The Mandalorian spin-off series, Ahsoka was released on Disney+ in August 2023. With anticipation for the second season quite high, fans have been curious about the absence of the iconic character of Ahsoka in the first season of The Mandalorian.
Ever since the release of the first season of The Mandalorian in 2019, has been receiving some consistent critical acclaim. Taking place around five years after the events of Return of Jedi, The Mandalorian follows a bounty hunter played by Pedro Pascal and his grit to protect, Grogu, a child vulnerable to the Imperial forces.
Among the creative choices made by the makers to create a live-action version of the much-loved franchise, was to make sure the beloved character, Ahsoka Tano played by Rosario Dawson, didn’t appear until the second season. With the release of a spin-off titled, Ahsoka, a lot of fans are curious about why they would choose to do this despite the character’s massive fandom. The makers do seem to have a good reason for her delayed appearance in the show.
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Dave Filoni’s explanation for holding back on Ahsoka until The Mandalorian Season 2
Dave Filoni isn’t an unfamiliar man for anyone aware of the Star Wars universe or Hollywood in general. The director, screenwriter, and producer played the role of an executive producer for The Mandalorian and is widely known for having a heavy influence over the show. As Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer, he also took a major part of the responsibility for how the series was received and also directed a bit of the second season. More recently, he was credited with writing and creating the Disney+ miniseries, Ahsoka.
In his explanation as to why Ahsoka Tano, a much-loved character, did not make her live-action appearance until season 2 of The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni reminded the audience, based on a recent discussion on Screen Rant, that it wasn’t until a long time after the introduction of the character, that she became a phenomenon in the original franchise too. A character who was initially perceived as annoying and a hassle was later admired for her wit.
“I intentionally didn’t do anything with her in season one because I didn’t wanna mess it up. It’s a character that George and I created. She’s one of the first things I ever drew for Clone Wars. People know this character: they’ve watched her grow up, and the challenge was to take all of the elements we had and evolve them into this live-action version.”
The complexity of the character compelled the makers to take a little more time designing her as the anticipation around the character and her live-action version was very high. Moreover, the wait was seen as a good thing for the character’s fans.
Future of the character outside The Mandalorian series
David Filoni’s most recent directorial, Ahsoka had Rosario Dawson reprising her role from The Mandalorian and going all out to explore the character to the fullest. It follows her through her quest to fight a growing threat to the galaxy. The critical response to the show leaned on the positive side and created great scope for her story to be explored further.
Filoni also seems to be taking over the course of the Star Wars franchise and how it will be perceived henceforth. This new approach towards characters and prioritizing quality rather than screen time might do wonders for the franchise. He also expressed how his experience as a director and creator could now help upcoming filmmakers who might want to associate with Lucasfilm.
“To truly help filmmakers, it was really important for me to experience it firsthand”
The Mandalorian and Ahsoka are both streaming on Disney+.
