Star Wars fans are getting a new limited series this August, focusing on a beloved character—Ahsoka. We’ve seen Ahsoka in other shows and movies within the Star Wars universe, but this will be the first time we get an entire narrative dedicated to her and her story. Ahsoka wasn’t exactly beloved by fans when she first appeared, but over time, fans have warmed up to her, and she’s become a huge name in the Star Wars universe. Here’s everything you need to know about her upcoming series releasing on Disney+ this August 23rd.
Who is Ahsoka?
Ahsoka Tano is a force-sensitive Togruta who is a crucial character within Star Wars, as she eventually becomes the Padawan to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and often serves as a foil to his personality and character. She was a commander in the Grand Army of the Republic and a crucial component of the fight against the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS).
There’s much more that could be said about Ahsoka, but in the interests of avoiding spoiling anything within her titular series, we will leave it at that. Just know that she is a powerful Jedi that trained under Anakin Skywalker, who would eventually become Darth Vader and hunt Jedi throughout the galaxy.
What is Ahsoka about?
The people behind Star Wars like to keep things secret, so we don’t know too much about the plot of Ahsoka, but we have been given a single sentence: “Set after the fall of the empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.”
Knowing that and the events of The Mandalorian and Rebels, one could guess that this “emerging threat” is Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn is the leader of the Chiss race and could easily be the threat that Ahsoka is after, as she believes he is still alive out there along with Ezra Bridger.
Who is cast in Ahsoka?
Ahsoka will be voiced by Rosario Dawson, who isn’t the voice actor of Ahsoka from the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars. Instead, Rosario Dawson got the role through a viral fan campaign and, of course, her natural acting talent. Hopefully, the VA from the animated series, Ashley Eckstein, gets a cameo or some other nod within the series.
We will also be seeing the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin, which is huge for fans of Star Wars. Seeing as how Darth Vader has been dead since the end of Return of the Jedi, Christensen will most likely be appearing in flashbacks of Ahsoka’s training and upbringing.
Natasha Li Bordizzo will be appearing as Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian warrior. Mary Elizabeth Winstead will play Hera Syndulla, a Twi’lek Republic general. Ray Stevenson will be Baylan Skoll, a rare Jedi survivor of Order 66. Ivanna Sakhno is his apprentice as Shin Hati, a dark force user sent after Ahsoka by Baylan. We also have Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth and David Tennant as Huyang, a lightsaber-crafting droid.
Further pushing the idea that the “emerging threat” is Thrawn as Thrawn is returning as Lars Mikkelsen, and Ezra Bridger will be Eman Esfandi. Both of them disappeared together from the galaxy in The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka believes that they are still alive somewhere out there.
Do I need to watch the other shows to understand Ahsoka?
This is a tough one. There’s a lot of Star Wars content out there right now, and it would definitely help if you watched Rebels and The Mandalorian along with the first six movies. You could probably get by going in blind, but you’re definitely going to be missing some key pieces of information and context.
If anything, you should definitely watch Rebels since Ahsoka has been called a “Rebels season 5.” You have a few weeks to catch up on anything you’re missing, so go on Disney+ and get at it.
When does Ahsoka Release?
Ahsoka will be released on August 23rd, 2023. Ahsoka will consist of eight total episodes, with the first two releasing on August 23rd and the rest being released on a weekly basis until the first season concludes on October 4th.
Where can I watch Ahsoka?
You can watch Ahsoka on Disney+. Star Wars is owned by Disney, so don’t expect to catch it on Netflix or any other streaming service, for that matter. If you’d rather not pay for Disney+, they do offer a seven-day free trial. You might be able to get away with picking up a free trial on October 4th once all eight episodes have been released and canceling before your card gets charged. Disney+ does have a pretty good catalog, though, especially for Star Wars fans, so you might just want to subscribe anyways and watch each episode as it comes out.