What We Know So Far About The Ahsoka Series
On December 10, 2020, Lucasfilm Ltd. announced an original live-action television series, Star Wars: Ahsoka, as a spin-off of The Mandalorian. Since then, we have been trying to get our hands on whatever information we can about the journey of our beloved Force-wielding Togruta, Ahsoka Tano, in the upcoming limited series. Now that the production of the series has finally begun, as announced by Lucasfilm in a tweet showing Dave Filoni’s hat on a chair with Ahsoka’s logo at the set, it is time to piece together all we know about what’s in store.
Ahsoka, an Original series, starts production today. pic.twitter.com/b5WgGBihHo
— Star Wars (@starwars) May 9, 2022
Co-created by George Lucas and Dave Filoni, we were first introduced to Ahsoka Tano, the young feisty padawan of Anakin Skywalker, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film in 2008. Voiced by Ashley Eckstein, her character was beautifully developed through the subsequent animated series The Clone Wars. We saw her as one of the leaders of the Rebellion thereafter in Star Wars: Rebels animated series. Throughout nearly two decades, Ahsoka grew into one of the most beloved characters in the franchise, and she portrayed the true essence of a Jedi even though she had left the Jedi Order. However, she remained absent from the live-action movies. Fans were over the moon when Ahsoka, played by Rosario Dawson, made her live-action debut in the second season of The Mandalorian, where her nomadic self was found enquiring the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawn. We then saw her again, along with Luke Skywalker, in The Book of Boba Fett.
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Star Wars: Ahsoka (or simply Ahsoka) is written by Dave Filoni, who is also the executive producer alongside Jon Favreau and Kathleen Kennedy. It also has been confirmed that Peter Ramsey, the co-director of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will direct at least one episode of the series. In a recent interview, The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard said that the fans of Clone Wars will be rewarded by the upcoming Ahsoka series and that the series will be loved. This has not only fueled their excitement but also led fans to wonder if the uber-talented director will be steering one or more episodes of the series.
Rosario Dawson will return as Ahsoka in the live-action series. She will be joined by Hayden Christensen, who will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Given that the series is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, the former Jedi Master/Sith Lord might appear in flashbacks or communicate with his former Padawan “Snips” as a Force ghost. Natasha Liu Bordizzo (The Voyeurs) will play Sabine Wren, which raises the possibility that we will see Ahsoka and Sabine continue their search for Ezra Bridger, who was lost in hyperspace with Thrawn toward the end of Rebels. While it has not been officially confirmed if he will indeed be a part of the series, it is strongly speculated that Grand Admiral Thrawn will be a key antagonist in the series. Furthermore, Mena Massoud (Aladdin) has clearly expressed his interest in playing Ezra, which has given rise to the rumors that Lucasfilm might be considering him for the role.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Fargo), Ivanna Sakhno (Pacific Rim: Uprising), and Ray Stevenson (The Punisher: War Zone) have also joined the cast. Although their roles have not been confirmed, it is rumored that Ray Stevenson will play a villainous Imperial admiral (he has previously voiced Gar Saxon in The Clone Wars and Rebels). Speculations are rife that he may play Gilad Palleon, Thrawn’s second in command, who communicated with Thrawn just before Thrawn and Ezra disappeared in hyperspace. According to some sources, Ivanna Sakhno will play an original character, a formidable mercenary named Astrid, who has a difficult choice to make. Recently, it has also been rumored that Matthew Law (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has been cast for a major role in the series. Exciting times are ahead as the cast of the series shapes up and we get more glimpses into the adventures of our favorite dual wielder.
Although the plot of Ahsoka has been kept under shrouds, one of the major clues for what course the series might take has come from the logo that dropped all way back in 2020. Eagle-eyed fans discovered a close resemblance between the ancient script in the logo and what is seen inside the Lothal Jedi temple. In the fascinating Rebels episode "A World Between Worlds," Ezra accessed the mystical portals that defy time and space at the Lothal temple. He reached out to Ahsoka to help her escape a dire fate while she dueled Darth Vader at the Malachor Sith temple. In finding Ahsoka, Ezra was guided by Morai, the magical convor who had been watching over Ahsoka. Interestingly, Morai is connected to the Daughter, one of the ancient gods of Mortis who embodies the light side of the Force and has transferred her life Force into a dying Ahsoka. Morai was also spotted perching near Ahsoka during her appearance in The Mandalorian. It would be interesting to see if Ahsoka has indeed tapped into the powers of the Daughter or gained access to travel through the world between worlds. A combination of both may enable her to influence pivotal events by traveling unrestricted through time and space. Filoni has likened Ahsoka’s journey to that of Gandalf’s. At this stage, she may indeed be the balanced warrior with a gentle heart who has the wisdom of a seasoned wizard to set people and events on the right track.
Lothal is also Ezra’s homeland, which is another plausible reason for Ahsoka to visit the Lothal Jedi temple in her search for him. Recently leaked images from the sets of Ahsoka at the train-yard filming location showed the remains of what seemed to be a battered Jedi temple. This could be the Lothal Jedi temple, or it is possible that Ahsoka is seeking guidance from the great masters in what remains of the Jedi temples, as she has done in the past as a former Jedi. Ahsoka’s concern for Grogu in The Mandalorian and her presence at Luke’s training site suggest she might also be invested in training a new generation of Force-sensitive children after the execution of Order 66 and might visit the Jedi temples to aid this cause.
Ahsoka has started filming at the Manhattan Beach Studios, and it is estimated to be aired in 2023. The series will be streamed exclusively on Disney+. While we eagerly wait for Ahsoka, we have a lot of other exciting Star Wars media to look forward to. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series is coming out on May 27th, followed by The Bad Batch Season 2, Andor, and The Mandalorian Season 3.
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