Everything You Need To Know About Star Wars: Ahsoka

You don’t need to watch Clone Wars to enjoy Star Wars: Ahsoka.

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Star Wars: Ahsoka picks up after the Fall of the Empire and follows Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to the galaxy.

Rosario Dawson reprises the titular role in the live-action series after first appearing as Ahsoka in the second season of The Mandalorian.

Rounding up the rest of the cast are Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Eman Esfansi as Ezra Bridger.

Here’s everything you need to know about Star Wars: Ahsoka. The interview with head writer and executive producer Dave Filoni was completed in 2022 while Ahsoka was in production.

Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Image: Disney

Who is Ahsoka Tano?

Ahsoka is a former Jedi Padawan and was an apprentice to Anakin Skywalker (who turned into Darth Vader later). She was discovered on a planet called Shili and was taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for Jedi training when she was young.

She has distinctive facial markings, striking orange skin, and elegant horns; all signs that she belongs to the Togruta species who are sentient humanoids.

Ahsoka also takes on the mantle of mentor and training Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian warrior and Rebel against the Empire.

The character Ahsoka was first created by George Lucas and Dave Filoni for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Her introduction to the franchise was to show how Anakin grew from an angry Padawan into a more reserved Jedi Knight.

Ahsoka’s character and addition to the Star Wars story garnered tons of fans. She later appeared in subsequent animated television series such as Star Wars Rebels.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. Image: Disney

Who is Sabine Wren?

Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian warrior, a graffiti artist, an Imperial Academy dropout, a former bounty hunter, and Ahsoka’s former apprentice. She has expert knowledge of weapons and explosives too.

Sabine resumes her training with Ahsoka amidst rumours of the survival of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Is the series a live-action retelling or a continuation of Ahsoka’s story?

Filoni said it’s a continuation and viewers don’t need to watch The Clone Wars to enjoy the story.

Filoni added that there will be things that will surprise the audience about Sabine and Ahsoka’s relationship that they don’t know and that you wouldn’t see anywhere in any story prior to this.

Is Ahsoka the character more of a contemporary character in the Star Wars universe?

Filoni said Ahsoka has always been written in a timeless fashion. “She’s an adult now, but her past gives us a look into her behaviour and why she is the way she is. It has been a long road in evolving her from Anakin’s young padawan, and she has grown from there into quite a special character in her own right,” Filoni said.

The creators wanted kids to follow Ahsoka, see the choices she makes and learn from her. She’s not perfect; she’s flawed and she has a lot to learn.

“It’s weird because Ahsoka’s story and her journey and growth have mirrored my own as a filmmaker. As I was less sure and less confident, the stories that she was involved in reflected that and were executed that way. As I’ve grown, the stories got more complex and the friends I’m working with also got more formidable in their skills, so the story gets better as we challenge ourselves and go deeper with the character,” Filoni said.

How did they cast the actor for the Sabine Wren character?

Filoni said casting Sabine was challenging because it was a complex character. It was important to cast someone who has the ability to fight as Sabine is a Mandalorian warrior. Fortunately, Natasha Liu Bordizzo fit the role as she was already an amazing martial arts performer and had a sense of fun.

What was stunt training like for the actors?

Some things about the Jedi feel like the Samurai we’ve heard about in stories. For a trained warrior, the sword is the last thing they’d resort to because the sword isn’t what makes a person powerful.

What makes a person powerful is the person’s will, self-control, and thoughts. These are the elements Filoni tried to bring into the story. It’s shown by the way Ahsoka trains people and her internal philosophy.

To express this well in the show, they brought in a real martial artist Ming Qiu and her team to train the actors.

“Ming always has new ideas and likes to try new things. She trains people hard, and it is intense work. We do not have months to train. We have weeks and sometimes just days to get it right,” Filoni said.

Since the primary weapon for a Jedi is the lightsaber, the actors needed to be good at it. There was a lot of pressure for everyone to up their skill set because fans would know the difference. Filoni said he was very proud of everyone’s efforts.

Star Wars: Ahsoka is now exclusively streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.