Dave Filoni Calls Disney+'s Ahsoka a 'Religious Experience'

Andor is set to be released on Disney+ on September 21, but after that, all eyes will be on 2023 as Lucasfilm continues its trend of creating Disney+ shows during the calendar year instead of theatrical releases. Two of the confirmed Star Wars series that are expected to come out fairly close to each other are Season 3 of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. The latter will feature Rosario Dawson reprising her role as the titular character, and as the project gets further into production, more details about what to expect have surfaced.

No official footage of Ahsoka has been publicly released as of now, but at Star Wars Celebration in May 2022, a trailer that included a number of connections to the Star Wars Rebels animated series was shown exclusively to attendees. It seems as though Ahsoka will be reuniting with the Ghost crew to search for the young Jedi named Ezra Bridger, who was shot into deep space alongside Thrawn at the end of Rebels​​​​.

Dawson recently commented on what it was like playing such an important person in the galaxy far, far away, saying that fans will "get to better understand" the character. More recently, the actress has opened up once again about her role in the show and even revealed what showrunner Dave Filoni said about it.

Dave Filoni's Praise for Ahsoka

In an interview at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, via Laughing Place, Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson revealed that Dave Filoni had actually watched an episode of the upcoming show and commented on how "it was a religious experience."

The lead actress mentioned that the episode was "already edited together," and also stated that it had an emotional impact on Filoni and producer Carrie Beck:

"So, I will say this. I will probably get in trouble for saying this, but Dave [Filoni] saw one of the episodes already edited together, and he walked up, him and Carrie Beck, both, like, glossy-eyed, and he said to me that it was 'a religious experience.'"

The Impact of Ahsoka

Dave Filoni is responsible for creating Ahsoka. When she was introduced in the 2008 animated movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he probably had no idea that she would become as big of a character as she is today. Filoni has been the main mastermind behind the animated side of the franchise. He worked alongside George Lucas on The Clone Wars, and then when Star Wars Rebels came out after the Disney acquisition, he was credited as executive producer and writer, and also served as the director on a majority of the episodes.

Filoni has spent a lot of time with Ahsoka in animation. When she finally appeared in live-action for the first time in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, the episode was directed by Filoni. When she showed up again in The Book of Boba Fett, it was also directed by him. In short, due to Ahsoka being his creation and how much time he has spent with her, it is understandable that seeing an episode of a live-action show focused on her would make him emotional. However, Filoni has proved himself to be a massive Star Wars fan, so the upcoming series could turn out to be something truly special.

Ahsoka evolved from being widely regarded as "annoying" or "childish" in the first couple of seasons of The Clone Wars, but a majority of fans now consider her to be a cornerstone of the franchise. Obviously, everything in entertainment is completely subjective, so what one person emotionally resonates with another may not care about at all, but one thing is for certain - Dave Filoni is treating this project as if it was his own child. He is more than likely to take every precaution and make sure every single scene is exactly how he wants it.

Ahsoka is expected to be released on Disney+ sometime in 2023.