Ahsoka and Huyang start Episode Six by discussing Sabine’s questionable choice not to destroy the map and willingly go with the enemy. This episode often throws that choice back at the Mandalorian, but she ultimately gets what she wants. Of course, now she will face the consequences (and Ahsoka), but that is for another episode. The beginning is the only time we see the title character as we get a meta opening to the title “Far, Far Away” that borders on cringe instead of clever. Filoni went all-in on the Witches of Dathomir and, following the Bard of Avon, even had three. They can see the future and talk about “threads of fate.” I will admit this part of Star Wars is not for me. And that’s OK. It also means that this episode was not my favorite. And that is also OK. But let’s talk about it.

The Exposition Dump

“Far, Far Away” was directed by Jennifer Getzinger who does particularly well with situational comedy between Sabine and a CGI creature, but most of this episode was directing around pure exposition dialogue.

We get a lot of new information about Star Wars in this episode. The destination planet, Peridea, is the original home of the Nightsisters, who were the first to “ride” the Purrgil through hyperspace before time was counted. And Baylan is familiar with the world, too. At least the tales of the Nightsisters and their ancient world. And that ties into his motivation as he reveals he is looking for something (or someone) on Peridea.

We discover that Baylan was a Jedi General via Thrawn who did his homework on the Jedi during the Clone Wars in preparation for this episode. Thrawn might be privy to Baylan’s character, which might be why he doesn’t trust the former Jedi. Or maybe the Nightsisters warned him. It is hard to tell now which is part of the problem. The Nightsister’s abilities are all over the place: they can see Ahsoka traveling through lightspeed in a space whale’s mouth, but they couldn’t see Baylan bring Sabine. They can send visions to their fellow Nightsister across galaxies, but they can’t sense if a Jedi on their world (Ezra Bridger) is alive? Star Wars often has these inconsistencies when it comes to Force powers. However, because the Nightsisters are a new concept to many people, the writing should set rules on the extent of their abilities.  

Everyone’s a Prophet Now

With the Sequel Trilogy in the books and the understanding that Imperial remnants become the First Order, Baylan Skoll can throw out phrases like “history will repeat itself” and sound prophetic. It’s like making a film that takes place in 1963 when smoking was at its peak in America and includes a character talking about how bad they think smoking is for your lungs. That might be a little dramatic, but this is a common occurrence in Star Wars (and other franchises) that hop around timelines in storytelling. We know what the future holds, but the characters do not, so some will come off as ignorant, and others will be geniuses. 

I do not know the future for Baylan and Shin, who seem to be at a crossroads. Baylan has ulterior motives that might relate to the World Between Worlds, and Thrawn doesn’t trust him. Meanwhile, Shin has no clue what her purpose is or the endgame. That is a dangerous combination. All roads lead to betrayal, but who will be first, Baylan or Thrawn? Maybe Shin will betray her Master. But all indications point to betrayal from someone.

Thrawn Was Here

With all the build-up, I hope Thrawn lived up to the expectations of those who have watched Rebels. As a reader of the canon novels, though, the character is still quite different. Granted, as the subject of two trilogies, Thrawn would come across as the hero of his own story. Then again, if I was trapped on a space whale graveyard for years, I would probably become a supervillain (the Stormtroopers haven’t even washed their armor, so I can only imagine what they are eating). Thrawn enters with the troopers creepily chanting his name and flanked by his Captain, Enoch, who wears a HORRENDOUS helmet (how do you mess up a new Stormtrooper helmet that bad?). I love that he gets straight to business, not wanting to spend more time on Peridea, which is understandable as a former Imperial and a former member of the Chiss Ascendency. But Shin is also correct in wondering why the Nightsisters are so eager to leave their homeworld.  

But live-action Thrawn is here, so we will see whether there is more to him than meets the eye or whether he is a more elevated Morgan Elsbeth. Including the Nightsisters almost diminishes Thrawn’s strategic abilities as they give him insight into future events. They feel incredibly out of place in this story and join Elsbeth as the weakest link in this series. She has worn out her welcome, and one can only hope Elsbeth meets her end during this series. Thrawn, Elsbeth, Baylan, Shin, and now three Nightsisters? It is getting too crowded on the dark side. 

Overall, Thrawn made less of an impression than I expected and was outshined by two other characters: a Jedi and a mount.

A Not-So-Scary Planet

The way that Thrawn and Captain Enoch were describing the danger of the Peridea, I expected more than just average-skilled marauders. And Sabine did not seem too worried either, immediately trusting a turtle-like alien. Lucky for her and Tota, they are as friendly as they look and recognize the name Ezra Bridger. Still, I would have been a little more cautious after encountering marauders. 

Tota, the horse-dog creature called a Howler (possibly a version of Loth wolf) that Thrawn lends Sabine, is one of the best things from this episode, along with Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger. Esfandi immediately proves why he was cast as the lost Jedi—a much-needed levity of tone and performance among the surrounding stiffness. Yes, these are the two characters I mentioned that usurped Thrawn. Tota was an absolute delight! But VERY interesting choice of name that might be intentional or just strangely coincidental.

Bordizzo continues to not fully work as Sabine. Although it is difficult to brush aside four seasons of an animated version for any of the Rebels crew, she’s the one that sticks out in my opinion. I do appreciate the character choice in restraint of not running to hug Ezra right away during their reunion. That was very Sabine.

---

Thrawn knows of Anakin’s Padawan (from a previous encounter with Skywalker and Padme Amidala in Thrawn: Alliances), but I guess he does not remember that it was Ahsoka. I’m sure we will be in for an interesting conversation between the two when they inevitably meet. The new mystery is what’s in all those crates being loaded on Thrawn’s ship from Peridea?

How many times are Baylen and Shin going to whisper “witches” or “witchcraft”? We have some more time to find out.