4
Credit: LucasfilmEver since the Star Wars sequel trilogy introduced Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver) into the Star Wars story, fans have been clamoring for a Jedi Academy series that shows more of what really happened between young Solo — Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has even expressed interest in playing the character — and his uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the months and years before Skywalker’s Academy was burned to the ground at Solo’s hands.
Related: Dave Filoni Is Erasing the ‘Star Wars’ Sequels’ Snoke Problem
The destruction of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple was first referenced in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), and subsequently expounded upon when Rey (Daisy Ridley) trains with the iconic Jedi Knight on Ahch-To in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017).
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Just Unraveled Everything We Knew About Boba Fett
For over half a decade now, fans have waited for Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy to announce a series — live-action or animated — that explores this Academy and its connection to the larger Star Wars universe.
Enter, The Mandalorian.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Fans Suddenly Wish Luke Skywalker Cameo Hadn’t Happened
Showrunner Jon Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni opened the door to a whole new world of stories about Luke Skywalker’s lost years — the approximately 25-year timespan between Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Force Awakens — when they reintroduced a CGI version of the character in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale episode (“Chapter 16: The Rescue”), set about five years after ROTJ.
Related: ‘Mandalorian’ Season 4 Reportedly Greenlit With Gina Carano Returning
Not only did Skywalker swoop in just in time to save Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Nite Owl warrior Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks) from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and his Dark Trooper squad, but he ultimately took 50-year-old infant Grogu as his Padawan, presumably returning to his Jedi Academy.
Now, some fans are convinced that upcoming Mandalorian spinoff series, Ahsoka — starring Rosario Dawson reprising her role as Ahsoka Tano from The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5 (“Chapter 13: The Jedi”) — will lead into Lucasfilm’s long-awaited Jedi Academy series.
Reddit user Kicksplode wrote:
I think by the end [of the Ahsoka series] she’ll have a reunion with Force Ghost Anakin and he’ll direct her to find his son and help him rebuild the Jedi. Cue the Jedi Academy animated series we’ve been waiting for since The Force Awakens.
Related: George Lucas Helped Transform Leonardo DiCaprio Into Anakin Skywalker
Another poster, cmdrNacho, has some detailed ideas about how Ahsoka could play out, involving both the Skywalker family and Star Wars Rebels characters like Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Grand Admiral Thrawn:
I’m hoping Ezra comes back as a dark jedi ( jedi that has turned to the darkside ) being manipulated under Thrawn. From the series he seemed very susceptible to it.
From Mandalorian it appears that Thrawn is out and about. I believe that woman was a weapons or ship designer. The fact that Ahsoka believes that woman knows where Thrawn is, its an indicator that Thrawn probably back in business.
Several things:
Ahsoka is in full Fulcrum mode. She’s back doing her own thing, secret agent sort of sh*t.
Post fall of the Empire I imagine Hera [Hera Syndulla] is raising her son who is probably the age of realizing his abilities in the force.
We’ll probably see Sabine’s return in Mandalorian s3. She’ll make her return in Ahsoka.
Ahsoka will share what she knows so far about Thrawn and Ezra with Sabine and Hera.
This will lead them to go searching for Ezra.
edit : We’ll see Anakins return when Ahsoka needs help to figure out how to turn Ezra back from the dark. Hopefully there will also be a scene with her talking to Luke about his experiences with his father :praying.
Related: Mara Jade’s Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ Debut Seemingly Confirmed
For now, reports of a Jedi Academy series remain pure speculation. However, whatever happens moving forward in The Mandalorian Season 3, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett, Favreau and Filoni will undoubtedly continue to explain the plot holes that the sequel trilogy left behind — including how, exactly, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) son came to be the leader of the Knights of the Ren, turning his back on the Jedi Order.
Do you think Ahsoka will lead into a Jedi Academy show?