Fans have been clamouring for the character to get her due since she first showed up in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and now Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan is finally in the spotlight. Mark your calendars because Star Wars: Ahsoka hits Disney+ on August 23.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Star Wars: Ahsoka follows the titular heroine as she investigates a new threat emerging from the ashes of the fallen order. And it’ll come as no surprise to diehard fans that the threat in question is Grand Admiral Thrawn, the military genius introduced to Star Wars all the way back in Timothy Zahn’s (now non-canonical) novel, Heir to the Empire. Here the villain is played by Lars Mikkelsen, who also voiced him in the Clone Wars series.
Star Wars: Rebels fans are well-served here, with Twi’lek pilot Hera Syndulla, funky Mandalorian graffiti artist Sabine Wren, and prodigal hero Ezra Bridger all making their live action debuts, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and Eman Esfandi respectively. Hera’s rather murderous Astromech droid, Chopper, is also making an appearance.
On a bittersweet note, we’re also getting the late, great Ray Stevenson as former Jedi Baylan Skoll, one of Thrawn’s chief henchmen. Stevenson sadly passed away earlier this year, and his appearance in Ahsoka marks his final television role.
All eight episodes are written by Dave Filoni, who co-created the character of Ahsoka for The Clone Wars back in the day.
As is standard with these big releases, plot details are as rare as kyber crystals, but we’re reasonably sure we can expect a fair few lightsaber duels, a space battle or three, and some Machiavellian manoeuvring from Thrawn as he fights to return the Empire to its former glory. That sounds like a perfect reason to return to that far, far away galaxy this August.
