Several Star Wars Rebels characters are either confirmed or expected to appear in Ahsoka, which curiously flips one major Rebels criticism. Almost 15 years after her Star Wars debut, Ahsoka will now receive her own live-action show. The character, who was originally created by Dave Filoni and George Lucas for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, appeared in live-action for the first time in The Mandalorian season 2’s “The Jedi” – an episode that made clear how the Ahsoka series would connect with Star Wars Rebels.
The first major Star Wars production made under Disney, Star Wars Rebels had the difficult mission of replacing Clone Wars. Instead of anthology adventures featuring Star Wars movie characters, Rebels dealt mostly with original names – the crew of the Ghost. That said, Star Wars Rebels allowed Dave Filoni to wrap up some Clone Wars stories and revisit beloved Clone Wars characters – including Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka had a lot of screen time in Star Wars Rebels season 2, but the former Jedi would also return for Rebels season 4 and its epilogue.
Three years after the Star Wars Rebels finale, audiences finally met Ahsoka again in The Mandalorian season 2 – this time in live-action. Ahsoka was played by Rosario Dawson, who will reprise her role as live-action Ahsoka in the Ahsoka show. The Ahsoka series is also confirmed to feature the live-action debuts of Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla, both of which originally appeared in Star Wars Rebels, plus the return of the droid Chopper. In addition to all of those returns, Ahsoka is expected to feature Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger, as finding them has been Ahsoka’s main quest since the Rebels finale. Therefore, so far, most of the conversation around the Ahsoka series has been centered around Star Wars Rebels' characters and storylines rather than on Ahsoka Tano. That is a curious contrast from Star Wars Rebels season 2, in which Ahsoka overshadowed the show’s original characters,
Rebels Season 2’s Ahsoka Story Overshadowed The Crew Of Ghost
Star Wars Rebels season 1 ended with the surprising arrival of Ahsoka, which set up the character to be in the spotlight during the second season. Rebels season 2 focused a lot on Force-sensitive characters rather than on regular rebels, mostly thanks to the addition of Darth Vader and the Inquisitors. Ahsoka was not always with the crew of the Ghost, but many Star Wars Rebels season 2 episodes were focused on Ahsoka Tano and her past. Darth Vader was also a significant part of Star Wars Rebels season 2, and it was actually in Rebels that Vader found out Anakin’s padawan was still alive. Star Wars Rebels season 2 became almost a Clone Wars sequel, as it also dealt with Ahsoka finding out Anakin had fallen to the dark side. By the time the Star Wars Rebels season 2 finale arrived, audiences were more excited to see Ahsoka fight Darth Vader than anything featuring the original Rebels characters. In fact, most of the crew of the Ghost was not even part of the Rebels season 2 finale.
How The Ahsoka Show Continues Star Wars Rebels’ Stories
Ahsoka had seemly died in “Twilight of the Apprentice”, but later Star Wars Rebels' “World Between Worlds” episode revealed that Tano had actually time traveled with the help of Ezra Bridger and survived her battle with Darth Vader. Ezra only had a few minutes to talk with Ahsoka before she returned to her original timeline, followed by Ahsoka promising Ezra she would find him in the present day. However, Ezra disappeared at the end of Star Wars Rebels – a desperate move to keep Thrawn away from the Rebellion. The Star Wars Rebels epilogue revealed that Ahsoka kept her promise and is still trying to find Ezra, now with Sabine at her side. The Mandalorian season 2 confirmed that Ahsoka is still looking for Thrawn, which means that this storyline will continue through the Ahsoka series. With Sabine, Hera, and Chopper confirmed for Ahsoka, the show has become the spiritual successor to Star Wars Rebels.
Returning Star Wars Rebels Characters Shouldn’t Overshadow Ahsoka
Having Ahsoka and Darth Vader as the focus of Star Wars Rebels season 2 was a mistake, and so would be to have the Star Wars Rebels characters overshadow Ahsoka Tano in her own show. The live-action Star Wars shows on Disney+ have created a strong connection with the animated series, but Ahsoka should not be just a Star Wars Rebels sequel. Ahsoka Tano as a character deserves her own story, especially considering Ahsoka has technically been a supporting character in almost all of her Star Wars appearances. It is impossible for Ahsoka to ignore Rebels, as Ahsoka’s current quest originates from that show. However, the Star Wars Rebels characters should serve Ahsoka’s story and not the other way around. Star Wars Rebels may ask for a sequel, but it would be best for it to come in the form of a separate project rather than a subplot in the Ahsoka show.