Fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano has been announced to appear in the second season of The Mandalorian on Disney+. Originally voiced by Ashley Eckstein in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, Ahsoka began as the young Jedi padawan assigned to Anakin Skywalker and quickly grew to be a popular character in her own right. Over the course of its six seasons, Ahsoka grew strong and wise in the ways of the Force, but in the end she turned her back on the Jedi and made her way alone in the galaxy.
Of course, Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place some 20 years before the original movie trilogy (beginning with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), and The Mandalorian takes place a handful of years after, so young Ahsoka is certainly an adult by the time period of The Mandalorian, and will be played by another fan-favorite, actress Rosario Dawson. Apparently she has survived the Jedi purges of the Emperor and his powerful right hand, Lord Darth Vader, though her “final” confrontation with her former master, who has become the evil Vader, is featured in an episode of the animated Star Wars Rebels series. By the time of The Mandalorian, the Empire has fallen and the Emperor has been defeated (for the time being). Will Ahsoka then be free to roam the galaxy again without having to hide her Force powers and mastery of her unique, two-handed lightsaber style?
And what if anything will it all have to do with The Child in Mando’s care? A powerful Force user in his own right, will this obvious disturbance in the Force draw Ahsoka Tano to The Child and Mando, with unexpected repercussions?
Dawson is also well known by fans for playing Claire Temple in many of the Marvel Netflix series, including Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders. It’s obvious that her immediate fan recognition plus the actor’s ability to play strong women makes her ideal for the part of a mature, adult Ahsoka who long ago put the ways of the Jedi behind her.
The Mandalorian’s second season will premiere in October 2020 on Disney+.