Ahsoka is combining the strengths of multiple Star Wars series. It’s taking the protagonist of The Clone Wars, the characters of Rebels, and the live-action Disney+ medium of The Mandalorian to build what should be a greatest hits compilation of modern Star Wars storytelling. However, there are still a few variables yet to be revealed about Ahsoka, including its runtime.
Since Ahsoka is a streaming series, it’s not beholden to the strict runtime structures of typical network shows. That lack of structure has led to wildly varying episode lengths in Star Wars TV, like The Mandalorian Season 3 having episodes as short as 31 minutes and as long as an hour. Ahsoka Episodes 1 and 2 have a standard 45-ish minute length, but Episode 3 raises questions about the rest of the series.
According to leaker @Cryptic4KQual, who accurately leaked the runtime of each Mandalorian Season 3 episode, Episode 3 of Ahsoka will clock in at a scant 34:50, or 31 minutes once you factor in the credits.
This makes it one of the shortest episodes of live-action Star Wars ever, and a clear departure from Episode 1’s expansive 51-minute runtime. However, there could be a simple explanation for this discrepancy. In a press release, Lucasfilm announced the director lineup for Ahsoka, and while showrunner Dave Filoni is directing Episodes 1 and 5, Episodes 2 and 3 are directed by Steph Green.
Green, whose resume includes Chapter 2 of The Book of Boba Fett, could be treating her episodes as a functional two-partner, meaning they serve as more of a 70-minute story than a 40-minute one and a 30-minute one. This is especially interesting considering Ahsoka has a two-episode premiere, meaning there will likely be a big cliffhanger at the end of Episode 2.
Hopefully, Episode 3’s short runtime is merely a side effect of a larger story being divided in half, not evidence of wildly varying runtimes for the series. In the streaming era, it’s tempting to make runtimes fit stories instead of the reverse, but the structure of the 45-minute episode is one of the most tried-and-true in television history. The Mandalorian’s Season 3 wide range of runtimes made the show feel erratic, like it was never sure what it wanted the viewer’s experience to be. Ahsoka could use some consistency if it wants to win viewers over, and runtimes are the easiest place to start.
