“I was very adamant after the Season Two finale that that was it for Ahsoka on Rebels…but after the reaction…I dunno. It just might be possible to see her again.” Huge applause.
He says she grew into someone fans love and respect. “We at Lucasfilm really appreciate that.”
“The reason why can we do this panel is because of the fan support for this character,” Filoni says.
Filoni: “It’s my feeling that it’s not a ruse. It’s an extension of the concept ‘Let me look on you with my own eyes.’ … Nothing can change Vader until Luke. There’s no way Ahsoka can bring Anakin back. … I wanted a suspended moment where she has to deal with the reality and he has to resolve that he’s going to destroy her.”
Q: In the moments after Ahsoka hits Vader, who is calling her name?
This is explored in the new book coming out.
He mentions how in the real-world, you can get a feeling if something has happened to someone you love. Around the time of Order 66, Ahsoka cannot see Anakin in the Force. That’s why she doesn’t think he could be Darth Vader.
“Yeah, I would definitely think so,” Filoni says.
Q: Throughout Star Wars we see Force users have a connection between the two of them. Did Anakin and Ahsoka?
Now a couple of minutes for fan questions — one fan delivers her daughter’s Ahsoka drawing to Ashley!
Now a short clip of an animatic from the Nix arc — very cool!
Huge applause!
Aaaand the exclusive reveal of the Funko POP! Ahsoka!
Filoni has done a series of images for Topps! You can collect these digitally now. “These explore visually, metaphorically, what the ending is about.”
Ahsoka Lives?
The sketches would help Filoni figure out how to stage and direct.
Filoni would send these to Simon Kinberg, giving him something visual to help while he’s writing.
They had an Episode VIII meeting with Rian Johnson, who sent countless emails. “Are you SURE I can erase it??”
“This was on the whiteboard. Everyone was too afraid to erase it.”
Leading into the end of Rebels Season Two. Whiteboard illustrations!
“I always wanted white lightsabers…It was more indicative of the fact that she’s not chosen a side. She’s not a Jedi and she’s not a Sith.”
Now showing various concept art — Filoni found photos of samurai women, and that influenced the design.
Filoni sketched Ahsoka during the early creation of Rebels, but didn’t want Rebels to just be a sequel of Clone Wars.
Now, bringing Ahsoka into Rebels.
(You can see the tail of the monkey on her boot!) “It’s going to be an exciting addition to the story of this character,” Filoni says.
The author worked with Filoni on the story. “The more I can get exposure for her, it makes her even stronger as a character.” It’s a part of her saga.
An Ahsoka young adult novel!
Filoni explains the scene: clones mistake the wolves for trees, as their legs are so big. Sounds amazing! Applause from the crowd!
Now showing a sketch of Ahsoka riding a huge wolf.
Filoni: “Every single episode of Clone Wars has a bunch of different [concept] drawings to go with it.”
“We consider it to have happened,” Hidalgo says. It informs the writing on Star Wars Rebels.
Sketch shows Ahsoka leading a charge of clones and Mandalorians, and another with Ahsoka dueling Maul.
And Anakin leaves a battalion of clones –including Rex — with Ahsoka for the fight on Mandalore. “That’s why Rex isn’t in the movie.”
It was leading right into Revenge of the Sith.
Anakin tells Ahsoka how proud he was of her.
Ahsoka meets with Obi-Wan and Anakin in person to help them, but Yoda interrupts them, recalling Obi-Wan and Anakin to Coruscant — the city was attacked and the Chancellor was abducted.
They realize Maul is back on Mandalore.
Filoni explains that Ahsoka was working with Bo-Katan.
One of the final arcs of the series would have reunited Ahsoka with Anakin.
She doesn’t go back to being a Jedi or in the Order, “but she still trusts Anakin, she still trusts Obi-Wan,” Filoni says.
In the arc, Ahsoka would reach the core level of Coruscant before going back, and also come close to fighting Darth Sidious.
The third arc was called “Return to the Jedi,” as Ahsoka goes back to the surface when an unmentioned enemy puts Yoda in danger.
Another arc! Ahsoka heads back to the surface of Coruscant. Outfit designs were reminiscent of Ventress and The Sister from Mortis.
“It humanizes Ahsoka, as well,” Collins says. “She’s more comfortable there [in 1313] because it’s more of an extreme environment. She goes from one extreme to another,” Filoni says.
As Nix comes from a lower level of Coruscant, he doesn’t like Jedi.
Hidalgo: “She keeps the fact that she was a Jedi a secret from Nix.”
In the arc, she’d get mixed up with all characters in the underworld. “It’s a big challenge for her to be around these other characters.” Nix might have been her boyfriend in the arc…!
The scoundrel is called Nix. He was going to be an Asian male lead.
In Ahsoka’s Walkabout, Hidalgo explains, Ahsoka meets a scoundrel in level 1313 of Coruscant.
“I have to make some decisions,” Filoni says. “You have to be careful you don’t corner yourself.”
Collins: Do you not share all the backstory so you can change things?
Eckstein says Filoni gives specific direction to each actor to get them to the emotions they need for their scenes.
Eckstein: “Dave is one of the best, if not the best, directors I’ve ever worked with.”
Eckstein: “In between from when she walks away and when she comes back in Rebels, Sam Witwer and I know an important part…But there’s so much we don’t know.”
They also did lots of outfit exploration. Something Jedi-like but not. Filoni wanted to put an animal on Ahsoka’s boot: a monkey. “It’s more of a lemur,” Filoni concedes.
The picture below takes place after Ahsoka left the Jedi Order. The bike would be reused as Kanan’s bike. “She has a heavy burden now, trying to live as a normal person on Coruscant,” Filoni says.
Hidalgo: When The Clone Wars ended production, there 3 untold Ahsoka arcs. The first is “Ahsoka’s Walkabout.”
In this early story concept, a bounty hunter was looking for Ahsoka as a child.
Filoni: “As a storyteller, I want to tell as many stories as I can, so I get them all down.” But he has to be economical about telling these stories. So Ahsoka as a child is seen in a flashback. It’s there for future exploration.
Filoni: Where Ahsoka grew up, they recognized she was a potential Jedi, but also knew that could be dangerous.
Hidalgo had the crew pull together Dave’s sketches. This is Plo Koon finding Ahsoka.
Collins: Where Ahsoka goes in the series is “so incredibly awesome… What are the untold tales?” Hidalgo brought a presentation!
Eckstein and Hidalgo are wearing matching shirts, based on the final scene from the Rebels season finale.
There’s an empty chair…Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka, takes the stage!
Hey, folks! We’re live at the Ahsoka’s Untold Tales panel. Host David Collins takes the stage and introduces the Story Group’s Pablo Hidalgo and Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni!
That’s it! Thanks for following along!