Ahsoka
Season 1
Promotional poster
Showrunner	Dave Filoni
Starring	Rosario Dawson Natasha Liu Bordizzo Mary Elizabeth Winstead Ray Stevenson Ivanna Sakhno Diana Lee Inosanto David Tennant Eman Esfandi Evan Whitten Genevieve O'Reilly Hayden Christensen Ariana Greenblatt Lars Mikkelsen Anthony Daniels
No. of episodes	8
Release
Original network	Disney+
Original release	August 22 (2023-08-22) – October 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)
Season chronology
Next → Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the American television seriesAhsoka is part of theStar Wars franchise, taking place in the same timeframe as the seriesThe Mandalorian (2019–2023) after the events of the filmReturn of the Jedi (1983). It follows formerJedi apprenticeAhsoka Tano and her allies as they attempt to preventGrand Admiral Thrawn from returning and uniting the remnants of theGalactic Empire against the fledglingNew Republic. The season was produced byLucasfilm andGolem Creations, withDave Filoni serving asshowrunner.

Rosario Dawson stars as the title character, reprising her role fromThe Mandalorian.Natasha Liu Bordizzo,Mary Elizabeth Winstead,Ray Stevenson,Ivanna Sakhno,Diana Lee Inosanto,David Tennant,Eman Esfandi,Evan Whitten,Genevieve O'Reilly,Hayden Christensen,Ariana Greenblatt,Lars Mikkelsen (Thrawn), andAnthony Daniels also star. A spin-off fromThe Mandalorian focused on Ahsoka was announced in December 2020. The series allowed Filoni to continue a story he had been planning since the animated seriesStar Wars Rebels (2014–2018) ended, further exploring Ahsoka following that series andStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020), and bringing key characters fromRebels into live-action such as Bordizzo asSabine Wren. Filming took place inLos Angeles from May to October 2022, using the sameStageCraft virtual production technology asThe Mandalorian.

The season premiered on the streaming serviceDisney+ on August 22, 2023, with its first two episodes. The other six episodes were released through October 3. Viewership was estimated to be high, and similar to otherStar Wars series on Disney+. Reviews were generally positive, with critics commonly feeling that the season was a good franchise entry for existingStar Wars fans and praising the performances of Dawson and Stevenson, but criticizing the slow pacing and some other "stiff" performances. The season received various accolades, including a posthumousPrimetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for costume designerShawna Trpcic. Asecond season was confirmed in January 2024.^[1]

Ahsoka Tano was created for the animated seriesStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020) byStar Wars creatorGeorge Lucas andThe Clone Warssupervising directorDave Filoni. Voiced byAshley Eckstein, the character is theJedi apprentice ofAnakin Skywalker, the main character of theStar Wars prequel films (1999–2005). Ahsoka became a fan favorite character and Eckstein reprised her role for the follow-up animated seriesStar Wars Rebels (2014–2018).^[23]Rebels was co-created by Filoni and focuses on a group of heroes who resist theGalactic Empire: the JediKanan Jarrus, his apprenticeEzra Bridger, pilotHera Syndulla,Mandalorian warriorSabine Wren,Zeb Orrelios, and Hera's droidChopper.^[24][25] DuringRebels, Ahsoka learns that Anakin has fallen to the dark side ofthe Force and become theSith lordDarth Vader. In thefinal season, Kanan sacrifices his life and Ezra is taken to an unknown location with antagonistGrand Admiral Thrawn. The series ends with an epilogue in which Ahsoka joins Sabine to search for Ezra,^[23] leading to speculation about a new series focusing on them. Filoni said he had ideas for that story but nothing was in development. He described bringing the two characters together as "a unification ofClone Wars andRebels", and said he would not want someone else to tell their story.^[26][27]

The franchise expanded to live-action television with theDisney+ seriesThe Mandalorian (2019–2023).^[28] CreatorJon Favreau worked with Filoni to develop the series,^[29] which is set after the fall of the Empire.^[30] When thinking of a way to reveal details about the Jedi to the series' characters, Filoni realized that Ahsoka would be able to provide this information.^[31] After writing and directing episodes of thefirst season, he felt confident enough in his filmmaking abilities to be able to introduce her to live-action in thesecond season without "mess[ing] it up"; it was important to Filoni that fans who grew up watching the animated Ahsoka feel that a live-action version was the same character.^[32]Disney CEOBob Iger said in February 2020 that spin-offs ofThe Mandalorian were being considered, and there was potential to add characters to the series to then give them their own series.^[33]Rosario Dawson was reported to be cast as Ahsoka for the second season a month later,^[23] but this was not officially confirmed until the episode she appears in, "Chapter 13: The Jedi", was released in November.^[34] Dawson studied acting withHayden Christensen, who portrayed Anakin in the prequel films,^[31] and first expressed interest in playing Ahsoka in live-action after her casting was suggested by a fan in February 2017.^[23] Filoni wrote and directed the episode,^[34] which depicts Ahsoka searching for Thrawn; Filoni suggested that this is before Ahsoka joins Sabine in the epilogue ofRebels.^[31] The episode introducesDiana Lee Inosanto asMorgan Elsbeth, a servant of Thrawn.^[35]

Lucasfilm announced several spin-off series fromThe Mandalorian in December 2020, includingAhsoka andThe Book of Boba Fett (2021).^[2][36][37] The new series were set in the same trimeframe asThe Mandalorian—during the 30 years between the filmsReturn of the Jedi (1983) andStar Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)—and were planned to culminate in a "climactic story event";^[38][39] Filoni indicated that this would involve a conflict with the remnants of the Empire whichAhsoka helps build towards.^[40] The series were being concurrently developed by Favreau and Filoni,^[38] with Filoni creating, writing, and serving as lead producer andshowrunner onAhsoka.^[41][42] Lucasfilm'sKathleen Kennedy, Carrie Beck, andColin Wilson were also executive producers.^[43]Peter Ramsey was hired to direct at least one episode by April 2022,^[44] and Filoni was confirmed to be directing multiple episodes the next month.^[45] In April 2023, the season was revealed to have eight episodes,^[46] and the other directors were announced:Jennifer Getzinger,Geeta Patel,The Book of Boba Fett'sSteph Green, andThe Mandalorian'sRick Famuyiwa.^[10] Filoni said each episode would be similar in length toThe Mandalorian's episodes, though he tended to prefer longer episodes than Favreau which sometimes needed to be edited down to improve pacing.^[47]

Following speculation and reports about the series,^[4][48] Filoni confirmed thatAhsoka would continue the story he established in the epilogue ofRebels.^[49] He never expected to tell this story as a spin-off from a series likeThe Mandalorian, and found it intimidating to actually write after thinking about it for so many years.^[50] When asked ifAhsoka was effectively a fifth season ofRebels, Filoni said that was "one way of looking at it" but he also saw all of hisStar Wars projects as one larger story.^[51] He said viewers did not need to watchThe Clone Wars andRebels to understandAhsoka but he felt it would help, and he hopedAhsoka would lead to new audiences discovering the animated series on Disney+.^[52][53] The first person Filoni sent each script to was Beck, who he had been working with since the start ofRebels, and he also appreciated getting Favreau's advice from a perspective outside of Filoni's understanding of the characters and animated history.^[49]

The season is set after Ahsoka's appearances in the second season ofThe Mandalorian and inThe Book of Boba Fett,^[29] and takes place concurrently with thethird season ofThe Mandalorian.^[54] It begins with Ahsoka as a wanderingrōnin who Filoni compared to the main character ofAkira Kurosawa's filmYojimbo (1961), noting that Lucas was inspired by the works of Kurosawa when originally creatingStar Wars.^[55] This depiction of the character comes after Ahsoka's decision to leave the Jedi and the subsequent destruction of the Order inThe Clone Wars,^[56] as well as the revelation that Anakin is Darth Vader inRebels. This season was Filoni's first opportunity to explore these issues with the character, and he wanted to show what she feels this all means about her own potential for darkness. He also wanted to explore Ahsoka's feelings about continuing this legacy with an apprentice of her own,^[40] and the relationships between masters and apprentices became a key theme throughout the season.^{[57]: 2–3} Ahsoka is revealed to have taken Sabine on as herPadawan learner after the main events ofRebels, but they parted ways soon after when Sabine's family were killed duringthe purge of Mandalore and her subsequent internal struggle reminded Ahsoka too much of Anakin.^[40][58] Filoni was planning this storyline by the end ofRebels, having come to feel that Sabine was more than just a Mandalorian warrior. He saw similarities between the character and Anakin, and chose to pair Sabine with Ahsoka in the epilogue ofRebels because of the complicated relationship that could potentially be developed between Ahsoka and an apprentice who reminds her of her own master. He was also interested by the idea of someone training to be a Jedi who does not have a strong connection to the Force, feeling that differentiated the story from mostStar Wars projects which are often about very talented Jedi who he felt were not always relatable to the audience. Filoni disagreed with some fans who felt this was going against the franchise's established rules for the Force, noting that the Force has always been described as connecting to all living beings and adding his view that anyone can become a Jedi with the right training.^[55]

Borrowing fromJ. R. R. Tolkien's novelThe Lord of the Rings (1954–55), which was a big inspiration for his storytelling, Filoni wanted Ahsoka to go through a similar transformation as the characterGandalf who begins as the wandering, unsure "Gandalf the Grey" but is later reborn as the wise and powerful "Gandalf the White".^[55] This transformation was hinted at in the epilogue ofRebels, in which Ahsoka appears wearing all white, leading to some fans calling her "Ahsoka the White".^[49] The second episode of the season recreates the epilogue in live-action, but it changes Ahsoka's costume from white to gray to allow her transformation to come later in the season.^[59] In the fifth episode, Ahsoka is nearly killed and goes through a near-death experience in the mysterious "World Between Worlds" that was first introduced inRebels. There, the spirit of Anakin helps Ahsoka work through her character issues.^[40] Filoni saw the World Between Worlds as a "cinematic device" that allowed him to show flashbacks to theClone Wars for viewers who had not seen that series. However, he did not want this to become a "Star Wars history lesson" and focused on the relationship between Ahsoka and Anakin. He saw Ahsoka's time in the World Between Worlds as the turning point for her character, allowing her to accept her past, move forward, and be less stoic.^[55] This is signified by a costume change to "Ahsoka the White" at the end of the episode.^[59] Filoni wanted the audience to question whether the World Between Worlds was in Ahsoka's mind or if she was actually talking to the spirit of Anakin. He also wanted to keep the focus on Ahsoka's issues rather than Anakin's as he felt Lucas had already resolved the latter'scharacter arc in theStar Wars films and did not want to change that.^[40] He wanted to depict Anakin as the "heroic older brother" and famous Jedi that Ahsoka once looked up to,^[55] and prioritized seeing Christensen's performance over the Darth Vader costume which is only seen in brief flashes.^[55]

Ahsoka and Sabine's hunt for Thrawn and Ezra takes them to a new galaxy in a first for the franchise. Filoni was inspired by an image of multiple galaxies seen in the filmStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and felt this step was necessary because he thought it unlikely that Thrawn and Ezra would have remained hidden for so long if they were still in the known galaxy.^[40] For Thrawn's live-action introduction, Filoni and Favreau consulted authorTimothy Zahn who originally created the character for theExpanded Universe (EU) novelHeir to the Empire (1991).^[60] The novel is referenced in the season when Ahsoka describes Thrawn as "the heir to the Empire".^[61] The planet that is visited in the new galaxy, Peridea, is the ancient homeworld of Morgan's people, theNightsister witches. Similar to Thrawn, that group of characters were first introduced in an EU novel, in this caseDave Wolverton'sThe Courtship of Princess Leia (1994), before appearing in the animated series. The three Nightsister "Great Mothers" who live on Peridea–Aktropaw, Klothow, and Lakesis–are named after the threeFates fromGreek mythology:Atropos,Clotho, andLachesis.^[16][62] Other antagonists introduced in the season includeBaylan Skoll, a former Jedi who is disillusioned with the Order and searching for a secret power; his apprenticeShin Hati, who he is teaching to be "something more" than a Jedi;^[40] and the Jedi-huntingInquisitor Marrok.^[63] Filoni always includes wolves or references to wolves in his work because of his love for the animals,^[55] and the names Skoll and Hati are references to wolves fromNorse mythology–Sköll andHati, respectively–while Marrok is named for a lesser-knownKnight of the Round Table fromArthurian legend who is turned into awerewolf.^[63]

The season ends with Ahsoka and Sabine trapped in the new galaxy, Thrawn and Ezra returning to the originalStar Wars galaxy,^[55] and Baylan discovering large statues of theMortis gods, powerful Force-wielders introduced inThe Clone Wars.^[40] Filoni hoped the statues would still be a striking image for viewers who had not seenThe Clone Wars. He had ideas for continuing the story, but if that did not happen he was at least happy to have Ezra return by the end of the season as that was an important milestone for him.^[55] In the last scene of the season, Anakin appears as aForce ghost watching over Ahsoka and Sabine. Filoni said Anakin was always watching over Ahsoka but she was not able to see him until her transformation in the fifth episode. This scene depicts the season's master and apprentices theme by featuring three generations of Jedi—Anakin, Ahsoka, and Sabine—in one shot.^[40]

Rosario Dawson was confirmed to be reprising her role as Ahsoka Tano fromThe Mandalorian with the series' announcement in December 2020;^[2] Dawson took over from Ashley Eckstein, who voiced Ahsoka in the animated series.^[23] In July 2021, Dawson acknowledged rumors that Ezra Bridger and Thrawn would be in the series.^[48] By the following month, Lucasfilm was looking for an actress to co-star in the series as Sabine Wren,^[64] who was voiced byTiya Sircar inRebels.^[4] In October, Christensen was set to reprise his role as Anakin, reportedly appearing as a Force ghost due to the series being set after the character's death.^[9]Natasha Liu Bordizzo was cast as Sabine a month later,^[4] whenIvanna Sakhno joined the cast.^[65]Mary Elizabeth Winstead was added to the cast in January 2022,^[66] andRay Stevenson joined the next month to play an antagonist other than Thrawn. Stevenson previously voicedGar Saxon inRebels andThe Clone Wars.^[67]

AtStar Wars Celebration Anaheim in May 2022, Bordizzo was officially announced as Sabine. The characters Hera and Chopper were also confirmed to be returning fromRebels.^[68][69] Bordizzo auditioned for the series with a scene fromTop Gun (1986) and another scene that reminded her ofStar Wars characterHan Solo. Not knowing what the project was, she assumed it was related toMarvel Studios because casting directorSarah Halley Finn is also known for working with that company. Bordizzo was surprised to get an offer to star in the series based directly on her self-tape audition, with no callbacks or additional audition stages; Favreau later said he preferred to streamline the casting process as much as possible following his own acting experiences.^[70]

In September 2022,Eman Esfandi was cast as Ezra, who was voiced byTaylor Gray inRebels.^[7] Esfandi was not aStar Wars fan, but felt confident that he was the right person to portray Ezra and said so to his agent and manager six months before being asked to audition. He researched the character online as if Ezra was a real historical figure, and chose not to watchRebels because he did not want to be "too hokey about trying to copy a certain physicality and mannerisms" from an animated series. Esfandi auditioned for the character, codenamed "Riz", using the sameTop Gun scene that Bordizzo auditioned with. He deduced that the audition was for Ezra and felt he had captured the character in his performance. Similar to Bordizzo, Esfandi was offered the role a day later based solely on his self-tape.^[71]Mena Massoud also auditioned to play Ezra after being suggested for the role by fans and being rumored to be cast as the character for over a year.^[7][48]

Winstead was revealed to be portraying Hera atStar Wars Celebration London in April 2023,^[6] replacingRebels voice actressVanessa Marshall.^[72] Winstead's husband,Ewan McGregor, starred asObi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel films and the Disney+ seriesObi-Wan Kenobi (2022).^[73] She said it was a luxury to be able to refer toRebels when developing her portrayal.^[74] Also at Celebration London, the names of the antagonists that Sakhno and Stevenson play were revealed to be Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll, respectively,^[6] while several actors were announced to be reprising their roles from previousStar Wars projects: Inosanto returned as Morgan Elsbeth fromThe Mandalorian,Genevieve O'Reilly reprised her role asMon Mothma from the films and the seriesAndor (2022–present),David Tennant again voiced the droidHuyang as he did inThe Clone Wars, andLars Mikkelsen reprised his role as Thrawn fromRebels.^[5] Filoni first hinted to Mikkelsen that he could reprise his role in live-action when the actor finished his voice work forRebels, but it was not until a year-and-a-half later when Filoni contacted him about appearing inAhsoka. Mikkelsen's role in the series was kept a secret until it was announced at Celebration London, with Mikkelsen repeatedly denying his involvement before the reveal.^[10][75]

Later in April 2023,Wes Chatham was revealed to be appearing as Thrawn's "right-hand man",^[76] Captain Enoch.^[17] The third episode introducesEvan Whitten asJacen Syndulla, the son of Hera and Kanan.^[8] For flashbacks to the Clone Wars in the fifth episode,Ariana Greenblatt portrays a young Ahsoka andTemuera Morrison voicesCaptain Rex, reprising his role as theclone troopers from theStar Wars films.^[3][21] In the seventh episode,Anthony Daniels reprises hisStar Wars film and television role as the droidC-3PO.^[11] Additionally,Paul Sun-Hyung Lee reprises his role as CaptainCarson Teva fromThe Mandalorian andThe Book of Boba Fett,^[15] andthe Mandalorian's on-setdouble from those series, Brendan Wayne, appears as Lieutenant Lander;^[77]Clancy Brown portraysRyder Azadi, reprising his voice role fromRebels,^[18] whileVinny Thomas appears asJai Kell, who was voiced byDante Basco inRebels;^[19]Nelson Lee plays SenatorHamato Xiono, who was introduced in the animated seriesStar Wars Resistance (2018–2020) voiced byTzi Ma;^[20] and Elden Bennett appears asStar Wars film characterAdmiral Ackbar.^[22]Sam Witwer, who hasvoiced numerous characters in variousStar Wars projects, provided additional voices for the season,^[78] while Filoni provided the voice for Chopper as he did inRebels.^[13]

Rebels character Zeb was introduced to the live-action series with a brief appearance in the third season ofThe Mandalorian, created throughmotion capture and visual effects withRebels voice actorSteve Blum reprising his role.^[79] Zeb was subsequently not included in the first season ofAhsoka. Lyvie Scott atInverse speculated that this was due to the visual effects requirements for the character and felt hisMandalorian appearance was being used to explain his absence inAhsoka.^[80] Kanan was also not brought back fromRebels, because of the character's death, but an edited picture of voice actorFreddie Prinze Jr. was used as an on-set picture of Kanan.^[81]

Production designers Andrew L. Jones andDoug Chiang returned fromThe Mandalorian andThe Book of Boba Fett,^[82] as did costume designerShawna Trpcic who died soon after the season was released.^[83] Prop master Josh Roth was responsible for thelightsabers.^[84] As with the previous live-actionStar Wars series, the lightsaber hilts were connected to glowing tubes to create on-set interactive lighting. Filoni felt some of the previous series had taken the lightsaber brightness too far and wanted the light levels inAhsoka to be closer to those in theStar Wars films.^[85] He designed Ahsoka's lightsaber hilts to be slimmer than the others, comparing them toshoto andkatana, but this led to issues fitting the batteries for the interactive lighting inside the hilt.^[32] The solution forThe Mandalorian was to hide the batteries in Dawson's sleeves, but this was not practical forAhsoka considering the amount of fighting the character does throughout the season. They were able to improve the technology so the batteries would fit inside the slimmer hilts instead.^[84] The lightsaber blades for Baylan and Shin are more orange than the red that is traditionally used forStar Wars antagonists, which Filoni said was an indication that the characters are not strictly villains. Their color is based on the way Darth Vader's lightsaber would fluctuate between red and orange in some scenes of theoriginalStar Wars films (1977–1983) due to the older technology being used.^[86] Stevenson requested adjustments to Baylan's lightsaber hilt based on his understanding of the character.^[84]

Make-up and prosthetics were used to bring characters from the animated seriesStar Wars Rebels into live-action. Pictured here in costume areMary Elizabeth Winstead asHera Syndulla (top) andLars Mikkelsen asGrand Admiral Thrawn (bottom).

Filoni said all elements of the animated characters' appearances were considered to an "unbelievable" degree when translating them into live-action. Ahsoka has orange skin, white markings on her face, and blue-and-white montrals (horns) and lekku (head tails).^[31][49] Filoni wanted her skin to look natural and less saturated than in the animated series, and wanted the white markings to be subtle and not look like face paint. He told Dawson not to worry about her brown eyes differing from Ahsoka's blue eyes, but Dawson chose to wear colored contact lenses which she felt made the difference between wearingcosplay versus actually portraying the character.^[31] She was disappointed to see that the prosthetic montrals and lekku were much shorter than their animated series look, but accepted Filoni's explanation that this was needed to accommodate for her fighting and stunts.^[49] New technology was developed for the series to create the montrals and lekku, allowing them to be bigger and move more realistically than inThe Mandalorian andThe Book of Boba Fett. Dawson called it a3D-printed skull cap with an internal skeleton to give the lekku more fluid movement.^[42][87][88] It was difficult applying the prosthetics around Dawson's long hair in the previous series, so she considered shaving her head forAhsoka but ultimately decided to just cut her hair shorter.^[49] It took more than three hours to apply Dawson's make-up and prosthetics for the previous series, but the team got this down to 90 minutes forAhsoka.^[87] Hera has green skin and lekku, which took around three hours to apply to Winstead in the initial test. This was eventually reduced to an hour, which Winstead noted was a normal amount of time to get make-up applied for a series.^[89] Thrawn has blue skin and red eyes,^[75] and Mikkelsen spent two-to-three hours in make-up each day. Filoni said there was a long process selecting the correct shades of orange, green, and blue so the characters had a "sense of blood and skin". He praised the actors for committing to the extra time required for make-up and prosthetics to portray the characters.^[90]

InRebels, Sabine is known for frequently changing her hair color and style. She beginsAhsoka with long hair that Filoni wanted to start purple and transition to orange. She then cuts her hair to be short and purple. Hair designer Maria Sandoval wanted these colors to be more muted than in the animated series, but said they were still bold enough that it would be a "chemical impossibility" for Bordizzo's hair to hold the color for the duration of filming. She instead decided to use hair dye for an initial long wig and then fabric dye for a shorter wig after the character cuts her hair. Sandoval's team spent two months testing different dyes to get the colors right. An in-between wig was created for the scene where Sabine cuts her hair, while duplicates of the shorter wig were created for Bordizza's stunt double and for scenes where Sabine is wearing her helmet. The short wig is not as short as Sabine's hair inRebels, with Sandoval prioritizing comfort and femininity for Bordizzo. Inosanto's first scene in the series uses the same wig asThe Mandalorian, but Sandoval updated the character's hair for subsequent scenes inAhsoka. The new look combines the existing silvery gray color, which was inspired by previous depictions of the Nightsisters, with a new style that Sandoval described as a cross between theQueen of Hearts fromAlice in Wonderland (1951) andLady Tremaine fromCinderella (1950). Thrawn's black hair is a wig because Mikkelsen did not have the right hairline for the character. Sandoval added some gray hairs to reflect the difficult environment Thrawn has been in since the end ofRebels, but kept his hair looking "composed" because the character would not let himself appear "shaggy". Sandoval closely studiedStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) to replicate Christensen's mullet hairstyle from that film. For the Clone Wars flashbacks she wanted to show what Christensen's hair would realistically look like if it grew from its appearance inAttack of the Clones to theRevenge of the Sith look, rather than directly adapt the "straighter and sort of chunkier" style seen inThe Clone Wars.^[91]

Legacy Effects returned fromThe Mandalorian to create puppets and animatronics for the season, including Sabine's loth-cat which is a cat-like creature native to the planetLothal.^[92] Huyang and Chopper were also created as animatronics.^[93][94] The season prominently features the purrgil (also known as "space whales") fromRebels after they made a brief appearance in the third season ofThe Mandalorian.^[95] New creatures introduced on Peridea include howlers—reptilian wolf-horse hybrids—and the bug-like Noti people who have shells that can be mistaken for rocks. Creatures called howlers, with a more reptilian design, previously appeared in theStar Wars: Jedi Knight EU video games (1995–2003).^[96] Unlike previous live-actionStar Wars series, this season begins with anopening crawl similar to the ones that are reserved for themainStar Wars films. The crawl forAhsoka is differentiated from the films by red text and simpler formatting.^[97] The end credits sequence is inspired by the star map and its planetarium-like projections. The sequence follows a gold line as it moves between different planets and star systems from throughout the franchise, including Lothal and Mandalore. It ends with multiple gold lines converging on Peridea. Stylized loth-wolves and purrgil are shown around Lothal and Seatos, respectively.^[98][99]

The season was produced with visual effects studioIndustrial Light & Magic'sStageCraft virtual production technology, which was developed forThe Mandalorian. This involves filming on a "volume" set surrounded by a circularLED video wall that digital backgrounds can be displayed on in real-time.^[100] With his experience using virtual production onThe Mandalorian andThe Book of Boba Fett, Filoni felt he had a good handle on when the technology was right to be used and when traditionalblue screen stages or outdoor locations needed to be used instead. Filoni's approach to filmmaking, based on his background in animation production, was toprevisualize each episode ahead of time so he could see and work on a version of them before filming began.^[101] Filoni, the other directors, and cinematographersEric Steelberg andQuyen Tran spent eight months creating and editing previsualizations of each episode usingvirtual reality cameras and headsets.^{[85][101][102]} The firsttable reads with the cast were recorded and added to the previsualizations, which Dawson described as "mini episodes".^[103]

The directors and cinematographers discussed the approaches toThe Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett, andObi-Wan Kenobi soAhsoka could feel like it takes place in the same universe as those series but also stand apart. Steelberg's main influences were the originalStar Wars film trilogy, but he also discussed the works of Kurosawa with Filoni.^[85] The flashbacks to the Clone Wars in the fifth episode were filmed with smoke effects and red lights to create a more abstract feeling, which Filoni was inspired for by the Kurosawa filmKagemusha (1980).^[55] There were elements ofRebels that they wanted to replicate, including the shot-for-shot recreation of that series' epilogue for the end of the second episode.^[85] A lot of testing was done to ensure the different colored make-up and hair would show correctly on camera, especially when different colored characters are together.^[85]

Principal photography began on May 9, 2022,^[104] at Manhattan Beach Studios inLos Angeles,California.^[100] Filming took place under theworking titleStormcrow,^[105] which is a reference to Gandalf the Grey fromThe Lord of the Rings.^[106] Production took place on the different directors' episodes simultaneously, with two full crews working at the same time on some days.^[103] Tennant's pre-recorded dialogue was played on set for the other actors to perform against.^[42] Dawson's favorite day of filming was when Ahsoka voice actress Ashley Eckstein visited the set.^[75] Ming Qiu, a stunt performer onThe Mandalorian andThe Book of Boba Fett, was the stunt coordinator for the season.^[107] Dawson, Bordizzo, and Esfandi spent months training for their lightsaber fights.^{[57]: 7 [75][71]} Each fight was planned to further the story and character development.^[75] Filoni wanted Baylan's fighting style to be like a medieval knight, wielding his lightsaber like aclaymore. Ramsey felt this suited Stevenson's physicality and differentiated him from the Jedi characters.^[108] Inosanto, the daughter and goddaughter of famous martial artists and actorsDan Inosanto andBruce Lee, respectively, was hired forThe Mandalorian because of her martial arts background, specifically to fight Dawson's Ahsoka. She said there was a "long, involved fight scene" between the two characters inAhsoka.^[109] Filming for some scenes on Peridea took place on outside stages,^[40] while the planet's landscapes were created using footage from theCoigach andAssynt areas of Scotland.^[110] The last shot of the series for Esfandi was filmed on the second-last day of production. Esfandi, who grew a beard to portray Ezra in exile, waited until the end of the shoot and receiving confirmation that he was not needed forreshoots before shaving his beard to portray a younger Ezra. He was filmed against agreen screen to be added as an oldhologram that Sabine watches.^[71][85] Filming lasted six months andwrapped in October 2022.^[103][111]

AtStar Wars Celebration London,Kevin Kiner was revealed to be composing the score forAhsoka after doing so forThe Clone Wars,Rebels,The Bad Batch (2021–2024), andTales of the Jedi (2022).^[112] As with the animated series, Kiner collaborated with his children Sean and Deana on the score,^[113] and said it would have been impossible to create the five hours of music required for the season on his own.^[114] David Glen Russell also provided additional music.^[115] After composing more music for the franchise than any other composer, working on over 200 television episodes across more than 16 years,^[113] Kevin said it was still a challenge to balance honoringStar Wars film composerJohn Williams with not directly copying him.^[116] They used some of Williams's themes from the films for specific moments,^[116] including the Force theme; the themes for Anakin andDarth Vader;^[117] and both themainStar Wars fanfare and Princess Leia's theme for the C-3PO scene.^[116] They also studied the composers who inspired Williams, includingErich Wolfgang Korngold,Sergei Rachmaninoff, andIgor Stravinsky.^[118]

The first theme Kevin wrote forStar Wars was Ahsoka's theme, which he had used for all of the character's appearances since the start ofThe Clone Wars. ForTales of the Jedi, which Filoni wanted to be an homage to the works ofStudio Ghibli and otherJapanese cinema, Sean and Deana created a new variation of Ahsoka's theme inspired by the music ofsamurai films. They said this was Ahsoka's rōnin motif, which combines a pulsingcello with Kevin's original Ahsoka melody.^[113][119] Kevin felt this variation of the theme fit well with Dawson's more mature portrayal of Ahsoka,^[117] and they expanded on the idea as well as the Japanese influences forAhsoka.^[116][118] They also brought back their themes fromRebels, including for Sabine, Hera, Ezra, and Thrawn.^[113][114] Filoni encouraged them not to use the themes as often as they initially wanted to because he felt the music was getting in the way of some scenes. For example, when Thrawn arrives in the sixth episode, the Kiners originally intended to use a full rendition of his theme played on anorgan.^[113] Filoni felt this was the wrong approach due to the character being in a different state compared to his role inRebels. He also wanted to have a scarier introduction for viewers who did not seeRebels. Trying to match the visuals of Thrawn's dilapidatedStar Destroyer and army, the composers slowed down the music, distorted the organ sounds, and made the score more "atmospheric".^[113][117] For the flashbacks to the Clone Wars in the fifth episode, the Kiners included references to theirsynthesizer music from thefinal season ofThe Clone Wars, including the track "Burying the Dead".^[113][117] Sean used the Chineseguzheng string instrument to represent the metaphysical elements of the World Between Worlds.^[120]

External audio
Kevin Kiner – Ahsoka – End Credits (From "Ahsoka"/Visualizer Video) presents composerKevin Kiner's end credits track for the season,YouTube audio/visualization video fromDisneyMusicVevo's channel

New themes for the season represent Baylan, Shin, Morgan and the Nightsister witches, and the New Republic.^[119] Baylan's theme prominently features thepiano, which is rare forStar Wars music and was inspired by Rachmaninoff. The melody is a variation on the medieval chant "Dies irae", but played by an orchestra with a "heavy metal sensibility".^[113] The Kiners were particularly happy with the musical interactions between the themes for Baylan and Shin.^[113] The New Republic theme is more similar to Williams's style of music,^[116] and primarily has a positive sound, but the composers also included some subtle darkness to foreshadow the fall of the New Republic later in the franchise's timeline.^[114] They originally planned to have different music over the end credits of each episode, but found this to be impractical. Instead, the end credits track combines different themes for the season into one,^[117] starting with the rōnin variation of Ahsoka's theme.^[113] Inspired by the imagery of the end credits sequence, the composers wrote a new "celestial" motif that is included in the track. Feeling this was too good to just have in the credits, it became a recurring motif in the score. It is used for scenes with the purrgil,^[113] and for the star map that points to the new galaxy.^[114] Each episode's opening title card is accompanied by a differentflute performance by Deana,^[113][117] who learned to play various flutes for the season. Analto flute is used for scenes with the howler.^[113]

The orchestra was recorded on the Newman Scoring Stage atFox Studios in Los Angeles. This was a change from the animated series, which were recorded overseas, and allowed the composers to interact with the musicians as episodes were being recorded. They incorporated feedback from the musicians for early episodes when composing the score for later episodes.^[114][113] Thein-universe song "Igyah Kah" that Sabine listens to in the first episode was co-written by Kevin and Deana Kiner, Noah Gorelick, andThe Mandalorian composerLudwig Göransson.^[121] The composers initially tried to make the song sound alien, before realizing that it just needed to be a "banger" with apunk rock style.^[113] Filoni encouraged them to "really go for it" with the song,^[119] and Göransson suggested that Sabine's theme be incorporated into it.^[120] The lyrics of the song are influenced by theTagalog language, which is spoken by Kevin Kiner's wife who is from thePhilippines.^[114] The vocals were provided by Sarah Tudzin from the bandIlluminati Hotties,^[121] who Deana is friends with and had played on tour alongside.^[114]

Walt Disney Records released two soundtrack albums featuring the season's score: the first volume, covering music from the first four episodes including the song "Igyah Kah", was released digitally on September 15, 2023,^[121] while a second volume, covering music from the final four episodes, was released digitally on October 6.^[122] All music by Kevin Kiner except where noted:^[121][122]

Filoni and Favreau promoted the series atStar Wars Celebration Anaheim on May 26, 2022, during a panel for Lucasfilm. Dawson appeared in full costume via video message from the series' set,^[123] before she appeared in person on May 28 at a panel forThe Mandalorian andThe Book of Boba Fett. That panel included Filoni, Favreau, Bordizzo, and Chopper, and showed footage from the first three weeks of filming.^[68][69] Filoni, Favreau, Dawson, and Bordizzo debuted the first trailer for the series atStar Wars Celebration London on April 7, 2023,^[124] with additional footage and the confirmation of Mikkelsen's casting as Thrawn coming the following day.^[125] A featurette titledMaster & Apprentice: A Special Look at Ahsoka, focusing on mentor-student relationships inStar Wars as well as the real-life relationship between George Lucas and Dave Filoni, was released in August.^[126][127]

The first two episodes of the season premiered on Disney+ on August 22, 2023, at 9 p.m.Eastern Time. The other six episodes were released weekly on Tuesdays at that same time,^[128][46] until October 3.^[129] The season was originally scheduled to premiere on August 23 and be released on Wednesdays at 3 a.m. Eastern Time,^[130][131] but its release schedule was changed a week before it premiered.^[128] The first episode is dedicated to Stevenson who died in May 2023.^[132] Fan screenings for the fifth episode were held on September 12, the day it was released on Disney+, in ten theaters around the U.S. as well as at an event in the UK hosted byEmpire.^[133][134]

The season was released onUltra HD Blu-ray on December 3, 2024, withSteelBook packaging featuring art by Attila Szarka. The release includes concept art cards and several bonus featurettes:Ahsoka: Legacy, which explores the making of the series;Path of the Apprentice, focusing on Anakin and Ahsoka;Ghosts of the Past which is about Ahsoka's allies; andDarkness Rising which is about the villains.^[135]

According toWhip Media, who track viewership data for the 25 million worldwide users of theirTV Time app,Ahsoka was the most anticipated new series of August 2023.^[136] Disney and Lucasfilm announced that the first episode had 14 million views in the five days following its release, making it the most watched title on Disney+ during the week of its launch. Disney defined views as total stream time divided by runtime, whichThe Hollywood Reporter equated to 784 million minutes of viewing.^[137][138] Analytics companySamba TV, which gathers viewership data from certainSmart TVs and content providers, reported that the first episode was viewed by 1.2 million households over its first five days. That is on par with their estimates for the premiere ofAndor's first season, but 50 percent lower thanObi-Wan Kenobi and 29 percent lower than the third season ofThe Mandalorian.^[137]

Whip Media calculated thatAhsoka was the second-highest original streaming series for U.S. viewership during its first two weeks of release, behindHulu'sOnly Murders in the Building. It topped the chart for the rest of the season.^[139]JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, estimated thatAhsoka was the second-most watched streaming series in the U.S. for the week ending September 3, behindNetflix'sOne Piece. It remained in the site's top five for the rest of the season's release, finishing in third behindAmazon Prime Video'sGen V andOnly Murders in the Building.^[140]Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the first two episodes ofAhsoka were watched for 829 million minutes during its first five days. This put it in second on the list of original series for the week, behind Netflix'sWho Is Erin Carter?. It was above the premieres forAndor (624 million minutes) and the third season ofThe Mandalorian (823 million minutes) but belowObi-Wan Kenobi (1.03 billion minutes). The series dropped down the list for the following weeks, but remained in the top 10 for each episode. It returned to second place for the week of the finale, behind Netflix'sLove Is Blind, with 575 million minutes viewed.^[141]

Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of 269 critics gave the season a positive review, with an average rating of 7.40 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Elevated by Rosario Dawson's strong performance in the title role and a solid story that balances new and old elements of theStar Wars saga,Ahsoka is a must-watch for fans of the franchise."^[142]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the season a score of 68 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[143] Critics commonly felt the season was a good entry in the franchise for existingStar Wars fans. The performances of Dawson and Stevenson received praise, but other performances were criticized as being "stiff" and the season's slow pacing also received criticism.^{[144][145][146]}

Christensen and Inosanto were named honorable mentions forTVLine's "Performer of the Week", for their respective performances in "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" and "Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord".^[147][148]Ahsoka was awarded the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment by theCritics Choice Association after receiving a perfect score when compared to their criteria. This included having a prominent female character arc, giving female characters at least equal screen time to male characters, having female leaders in the production, passing theBechdel test, and having "artistic and storytelling value and exceptionality".^[149][150]

• Ahsoka season 1 atIMDb
• Ahsoka season 1 onWookieepedia, aStar Wars wiki

• Star Wars: Ahsoka
• 2023 American television seasons

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use list-defined references from May 2025
• Use American English from May 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from May 2025
• Pages using infobox television season with the season name parameter