Original Ahsoka Actor Celebrates Character’s Live-Action Debut

Original Ahsoka Tano voice actress Ashley Eckstein celebrated the character’s live action debut in The Mandalorian with a post on her Instagram. Eckstein has voiced the character in various Star Wars properties since 2008, including Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars animated series. Although Ahsoka wasn’t well-received at first, over the years she has become one of the most beloved Star Wars characters, making her live-action debut a highly anticipated event.

Rumors began circulating prior to The Mandalorian season 2 that Ahsoka would make an appearance, with reports saying Rosario Dawson would play the female Jedi. She finally made her debut in, “Chapter 13: The Jedi.” The character has come a long way since her beginnings as Anakin Skywalker’s young Padawan and with her future in the Star Wars universe full of possibilities, fans are more excited than ever to see what the franchise has in store. No one seems more excited than Eckstein, though.

Eckstein took to Instagram to express her delight with the character’s debut on The Mandalorian. She addressed both the longtime fans who have followed the character since the beginning, and the millions of new ones who are meeting Ahsoka for the first time. Eckstein also wrote about Ahsoka’s evolution as a character and how she has become a beacon of light in the Star Wars universe. Ahsoka Tano was, until Rey’s debut, one of the only female Jedi in the series whose journey was prominently featured in the franchise. Check out her post below:

Ahsoka’s live action debut is important to Eckstein for a few reasons. Eckstein has voiced the character for over a decade and she has a large following based on her performance. Eckstein is heavily invested in the character and, despite the fact that she wasn’t cast as the live action version, she has graciously offered advice to new Ahsoka, Dawson. Ahsoka could potentially be a pivotal part of the post-sequel trilogy Star Wars universe. Casting someone like Dawson indicates that Ahsoka has a viable future in the franchise. Just what that future entails may be unclear, but the possibilities are endless.

In a sense, Ahsoka is the future of the Star Wars franchise. She represents a growing diversity in the universe, especially in The Mandalorian. With Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves also introduced this season, the franchise seems to be looking forward in terms of who is playing important characters, even if there have been a few hiccups along the way. Hopefully, John Boyega’s criticisms and subsequent honest talk with Disney have helped them understand the importance of a character like Ahsoka, who has inspired a generation of female Star Wars fans.

Source: Ashley Eckstein

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Graeme Guttmann
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Graeme Guttmann is an editor, writer, and interviewer for Screen Rant. With a love for all things pop culture, he watches just about everything from the biggest blockbusters to reality shows like Real Housewives. He currently resides in Boston, MA where he is an MFA candidate at Emerson College for creative writing. You can follow him on Twitter @cryptograeme for pop culture commentary and random musings about pop music and just about anything else.

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