahsoka and Sabine.

So hopefully all of this makes sense.

You know, the lessons that we’ve learned from Ahsoka and Sabine’s relationship and the tension that’s happening in this episode.

Remember, number one, we can’t predict outcomes, but even though we can’t predict outcomes, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to try to do our best and make the best decisions possible for ourselves and for everybody involved.

Number two, detach yourself from the actual outcome because, well, you know, there is no wrong or right, right?

And so removing those labels, we can approach it with neutrality and equanimity so that we can make clear headed decisions moving forward as opposed to emotionally charged decisions.

And then lastly, communicate, right?

Communicate, communicate, communicate.

A lot of this tension and friction could have been avoided if there was clear, empathic communication so that everybody comes out of it with a clear understanding of why the decision was made in the first place.

I don’t know why I do that.

I should have just said that in the in the episode, in the main body of the episode.
But anyways, you know, I like to come back and summarize so that you really, the principles and the ideas really kind of sink in.

Anyway… let’s go ahead and get into the shout out.

[R2-D2 sound bite]

This week’s shout out goes to all the emergency responders, the first responders, the people that are involved in the relief and rescue efforts around the fires in California.

It’s no easy thing, even just watching it from afar, to see the level of destruction that’s happened in California due to the wildfires. So, I really got a shine of light on everybody that’s involved, that’s putting all this effort into, again, rescue, emergency, first response, relief and all that stuff, because it’s no easy task.

It’s no easy task. This… I mean… it’s kind of familiar to me.

I live in Appalachia. I live in western North Carolina, and just a handful of months ago, we were hit with one of the craziest natural catastrophes that this region has ever experienced in recorded history. So, you know, having people that are willing, and this doesn’t even, isn’t limited to people who are, you know, in uniforms and, you know, that are actual firsts, you know, that’s their job.

But everybody in the community, everybody involved who are there in this, in these emergency situations, who are helping out, who are pitching in, who are helping rescue and relief, you know what I mean?

Everybody involved, it takes a community to, to get through such catastrophe. It really does.

Again, I mean, we saw it here in, in Western North Carolina with Helene in the flooding.

So I got to really shine the light on, on the people that are doing the hard work, whether you’re in a uniform or not, whether, you know, it’s your formal title or formal job or not, you know, thank you, thank you, thank you for helping where help is needed, for being there as, as a, you know, a human being helping other human beings, right?

I think, I think it’s, it’s a real show of, of our unity and our connectedness and, and all of our innate ability for, for empathy. Because I think deep down people help because they know that they would want to be helped if they were in that situation.

Our hearts automatically, again, I’m very far removed from the fires because I’m on the other side of the country, but my hearts automatically open, my heart automatically opens to these people going through these things because, you know, I would, I would not want to be in their situation.

And so given that situation, I would want people to help me, right? If I were in that situation.

So I think, you know, if we all kind of tap into this, this, this natural empathic nature that we’re all born with, I think it’s innate in all of us. We can do a lot of, we can really do a lot of good in the world because a lot of good is needed right now.

I mean, beyond, beyond the, the, you know, kind of natural disasters, there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of conflict in the world, right? And so just keep, keep, I think, fostering and nurturing that empathic nature in you, that innate empathic nature in you. And that will move us, that will help us move closer to healing as a world.

And, and, you know, especially for those of you who are really putting yourselves out there on that front line that are meeting that emergency head on, that are meeting that relief and rescue head on, you know, first responders head on.

I really want to thank you for being there, you know, in a capacity that, you know, sometimes, you know, the rest of us feel like we can’t, right?

So I, you know, again, I really want to shine the light on you and thank you for doing that. And thank you for tapping into that empathic, innate empathic nature. Because again, the world needs it. The community in Southern California for sure needs it, but the rest of the world needs it.

So, you know, for all of you on the front lines, the emergency workers, the first responders, the people that are involved in relief and rescue, this week’s shout out goes to you.

[BB8 sound bite]

OK, so that’s going to do it for today’s episode.

Next week, we’re going to cover Ahsoka Part 2, so make sure you tune in.

One last thing to ask if, you know, and I’m going to do this more often in our episodes because I really want to grow this show.

So, if you know anybody, just one person, think of one person who you think might enjoy and appreciate this episode.

Please, please do me a favor, do the show a favor and share this episode with that one person.

Just sharing it with one person will really go a long way to help grow the show and getting these principles out there.

Getting this message out there.

Again, if you find value in this stuff, even if it’s just entertainment, chances are somebody else is going to find value in it as well.

Chances are somebody else will find these topics and these principles helpful to their lives and whatever it is that they’re going through.

So, just think about one person who you believe and who you think would appreciate this episode and share it with them.

[Wicket sound bite]

Okay, so this is really going to do it.

Again, tune in next week when we’re going to discuss Ahsoka Part Two.

So until then, be well, be safe, and may the force be with you.

[Disclaimer: This podcast is not endorsed by the Walt Disney Company nor Lucasfilm Ltd. and is intended for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only.

The official Star Wars website can be found at www.starwars.com Star Wars, all names and sounds and any other Star Wars related items or registered trademarks and or copyrights of Disney and their respective trademark and copyright holders. All original content of this podcast is intellectual property of Path of the Jedi unless otherwise indicated.]

[Yoda giggle sound bite]