The final installment in the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is fast-approaching and the hype is real. Yeah, it’s been real for a month or more (years for some), but now there are less than seven days until the movie is in theaters. It’s starting to feel very real. Right now, it’s just a waiting game which includes trying to stay away from spoilers. But director J.J. Abrams revealed a massive tidbit that will make fans of The Clone Wars very, very happy.
WARNING: POTENTIAL spoilers ahead for The Rise of Skywalker!
J.J. Abrams gave a HUGE hint that Ahsoka will somehow appear in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
In an interview with Japanese outlet SoraNews24 on Dec. 13, Abrams asked the interviewer who their favorite Star Wars character is after he revealed that he loves the scoundrel, Han Solo. When the interviewer replied with Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan and huge fan-favorite, Abrams had an interesting reply. “Hmmm, Ahsoka, huh? Well, then you’ll probably want to watch closely during The Rise of Skywalker.”
Excuse us, back that up for a second. Ahsoka has only ever appeared in the animated shows The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Her arc is one of the best in all of Star Wars canon, and she is integral to a lot of events that happened between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Without a live-action version of her, how would this work? But also, can the movie come out faster so we can get a glimpse at what he means?!
How in the world can Ahsoka pop up at the time of ‘Episode IX’?
As Star Wars News Net points out, Abrams’ wording is important to note. He doesn’t confirm a cameo; instead, he said to “watch closely,” insinuating that it’ll be a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment. It’ll probably be an Easter egg, like her name is referenced or maybe her two lightsabers show up somewhere in the background.
However, there are some more spoilerific ways fans have guessed this cameo could happen. You’ve been warned:
Basically, there’s some rumbling about Force ghosts and voices appearing in a vision, specifically to Rey. So if this happens, Lady Tano’s iconic voice played by Ashley Eckstein might be heard. Rey, of course, won’t know who it is, but it might be a culmination of several past Jedi, kind of like when Ezra walked through the World Between Worlds in Rebels. That scene is a favorite among fans, so it would explain why Abrams would want to emulate it.
There has been speculation of a live-action version of Ahsoka pretty recently
There are several clues you can link to Ahsoka getting the live-action treatment. She has a connection to Cassian Andor from Rogue One since he’s a Fulcrum operative and she’s the first Fulcrum in the Resistance. Aka, she is Fulcrum and they named that group of rebels after her codename.
And in August, when Dave Filoni, The Clone Wars showrunner, was asked about a live-action Ahsoka ever happening, he replied with a coy, “Yeah, you know, never say never.” It certainly didn’t seem like it was a “No.” Now, if it isn’t a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker, which it doesn’t seem to be, than fans still have to wait for a live-action iteration of the character.
Regardless of what might happen in The Rise of Skywalker, fans of Ahsoka Tano need to their eyes peeled. Odds are, they’ll be very happy with the outcome.