On Dec. 10, 2020, the Walt Disney company hosted a livestream for their investors. This livestream featured many notable announcements, such as that of Marvel’s Phase 4 casting and multiple Star Wars series announcements.
Fans were particularly surprised about a series about Ahsoka Tano being announced. The character was most recently seen in The Book of Boba Fett, visiting Luke Skywalker and his newly-founded Jedi Temple.
Nearly three years later, the series began streaming on Disney+ on August 22 as a two episode premiere. Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, a premiere in California was unable to happen.
The main cast when it comes to heroes includes Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as General Hera Syndulla, David Tennant as Professor Huyang, Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger, and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.
There were also surprise reveals throughout the first five episodes. Clancy Brown appeared as Ryder Azadi, Governor of Lothal, and even Temura Morrison made a cameo as Captain Rex.
When it comes to the villains, the main cast includes Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Insanto as Morgan Elsbeth, and Lars Mikkelson as Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Unfortunately, Ray Stevenson did not live to see the release of the show. He passed away on May 21, but as of now there is no official cause of death disclosed to the public. However, he was able to appear and answer questions at the Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London.
There is a large amount of praise for the actor, and fans are saddened by his passing. “It’s sad to see Ray Stevenson’s passing,” second year student Richard Nambo stated, “because Baylan drops amazing lines.”
The series is set a few years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and about a decade after Star Wars: Rebels. It follows the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
The show revolves around Ahsoka Tano on the hunt for the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and presumably Ezra Bridger as well. It explores the feelings of guilt and regret of Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla, due to Ezra’s sacrifice. Along the journey there are challenges to face, such as two dark Jedi, a Nightsister of Dathomir, and multiple Imperial Remnants.
One of the main focuses is the bond between master and apprentice. It is revealed that Ahsoka took on Sabine as her apprentice, and they trained together prior to the events of the show. Ahsoka sees Sabine as stubborn and unwilling to give into the force, which causes a great deal of conflict between them.
The bond between Anakin and Ahsoka is also explored. Ahsoka is unwilling to give into the fact that the Jedi of her age are warriors, and not keepers of the peace. Ahsoka eventually gives into this, and Anakin finally completes her training.
On September 6, it was announced that GoFobo Screenings would be hosting ten early screenings of the fifth episode at AMC theaters, for free, as a mid-season fan event. Locations included Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.
This screening would take place just an hour before the episode would release on Disney+. Unknown to attendees, GoFobo never set a limit on how many tickets would be sold. Due to this, theaters became crowded with angry fans who were unable to get in (as seen in the photo above).
For those who attended the screenings, they revealed that the audience reactions were highly relatable to those of “Avengers: Endgame.”
The series has two episodes left, and severely little marketing has been made. Ahsoka episode seven releases on September 26, and the season finale releases on October 3.