Now that we’ve had almost two years to reflect, we’re asking whether the live-action series Ahsoka (2023) worth all the hype. Is it as memorable as The Mandalorian Season 2, or as disappointing as The Book of Boba Fett (2021) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)?Did it live up to expectations as a live-action sequel to Star Wars: Rebels (2014–2018), or has it now ruined the beloved animated show for many fans?Credit: LucasfilmAhsoka is definitely a mixed bag. While diehard fans of Rebels will find plenty to enjoy, from Easter eggs to cameos, many Star Wars fans were pretty disappointed in what turned out to be a poorly-paced and thinly-written eight-episode story arc.Some even criticized the acting and the characters, describing them as “dull” and “boring.”Things are bound to get lost in the transition from animation to live action, but did the show’s creator, Dave Filoni, fail some of these beloved Rebels characters by making them far too serious for their own good? Let’s take a look at all the main characters from Ahsoka.13. Sabine WrenCredit: LucasfilmIn Rebels, Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) is hardly the most compelling character, which is mainly due to the fact she’s surrounded by ones who are more interesting to watch. Unfortunately, her live-action counterpart, played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, is no better.One of the biggest problems with live-action Sabine is that Ahsoka retcons her character by asking us to believe she’s been Force-sensitive this whole time, despite it never being mentioned or even hinted at in the animated show. Another issue is just how dull she is.Ahsoka‘s attempts at making Sabine charismatic feel forced. But what makes the Mandalorian-Jedi particularly hard to like is how she’s allowed to jeopardize the entire galaxy so she can be reunited with Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) with zero consequences.Related: 13 Characters From the Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Ranked12. Morgan ElsbethCredit: LucasfilmWhen Lady Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) first appeared in The Mandalorian Season 2 episode “Chapter 13: The Jedi” opposite Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), it was obvious she’d be returning to the Mando-Verse sooner or later, despite being as dull as ditch water.In Ahsoka, Elsbeth might just be the biggest culprit of all when it comes to stiff and wooden characters. You think she’d put some of that dark magick to use and conjure up a bit of life, but instead, she seems even more undead than Thrawn’s night troopers in the finale.Elsbeth’s last-minute upgrade into a full-on witch is also completely pointless and underwhelming, seeing as she’s unceremoniously killed by Ahsoka only a few scenes later, a death that only serves to make her an even more forgettable Star Wars villain.Related: Marrok’s Death in ‘Ahsoka’ Finally Explained11. Ahsoka TanoCredit: LucasfilmWho’d have ever expected to find the titular Togruta Jedi third place from the bottom of a character ranking for her very own show? Ahsoka Tano is one of the most exciting and compelling characters from the Star Wars universe, so how on Tatooine did we arrive here?Ahsoka was first brought to life by Ashley Eckstein in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), who would reprise her role in the animated series of the same name, as well as Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (2017) and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022).Credit: LucasfilmAdapting Ahsoka Tano into live action was always going to be tricky, and clearly, a few things have been lost along the way. Rosario Dawson is obviously a very capable actress, but the way she’s directed in Ahsoka is totally devoid of any charm, charisma, and soul.Disney and Lucasfilm seem to be trying to replace Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) with Ahsoka, forcing her to become the figurehead of the franchise. But it’s going to take more of a fancy “upgrade” to “Ahsoka the White” to make her a more compelling Jedi than Luke.Related: All 12 Main Characters From ‘Star Wars’ Mando-Verse Ranked From Worst to Best10. Grand Admiral ThrawnCredit: LucasfilmThe once-fiercely intelligent Grand Admiral Thrawn is widely considered to be among the most formidable Star Wars villains. A tactical genius, his foresight knows no bounds, and his cultural knowledge is unparalleled. At least in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.In Rebels, he’s reasonably smart, but in Ahsoka, he’s the class idiot. Lars Mikkelsen does a great job at bringing Thrawn to life in the flesh, but he’s yet another example of how Ahsoka takes talented actors and makes them absolutely miserable to watch.Mikkelsen’s live-action Thrawn, whose entrance is pompous and borderline pretentious, is boring and stupid. Nothing he does screams intelligence. He’s the archetypal Bond villain: he has his enemies in his sights, and what does he do? Nothing. Yet somehow, he always seems to think he’s come out on top.Related: Despite Epic Return, ‘Star Wars’ Officially Replaces Darth Vader9. Ezra BridgerCredit: LucasfilmGrand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and Ezra Bridger both make their live-action debut in the episode “Part Six: Far, Far Away.” While Thrawn’s entrance is handled with self-importance and pomp, Ezra’s is surprisingly deadbeat.For someone who’s been stranded on a distant and barren world for around 10 years, he sure seems relaxed when he finally sees Sabine again. Did he really even need rescuing? And their reunion is anything but emotional — it’s awkward, half-hearted, and anti-climactic.There’s no denying that Eman Esfandi bears an uncanny resemblance to the animated Ezra from Rebels, but why the showrunners insisted on making his eyes just as frighteningly blue is anyone’s guess, as it makes him look like he’s been possessed by the Nightsisters.Related: A Recap of Ahsoka Before You Watch the Live-Action Series8. Anakin SkywalkerCredit: LucasfilmFans were thrilled when Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) made his first appearance in Ahsoka at the end of the fourth episode “Fallen Jedi.” And the following episode, “Shadow Warrior”, doesn’t hold back in giving us all the Anakin we could have wished for.While it’s certainly great to see him interact with adult Ahsoka and the young Ahsoka (Ariana Greenblatt), there are a couple of issues that will likely become more apparent to fans now that the show is well in the rearview and the “honeymoon period” is truly over.Credit: LucasfilmFirst of all, it’s quite vague. Is this really Anakin Skywalker? After all, the World Between Worlds is a pathway to things many consider to be unnatural, right?But why do we doubt him? Well, there’s simply no real conversation or any emotion between the two — it’s all pretty generic stuff.The real problem is that the Anakin we see in the Clone Wars flashbacks and in the Holovids in the episode “Dreams and Madness” isn’t anything like Anakin from the prequels. He wasn’t mature, wise, and centered during that time; he was angry, impatient, and unpredictable — that was the whole point.Related: ‘Star Wars’ Finally Replaces the Sequel Trilogy7. ChopperCredit: LucasfilmSadly, Chopper (Dave Filoni) isn’t really in Ahsoka as much as we’d hoped. The erratic Astromech droid is obviously the easiest character to translate from animation to live action, and the results are seamless. Unfortunately, beyond the first half of the series, we don’t see him a great deal. His humor and energy would have been most welcome in this show.Related: All 14 ‘Star Wars’ Movies Ranked From Worst to Best6. Jacen SyndullaCredit: LucasfilmLike Chopper, it’s tricky to judge Jacen Syndulla (Evan Whitten) when he’s not really in the show all that much. However, the only reason he’s not on the lower side of our ranking is largely due to the fact that he doesn’t really do anything wrong. On the other hand, he doesn’t impress much, either. But here’s to hoping we see more from him in the future.Related: ‘Star Wars’ Could Introduce a Second Order 66 to Fix a Major Sequel Trilogy Mistake5. Hera SyndullaCredit: LucasfilmSpeaking of Ezra’s overly bright eyes, Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is yet another character whose transition from animation to live action comes with a major catch: her eyes are so green she looks like she fell face-first into a barrel of radioactive waste.Otherwise, Winstead is solid as Hera, and is one of the few characters in the show who has any sort of emotional range. But that’s not to say she’s perfect. We’re fully aware that the 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) star has some solid acting chops, but they’re seldom used here.In hindsight, it’s a shame Ahsoka didn’t fully embrace being a live-action sequel to Rebels, because if it had, it may have been shared out between the characters. Having a Hera-led episode or two would have been a saving grace, but unfortunately, she’s mostly side-lined.Related: Why Doesn’t Rosario Dawson Play Ahsoka in This Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ Movie?4. HuyangCredit: LucasfilmYou know a television series has some serious problems when one of its most interesting and human characters is a droid. Huyang (David Tennant) has more personality in his smallest of circuit boards than most of his fellow Rebels combined (except Hera).Tennant reprises his role as the architect droid, having first voiced him in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There’s something comforting and familiar about the actor’s voice, which makes Huyang far easier on the ears than the likes of C-3PO (Anthony Daniels).But Huyang is not without his faults (no pun intended), which range from knowing far too much about pretty much everything, to often acting with so much emotion that he may as well be human. That said, he’s the first character in Star Wars history to utter the words, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…,” which is pretty awesome.Related: ‘Star Wars’ Finally Answers Fans’ Prayers, Makes “Corrections” to the Sequels3. Shin HatiCredit: LucasfilmShin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) is the padawan/apprentice to Baylan Skoll’s Jedi master. The question is, are either of them really Jedi? Yes and no. They both wield the Force and lightsabers, but as Baylan says in the first episode, “We are no Jedi.”And it’s true — their behavior makes them anything but Jedi. But are they evil? While Shin doesn’t have much in the way of dialogue throughout Ahsoka, she’s more nuanced than she might be getting credit for, and it’s all in those meaningful micro-expressions.At times, she seems doubtful, perhaps even sad and confused. Ivanna Sakhno brings a subtle richness to the role that layers Shin in ways that aren’t obvious. Unfortunately, Ahsoka seems to waste her talents by offering next to nothing in the way of character development.Related: Ahsoka May Be Alive During Sequel Trilogy, ‘Star Wars’ Suggests2. Baylan SkollCredit: LucasfilmRay Stevenson’s last performance was as the former Jedi Order general Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka, who is perhaps the most mysterious and enigmatic character in the entire show. But the British actor sadly passed away in 2023.Stevenson is a joy to watch throughout, whether it’s his lightsaber battles with Ahsoka — which are evidently inspired by Medieval warfare given the way in which he strikes with his blade — or his compelling motivation to end the cycle of war and death in the galaxy.Sadly, like many other talents in the show, Stevenson is criminally underutilized, leaving both his character arc and relationship with Shin Hati underdeveloped. Disney and Lucasfilm have now recast the character for Ahsoka Season 2.Related: New ‘Star Wars’ Villain Replaces Darth Vader’s Best Moment1. Young AhsokaCredit: LucasfilmWe all suspected that we’d be seeing a younger version of Ahsoka Tano show up in Ahsoka, but seeing her in the flesh was all the more meaningful and incredibly nostalgic. After entering the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka finds herself thrust back into the Clone Wars.But she instantly realizes she’s no longer an adult — she’s a young girl again, as depicted in The Clone Wars, which spans the three years between Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005).Young Ahsoka is played by Ariana Greenblatt, who appeared in the 2023 box office hit Barbie. Greenblatt perfectly encapsulates the charismatic and emotional Clone Wars-era version of the character, while honoring Ashley Eckstein’s performance.The downside is that Greenblatt serves as a reminder that the adult-version of the character in the show is, as many fans described at the time, “stiff” and “wooden.” Again, Dawson is a talented actress, but the choice to make her Ahsoka so dull is borderline criminal.Ahsoka is now streaming on Disney+.It stars Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano), Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren), Eman Esfandi (Ezra Bridger), Lars Mikkelsen (Grand Admiral Thrawn), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Hera Syndulla), Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Ivanna Sakhno (Shin Hati), Diana Lee Inosanto (Morgan Elsbeth), and the late Ray Stevenson (Baylan Skoll).There’s no release date for Ahsoka Season 2.Who’s your favorite character in Ahsoka? Let us know in the comments!The post Every Character in ‘Ahsoka’ Ranked From Worst To Best appeared first on Inside the Magic.