Ashley Eckstein on Ahsoka Tano and Star Wars Rebels: Season 2

Ashley EcksteinVoice actress Ashley Eckstein, who portrayed the Togruta Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars series, and also reprised her role in the Rebels finale, spoke with Nerdist about the future of Ahsoka, her involvement with season 2, and of course – Darth Vader!

 

 

From Nerdist:

 

N: When we last saw Ahsoka at the end of Season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, she was much younger. She has to be 30-ish now. Did that make you approach her voice differently?

 

AE: I definitely lowered my voice for Ahsoka in Rebels. It’s funny, Ahsoka and I are pretty much the same age now so I was asking Dave about how I should do her voice, and he said, “Well, think about it. You’re the same age as Ahsoka right now. How much older do you really sound than you did when you were in your late teens, early 20s?” And I do sound a little bit different, but not that much different. I definitely tried to lower my pitch, but I didn’t want to make her sound too different.

 

 

Ahsoka

 

N: I’ve seen Dave Filoni mention that Ahsoka will be around in Season 2 but used sparingly. What you can tease about where she is and her role in the budding Rebel Alliance?

 

AE: We’re still actually recording, so there’s a lot that I don’t know even, but there’s a lot of mystery. Ahsoka has become a very mysterious character, and she’s definitely on her own journey and trying to seek out answers. That’s really all I can say. There are a lot of unanswered questions that she has, and she still will remain very mysterious.

 

 

Ahsoka

 

N: Hmm. Can you hint at whether we’ll learn anything about what she’s been up to since she left the Jedi Order and now?

 

AE: To tell you honestly, I don’t know. There’s still a lot that I have yet to record. So it’s an honest answer. I’m not trying to be deceptive when I say I don’t know. And as a fan, I hope so because I want to know what she was doing for all those years. I know it’s out there as a complete joke that she was on a pony farm eating cupcakes, but we all know with Ahsoka that was not the case. Whatever she did and wherever she was has to be beyond fantastic, and I’m dying to know what that story is.

 

 

Ahsoka and Anakin

 

N: In your personal opinion, do you think Ahsoka knows what happened to Anakin?

 

AE: You know I go back and forth on this, and only Dave Filoni knows. You know, I don’t know. I don’t know if she knows because I don’t know where she’s been the past several years. However, I do think that whenever it is that she finds out that he’s Darth Vader, I think she’ll be crushed because it’s still Anakin Skywalker to her. It’s family and it’s essentially her older brother. And during the Clone Wars I don’t think Ahsoka ever believed Anakin could fall to the dark side. I mean, she only saw Anakin as a hero. So I honestly don’t know if she knows, but whenever that happens I think she’ll be crushed. That’s just my opinion.

 

 

For the full interview go to Nerdist

 

 

The premiere of Star Wars Rebels Season 2 will be during Celebration Anaheim (April 16-19). Stay tuned for our coverage of the event.

 

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

36 thoughts on “Ashley Eckstein on Ahsoka Tano and Star Wars Rebels: Season 2

  • March 12, 2015 at 3:44 pm
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    Vader will show no remorse for her when they finally meet.

    I want it to be something like this

    *force choking Ahsoka*

    “You should not have come back, Anakin Skywalker is dead.”

    *Ahsoka drops to the floor*

    “Now, so are you”

    Imperial March playing in the background

    Don’t wanna see any of that lovey dovey former master crap. Vader is pissed about what happened to him and is suffering. ONLY his son could redeem him.

    Don’t screw the pooch Filoni

    • March 12, 2015 at 4:48 pm
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      Son or Daughter, remember “there is another”

      • March 12, 2015 at 5:55 pm
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        If you watched the clone wars it could be argued that Ashoka is a daughter like figure, though

        • March 12, 2015 at 7:27 pm
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          Obi Wan was a father figure but that didn’t stop Vader from fighting him twice.

          Once Anakin fell to the dark side he was gone. Not even his wife could save him. It took Vader seeing his son tortured to death for him to finally see through the lies of the Dark side.

          Love for his wife blinded him and destroyed him. Love for his son opened his eyes and saved him.

          Only his son could make him see that.

          • March 12, 2015 at 11:00 pm
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            Kinda cheesy, isn’t it?

    • March 15, 2015 at 11:08 pm
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      All I want from that scene is Vader saying to Ashoka

      “It’s been a while…. Snips”….

      Did you just read that in James Earl Jones voice? Admit it you did.

  • March 12, 2015 at 4:14 pm
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    Can you imagine Darth Vader saying “Hello Snips”?

  • March 12, 2015 at 4:32 pm
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    …And she calls him ‘Skyguy’.

    • March 12, 2015 at 7:27 pm
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      “That name no longer has any meaning for me!”

  • March 12, 2015 at 4:37 pm
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    I think the potential for a really dark story would be incredible. The fall of Ahsoka would really hit hard with the history between her and Anakin. This could be done tastefully well if approached right. I believe we have a great story arch to look forward to. I’m excited to see how this develops.

    • March 12, 2015 at 5:12 pm
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      I agree, the story arc will be compelling if done right.

  • March 12, 2015 at 5:05 pm
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    Yeah, I agree. There’s a really cool dynamic with the relationship between Tano and Anakin. There is potential for a great storyline with heavy emotional impact. Hopefully they won’t fuck it up.

  • March 12, 2015 at 5:29 pm
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    I would like to see Ahsoka & Obi Wan meet once again, or maybe they already have.
    If she does not know about Anakin being darth vadar I think it will be Obi Wan to break it to her.
    Cannot wait for the second series, it may be possible that Ahsoka could turn to the empires side once Darth Vadar finds out about her being Fulcrum as the empire obviously know about Fulcrum and are onto her(The inquisitor asked Kanan about Fulcrum in the last episode of s1).

  • March 12, 2015 at 5:39 pm
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    I’m not a big Filoni fan but I bought Rebels on Amazon & gave it a shot. There were things I loved about it but a lot of things I hated about it as well.
    Here’s what I loved:

    1. The art direction… the lothal cityscape, the ships, the troopers, all very well designed.

    2. EU references (I’m not a big EU fan… but it’s nice that Filoni appealed to those who felt cheated by EU dismemberment)

    3. Space combat/ flying scenes… they look pretty cool/ are fun to watch.

    What I hated:

    1. Weak light saber fights… where’s the oomph? It feels more like they are fencing!
    It’s a big improvement over the painfully stiff lightsaber fights from TCW, but I’m not at all inspired or entertained like I was from watching the light saber duels from the OT & (some) PT fights.

    2. The art direction… I’m not a big fan of Sabine’s spray painting… it just doesn’t feel like Star wars to me seeing hot pink & yellow being sprayed on tie fighters and whatnot. I know Zeb was supposed to be a McQuarrie reference but I think there was a good reason for the redesign. The same goes for a lot of the other aliens who appear in the show… a bit too cartoon-y for my tastes. (the pig was a little silly). People’s eyes are also WAAAAAAAAAAAY to blue!

    3. The characters aren’t very good, even the old ones. I know a lot of people were excited about Lando… but I think it would have been better to portray him differently… more shrewd, cold hearted. Chopper is a little bit too silly. I’m not a big fan of the name “ezra bridger”, I think he looks a bit too much like Aladdin & he seems to lack a lot of substance.

    4. It just doesn’t feel like Star Wars to me… not gritty enough.

    But I’ll probably get season 2 anyway… because I’m desperate for more Star Wars.

    • March 12, 2015 at 6:08 pm
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      I hate it when cartoons get cartoon-y.

      • March 12, 2015 at 6:26 pm
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        The irony wasn’t lost to me but I think you know what I mean… like putting Roger Rabbit into SW universe would feel out of place… that’s the way I feel about things like the pig. Keep in mind this show is supposed to be canon, I don’t know how I feel about expanding pigs. Even Ewoks had their own sort of logic within the existence of the SW universe.

        • March 12, 2015 at 7:21 pm
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          The ewoks may have had logic but there actions sure as hell didn’t. The ewoks were capable of killing stormtroopers with logs and stones (!!!!!!) and defeat the entire empire. That is just as lame as any lame shit that sometimes appears on Rebels.

          I like the show. I’m not apeshit about it or anything but it’s only season one. Look at various other popular shows throughout history and watch their first seasons You’ll often times see how awkward or even crappy some first seasons can be.

          • March 13, 2015 at 7:52 am
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            When in return of the Jedi did it actually show a storm trooper dying from big logs and rocks?? That’s what cracks me up about the bitching of ewoks taking out storm stroopers. Logic strongly suggests (if a person is actually to think logically) that a boulder smacking a guy with a helmet, it will knock him out at least. The movie never once showed a storm trooper “dead” from the boulders or logs they got drilled with. It simply showed them go down.

            Further more, they were caught totally unaware. Surprise is a huge momentum changer in any battle. Regardless of how small an ewok may be, a boulder being flung from above you (let’s think gravity as well) will guaranteed do some damage. Anyone been drilled with a log? There’s a pretty good reason those two things alone have been used in battles in medieval times as well.

            Oh and who’s to say that the gravity of that planet isn’t much higher? Maybe that’s why the ewoks were so short? Stunted growth due to high gravity. Thus not only would it make a boulder hurled at you stronger, it also gives the ewoks another clear advantage. I’m in no way saying that’s exactly what Lucas thought, but that is the magic and fun with science fiction! It is a movie, all you have to do is sit back, open your mind, think half a second, or not, and just enjoy it. Bugs me when people get so caught up in “ooh ewoks are so stupid, they could never take out a storm trooper”. Or “there’s no way jedi in the PT could have such cool fights”. There is an explanation for it all, as long as you just open your mind and stop focusing on something you simply thing is stupid or “impossible”. It’s science fiction/fantasy for shit sake.

        • March 12, 2015 at 8:00 pm
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          Uh, what about Gammorian Guards….??? : )

          • March 12, 2015 at 9:09 pm
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            Ok you got me with Gammorian Guards… I concede. But their grunting does sound cool!

            In response to Ewoks vs. the Empire… I think Lucas had said somewhere that was an analogy for the Veitnamn War or something along those lines. High tech doesn’t always win wars!

    • March 12, 2015 at 7:35 pm
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      Ezra does look like a CG Aladin. It’s annoying. Disney is on this PC overdose right now that’s going to end up biting them in the end. Kanan is even tanned looks like he’s suppose to be some “surfer dude.” They are getting to the point of being borderline racist. All the good guys are ethnic or ethnic looking while the bad guys are white. Even look at the inquisitor he was really white. I’m sure if they could get away with it they would change the color armor of Vader…. Disgusting Disney.

      And, Filioni wanting to take it back to the traditional skinny lightsabers I don’t like it either. They don’t have the same vibrant elegance they had in other media. Change is back!

      • March 12, 2015 at 8:03 pm
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        you sir are a tool. i got news for you guys…not only are Vagina’s real!! and you too could see one in person someday…but REBELS…..is a damn kids show…look at ya…a bunch of grown up middle aged men.arguing over a damn kids cartoon…..wow

        • March 12, 2015 at 8:33 pm
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          Exactly

          • March 12, 2015 at 9:12 pm
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            Just to clarify: I have kids, & not all kid’s cartoons suck. I’m not even saying that rebels sucks… I just think it has to potential to be so much more.

  • March 12, 2015 at 6:09 pm
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    @Aras Volodka i agree with everything you said…i enjoyed clone wars more because i did like the anakin/ahsoka relationship then i saw this rebels so i checked it out…i watched maybe the first 3-4 episodes and i was just completely turned off…i dont like these characters at all but now that ahsoka is in the season finale? i’m gonna go back and force feed myself to watching the rest of rebels just to see her and how she’s connected in this because as you said….i’m desperate for more Star Wars too….

    • March 12, 2015 at 6:33 pm
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      I think Rebels is a lot better than TCW actually. I think the art direction improved a lot in Rebels, like the planetary scenery. I remember watching TCW when they go to Mandalore & thinking the design was very generic. (for me the way the planets looked/ the designs are the most important thing outside of the story, cuz that’s what the Star Wars films did best… as in, what are we going to see this time around?

      The other clone wars cartoon kicked both cartoon’s asses though, if they could have made that series with the same quality art that’s seen in Rebels I would be very pleased. They need to get whoever storyboarded that into Filoni’s office.

  • March 12, 2015 at 7:08 pm
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    I really hated the first clone wars cartoon – really poor artwork – seemed soooo 2 dimensional. Hated it!

  • March 12, 2015 at 8:40 pm
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    The only value rebels has to me really is:

    1. Using it as a show I can watch with my daughter that will get her into Star Wars thus creating a common bond that keeps me from having to watch frozen again.

    2. Anything that will tie in with TFA.

    The characters and story could be anyone and anything and i would still watch it for those two reasons.

    • March 15, 2015 at 11:16 pm
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      Your Frozen joke made me laugh for 5 mins straight. Good one, thanks you made my day, really.

  • March 12, 2015 at 11:10 pm
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    I trust Filoni will come up with a way better story for when Vader meets Ahsoka than anything I read here so far. TCW and Rebels are good, exept for the new look of Ahsoka.

  • March 13, 2015 at 2:13 am
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    I have twisted feelings about star wars rebels. It sounds really great, a story between the 2 trilogies, and it is really great too, but it’s also so bad at the same time. I’m thinking the hardest part for the creators was that they have to create a story around characters that didn’t excisted yet, and because of this, it was a little hard to get into the series. But when they started putting characters from the original trilogy in it, everything started to make sense. But as I’ve just said, only when known characters take part in the series, it started to be interested to watch. I don’t care about some random guys (and girls :p) were no one ever did have known about in this big universe, they started to become interesting when they are introduced by characters we allready know. Something I hope, that they do properly in episode 7. But they have the original cast for the entire movie, so it will be strange if they mess this up. I was happy to see that the first known characters they introduced (if we don’t look at the pilot) were R2-D2 and C-3PO, cause they are the only characters appearing in every episode and every television serie (not counting ewoks adventures and droids cause they aren’t canon, even known droids was about 3PO and R2). They are actually kinda the ones who connect all the series togheter. I wasn’t sure if I had to see the Inquisitor as the main villain, cause I didn’t know him. I was really happy when Tarkin showed up, he was much more the main villain for me. Don’t know what to think about kallus, I’m thinking he’s becoming a captain rex type for rebels, but at the side of the empire. But even the known characters didn’t appear as important characters, only Tarkin appeared for more then 1 episode. And finally, the last episode, the first the clone wars character appeared. Alongside Darth Vader. Other then the guest stars before, they’re looking like they will be important. I’m really looking forward to season 2 cause now every new main character is finally introduced, and now they look a lot more interesting. My only problem with rebels left is that it’s to kind compared to the clone wars (my opinion). But I actually predicted this allready cause they show it on a disney channel, there they will never kill or shoot someone (violent) in a way they did before, cause it’s a lot more focused on children then in the past. Now I’m only hopping to see more clone wars/prequel characters, I want to know what happened to them. Especially Rex (not counting ahsoka cause she is allready in the series), and I know much people will disagree with me on this one, but I really want to know what happened to Jar Jar cause I can’t predict anything that could have happened to him. I’m thinking just killing him of is much too easy. But to get back on the new characters, if I’m correct, we first had different feelings about ahsoka too. To get back on the meeting between ahsoka and darth vader, it has to be totally amazing. Not just a fight, maybe a little talk first. I know darth vader/anakin didn’t do this with obi-wan/ben but he was allready really angry with him in episode 2, and even if they were close, he also hated him in a way. With ahsoka will it be different, much of you guys say only Luke could have opened his eyes, but I’m thinking it’s not the case. Of course, it was luke who did it, he brought back the good man anakin was deep inside. But this ‘good man’ was always deep inside darth vader. And I’m sure ahsoka will hit that spot too. Maybe he’s in rebels much more violent and evil then he was in the original trilogy, and after he meeted (I’m not thinking killed, maybe strangeled her a little bit) ahsoka, he became a little less violent, or maybe he didn’t and just did have twisted feelings about the way he acts ride now. Anyway, this is gonna be totaly amazing. A last thing to say, Rotta the Hutt for rebels and/or the force awakens! And sorry for my bad English.

    • March 13, 2015 at 2:14 am
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      Wow, didn’t notice I had so much text xD, sorry guys.

  • March 13, 2015 at 11:05 am
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    Ashoka/Vader match is pointless and anti climatic, because we would know the outcome. Best if Ashoka simply vanishes and we are left with contemplating a possible return in SW films or paper media.
    There could always be a new animated series focusing on her antics in some remote area of the galaxy, there are plenty of regions not under Empire control or influence, where others are in need of help and/or cultures and civilizations clash.

  • March 15, 2015 at 11:27 pm
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    My score for Season 1 is 7/10 and I still have no frame of reference with other seasons so bitching about it won’t help anyone.

    Let’s focus on the good stuff first

    1) Superior visuals to CW
    2) Chopper is beyond loveable
    3) Chance to see an otherwise unexplored time period of the SW universe.
    4) New characters that each seem to have their backstories (which I bet we will get at some point)
    5) Ashoka is back!
    6) Vader is back to dance and kick ass. And he is out of dance moves….

    The bad stuff

    1) Ezra makes absolutely no sense and has the potential of becoming a huge plothole in the Cannon Universe if his story is handled incorrectly.

    2) Kannan, although loveable, is scheduled to die at some point along with his apprentice. Again, the Prequel trilogy loses all meaning if either are still alive at the end of Rebels.

    3) Small in scope. Although I hear good news about the new season. Apparentl Lothal will wave to us bye bye as the crew starts a new advenrure among many old and new planets. That’s the good stuff.

    4) Too much Disneyfication for my taste here and there. Not much but still noticeable so that a few scenes cannot be taken seriously by a veteran of Disney cartoons like myself.

    5) Ashoka’s appearance has been totally revamped making her almost irrecognisable to me. Shame but stilol the voice actor is the same. Hope I get used to her new looks.

    6) The Inquisitor was handled horribly. The producers promised us a serious villain. His only serious scene was apparently his inability to feel fear for dying. Good but surpisingly anticlimactic. The Inq should have been around for 2 more seasons at least. Still, I suppose his early death signifies Vader’s hard leash on his Inquisitors.

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