Lucasfilm Finally Debuts 'Ahsoka' Sizzle Reel as "Kathleen Kennedy Fired" Trends on Twitter

The countdown for the Disney+ Star Wars spinoff Ahsoka is officially underway, and to celebrate its release, Lucasfilm has released a brand new clip featuring behind-the-scenes moments from the show and a sneak peek at some of the upcoming action.

It’s been a long journey for Ahsoka Tano, who George Lucas and Dave Filoni created for the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie and subsequent series back in 2008. The Padawan of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka, was voiced by Ashley Eckstein for the show’s entire eight-season run, but that was just the beginning for this fan-favorite character.

After leaving the Jedi Order in the fifth season of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka joined the fight against the Galactic Empire, where she worked alongside the crew of the starship Ghost in the Star Wars Rebels cartoon. More recently, her backstory was also fleshed-out in the Disney+ anthology series Tales of the Jedi, which has already been confirmed for a Season 2.

Finally, after widespread demand from Star Wars fans, Ahsoka made her live-action debut in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, where she was asked by Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to help train his Force-sensitive foundling, Grogu. She refused but directed him to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and proceeded to give viewers a major hint at her next mission: tracking down Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).

Ever since Rosario Dawson brought Ahsoka to life in The Mandalorian, the question of whether or not she would get her time to shine in her live-action series remained at the forefront of fans’ minds. However, they got their answer in December 2020, when it was confirmed that Dave Filoni was developing a new show for Disney+ centered around Dawson’s iteration of the character.

Now, the release date for Ahsoka is right around the corner, and so far, it’s looking like it might just be Lucasfilm’s best TV series yet—something that’s sorely needed amid dwindling confidence in the company and its upper leadership, primarily, president Kathleen Kennedy. Considering the colossal box office flop of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), the studio needs a big win, and soon.

Will Ahsoka be the perfect Star Wars project to save Lucasfilm? Maybe. And based on the brand new sizzle reel that dropped Monday morning, it seems like the company is putting all of its eggs in Ahsoka‘s basket—and for a good reason.

In a short two-minute video uploaded by the official Star Wars YouTube page Monday titled “Journey To Ahsoka,” viewers were given a recap of the lead-up to Rosario Dawson’s casting and some never-before-seen clips from production. The video was supposed to be released at Disney’s recent virtual showcase at the ESSENCE Fest Primetime, but was reportedly delayed due to issues with Twitter.

Featuring snippets from showrunners Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, the latter teased a “version of Ahsoka we’ve never seen before,” explaining that her solo series will allow her to “come into her own” after her long history with the franchise. We also got a glimpse at Ahsoka’s lightsaber duel with a mysterious Inquisitor, as well as the series’ new villains, Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice, Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). Check out the full clip below:

 

The Ahsoka video also showed some behind-the-scenes looks of Dawson in the makeup chair, undergoing her transformation into the titular ex-Jedi. Filoni praised the veteran TV actress’s commitment to the role while praising her Star Wars knowledge, saying, “She’s on fire and she knows her stuff. She’s in it.”

Favreau also teased a “fun adventure” full of imagination, all while showing new footage of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera Syndulla and her trusty droid, Chopper. The teaser then ends with David Tennant’s Mark IV architect droid, Professor Huyang, imparting some words of wisdom: “Perhaps it is time to begin again.”

It’s heartwarming to see Dawson’s journey leading up to Ahsoka, from her early “fan-casting” to eventually wielding the character’s iconic white lightsabers for the new show. Based on this new footage, it looks like Dawson underwent significant training to wield the sabers for Ahsoka properly, and she certainly looks the part. There are undoubtedly plenty more surprises in store, but we’ll just have to wait patiently for the new series to arrive on Disney+.

Ahsoka will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+ staring August 23, 2023.