Before ‘Ahsoka’ Comes Out, Ashley Eckstein Says You Should Watch Her Animated Shows (She’s Right)
According to Ashley Eckstein, we should all make an effort to watch animated Star Wars before Ahsoka premiers. But should we? Yes!
Ashley Eckstein has been part of the Star Wars family for a long time. You’re probably familiar with her line of nerd-inspired clothing, Her Universe, or her numerous high-energy appearances at various conventions. But we mostly know her for being the first actress to play Ahsoka Tano, and the only actress to voice Ahsoka in live-action. She’s even the voice behind the audio-book version of Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston.
Recently Eckstein has said that fans of The Mandalorian who are looking forward to watching Ahsoka when it premieres next month should definitely watch the animated series Ahsoka appears in first. And I agree it her 100%. It’s easy to write a creator off as being too invested in their own product to be unbiased. And maybe she is, I don’t know. But she is also completely right and if you haven’t seen The Clone Wars or Rebels yet, you should at least familiarize yourself before diving into Ahsoka next month. Why? Well…
All of the Characters Are From Animation
Or at least most of them. Ahsoka, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla (and Hera’s son, Jacen), Ezra Bridger, and Grand Admiral Thrawn are all directly from Rebels. And so are their messy backstories, interpersonal relationships, and motivations. I’m sure you’ll pick up on all of this well enough in Ahsoka, but there will be a lot of context and depth missing.
And that’s just in Rebels. You likely already know that Ahsoka was Anakin Skywalker‘s padawan prior to his Darth Vader days. But throughout The Clone Wars, we watch their relationship and friendship grow into something truly special. The cast list I’m seeing has Hayden Christensen listed, and if this is true, any version of him that appears in flashbacks will be incredibly meaningful and likely heartbreaking… if you know their history.
Rebels Ended on a Cliffhanger
I don’t want to say too much in case you do decide to take the next month to binge-watch these shows. But I will say that Rebels, while it absolutely had a planned and satisfying ending, also set up one of the biggest mysteries we expect to see unfold in Ahsoka. Again, I’m sure this is something that they’ll gloss over well enough so that new comers won’t be completely confused. But if you really want to understand how we all got here, you’re going to want to catch up.
Honestly, They’re Great and Deserve to Be Watched
I know that describing animated Star Wars like a thing to power through before the show you know you want to see comes out sounds like homework. Which by nature isn’t any fun. But these shows really are great. You may have heard that the first season of The Clone Wars a bit rough, and that’s not wrong. But between you and me, you don’t need to watch them all. Grab a best-of list or a breakdown of all of the most important moments in the series, and start from there. I’m pretty confident you’ll enjoy them enough to swing back through for more.
Have you seen all of The Clone Wars and Rebels? Are you excited for the Ahsoka premiere? What do you hope to see play out on screen? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
