After the Revenge of the Sith was released, George Lucas appeared to pull away from the idea of doing episodes VII-IX and instead planned to focus the future of Star Wars on the small screen. The first piece of this new path for Lucas' sci-fi saga had already been tested with 2003's The Clone Wars, which was 25 short animated episodes focusing on Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The success of that series led to the 2008 Clone Wars series. This time the animation was switched from 2D to 3D and the series would shifted the focus to different characters every few episodes. One of the new characters introduced for the series was Ahsoka Tano, the Padawan apprentice of Anakin Skywalker. When the first season of The Clone Wars aired, fans and critics weren't kind to Ahsoka, with many viewing her as something akin to Anakin's annoying little sister. The character was clearly created to be someone younger viewers could connect to -- the Robin to Anakin's Batman -- but she just wasn't working. But over time, viewers' feelings about Ahsoka changed as she grew from the annoying little sister to a strong character who could stand on her own. Suddenly, the Star Wars universe had a popular character who wasn't born out of the movies.
And now, after a seven-year hiatus, fans will finally see what happens with Ahsoka in the upcoming final season of Clone Wars. Whatever does happen to her, it isn't the end of Ahsoka's story. She found her way to Star Wars Rebels, a series taking place fourteen years after the events of Clone Wars. At the end of that series, Ahsoka and Sabine head off to find Ezra Bridger, clearly opening the door for more of the fan-favorite character.
Fans will get a little more Ahsoka this month when the final season of The Clone Wars finally arrives. A big part of this season will be the Siege of Mandalore -- one of the final battles in the Clone Wars before Order 66 was given and the Jedi were destroyed. Ahsoka was present for the conflict, along with Rex, Darth Maul and the Darksaber.
The Clone Wars creator Dave Filoni did hint at a return for Tano. However, that's far from confirmation of how and where she'll return. If she does return, Ahsoka deserves better than being a guest star on someone else's show, as her journey on The Clone Wars stands out as one of the best-told tales in the Star Wars universe, and with the less than great reaction the sequel trilogy as a whole received from fans, Disney needs something to keep people happy.
Those fourteen years between The Clone Wars and Rebels are a treasure trove of untold stories that fans would love to see. And while many would gladly take another animated series starring Ahsoka, the character truly deserves the live-action treatment. Ahsoka Tano brought new life and blood to Star Wars, and with her came a whole new generation of fans. And now is the perfect time to reward those dedicated fans with an Ahsoka story all her own.
Premiering Friday, Feb. 21, on Disney+, Star Wars: The Clone Wars stars Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex and the clone troopers, James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan, and Sam Witwer as Maul.