First and foremost, it sounds like “Ahsoka” is closely and immediately connected to “Star Wars Rebels,” the Filoni series that ended in 2018. On Twitter, podcast host Brandon Davis noted that “#Ahsoka is a straight continuation of Rebels, feeding the animation fans looking for more with these characters.” It’s not immediately clear whether the show works well as a standalone for casual viewers or not: Entertainment Tonight’s Ash Crossen says that the show is “Definitely a continuation of Rebels and it’s worth brushing up when we last saw everyone,” but Collider’s Steven Weintraub calls the show “super easy to follow” even if you’re not already a “Star Wars” animation fan. As writer and podcaster Ben Silverio puts it, “Dave Filoni brings the same amount of care to this as he did to his beloved animated Star Wars shows.”
Regardless of whether or not “Ahsoka” is an entry-level “Star Wars” series, it sounds like it might be an especially rewarding watch for people who have been following Ahsoka as a character for a while. “The first 2 episodes of #Ahsoka are a lot of fun, especially for fans of ‘Rebels’ and ‘Clone Wars,'” Fandango’s Erik Davis tweeted, while Gizmodo’s Germain Lussier noted that “As a Rebels fan, I felt a connection to it that was truly special.” Critics were also clear about which “Star Wars” fans may not love the new show: while Rayyan from CineGeek News noted that the show has “Rebels vibes all the way, with good exploration of relationships for both new and old viewers,” Decider’s Meghan O’Keefe says that the show could “turn off, say, ‘Andor’ fans” with Filoni’s embrace of “mythology, magic, and lore.”