From almost the second it was first announced to the joy of Star Wars fans everywhere that Ahsoka Tano would be coming to live-action in The Mandalorian, the rumor mill instantly began churning about a potential spinoff series. After all, former Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that the show would act as a jumping-off point for the next generation of stories set in a galaxy far, far away, and Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan is one of the most popular figures in the expanded mythology.
In fact, it almost felt like a foregone conclusion, especially when a reasonably big star like Rosario Dawson was chosen to play the role. As far as fame and visibility go, she’s easily on a par with The Mandalorian‘s leading man Pedro Pascal, and a whole lot more recognizable to casual audiences than the likes of Gina Carano, Diego Luna or Temuera Morrison, all of whom are either headlining their own Star Wars show or have been linked with doing so.
Now, insider Daniel Richtman is claiming that Disney and Lucasfilm are so pleased with Dawson’s work in this week’s episode “The Jedi” that the planned Ahsoka Tano spinoff has accelerated from being in early development to forging full steam ahead towards production, which is hardly surprising to hear after Snips captured the imagination of the internet from the second she appeared on the screen.
There was never any doubt about Ahsoka Tano going down a storm with the fanbase, although there was a slight hint of backlash in the beginning when Ashley Eckstein wasn’t given the same platform as Katee Sackhoff to reprise her animated role in live-action. Dawson did a fantastic job, though, and we can’t wait to see more of her in either The Mandalorian or a solo series.
