'Ahsoka' Panel At Star Wars Celebration Europe Reveals Even More About The Upcoming Disney+ Series
I know those teeth, and I know those skin tones...
Day 2 of Star Wars Celebration kicked off Saturday with a panel dedicated to the franchise’s upcoming Ahsoka series coming to Disney+, fresh off the highs of its reveals during the Studio Showcase panel the morning before. Sure, there was talk about the genesis of the character in the The Clone Wars days from executive producers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, but there were even more reveals to be had.
Filoni credits the animators, actors (including Ashley Eckstein), and others for helping birth the character for this ongoing journey. One of the notable things that star Rosario Dawson remarks about once she joins the panel is that they did take into consideration the public criticism about Ahsoka's appearance. They made the necessary tweaks for the look and functionality of the entire costume. Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who play the debuting Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla join the panel soon after. As talk about their characters continued, it’s revealed that David Tennant will be reprising his role as the voice of Huyang in the series.
Focus shifts to the villains, starting with Diana Lee Inosanto, who debuted as Morgan Elsbeth in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, joining the panel. She’s loyal to Thrawn and works hard with her coldheartedness because of it. Ahsoka is going to take time to explore the character’s background. Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno, playing Baylin and Shin, respectively, were next. The panelists talk about lightsaber training and other skills necessary to develop for the roles. After this, attention turns to revealing the series’s slate of directors. It includes Filoni, who directs multiple, while the rest consist of Rick Famuyiwa, Peter Ramsey, Steph Green, Jennifer Getzinger, and Geeta Patel. As for the music, it’s Kevin Kiner again collaborating with Ludwig Goransson. As the panel concludes, a new, essentially enhanced version of the previous day’s trailer plays with new footage. It includes the first look at Thrawn's face, boasting the blue skin, the red eyes, and everything, and he will be played by Lars Mikkelsen, who voiced the character on Star Wars Rebels upon his reentry into canon when the original book trilogy the character starred in was excised with the rest of the old expanded universe. He even joins his castmates onstage to bask in the adoration of the audience as the big closing reveal.
But that’s not all! On Wednesday, just two days after the end of Celebration and therefore leaving him out of the festivities, it was reported Wes Chatham of The Expanse will also be appearing in the series as Thrawn’s right-hand man. No character name was given, and evidently, he was not in either trailer. Ahsoka is set to premiere this August on Disney+. The next Star Wars Celebration will be held in Tokyo, Japan at the Makuhari Messe from April 18 to 20, 2025.
