Lucasfilm has dropped the first trailer for “Ahsoka,” showcasing the newest adventure for Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s beloved padawan. The trailer was released as part of London’s Star Wars Celebration on Friday.
The upcoming Disney+ series stars Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka, an exiled Jedi who was once Anakin’s apprentice before he turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader. The show will premiere in August, Disney confirmed at the event.
Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau praised “Ahsoka” showrunner Dave Filoni, who was joined on stage by Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Sabin Wren, a Mandalorian warrior, revolutionary and graffiti artist who first appeared in “Star Wars Rebels.” Also surprising U.K. fans was Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who revealed she’ll be playing Hera Syndulla from Rebels.
“I’m blown away,” said Dawson. “We’ve got some great surprises for all of you, but today is really special because I’m excited to see some footage — finally! I’m like, ‘If it’s not today, when!'”
Dawson said the show was shot on LED immersive soundstage The Volume. “We are completely immersed almost all the time. The level of detail is remarkable,” said Dawson. “Even the last day, the light sabers turn on and we’re in the world. It’s only been three weeks since my heart stopped racing. I wake up every morning thinking I need to be doing something.”
Alongside Dawson, Eman Esfandi will also appear as Ezra Bridger, who’s the main character of “Rebels” and a Jedi Padawan. Other co-stars include Ray Stevenson (“Vikings”) and Ivanna Sakhno (“Pacific Rim: Uprising”).
Ahsoka was introduced in the 2008 animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which served as a pilot to the television series of the same name. “The Clone Wars” TV series chronicled her time learning from Anakin, and by the time the show concluded, Ahsoka had become a fan favorite and one of the few examples in “Star Wars” of a major female Jedi. She returned in the animated series “Star Wars Rebels,” voiced once again by Ashley Eckstein. In 2020, Dawson debuted the Jedi’s live-action portrayal in “The Mandalorian.”
During the 2022 Star Wars Celebration, Dawson spoke to PvNew about how much playing the character means to her.
“Embodying a character, literally, physically, every single day, has brought on a whole other level of experience to working on a project, and bringing a character to life,” Dawson said. “It’s changing me.”
She continued: “So often, I take pieces from a character, and then I inject so much of myself in to things of my own experience and what I have to draw from. But this is absolutely going in the other direction and she is so influencing me. It’s just been so powerful to be on that journey, to be taken along with it; it’s not something I could have hoped for, or dreamed of, so it’s really out of this world.”
“Ahsoka” is set to hit Disney+ in August. Watch the trailer below:
