The highly anticipated Ahsoka series is now only a mere six weeks away and so attention is understandably turning to details such as the episode runtimes which showrunner Dave Filoni has issued an update on.
Following the somewhat clunky third season of The Mandalorian, Star Wars fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Ahsoka in the hopes it can chart a clear path forward for the various series on Disney+.
Dave Filoni on Ahsoka runtimes
Speaking to Collider at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year, Dave Filoni revealed some key details about the runtimes of Ahsoka’s episodes.
“One thing Jon [Favreau] and I are very adamant about is we try to, you know, cut it down and strip it down, to keep it moving,” he said.
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“My episodes have actually started pretty long,” Filoni added. “They are probably relative to the other episodes I’ve written and done, like the episode ‘The Jedi’, but it’s got to be tight and fast because to make the action work, they’ve got to be shorter.”
“But I would say they’re in the same range as the Mandalorian episodes, maybe on average a little longer, but the most recent cuts are in the same range,” the showrunner said. “I like a long episode as much as anyone, as long as it’s moving.”
Why an episode’s runtime is not the be-all and end-all
Whenever a new episode of a Star Wars series is released, fans quickly take to social media to discuss its runtime, with viewers typically hoping for longer episodes.
As such, Dave Filoni’s comments on Ahsoka’s episodes being marginally longer than The Mandalorian’s will undoubtedly please a few.
However, if we look back at the recent season of The Mandalorian, longer runtimes don’t necessarily signify if an episode will be better – and likewise a short episode being worse.
In season 3 of The Mandalorian, the longest episode, Chapter 19: The Convert, which comes in at 59 minutes including credits, is actually rated as the joint-second worst of the season on Rotten Tomatoes with 82%.
The highest-rated episode with a perfect 100% score, meanwhile, is Chapter 5: The Pirate which comes in at just 44 minutes.
Season 3’s shortest episode, Chapter 20: The Foundling, boasts an approval rating of 90% despite 33 minutes in length, which just goes to show that an episode is more than just its runtime.
Quick guide to Ahsoka
Ahsoka will be arriving on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
The eight-episode series will then air weekly until the finale which is slated to release on October 4.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka will follow the former Jedi Knight as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
From her brief appearance in The Mandalorian, we know that she is hunting down Grand Admiral Thrawn, a fearsome foe who she brands in the Ahsoka trailer as “Heir to the Empire.”
Ahsoka is scheduled to arrive on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
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