Why Ahsoka Went From A Movie To A Streaming Star Wars Series
"Ahsoka" represented a pretty big moment for many "Star Wars" fans when it arrived on Disney+ earlier this year. Ahsoka Tano originally debuted in "The Clone Wars" and, despite a rocky start, has become one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise. The live-action series represented a full-circle moment on that journey as the character not only got a show, but a big-budget, live-action show on one of the biggest streaming services in the business. It turns out that creator Dave Filoni originally envisioned it as a movie.
Speaking with IGN ahead of the show's premiere, Filoni explained that he spent a long time thinking about how to bring Ahsoka Tano to live-action. Rosario Dawson debuted as the character on "The Mandalorian" before getting her own spin-off. But when Filoni first was thinking about all of this, movies were still the only vehicle for live-action "Star Wars." Here's what he had to say about it:
"In a lot of ways, I would think years ago I was trying to crack, 'So how do I take Ahsoka in live action?' And it was going to be a movie. Because pretty much the only outlet for live-action would've been cinematic. But as streaming becomes available, you start to think, 'Okay, so let me think of this episodically.' Which for me made a lot more sense because I've been doing nothing but episodic for years. And 'Mandalorian' kind of opened this door to say, live-action, episodic, 'Star Wars' television. Which when I was a kid, I would've killed for that. I mean, I'd watch that every week. So it's really fulfilling something we liked.
When "The Mandalorian" premiered, everything changed. The franchise has increasingly become a TV-driven enterprise, with shows like "Andor" and "Obi-Wan Kenobi" doing some more heavy lifting on that front.
'Doing an episode was infinitely easier to absorb'
Filoni is one of the most respected minds to ever touch "Star Wars." He was essentially George Lucas' protege on "The Clone Wars" before taking on "Rebels" under the Disney era. But he didn't have a ton of experience in live-action. Fortunately, these shows gave him the opportunity to dip a toe in that arena. "As it's evolved and changed, I think there's a confidence growing because people are getting to come in and do an episode. One episode. And try an episode," Filoni explained. "For me, doing an episode was infinitely easier to absorb and understand than if I had to start doing a movie."
Now, Filoni is one of the biggest creative voices at Lucasfilm, right up there with President Kathleen Kennedy. Filoni was recently promoted to Chief Creative Officer. In that role, he'll be guiding the future of a galaxy far, far away on both the big and small screen. Speaking further, he explained how his work on the live-action TV shows has helped him to guide the franchise into the future.
"For me it's creatively I think managing the story and all these different characters, which I've been doing in 'Clone Wars,' but it's just a little different in live-action ... Working with the performers is different. So on a personal level, it's been exponential learning, every time I do an episode. or am helping guide other episodes, or working with the other episode directors."
All of that helped bring us to this moment where Ahsoka Tano got to take the spotlight in the flesh. Ahsoka was Filoni's baby and, given that he is the man who helped give "Star Wars" a home on TV, it feels fitting that his greatest creation carried on in that medium. And let's not forget that Filoni is developing a movie, which he's planning to direct. So Ahsoka is still destined to grace the silver screen.
"Ahsoka" is streaming now on Disney+.