Credit: LucasfilmThe Star Wars franchise is currently dealing with the aftermath of airing and subsequently canceling its latest TV show, The Acolyte. As fans roil with the confirmation that Lesyle Headland’s series is no more (and may risk being completely deleted from Disney+), new information has surfaced about the second season of Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: Ahsoka.
Starring Rosario Dawson as former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, the Ahsoka series originally aired in the summer of 2023. There, Dawson reprised the role she debuted in The Mandalorian Season 2 as Filoni’s series aimed to answer questions from Star Wars Rebels.
Even before Ahsoka began airing, it was anticipated that the Star Wars series would essentially act as a pseudo-fifth season to the popular animated show, also created by Dave Filoni. With the Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer at the helm, Ahsoka saw the return of Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Ghost pilot Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Huyang (David Tennant), and Chopper (Filoni).
While it did act as a follow-up to Rebels, the premise was set in motion back in 2020, with Ahsoka Tano’s assault on the magistrate Morgan Elsbeth’s (Diana Lee Inosanto) stronghold on the planet Corvus in The Mandalorian Season 2 episode, “Chapter 13: The Jedi.”
There, the fan-favorite Togruta–who was played by Ashley Eckstein in the animated Star Wars universe–sought out Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), seemingly in the hope of uncovering where Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) had ended up following the climactic events of the Season 4 finale of Rebels.
Ahsoka took fans into new reaches of the Star Wars franchise, confirming that there are multiple galaxies within the universe. Along with Bordizzo’s Sabine Wren, Ahsoka journeyed to the planet Peridea, where they confronted Elsbeth, Thrawn, the Nightsister Great Mothers, and a battalion of undead Night Troopers.
Ahsoka was well-received upon its debut, with the first episode receiving 14 million views within its first five days of release. The Hollywood Reporter translated this to approximately 784 million minutes of viewing. Despite its early numbers—and much like any new entry into the Star Wars canon—Ahsoka wasn’t universally beloved.
That said, the continuation of the Rebels storyline and the return of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka’s former Jedi Master, was a highlight of the series. Christensen’s involvement saw the duo, who were central figures in the long-running Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, return to the Clone War era, except this time in live-action.
With an open ending, Star Wars fans anticipated some kind of sequel. It was, however, surprising to hear that a second season had been greenlit due to two Mando-Verse movies already being in development.
At the time of Ahsoka‘s Season 2 announcement, Lucasfilm confirmed what movie would be leading the feature film slate at the Star Wars studio, and it wasn’t a project already announced.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will air in 2026. At the time, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said that the characters of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu were the “perfect fit” for the big screen.
Before this, in Spring 2023, Kennedy shared that Filoni would be helming a Mando-Verse crossover movie at the Star Wars Celebration in London. It has since been casually coined the “Heir to the Empire” film due to its likely conclusion of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s assault on the New Republic.
Still, Ahsoka Season 2 is happening, but not as expected.
Ahsoka Season 2 Update
While at Dragon Con 2024, Natasha Liu Bordizzo confirmed when Ahsoka would start filming.
Natasha Liu Bordizzo reveals ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2 will be filming by Summer 2025
🚨Natasha Liu Bordizzo reveals ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2 will be filming by Summer 2025🚨
Source @DragonCon #starwars #TheMandalorian #ahsoka #grogu #dindjarin #fennec #bobafett pic.twitter.com/fJoIc34j6d
— Mandoverse Updates (@Mando3Updates) September 1, 2024
The filming update for Ahsoka Season 2 is surprising, as many expected the sophomore season to go into production in 2024 and be released in 2025.
“Although it has not been confirmed, it is likely that Ahsoka Season 2 will still be released before The Mandalorian & Grogu,” The Direct wrote earlier this year.
While it could still come before The Mandalorian and Grogu, it is unlikely, considering the Jon Favreau movie has May 22, 2026, locked in for its release date. Filming for Ahsoka‘s second season, which will happen in the summer of 2025, will likely mean that it will air after The Mandalorian and Grogu has been released.
If so, this could mean a couple of things. Either Ahsoka (and Sabine) will be absent from The Mandalorian and Grogu while they figure out how to leave Peridea, or the continuation of Ahsoka Season 1’s storylines will happen on the big screen, leaving Ahsoka Season 2 to take the characters, and the franchise, into a new direction once again.
With The Mandalorian and Grogu happening, fans can gauge how the Mando-Verse chapter will play out. Let’s take Favreau’s movie as the next installment in the New Republic saga, which leaves the schedule looking like it will be The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka Season 2, and then Dave Filoni’s so-called “Heir to the Empire” movie to wrap up the Mando-Verse as a whole.
While it hasn’t been confirmed that The Mandalorian will not be moving forward with a fourth season, it does seem likely, considering there are already three other Mando-Verse projects on the plate–and the very clear stance Pedro Pascal has on playing the titular role.
Also unconfirmed is whether Dave Filoni will recast Baylan Skoll following Ray Stevenson’s tragic passing in 2023. Skoll was last seen engaging with the mythic history of Peridea after becoming separated from his apprentice, the Force user Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), in the new Star Wars galaxy.
Following Ahsoka‘s airing, Filoni told Vanity Fair, “Obviously, there’s a story there,” when discussing Baylan’s next chapter, so a recast of the role is more than likely.
Rosario Dawson will, of course, be back as Ahsoka Tano, as will Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. Unless anything significant happens, chances are Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eman Esfandi will also return as Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger, respectively.
The Ahsoka Season 2 update comes as Star Wars navigates a completely fractured fandom following the cancellation of Lesyle Headland’s The Acolyte. The Star Wars series has been under immense fire ever since it was announced in 2020 as a “female-centric” TV show.
In the days post-cancellation, many stars of the series, including leading actors Lee Jung-jae (Jedi Master Sol), Amandla Stenberg (Osha and Mae Aniseya), and Manny Jacinto (Qimir/The Stranger), has spoken out about the series, with Stenberg discussing the “hyper-conservative bigotry” that became a focal point of the fan discourse.
Related: Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Ditches Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, Rescue Attempt Initiated
Looking ahead, Star Wars will deploy the franchise’s next chapter in December. On December 3, 2024, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, another New Republic project, will officially commence on Disney+.
What do you think the plan for the Mando-Verse is? How do you feel about The Acolyte‘s cancellation? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!