By George Bate & Josh Bate
The latest look at the upcoming Ahsoka series just dropped ahead of the two-episode Disney+ premiere on August 23. Check out a breakdown of the trailer, including easter eggs and teases you may have missed.
The late Ray Stevenson opens the trailer with an ominous monologue. His words hint at what his character Baylan Skoll’s motivations are in the war. “War is inevitable. One must destroy in order to create.” This is a philosophy not that dissimilar from Emperor Palpatine himself, who destroyed the Galactic Republic in order to turn it into his own Imperial Empire.
Baylan Skoll kills a New Republic captain, who shares the same kind of uniform as Captain Tuttle from The Mandalorian Season 3.
As the trailer continues, it features a shot of what appears to be ancient Jedi ruins. In previous footage, Ahsoka has been seen using her lightsabers to slice into the ground and drop into a chamber. The engravings in this ancient ruin may hint at Ahsoka’s search for the World Between Worlds in the show.
In Chapter 13: The Jedi of The Mandalorian, it became clear that Ahsoka’s objective is to find Grand Admiral Thrawn. In this new trailer for Ahsoka, it now becomes clear that Baylan Skoll, his apprentice Shin Hati (played by Ivanna Sakhno), and Diana Lee Inosanto’s Magistrate Elsbeth are also searching for Thrawn. In response to Hati’s question about what they will find when they find Thrawn, Baylan Skoll provides, “Power. Such as you’ve never dreamed.” Could Baylan be referencing the World Between Worlds? The ethereal plane that exists outside of space and time was introduced in Star Wars Rebels and marked probably the most dangerous weapon, even more dangerous than a Death Star, if wielded in the wrong hands.
Also featured in the trailer is Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, who first appeared in the second season of The Mandalorian. After appearing at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, it appears Inosanto will have a sizable role in the Ahsoka series. In the latest trailer, it looks like she is using the Force to navigate a holo-map. Fans have long speculated that Elsbeth is a Nightsister like Mother Talzin and Asajj Ventress.
The trailer shows the New Republic fleet in action, perhaps against some of Thrawn’s navy.
Genevieve O’Reilly reprises her role as Mon Mothma from Andor in Ahsoka.
Next up in the trailer is Hera Syndulla, the fan favorite hero from Star Wars Rebels who makes her live-action debut in Ahsoka. Hera is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who is shown speaking to Mon Mothma and other New Republic leaders about the need to prevent another war. This idea that some in the New Republic were afraid of another war and unwilling to admit a new Empire could rise has been featured in a number of projects, including Claudia Gray’s Bloodline and Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy novels.
Hera mentions she has fought most of her life fighting a war. This is in reference to her escapades against the Empire as shown in The Bad Batch and Star Wars Rebels.
Perhaps the most resounding reveal in the Ahsoka trailer pertains to Sabine. The Mandalorian, who was a key member of The Ghost team in Star Wars Rebels, is revealed to have been Ahsoka’s apprentice at some point. A later comment in the trailer hints that Sabine may not be Force-sensitive, but is this really the case?
Sabine uses her gauntlet lasso in the trailer. She previously used this weapon in the Star Wars Rebels episode “Trials of the Darksaber.”
Ahsoka says that she never got to finish her Jedi training with Anakin. This is in reference to the events of The Clone Wars, in which Ahsoka left the Jedi Order after being wrongly accused of an act of terrorism.
The trailer also shows our first real look at the live-action Ezra Bridger, played by Eman Estandi. In a recorded message, he says, “As a Jedi, sometimes you have to make the decision no one else can. But I’m counting on you to see this through.” This appears to be an extended version of Ezra’s farewell message to his team in Rebels. Of note, Ezra went missing with Thrawn in the depths of unknown space in the series finale of Star Wars Rebels. It appears that Ahsoka and Sabine once teamed up to try and find Ezra, but suspended their search for some reason.
Sabine is shown cutting her into the style shown at the end of Star Wars Rebels. This hints that that Rebels epilogue may take place later in the Star Wars timeline than we initially thought.
Ahsoka can be seen dueling with several red lightsaber-wielding antagonists in the trailer. It’s unclear if these are Inquisitors, but one looks an awful lot like the Eighth Brother.
Sabine visits the mural from the end of Star Wars Rebels in the trailer, in what appears to be a recreation of that series’ epilogue.
Our best look yet at Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn in live-action. This shot was previously featured in a trailer exclusively shown to the Celebration crowd at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023. Fun fact: Lars Mikkelsen’s real-life brother Mads also appeared in Star Wars. Mads Mikkelsen played Galen Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Sabine can be seen wielding a green lightsaber in the trailer, which is likely Ezra’s lightsaber.
Baylan appears to have known Ahsoka’s former master Anakin Skywalker at some point. Could they have fought together during the Clone Wars?
Professor Huyang, voiced by David Tennant, appears in the trailer. Huyang previously featured in The Clone Wars.
Like master, like apprentice. Ahsoka assumes a lightsaber stance similar to her master Anakin Skywalker when he dueled Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones.
Hera fittingly closes out the trailer with the line, “Once a Rebel, always a Rebel.” Indeed, it appears that Ahsoka will continue many of the plot threads and character arcs from Star Wars Rebels as the team try and stop Thrawn and others’ plans for galactic domination.
Ahsoka premieres on Wednesday August 23 on Disney+. Stay tuned to The HoloFiles and Star Wars Holocron for continued coverage of the series.