'Ahsoka' Panel Recap: Mikkelsen Returns, Directors Announced

The series hits Disney+ this August.

Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in Ahsoka (left) and Grand Admiral Thrawn in Star Wars: Rebels. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

It’s day 2 here at Star Wars Celebration, and that means one thing: more panels! Today kicked off with an in-depth look at the upcoming Ahsoka series provided by the series’ cast, crew, and creators. The panel kicked off with executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni taking the stage to discuss not only the series but the character of Ahsoka Tano and the long journey of getting her to live-action. Filoni reminisced on when he created the character, talking about how he was prompted to create her when George Lucas said that he wanted to focus on Anakin Skywalker’s padawan. To this, Filoni replied, “Anakin doesn’t have a padawan?” Lucas told him, “Anakin has a padawan.” And so Anakin Skywalker had a padawan. Filoni then shared the original concept art of Ahsoka from when they designed the character for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Rosario Dawson is Ahsoka Tano in Lucasfilm's AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

It was then time to discuss the upcoming Ahsoka series, and lead actor Rosario Dawson took to the stage (guided by Chopper) and was met with strong reactions from the 4,500+ fans in the room. She talked about her journey with the character, saying, “As a fan, it's been really incredible to be a part of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett…but to have this show and to see this journey is amazing.” Dawson’s love and appreciation for the character were evident as she talked about learning who Ahsoka was as a person and recognized Ashley Eckstein for her voice-acting work. When talking about Ahsoka and the show’s plot, Dawson recognized the excitement surrounding Grand Admiral Thrawn and noted that “[Ahsoka] recognizes a threat in the galaxy that no one else is seeing.” When talking about Ahsoka’s search for Thrawn, she noted that Ahsoka isn’t alone, and is supported by a group of Rebels.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Hera Syndulla (left) and Natasha Liu Bordizzo is Sabine Wren in Lucasfilm's AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

You can’t talk about the Rebels without including some of the team themselves, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Hera Syndulla) took to the stage to talk about their characters’ journies. When asked about the process of bringing Hera to live-action, Winstead said, “There's such a rich history we've been able to see on Rebels... I felt honored to be playing someone like that and try to rise to her level.” Rosario Dawson echoed this sentiment of the benefit of extensive source material, saying, “You're not catching these characters in a space where they're trying out or finding out what their skills are. One of the beautiful things about watching [Ahsoka's] journey is that even when she was so young, she was fearless.” Dave Filoni also touched upon the benefit of having a universe of pre-existing characters to use and confirmed that in yesterday’s trailer, the droid we saw at the end was indeed Huyang and will again be played by David Tennant (Doctor Who).

While this project is personal for Dave Filoni, that didn’t stop him from giving other directors the chance to helm episodes of the series. Today’s panel confirmed that there would be five other directors of Ahsoka, some returning to the universe and some venturing into this world for the first time. Aside from Filoni, episodes of Ahsoka will be directed by Steph Green (The Book of Boba Fett), Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Jennifer Getzinger (Mad Men), Geeta Patel (Meet the Patels), and Rick Famuyiwa (The Mandalorian). On top of this, Filoni made it clear that for this series, he’s valuing those that have been with him since his Star Wars beginning, announcing that the series will be scored by Kevin Kiner (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels).

Lars Mikkelsen is Grand Admiral Thrawn in Lucasfilm's AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Finally, it was time for one final announcement, and it was one that fans have been waiting for for months. As a special surprise for fans in the audience, the Ahsoka team showed an extended cut of yesterday’s teaser trailer, which featured our first official look at the face of Grand Admiral Thrawn, a better look at like-action Purrgils, and a sequence showing Sabine Wren wielding Ezra Bridger’s green lightsaber. It was clear by the reaction to Thrawn’s appearance onscreen how excited fans were to see who was playing the character, and Filoni did one better by bringing Lars Mikkelsen on stage to confirm his casting as the blue-skinned Chiss.

Ahsoka is slated to arrive on Disney+ this August.