SPOILER WARNING: If you have not yet watched Chapter 13 “The Jedi” from Season 2 of The Mandalorian, you are about to tread into spoiler territory. Proceed at your own risk.
With Ahsoka Tano making her live-action debut in Chapter 13 “The Jedi” from Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Vanity Fair recently chatted with series creator Dave Filoni (he directed this episode as well) and actress Rosario Dawson about bringing this beloved Star Wars character to life. Filoni and Dawson also speak about having George Lucas on set, the continuation of Ahsoka’s story in this new Disney+ series, and of course the revelations about The Child that Chapter 13 delivered.
We also have a few high resolution stills of Dawson as Ahsoka (click each image below for a larger view). Check out the intro to Vanity Fair’s piece coped below and then click here for the must-read interview.
Star Wars fans have all seen the photo of George Lucas on the set of The Mandalorian, cradling Baby Yoda like a proud grandfather, but there is something about that slightly blurry snapshot that they don’t know. Just out of frame stood another beloved galactic figure who until then had only existed in animation—Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano.
Her casting was long rumored online, but no one else got to see her as the Force-wielder with the blue and white headtails and twin lightsabers until last Friday’s new episode of the Disney+ series. That chapter—“The Jedi”—not only unveiled the live-action, grown-up version of the The Clone Wars and Rebels character, but also dropped game-changing new information about Baby Yoda’s past and hinted at another fan-favorite Star Wars figure who may appear in the future.
Dawson and Dave Filoni, the writer-director of the episode who developed Ahsoka with Lucas during their years working together in animation, spoke exclusively with Vanity Fair about the biggest revelations—from The Child’s name and backstory, to the reason for setting the story on a wildfire-stricken planet. Dawson also addressed a lingering personal controversy that has concerned many fans of Ahsoka.
