The “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” is coming to Disney+ very soon from a galaxy far, far away!
The live-action series is centered around the titular character, Ahsoka Tano, who is again being played by Rosario Dawson. The character first appeared in animated form in “The Clone Wars” before appearing later in “Star Wars: Rebels.” With many animated characters from “Rebels” making their live-action debut in this new series, many fans are calling it season 5 of “Rebels.”
A new trailer for the series, which was released on Tuesday, certainly seems to show that to be true, giving fans a look at many familiar faces, including the late actor Ray Stevenson, who passed away earlier this year.
New ‘Star Wars’ ‘Ahsoka’ Trailer Teases Live-Action Rebels Characters, The Late Ray Stevenson
On Tuesday, “Star Wars” fans were treated to the official trailer for the “Ahsoka” live-action series, which will hit Disney+ on August 23, 2023. The trailer gives fans a look at some familiar faces, including Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). This will be the first time any of these characters have been seen in live-action.
In addition, Lars Mikkelsen will reprise his role as Grand Admiral Thrawn. This will be his first live-action appearance as well. “Doctor Who” star David Tennant will also reprise his voiceover role as the droid Huyang.
Many fans expressed hope for the new series in the comments. “I got chills watching this,” one fna commented. “Words cannot describe my excitement for this show. Payoff for the Rebels fans, it looks great, Lars playing live action Thrawn, the late Ray Stevenson giving what looks like a good performance, in the words of a former Jedi who may have been mentioned a couple times in this trailer; ‘This is where the fun begins.’”
“There are no words right now to describe seeing Thrawn in a live action Star Wars show, the emotions are insane right now!!!!! What a time to be alive!!!!” another follower exclaimed. “Sabine being trained by Ahsoka and inspired by Ezra is such a wonderful thought. She’s my personal favorite original character from Rebels and favorite Mandolorian. I maintain that it should be Sabine wielding the darksaber and leading the Mandolorians into a new age. But even without that seeing her with Ezra’s lightsaber is a treat in its own right,” a third fan chimed in.
Rosario Dawson Teases Hayden Christensen’s Appearance
In a June 2023 interview with Total Film, Rosario Dawson was asked if actor Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader for the new “Star Wars” live-action series. During the interview, she revealed that she and Hayden Christensen were both classmates and the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute early on in their careers.
“It’s pretty remarkable and exciting,” Dawson said of their shared history. “We were teenagers, and then I saw him right immediately afterward go into this universe. I never could have fathomed that I would have had any part of that, besides just being a fan of his, and being really proud of him.”
However, she would not outright confirm if her Christensen would be appearing in the new “Star Wars” series, despite his return for the live-action “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Disney+ series last year. “It’s just been really cool that at this moment, I’m joining it, and he’s been able to come back [in 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi] and also get embraced by the Star Wars family in a way that I think is much deserved,” she said. “It’s definitely one of those things that would be super cool if he was [in Ahsoka], but I’m just really grateful that we’re in the same universe.”
In a May 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly on their Dagobah Dispatch podcast, the actress revealed that she had to go through some “pretty intense” training to wield a lightsaber, which included raining for two hours a day, seven weeks a day. Ahsoka is also ambidextrous, which Dawson called “just a lot to kind of own.” However, judging by the trailer, it looks like all of her hard work paid off and fans can’t wait to see where Ahsoka’s journey will lead!