This week saw the release of the third issue in Marvel Comics’ adaptation of Lucasfilm’s live-action Disney+ series Star Wars: Ahsoka, and below are my thoughts on this installment.
Ahsoka #3 is, naturally, an adaptation of the third episode of the Disney+ series, which was entitled “Time to Fly.” In this chapter, Sabine Wren continues her not-quite-Jedi training after having been reunited with her old master Ahsoka Tano and their faithful ancient professor droid Huyang. Then they arrive in orbit around the planet Seatos, where Morgan Elsbeth and her lackeys are constructing their enormous hyperdrive ring in order to take them to Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Meanwhile at the New Republic fleet, General Hera Syndulla makes the case for Chancellor Mon Mothma and a couple senators to allow her to take some ships in support of her friends, to no avail. We also catch up with Hera’s son Jacen Syndulla and Chopper along the way. Back at Seatos, a space battle breaks out between Ahsoka’s T-6 Jedi shuttle and Elsbeth’s imposing forces, including Shin Hati and ex-Inquisitor Marrok. But Huyang needs our heroes to get closer to the hyperdrive ring so he can complete his scan, and in doing so Ahsoka’ ship and the droid both get fried, forcing the title character to get out on the wing in a spacesuit and fend off the attackers. There’s also a brief encounter with the legendary space whales called Purrgil, who will play a much larger part in future installments.
This issue ends, as the episode did, with the protagonists’ ship having come to a landing on Seatos, hiding among the planet’s orange-hued forest as they are hunted by fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll. As far as these Disney+ adaptations go, I’d say this issue was a decent one, with writer Rodney Barnes and artist Steven Cummings doing an adequate job of translating the pace and tone of the show to the comics page. Otherwise it’s still a pretty straightforward reworking of the material, so there’s not a whole lot more to say about it. Basically if you liked the Star Wars: Ahsoka series and would like the chance to absorb the story in a different format, I think you’d enjoy this. Otherwise you should probably skip the comic and simply stream the show again.
Star Wars: Ahsoka #3 is available now wherever comic books are sold.