Back when Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) made the jump from animation live-action during the second season of The Mandalorian, she was set on a very specific quest on her own, one that would force her to cross paths with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his kid. The former Jedi was seen fighting against Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diane Lee Inosanto), who was supposed to be connected to a classic Star Wars villain that is currently planning his big comeback to the franchise. During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Inosanto talked about how the new spin-off focusing on Ahsoka Tano will bring some light into her backstory, explaining to audiences how she happened to be seen in The Mandalorian in the first place.
Inosanto had high praise for the cast of the live-action series, saying: "When I found out that they were going expand her character, I was just over the moon about this." Feeling lucky to have the opportunity to return to the franchise, she continued, "I just couldn't believe how the planets and the stars aligned. And to be able to work with such a magnificent cast and to grow as an actress and feel that energy, it's a dream come true." While Inosanto couldn't reveal much about the plot of the series, she did teas that we'll be seeing more of Morgan Elsbeth's backstory. She said:
"She's quite the manipulator, and we all know she's cold-hearted, but this is a character that is truly dedicated and loyal to Grand Admiral Thrawn. And there's nothing getting in her way. What I really love is that we are going to get into her backstory. I'm just thrilled and excited, and I think the fans are going be quite fascinated and pretty happy about this."
The character was first introduced when Ahsoka went looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), the main villain from the animated series, Star Wars: Rebels. During the climactic battle sequence in the final episode of the show, Thrawn disappeared alongside the young apprentice, Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Since then, Ahsoka has been loyal to her purpose of finding her friend and preventing the villain from beginning a new reign of terror over the galaxy. Time is running out for the titular hero, as the new version of the Empire gains more strength with every day that passes.
Tano won't be the only character from Dave Filoni's animated corner of the galaxy far, far away to make a comeback, as it appears that the remaining members of the crew of The Ghost will also be making their live-action debuts. Natasha Liu Bordizzo has been confirmed to portray Sabine Wren in the upcoming spin-off, setting the stage for Esfandi's inclusion as Ezra. The young heroes learned a lot from their mentors during the course of the series, in the rare coming-of-age story set within the franchise. Some years have gone by since then, it will be interesting to see them all grown up.
What Will Ahsoka Be About?
As a direct continuation of Rebels, Ahsoka will continue the lingering plot lines that remained open-ended when the animated series reached its conclusion. Added to that, the upcoming space battles will build toward Filoni's Star Wars movie set to be released in theaters at some point in the future. Announced during this year's Star Wars Celebration, the feature will mark the end of the story that began in 2019 when The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+. It's been almost four and a half years since The Rise of Skywalker was released in theaters, and audiences are excited about the franchise's return to the big screen.
While we wait for a release date for Ahsoka, you can check out Collider's interview with Rosario Dawson below: