Ashley Eckstein Strongly Encourages STAR WARS Fans to Watch Animated Shows Before AHSOKA Is Released

Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: Ahsoka series is coming to Disney+ next month, and it will see Rosario Dawson back in action as Ahsoka Tano as she continues her epic journey. While we wait for the show to drop, Ashley Eckstein, who played Ahsoka in the Star Wars animated shows, is strongly encouraging fans and audiences to watch those animated shows to be able to fully appreciate what the new live-action Ahsoka series is going to deliver.

During a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Eckstein shared her excitement about the new series, but also hopes fans will watch the animated shows first. She explained:

"I actually recommend to everyone who is excited about the upcoming Ahsoka series, I highly recommend that you take the time to watch Clone Wars, and watch Star Wars Rebels, and even Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Because if you don't, you're going to miss out on crucial, crucial backstory that you really need to know to fully enjoy the Ahsoka series, which is so exciting.”

She went on to talk about the importance of knowing Ahsoka’s backstory:

"We're gonna get so many new and incredible stories, but without that backstory, and full understanding of who Ahsoka is and even who the other characters are, you're not going to have as rich or in-depth of an understanding and appreciation of what's going to happen in the series without the backstory, so I'm very grateful that Clone Wars and Rebels and Tales the Jedi are on Disney+. Any chance I get, I tell fans, 'Go and watch it and binge it before you watch the Ahsoka series. It's really gonna matter.'" 

Eckstein went on to say:

"And then Clone Wars and Rebels and even Tales the Jedi in general... You know, at some point, most Star Wars fans go back and watch the movies. They watch Episodes IV, V, and VI, and I, II, and III. Well now, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, they're a part of that timeline. It's part of the story. It's part of the overall trajectory and journey of these characters, so without watching those series, you're kind of missing out. They're all connected. I highly recommend that fans watch them."

I 100% agree with Eckstein. I’ve been telling everyone I know that haven’t watched the Star Wars animated shows to watch them! First of all, they're freakin’ great and tell strong Star Wars stories. Second, yes, knowing Ahsoka’s backstory is important and will give you a better understanding of the character when you watch the series.

Now, Filoni previously said you don’t need to watch the animated shows to understand the Ahsoka series and said:

"We never want to create a situation where you feel like you have to have seen these things because then you're missing out. I don't know how fans feel, but – do you have to have seen The Clone Wars to understand Ahsoka? No, you don't have to have seen that.”

However, he did go on to explain that watching it will help and it will help you understand it more:

"Does it help, will you know more and understand more? Sure. But it's not – if you haven't checked it out, but you can, thanks to Disney Plus, it's right there. We picked up A New Hope at Episode 4, right? So Star Wars, to us, we came in in the middle of it. So there is a kind of history in Star Wars of just diving right into the story. So I really do dive right into the story with Ahsoka, but I know more about it because of the work of The Mandalorian." 

The bottom line is if you haven’t watched the animated Star Wars shows yet, you’ve got to watch them! I You’ll be glad you did. Watching the shows will also help you appreciate Star Wars lore a lot more, especially with the prequel trilogy.

The official logline reads: “Set after the fall of the Empire, Star Wars: Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.”

The show will pick up where Star Wars Rebels left off and the search for Ezra Bridger begins. The series is set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka “follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.”

That threat is Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who we get a first look at in the trailer, and Ezra took off with him to an unknown location. Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) joins Ahsoka on her journey, and she is still very much dedicated to finding Ezra. They will be joined by Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the droid, Chopper, and Zeb will also most likely return.

The series also stars Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Ivanna Sakhno, Eman Esfandi as Ezra, Ray Stevenson as Baylon, and Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati.

The limited series is written by Dave Filoni who executive produces along with Jon Favreau and Kathleen Kennedy.

Ahsoka will debut on Disney+ on August 23, 2023.