Credit: LucasfilmIt’s been an exciting year for Star Wars announcements, and with a new trailer on the horizon for one of Lucasfilm’s upcoming projects, it looks like the fun is just beginning.
This year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe, which took place in April, teased Lucasfilm’s slate of upcoming movies and TV shows set in George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away. Among these exciting announcements were the Dave Filoni-directed “Mando-Verse” crossover event, Season 3 of the animated Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and a Rey-centric solo movie starring Daisy Ridley.
Attendees were also treated to a first glimpse at what could very well be the franchise’s most-anticipated series yet: Ahsoka, which is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in August.
A teaser trailer was released shortly after the Ahsoka panel, but fans in attendance were also given the chance to watch early footage from the TV show, which has since been made public. Check out the full clip below:
Ahsoka will once again see Rosario Dawson playing the eponymous ex-Jedi as she sets out on a mission to track down Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), who went missing after taking down the sinister Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) in the Star Wars Rebels finale.
Along the way, she’ll be helped by some familiar faces from the Ghost crew, including Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), whose live-action casting was announced at the most recent Celebration, and Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), both of whom will join Ahsoka in the fight against Thrawn and his Imperial Remnant.
We’ve seen bits and pieces of what to expect in the upcoming Disney+ series, including Thrawn’s return, the introduction of two orange lightsaber-wielding Force-users (played by Ivanna Sakhno and Ray Stevenson), the appearance of Diana Lee Inosanto’s Morgan Elsbeth, a known Nightsister, and a return to the mysterious World Between Worlds. Other than that, plot specifics have remained tightly under wraps.
Now, we might finally get a closer look at Ahsoka‘s story in new footage, which Disney is confirmed to be released at this weekend’s ESSENCE Fest Primetime. This could mean that a full trailer will debut sometime during the event, between 7 p.m. and 11:59 pm CT on either Saturday or Sunday during Disney’s virtual showcase.
Disney has confirmed that along with Ahsoka, other various other projects, including The Haunted Mansion (2023), which also stars Rosario Dawson, will be teased during the studio’s presentation. However, the company has not provided a date and time that the “special look” at the upcoming Star Wars spinoff will be shown.
It’s safe to say that many fans are hoping and speculating about a possible trailer release following April’s teaser, but that might not be the case. Looking back on similar Disney presentations, the company tends to reuse footage used for other events, and considering exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Ahsoka was screened at Disney’s Upfront event last month, they could easily recycle this content for ESSENCE Fest.
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy previously unveiled a sizzle reel for Obi-Wan Kenobi back in December 2020, which wasn’t released publicly on Disney+ day in September 2021. This could be a possible scenario for Ahsoka, with the company electing to debut a sizzle reel in favor of a full trailer. Surprisingly, Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t share a full-length trailer until just three weeks before its arrival on Disney+.
However, it’s important to note that we’re only about eight weeks out from the release of Ahsoka on Disney+, meaning it’s time for Lucasfilm to start revving up the promotional materials to generate hype for the show. So while we might not receive an official trailer, this footage will likely tease some significant plot points, getting fans even more excited for Ahsoka Tano’s imminent return to the galaxy far, far away.
Ahsoka begins streaming on Disney+ starting August 23, 2023.
Will you be tuning into Ahsoka when it arrives on Disney+ this fall? Let us know in the comments below.