The Star Wars Fandom Has Come a Long Way in Loving Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano may be one of the most universally loved characterss in all of Star Wars. But it hasn’t always been that way.
When it comes to fandom nothing is universal except the fact that there is no one thing that every part of a given fandom actually likes. There will always be somebody who venomously hates something. This is especially the case in Star Wars, where pretty innocuous opinions can be very polarizing. Except, it seems, when it comes to Ahsoka Tano. Sure, she still has her haters, but by and large this is a character who the vast majority of the fandom adores. It hasn’t always been that way though, and with the self-titled live-action series coming to Disney+ later this month, now is a good time to reflect on how far Ahsoka Tano- and the Star Wars fandom’s opinion on her- has come.
Early Snips, Ashley Eckstein, and Cheesecake
Earlier this year at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, the voice of Ahsoka Tano, Ashley Eckstein, opened up about the process of becoming Ahsoka and seeing her character be absolutely reviled.
“It’s been quite the journey. It really has. From the very beginning where [Ahsoka] was hated. And one thing to note, we were always a season ahead of what you all saw. We were well into Season 2 by the time you all saw the [Clone Wars movie], so I knew how far she had come. When it came out, so many people hated Ahsoka. First, I sobbed into my cheesecake. But then I took a day to have a pity party. Then, I was like, ‘No — this character is amazing. And everyone else is going to see what I see if they just give her time.'”
Now it’s weird to think of Eckstein or Ahsoka being hated on. Between the character’s massive popularity, Eckstein’s nerdy fashion empire, HerUniverse, and the intersection of the two, they seem like a part of the fandom that we were all destined to rally around. And I guess we eventually were. But early Ahsoka was a difficult character to love. She was young and new and a little annoying.
Plus, Star Wars has a history of toxic fans being cruel to the people who bring the characters to life. Jake Lloyd hasn’t acted in years, Ahmed Best has been open about his struggles with suicidal thoughts after the fandom’s over-the-top reaction to Jar Jar Binks, and Kelly Marie Tran famously no longer has a social media presence while John Boyega has sworn off Star Wars forever. And these are only some of the more recent examples.
So seeing the hatred turned towards early Ahsoka and by extension Ashley Eckstein isn’t exactly surprising.
Ahsoka Tano’s Growth
But here’s the thing about kids, fictional and real: they don’t tend to stay kids forever. And just like your annoying youngest cousin will eventually grow out of that phase and become a full-blown human being (so to speak), Ahsoka too started to grow up. That growth and character development became one of the most humanizing and relatable things about her. And as a result, we were able to watch a character grow into one of the coolest and most competent adults to grace the galaxy.
Over time she became the sort of character that fans would ask about at conventions and be genuinely excited to catch a hint of a return from. Seeing her addition to the live-action roster was one of those things that you watch a fandom collectively wish for and then openly celebrate when it finally happened.
So while we’re all excited (and hopeful) for Ahsoka‘s premiere this month, and many of us can find Ashley Eckstein’s one-person cheesecake-fueled pity-party funny in retrospect (and deeply relatable), let’s also remember how far this character, the actor’s that have given her life, and the fandom has come. And then let’s keep working to do better.
What is your favorite Ahsoka Tano moment or episode? Did you like this character from the get-go, or did it take a little bit for her to grow on you? What are you most looking forward to in the Ahsoka series? Let us know in the comments!
May the force be with you, adventurers!
