When Rosario Dawson was cast as Ahsoka in live-action, many fans thought that it might mean the end of the much beloved animated version of the character, who was voiced by Ashley Eckstein.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case, as she returned to voice the character in three installments of the recently released Tales of the Jedi on Disney+. But where will she pop up next?
Chronologically, the next time Ahsoka is seen after her final episode of Tales is in Star Wars: Rebels, where she's revealed to be the mysterious Rebel Fulcrum. However, after her final appearance there, the Star Wars timeline catches up to where the live-action content is now.
On the animated side, she could still end up in Star Wars: The Bad Batch at some point, which takes place shortly after Revenge of the Sith—a lot of that time remains unaccounted for. Or could it be an unannounced project? According to the actress, not even she knows.
What's Next for Animated Ahsoka
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Ahsoka voice actress Ashley Eckstein talked about her return to her fan-favorite character in Tales of the Jedi and what the future may hold for her character going forward.
When asked if there were any stories Eckstein would like to see done in the future, she deflected, noting that "[she] leave[s] the writing to Dave [Filoni]," but the actress did add how she's love to explore those "15 years in between Clone Wars and Rebels:"
"Oh, gosh, I leave the writing to Dave and his writing staff, because they always just write the most incredible stories. So I don't have any specific story ideas. However, that chunk of time between Clone Wars and Rebels, that's a huge, huge chunk of time. A lot happened there. I mean, look what we were able to do in just two and a half years of The Clone Wars. There's like, what, 15 years in between Clone Wars and Rebels? There's a lot to explore there. I would love to continue, if I ever had the chance, to explore that timeframe."
Eckstein joked that in her mind, "Ahsoka went off and ran a pony farm:"
"I joke that Ahsoka went off and ran a pony farm, but we know she didn't. She helped start a rebellion and did some incredible things. Some of my favorite moments with Ahsoka are how she inspires people and how she helps people. I can only imagine how many people she helped and inspired in between where we leave off with Tales of the Jedi and Star Wars Rebels."
She then revealed how Filoni promised her she would "always be the voice of Ahsoka in animation," but then when it comes to the currently airing animated show, The Bad Batch, the actress made it clear that she "[hasn't] recorded anything for [it]:"
"Well, as I mentioned to you, Dave Filoni promised me I'd always be the voice of Ahsoka in animation, so I can say I haven't recorded anything for The Bad Batch, but it doesn't mean it won't happen. I talk about throwing your dreams out into the universe. So that would be absolutely incredible if Ahsoka ever made an appearance on Bad Batch. But I haven't recorded anything."
In a separate interview with Looper, the actress talked about meeting Rosario Dawson, who plays Ahsoka in live-action, starting with her debut in The Mandalorian.
Eckstein exclaimed about how "[she] was so excited" and that she "[didn't shut [her] mouth:"
"With [Roasario Dawson], I was so excited. I didn't shut my mouth, I kept talking. We were talking about ... I was excited to share with her what Ahsoka means to people, and she's seen that as well. She was sharing some of her stories of things that she's seen on social media and how she enjoys re-posting and liking people's Ahsoka posts ... It's incredible to see what people share about their love of Ahsoka or their cosplay. I had a chance to chat with her about how Ahsoka is saving lives and changing lives."
The actress revealed that the two of them are going to be at GalaxyCon Columbus in December, which will be the first time both of them will attend the same convention at the same time:
"Ahsoka's different than ... any other character I've ever played. She goes beyond the screen. That was a really special moment to chat with Rosario about what Ahsoka means to people. We're going to do our first convention where we're going to ... We're not doing it together, but we're going to be there together. I'm so excited. The fans are excited. All I've ever wanted is to be one Team Tano. I'm so excited that we can now, together, go out there as one Team Tano and share our love for this character. I can't wait. We're going to be at GalaxyCon Columbus in December, so I'm excited about it."
Where Will Ahsoka Pop Up?
Fans will likely be excited to hear how Eckstein wants to see more of her character explored between Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Rebels. She even noted how there's "a lot to explore there."
However, when Tales of the Jedi did focus on that time frame, it ended up retelling the same story the 2015 Ahsoka book did. Though, here, it was stripped down, with characters and specific plot points removed or simply changed to something nearly identical. It was an odd choice by Dave Filoni, to be sure.
Because the actress is right—that's fifteen years of content waiting to be uncovered.
Though, when it comes to potentially appearing in The Bad Batch, the show might be too soon after Revenge of the Sith to feature Ahsoka. At that point, she'd probably still be in the midst of her farming retreat.
Depending on how long the show goes on, the fan-favorite Jedi could still return. Then, there's the strong possibility of future animated shows or even another season of the recently released anthology show.
Given how present Star Wars is in pop culture right now, and with the Ahsoka series on its way next year, it's almost certainly not the last fans have heard Ashley Eckstein's iconic take on the character.
Tales of the Jedi is currently streaming on Disney+.
