The live-action Ahsoka TV series is something that Star Wars fans, and a certain director, has been campaigning for years. Since the character was turned from an annoyance in her first appearance to an absolute fan favorite during the excellent Star Wars The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels series, a live-action series was heavily requested by fans.
Now, 15 years since the character first debuted, later this year we’ll receive Ahsoka’s live-action series, bringing together plots from Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and other threads from the post-Return of the Jedi Star Wars universe.
Ahsoka Tano, who is played by Rosario Dawson in her live-action incarnation, made her debut in The Mandalorian, and as soon as she did, fans were clamoring for Dave Filoni to bring her to Disney+ in her own series.
At Star Wars Celebration, Disney finally lifted the lid on more information on Ahsoka, including a brand new trailer, and we’ve got all of it here for you.
We've put together all the known info about the Ahsoka TV series including plot details, the cast and when the show will finally release on Disney+. Check out our full roundup of all the upcoming Star Wars TV shows to see what else is coming our way from a galaxy far, far away.
Ahsoka: Release date
After months of speculation, at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London, England, Lucasfilm confirmed that the long-anticipated series will release on Disney+ in August of 2023. While Dave Filoni has confirmed that the show will kick off in August, we don’t have a specific date in August when it will begin. We’re hoping it’s early.
It hasn't been confirmed whether the show will be released all at once, or if it will be a weekly release, but given that it's been the latter for the majority of the live action Star Wars TV shows on Disney+, we'd put our money on a weekly release schedule.
Ahsoka: Plot & cast
Ahsoka is set five years after Return of the Jedi and after the end of The Mandalorian Season 2. We finally have some more plot details thanks to the extended trailer that was released during Star Wars Celebration. There was an even longer version of the trailer which was only shown to attendees, but thanks to some very sneaky fans, this longer version, including a first look at Grand Admiral Thrawn, is circulating on social media.
Speaking of Thrawn, the legendary villain in Star Wars canon who has never appeared in live-action, he will serve as the main threat in the series. As revealed during Star Wars Celebration, the great news is that he will be played in live-action by Lars Mikkelsen, the actor who portrayed him in Star Wars Rebels. The events of the animated series will have huge implications for the plot of the Ahsoka series.
We already know that Eman Esfandi will play Ezra Bridger in the show, and during the Celebration trailer, we got our first look at him and the rest of the crew of the Ghost, in mural form. As Star Wars Rebels ended on a cliffhanger featuring both Thrawn and Ezra, we think that Ahsoka tracking down Thrawn will lead her to one of the last Jedi.
“Ahsoka is a continuous story. It is definitely driving toward a goal, in my mind, as opposed to being little singular adventures,” said Dave Filoni, speaking with Vanity Fair about what he hopes to achieve with the series. “That's what I want the character to be doing, and I think that's what fans want now. They have such a relationship with her". Filoni went on to say that "I've only recently started to understand that all those kids that watched Clone Wars are now a lot older, they're very excited about all the things they grew up with, as they should be.”
A huge focus in the new trailer was Sabine Wren, Ezra’s Ghost crew member and a young Mandalorian. Natasha Liu Bordizzo will portray her in the show, where she will meet up with Ahsoka after “a while.” It’s unknown if she’ll travel with Ahsoka during the show, but we are shown Sabine wielding Ezra’s lightsaber in the extended version of the trailer that is circulating online.
We now know a little more about Ray Stevenson's character, who can be seen in the trailer wielding a red-ish, orange-ish lightsaber. We know he is named Baylan Skoll, meaning that Stevenson won’t be reprising Gar Saxon, the character he played in Star Wars Rebels.
Another Rebels character that will make its live-action debut is Chopper, the astromech that accompanied the crew of the Ghost during the events of Star Wars Rebels. All of this Rebels integration makes us suspect there will be a few more characters from the crew popping up as surprises.
Saving potentially the best till last, we have confirmation that Hayden Christensen will be featuring in the series, though we don't know if that will be as Anakin or Darth Vader. Since the show takes place five years after Return of the Jedi though, we have to assume it's via flashbacks in either case.
Ahsoka: Trailers
The first full-length Ahsoka trailer was revealed during Star Wars Celebration 2023. It begins with Ahsoka exploring a desolate planet and warning that "something's coming." We then see Ahsoka in what appears to be the remains of a temple, potentially seeking out information about the dark presence she senses.
We then hear from Baylan Skoll warning of war and power as an unknown force-user appears to battle her way onto an imperial ship, wielding an orange lightsaber, and seemingly wearing a Padawan braid. In the official trailer, we get our first look at the back of Thrawn's head, although a full shot of Thrawn was featured in the version of the trailer that was shown to those in attendance. Mon Mothma is once again played by Genevieve O'Reilly and appears in the trailer.
A full, final trailer was released on July 11, 2023, revealing Grand Admiral Thrawn in all his blue-makeup glory. The action packed trailer suggests this latest "Star Wars" series should be action-packed, full of lightsaber duels and zero-gravity dogfights.
Fans of the animated Filoni-verse should spot a few familiar faces in the trailer, such as Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), the fearless Mandalorian warrior from "Star Wars: Rebels."
Ahsoka: Will Darth Vader return for the show?
Ahsoka’s showdown with her former master is one of the best parts of the modern Star Wars canon. The battle which took place in Rebels was something that Star Wars fans were hoping to see since she was first introduced as Anakin’s apprentice. But, will the fallen Anakin Skywalker appear in the show as Darth Vader?
The Hollywood Reporter claimed earlier this year that Hayden Christensen had signed on to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader. Considering the incredibly positive reaction to his appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi, we’re not surprised and we’re extremely hopeful he’ll play a significant part of the show.
That’s everything we know about Ahsoka so far. It’s still early in the day and we’ve had significantly fewer leaks from the show this time than we did for other Star Wars shows, but if anything that makes us even more excited. We’re in a bit of a golden age for Star Wars TV shows at the minute with Andor and The Mandalorian both leading the way, and we’re so glad that the team that really brought this character to life is getting to give her the big live action spectacle that she so greatly deserves.
If you're looking for more great Star Wars content, check out our guide to the Star Wars movies, ranked worst to best. There's also our guide to the best Lego Star Wars sets which includes the Razor Crest, Millennium Falcon and more.
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