It would be a bit of an understatement to say that large sections of the Star Wars fanbase haven’t been very happy recently. After the huge wave of backlash that greeted The Last Jedi, many were hopeful that J.J. Abrams’ return to the franchise for The Rise of Skywalker would right the course and deliver a fitting sendoff to one of the most beloved ongoing sagas in the history of popular culture.
Unfortunately, for a lot of people, The Rise of Skywalker marked the second time in a row that Star Wars fans had been burned by a disappointing movie, and they weren’t exactly shy in letting their opinions be known. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has been blamed for many of the franchise’s recent missteps, including the alarmingly high turnover of filmmakers, and the news that production was being halted on the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series on Disney Plus so that the show could essentially be reworked from the ground up.
Speaking of Disney’s exclusive streaming platform, Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian seems to be the only recent Star Wars-related project that earned virtually unanimous praise, although there have been rumors that Kathleen Kennedy is trying to ruin that, too. A huge announcement dropped yesterday though when it was revealed that Rosario Dawson was set to join the cast of the second season as fan favorite Jedi Ahsoka Tano, but still there are some folks who haven’t reacted well to the news, and you can see their thoughts below.
Lucasfilm just used Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka's voice in ROTS. And Eckstein's voice is currently being used as Ahsoka in The Clone Wars final season. She's even cosplayed Ahsoka, flawlessly. Nothing against Rosario Dawson, but doesn't this move seem a bit… illogical? ? pic.twitter.com/9FHmnV3crn
— Maverick Opinions ? I YouTube Poorly (@MavsOpinions) March 20, 2020
So why couldn't Ashley Eckstein, the actual voice actress for Ahsoka play her? She and Rosario Dawson are basically the same age, she looks the part with makeup. I get that's shes mainly a voice actor, but she's been in live-action things before.
— Castle-Man (@jcastlemanmc) March 20, 2020
Ashley Eckstein better be the voice like Maul in Solo. Otherwise this is massively disappointing. Solo set the precedent of animated characters having the proper voice actors in live-action
— Drew Schmidt (@DrewSchmidt115) March 20, 2020
Ashley Eckstein gave Ahsoka life, ignited her spirit, made us fall in love her, and embodied her soul in real life. Wherever she goes from here, Ahsoka lives…because of Ashley ~ @HerUniverse #AhsokaTano #AhsokaLives
— Dr. Janice Hansen (@jjturlington) March 21, 2020
Ashley Eckstein rules and Disney did her dirty by replacing her with Rosario Dawson. https://t.co/KJZZdsuZcl
— Creech wants a 501st Battlepack (@Trippandcreech) March 21, 2020
WHY NOT ASHLEY ECKSTEIN? I’m so happy she’s finally going to be included in live-action Star Wars though, man. https://t.co/Zwoy3Npl45
— Nicolas (@NicolasHenkel) March 20, 2020
ashley eckstein i am so sorry that anyone would ever do ahsoka dirty like this on god i will clock whoever made that casting decision ON SIGHT
— aj // ceo of hera syndulla (@sclaces) March 20, 2020
ashley eckstein is the only ahsoka tano i know
— (ah)sarah ⎊ (@tuatarasa) March 20, 2020
You're not worthy for playing a legend like Ahsoka Tano.
It's Ashley Eckstein's character, not yours.
These are not the values of a Jedi.https://t.co/KU31Sm3jba— Alberto Knowles (@AlbKnowles) March 21, 2020
The influence of social media has given fans a sense of entitlement and ownership when it comes to their favorite brands, and while everybody is entitled to an opinion, people are too quick to head online and pass judgement. And while Ashley Eckstein did provide Ahsoka’s voice for a brief cameo in The Rise of Skywalker, the actress was likely consulted about the decision to have somebody else play the role in live-action beforehand.
There’s no denying that Eckstein is the embodiment of the character to many people, but when it comes to a multi-billion dollar corporation like Disney and a brand as big as Star Wars, a decision was made to land an established name for The Mandalorian, and Rosario Dawson is pretty pitch-perfect casting if you ask us.
