The creator of Star Wars himself, George Lucas, was a first-hand witness to the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano on the set of Disney+ show The Mandalorian. Having previously only existed in the animated shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, the character's appearance on the hit Disney+ series caused great excitement among the fandom and was portrayed by Rosario Dawson.
Further bridging the gap between different stories across the Star Wars timeline, The Mandalorian season 2 episode 5, titled 'The Jedi', was a big moment for the show. Fellow animated character Bo Katan made the jump to live-action in season 2, episode 3, and name-dropped Tano as the next port of call in the quest to unite Grogu (AKA Baby Yoda) with another Force user. Tano's story seemingly ended in Rebels, as she set off to the outer reaches of the galaxy to find her friend and fellow Jedi Ezra Bridger, meaning much anticipation preceded her Mandalorian appearance. Her story began in the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, when asked about her interaction with Star Wars creator George Lucas on The Mandalorian set, Dawson said;
I was definitely nerve-wracked, and it was great to be there with him and Dave. I mean, it's a lot of pressure. But it was also really fun. Both of them were looking at me but they weren't, you know what I mean? They were looking at their imaginations come to life.
Dawson also noted that she "was just off to the side" of the photo posted by Jon Favreau of Lucas holding Baby Yoda "all done up as Ahsoka" and that it was an "amazing moment, and we were all beside ourselves."
Not only is seeing Lucas hold everyone's favorite miniature internet-breaker in his arms a touching sight, but the idea that he saw Ahsoka come to life in person is rather poignant. Despite passing on the responsibilities of Star Wars and production company LucasFilm eight years ago, seeing this character's development through animated conception to live-action maturity is a testament to the importance of this world he created all those years ago. If The Mandalorian has demonstrated anything, it's that Filoni and Lucas see eye to eye, with the show brilliantly recreating the style and atmosphere of Lucas' original trilogy, a feat failed by subsequent Star Wars films and shows before. Lucas makes an effort to witness characters like Ahsoka carry on their legacy and embrace new ones such as Grogu, giving his stamp of approval just by being there.
Hopefully, the future of Dawson's Ahsoka won't be short-lived on The Mandalorian. Her addition to the series came at just the right time, not only linking exciting parts of Star Wars lore to each other but giving their main characters well structured and compelling storylines. Wherever it takes us, it's nice to think that Lucas is along for the ride.
Source: Vanity Fair