Rosario Dawson’s debut as the live-action Ahsoka Tano was one of the most hyped things about season 2 of The Mandalorian. She eventually appeared in the last episode, “The Jedi,” and the general reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. After all, Ahsoka’s a huge fan-favorite character and very well developed, with The Mandalorian continuing the story we saw begin in The Clone Wars and carry on in Rebels.
By the time this episode was set, she’s an incredibly seasoned warrior and among the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. The series didn’t shy away from showing off her skills, either, mixing Western and samurai movies (and Michael Biehn) together, and depicting her waging a one-Togruta war against a despotic magistrate.
It kicked ass, with the vast majority of viewers over the moon at seeing a fan-favorite character being brought to life so well. But, as always, there are dissenters. Purists said that Ahsoka’s montrals and head tails (the tentacle-y looking things on her head) were too short. What we saw in “The Jedi” was very similar to her old animated version, and fans argued that in the intervening years, they would naturally have grown more pronounced. Now, The Mandalorian‘s Character Concept Designer Brian Matyas has weighed in.
In response to a question on whether the montrals’ size was because it’d be impractical for the actors, he replied:
“Yea pretty much that was the chief concern. From animation to live action I did a ton of design exploration for her and their appropriate size for the actor with consideration for stunts and movement. I’m sure I’ll get to discuss at greater length in the near future!”
But really, quibbling over the length of her montrals feels like missing the forest for the trees. Ahsoka is back, baby and she’s hot on the trail of Thrawn! That line means she’s almost guaranteed to return in some form, too, either on The Mandalorian or on another unannounced Star Wars Disney+ show. It’s a good time to be a Clone Wars fan, that’s for sure.
