For long-time Star Wars fans, this Wednesday will be a dream come true when the highly-anticipated Disney+ series following the titular fan-favorite character is finally released, as the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano has become one of the most beloved heroes in the near half-century history of the iconic story.
Typically, original characters, especially from the animated shows, don’t gain the kind of traction or fanbase in the franchise that this learner-turned-warrior has, and a whole fifteen years after her introduction as a supporting role inThe Clone Warsanimated series, Ahsoka is now the lead of her own live-action seriesAhsoka.
There are a lot of expectations riding on this one show, being the culmination of a decade and a half of development for one character whose life and impact have spanned the three main eras of the franchise, as Ahsoka was there at the beginning of the Clone War to the rise of the First Order. So, here are our expectations for the new Star Wars series and exactly what we want to see inAhsoka.
Animation Brought to Live-Action
The Star Wars galaxy is a big place. While we hope there are many new locations and original characters, we also hope there will be some recognizable places and many familiar faces inAhsoka, especially previously animated elements turned live-action.
Returning to familiar locations like Ezra’s home planet Lothal with character cameos like Captain Rex, Ahsoka herself was an animated character turned into a live-action cameo inThe Mandalorian. Nowshe’s got her own show. Bringing more animated content into live-action will open many doors and be a thrill for fans.
The World Between Worlds
Introduced late inRebels, the World Between Worlds is a mythical realm where all the events that ever happened in a galaxy far, far away are connected and can be accessed through portals, allowing travelers to affect the past. It’s essentially time travel in Star Wars, which was actuallyinspired by classical philosopherC.S. Lewis and may be very important inAhsoka.
The trailers forAhsokahave shown characters in a place that looks very similar to what we saw inRebels,and even the show’s title card has the same designs around it as the portals did. We don’t know if it is actually the World Between Worlds, but we sure hope so.
Connections to Heir to the Empire
The Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn has been Ahsoka’s target for years now, as he was lost in the far reaches of uncharted space, but he’s made his way back. We’ve heard Ahsoka herself speak of his return as “Heir to the Empire.”
This is an explicit reference to Timothy Zahn’s famous novelHeir to the Empire, the first Star Wars novel to be considered canon, which has been loved for over thirty years now. Thrawn was the villain in the novel, too, becoming the de facto leader of what was left of Palpatine’s Empire and nearly destroying the fledging New Republic. Connecting not just the three main movie eras but also the books, we want more links to the beloved classic, asAhsokamay be adaptingHeir to the Empire.
The Death of Rex
Clone Captain Rex was introduced inThe Clone Warsat the same time as Ahsoka, and the two have been close friends and fan favorites ever since. We’ve seen him inRebels, TheBad Batch,and maybe evenReturn of the Jedi,but we don’t know how his story ends.
Rex has fought in as many wars as Ahsoka and lived a long life as a clone. He’s had a good long run; he’s probably tired of fighting. We love to see him reunite with his long-time friend inAhsokaand say goodbye, most likely in a sacrifice move for his Jedi commander that would prove his clone brothers proud.
Related:Star Wars: What Ahsoka Can Learn from Andor
No Mando Hijacking
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a fun cameo, especially ifBaby YodaGrogu is happily riding along withDaddy MandoDin Djarin. Having them hijack and take over yet another show would ruin it for everyone involved, for both characters and the audience.
Halfway throughThe Book of Boba Fett, Din, andGrogu became the sole focusof the show as they reunited once again, stealing Boba’s spotlight for entire episodes where we didn’t even see the infamous bounty hunter, as it all essentially became Season 2.5 ofThe Mandalorian. Fans were confused then, and then became even more confused later when the actual Season 3 ofThe Mandalorian wasreleased with Din and Grogu back together after they had supposedly separated forever in the previous episode.
This decision to inexplicably move around essential story development ruined both shows for fans, as both became the lowest-rated and least-liked additions to Star Wars since the Sequel Trilogy. Please, don’t let likeAhsokabecome Season 3.5 ofThe Mandalorian.
Related:Ahsoka: Characters We Want to See in the New Star Wars Series
Anakin and Ahsoka Make Amends
Now this is what absolutely everyone wants to see inAhsoka,Ahsoka Tano, and Anakin Skywalker making amends. After so many decades of pain, anger, and hatred, the two deserve the chance to make up. They were master and apprentice, best allies,brother and sister– before Anakin became Darth Vader. The last time we saw them together, Ahsoka was trying to kill Vader, and he nearly killed her.
Maybe a whole episode’s worth of time together or at least a brief intimate moment, but we want Anakin and Ahsoka to finally get to the resolution they’ve deserved for years.
