The Star Wars rumor mill went crazy today with several sites (including this one) saying “sources” revealed Rosario Dawson has been cast as Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian: Season 2. Ahsoka has become, by far, one of the most popular Star Wars characters in history that hasn’t been seen in a live role.
With the wrap on Mando’s Season 2 happening before the Coronavirus shut-downs of most major productions, fans are excited and looking for hopeful nuggets of info on the new season. Add to that today’s debut of Ahsoka in the final season of The Clone Wars and the fervor has reached fever pitch about our favorite Togruta. So, will she be in the new season of The Mandalorian?
Ahsoka’s live-action Togruta predecessor: Shaak Ti
We have already seen a Togruta on screen in the prequels. Israeli actress Orli Shoshan played Jedi Mistress Shaak Ti in Star Wars: Episode II and Episode III, and we’ve also seen her character animated in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. A live-action Togruta is not impossible, but depending on how much action happens in production, the headpiece and make-up could be cumbersome. CGI makes up for a lot of things in film these days, but when Shoshan played Shaak Ti, it was all make-up and prosthetics.
The point of this is, a live action Ahsoka could be done. Especially with advancement in movie-making technology, but it comes with problems. Both Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman have said at different times how difficult it was to do any action with the large hairpieces and headdresses of Queen Amidala. Even though The Mandalorian is already full of CGI effects, it’s more for background and context than on actual characters (flying Mandalorians not withstanding). Even “The Child” isn’t CGI. He’s a puppet. Ahsoka would need to be organic, and that is not without challenges.
Will Ahsoka be in The Mandalorian?
While anything is possible, I doubt it. Her story may yet play out on the big screen but Ahsoka dropping in on Mando and the gang would cast too big of a fan-service shadow over what has already become a massively popular Star Wars franchise of it’s own. Adding in Ahsoka would be overkill.
I know, I know. Fans want Ahsoka on the big screen. I do, too, but in The Mandalorian is not where it should happen… unless that is a teaser announcement of an Ahsoka spin-off show. A character of her caliber can stand alone, and could support her own series.
The coincidence of today being her triumphant reappearance in the final season of The Clone Wars is too, well, coincidental. Another reason I don’t think we’ll see her in The Mandalorian is we haven’t heard anything about it from Disney, Lucasfilm, Favreau or Filoni about any of it. Filoni drops his doodles on Twitter now and then, but it’s not because she’s going to be in The Mandalorian. This is much ado about nothing, just like when everyone went crazy saying Boba Fett was in The Mandalorian, too. He wasn’t, and I say Ahsoka’s appearance is doubtful as well.
Will fans ever get to see a live action version of Ahsoka Tano?
Ashley Eckstein has voiced Ahsoka from the beginning. She is Ahsoka Tano. If a live-action Ahsoka speaks and it’s not Ashley’s voice, it would have to be a damn-near duplicate or it just won’t feel right. I know what you’re thinking… Maul’s appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was Ray Park in character, but Sam Witwer’s voice. While I was excited to see Maul on screen again, Park should have just done the voice work. I don’t think you can compare Ashley’s voice on Ahsoka with Witwer’s on Maul. Can you picture Dawson’s mouth moving with Eckstein’s voice? No, me either.
If Ahsoka is going to make any meaningful appearance in The Mandalorian, it’s going to have to be more than one sentence. If not, it’s really cheap fan service and I don’t see Favreau allowing that. He loves us too much.
Now, I do believe we will eventually get the end of her story. When we last saw her in Star Wars: Rebels, she and Sabine Wren departed to find Ezra Bridger after his battle with Thrawn. We also got her voice speaking to Rey in the closing scenes of The Rise of Skywalker. Part of me was holding out that Ahsoka would somehow end up being the real last Jedi in Episode VIII, but no luck there.
We haven’t seen the last of Ahsoka by a long shot, but seeing her in Season 2 of The Mandalorian is unlikely, even if Rosario Dawson wants the role. However, don’t count out a final season of Rebels one day finishing off this arc with Ahsoka and Sabine’s journey to Ezra. If that happens, now that would be glorious!
Sound off, Hashtaggers!
What do you think Ahsoka Tano fans? Are we going to see her live-action role come to fruition with Rosario Dawson? tell us in the comments, and follow That Hashtag Show to keep up to date on the battle for Ahsoka Tano! Also, to learn more about Star Wars, you can also visit the official website at www.starwars.com. May the Force be with you!
