The first season of Star Wars’ newest live-action series Ahsoka debuts August 23rd on Disney+. The show will see Rosario Dawson return as Ahsoka Tano, after appearing in The Mandalorian season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett. But what can we expect from Ahsoka and her series later this year?
While little is known about what Ahsoka has been up to since the end of Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian revealed she has been on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn. After the debut of the Ahsoka trailer at the Star Wars Celebration this year, we learned that the hunt for Thrawn continues in this series.
Prior to the debut of the trailer, it was reported by trades that Ahsoka Tano will be joined by Sabine Wren, marking the first live-action appearance of the incredibly popular character, portrayed by Natasha Liu Bordizzo.
Along with Sabine, it was revealed at Celebration 2023 that Mary-Elizabeth Winstead will portray none other than Hera Syndulla. Hera Syndulla is the pilot and captain of the infamous Ghost from Star Wars Rebels. In the trailer, we also get a quick look at the return of our favorite droid and member of the Ghost Crew, Chopper(C1-10P).
With so many different factors and characters in Ahsoka, there is so much to anticipate. Here’s what we else we can expect from the series.
Ahsoka and the World Between Worlds
While this show is jam-packed with dozens of characters like the Ghost Crew, Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakho), Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), and Huyang (David Tennant), the show is, after all, focused on Ahsoka Tano. I fully expect the first two to three episodes to be heavily focused on Ahsoka only.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Sabine and Hera don’t debut until episode two or so. We’ve seen through art and in the trailer that Ahsoka Tano seems to be searching for a way to access the Jedi temples again. This could mean she is attempting to access the World Between Worlds. While some may oppose the idea of the World Between Worlds due to it potentially opening the door to time travel or the “multiverse”, I believe the series could look to use it as a vessel of catharsis for Ahsoka Tano.
For those who don’t know, the World Between Worlds is seen for the first time in episode thirteen of the fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels. Ezra Bridger discovers a way to access a doorway in the Jedi Temple that grants him access to what looks like a bridge in outer space. This “bridge” has multiple portals to different moments in time.
Ezra stumbles upon a portal that shows him the moment where Ahsoka presumably dies fighting Darth Vader on Malachor in the season two finale of Star Wars Rebels. As Ahsoka is about to die, Ezra reaches through the portal, pulling Ahsoka into the World Between Worlds. While this episode mainly focuses on Ezra, it never considers the effect it has on Ahsoka as she needs to return to the past to stabilize her place in the timeline.
Star Wars fans may not have noticed this from the trailer, but the show likely starts off after the season two finale of Star Wars: Rebels and right after her confrontation in season 4 with future Ezra, as these moments happen simultaneously. This explains why there is an Inquisitor hunting Ahsoka in the trailer, as Inquisitors were still around during the time frame of season 2.
Other than Ezra saving her in season 4, Ahsoka is entirely absent from seasons 3 and 4, and only shows up for Sabine Wren in the final moments of the series finale. There is a very broad stretch of time for Dave Filoni to explore what exactly Ahsoka was up to all that time. I believe the show could use the World Between Worlds as a way for Ahsoka to revisit moments in her past while finding her future destiny. Online speculation and rumors indicate this could be where some fun names and cameos appear.
What to expect in Ahsoka: surprise appearances
We know via The Hollywood Reporter that Hayden Christensen will be making his return, once more, to the Star Wars universe via Ahsoka. While it’s entirely possible Anakin shows up through flashbacks and as a force ghost, another report indicates we may see Anakin Skywalker appear via the World Between Worlds. The report from MakingStarWars.net indicated we could see Ahsoka Tano visiting a moment in her past where she ends up dueling with Anakin Skywalker. This would be quite the moment for all longtime Clone Wars fans, as we have yet to see Anakin and Ahsoka interact in live-action.
A report from One Take News recently revealed that Temuera Morrison will be returning to Star Wars to portray the live-action version of the Clone Wars and Rebels character Captain Rex. This will also mark Captain Rex’s first confirmed appearance in live-action, something that Clone Wars fans will once again be quite happy about.
The details of Captain Rex’s appearance are still under wraps, but there is always a chance the famous Captain is still alive in the years after the Battle of Endor. Another possibility is via a flashback moment in the World Between Worlds as well.
There are a number of other characters that could make cameos via the World Between Worlds. The introduction of the World Between Worlds allows for characters that exist in the present day to look back in time in a flashback type of way. Some characters that we could see Ahsoka looking back on are Darth Vader, Yoda, and other Jedi.
One Jedi in particular that would be interesting to see is Barriss Offee. Barris turning on Ahsoka and framing her for murder was the catalyst that set a lot of events in motion for Ahsoka. The World Between Worlds could also give us a glimpse into past interactions with characters we will see in the show like Thrawn, Ezra, Sabine, Hera, Zeb, and maybe even Kanan Jarrus.
The return of the Ghost Crew and Thrawn
One of the more exciting aspects of the Ahsoka series is the return of the beloved Ghost Crew. It’s already been revealed at Star Wars Celebration that both Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla will debut in live-action in this series. While mostly hidden in the trailer despite a brief glimpse of his hologram, Eman Esfandi has been confirmed to portray Ezra Bridger.
Along with some of the human members of our Ghost Crew, we also have the return of the fan-favorite droid Chopper. Chopper was originally voiced by Dave Filoni in the animated series and it can be assumed he will return to do the noises for him in the live-action series.
So far there has been no mention of Zeb appearing in the series, although the character made their live-action debut in The Mandalorian season three. Steve Blum returned to do the voice for the character, as we learn he is now a part of the Adelphi Rangers with Carson Teva.
One of the remaining mysteries of the series is if we will get a flashback to Ezra’s old master and former Ghost Crew member Kanan Jarrus. Kanan was a monumental character in the Rebels series and had a lasting impact on every member of the Ghost crew. A flashback of Kanan could serve as something more meaningful than just a cameo.
Other than the Ghost Crew, we have our modern-day Star Wars big bad, Grand Admiral Thrawn, debuting in live-action in Ashoka as well. It was gleefully announced at Star Wars Celebration that none other than Lars Mikkelsen himself will return to play the character after voicing him in Star Wars Rebels. What Thrawn has been up to since the end of Rebels remains a mystery. It can be assumed he has been methodically planning his long-awaited return to the known Star Wars galaxy.
What do you expect to see in the Ahsoka series?
With numerous exciting aspects, Ahsoka is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated shows of the year. Following a controversial The Mandalorian season, Disney is certainly looking to bounce back and provide fans with a spectacle in Ahsoka. The show will likely tie together multiple previous tv shows and even some of the movies such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith.
Many secrets remain in this series, such as: How do Ahsoka and Sabine find Ezra? and What is Grand Admiral Thrawn’s master plan?. The disappearance of Ezra and Thrawn is shaping up to be the major plot point of this series, providing fans with a pseudo-season 5 of Star Wars Rebels. What can be said for certain is that the plot of this series will be the first domino to fall in the lead-up to Dave Filoni’s untitled Star Wars movie.
Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ August 23, 2023! Are you looking forward to the upcoming Ahsoka series? Let us know on Twitter or the Discord! And if you haven’t already, check out our recap of Star Wars Celebration 2023!
Star Wars Celebration 2023 Recap
What to Expect: The Mandalorian & Grogu Movie
