TV Discussion The Ahsoka Tano Mega Thread Power Hour

That won't happen.
Dave Filoni promised me I’d always be the voice of Ahsoka in animation, so you never know.
- Ashley Eckstein

There'd be torches and pitchforks if it's anyone but her voicing Ahsoka in animation, and that's how it should be.

I've been content with Rosario at this point in the LA role. She has more of the acting experience than Ashley, but no one could convince me that Ashely isn't Ahsoka. No one could match her enthusiasm and range of emotions as Ahsoka.

 

Why couldn’t Ashley play Ahsoka live action? Forgive me, I am new to all things Ahsoka.

 

I believe she auditioned and simply didn’t get the part. Not surprising, as she’s mostly done voice acting. Rosario is an accomplished screen actress, has physical characteristics that are similar to cartoon Ahsoka (not the case with Ashley), auditioned and for the part, and got it.

You’re right. It won’t happen. I’d just personally like Rosario to voice her in some animated content - namely for her post-ROTJ self.

 

I also want a show between both shows that show Ahsoka's development from Clone Wars to Rebels. There is 15 years between. Bad Batch might show some of the early time with Ahsoka, after Clone wars. But lets see her and Bail slowly recruit Rebels and finding force senstives and hide them. Maybe Ahsoka and Bail helped create The Path from Kenobi. Maybe we see more Jedi in early Rebel cells. Call the show, Fulcrum.

 

I just feel bad for Ashley; she's a really nice person and the whole live action "snub" sort of caught her off guard. When you watch the reaction videos of the Ahsoka TOTJ episodes (at least the ones where she's talking), you know people are happy to hear Ashley's voice again.

 

I get what you're saying, but "torches and pitchforks" really aren't the way things should be. We've had more than enough of that kind of thing.

 

Exactly the same feelings. Yes, she doesn't look all that like Ahsoka vut neither does Rosario. My big question is why can't the Ahsoka series just be animated?

 

Ashley seemed perfectly fine with it, and she was very gracious towards Rosario. Some of her fans, on the other hand, keep pushing this narrative of her being taken aback by it, and that’s causing her undue, extended embarrassment. Sometimes your fans can do you harm by saying things publicly that they think are supportive. Let her manage her affairs herself. She doesn’t need fans embarrassing her with their so-called “support.”

Huh? Rosario looks a lot more like Ahsoka than Ashley does, not least as Ahsoka’s facial features are clearly and inarguably not Caucasian. Not to mention that Rosario is an accomplished film and TV actor. This was a meritocratic decision.

 

Well once you put Trogruta prosthetics on, it won’t matter. I suggest Disney use some CG with the practicals to make her look like blend of the TCW and BOBF & Mando S2. Otherwise it looks like Halloween City costume.

 

Parts of Ahsoka's story I wouldn't mind seeing filled in a bit in animation:

How the Jedi Order were made aware that there was a Force-sensitive infant in a rural village in the backwoods of Shili.

The circumstances of Plo Koon's journey to pick her up. It's notable that the hunting trip that resulted in her Force-sensitivity becoming known to her local townspeople occurred on her first birthday, IIRC. But Plo Koon didn't come to pick her up and take her to Coruscant until at least two years after that, by which time she was 3. Unless 1 Shili year = 3 Coruscant years or something.

Her arrival at the temple and early days in the order. I kinda think there's great potential there for a scene where a returning Plo Koon would be met on the landing pad or just inside the halls by Qui-Gon, with the latter being like "Well look what the cat dragged in, what have we got here?" (Imagine that in Liam's voice) before dropping down to a crouch, looking deep into lil' Soka's eyes and saying something like "I see great things in your future little one, something something Living Force something destiny something" before going about his way. But I digress...

What she did between "getting back into the fight" after the events of TOTJ:Resolve, and the events of Rebels. How she came to be known as Fulcrum, who she recruited etc. IIRC it was said somewhere in some source that Wedge Antilles was recruited by "Fulcrum", whether this was Ahsoka, or some later Fulcrum I don't know. It's even possible she might be the one to recruit a certain guy who's currently incarcerated on Narkina 5 for a crime he didn't do...

And of course, what kind of a journey she went on between the duel with Vader on Malachor, and her re-appearance post-Endor. Malachor was in 3 BBY, the Battle of Endor was in 4 ABY, so that's at least seven years, and possibly longer, that Ahsoka was off doing... something, while all the events of the OT played out without her. However, I kinda have a feeling that if we get any of this part of her life filled in, it may come in the form of flashbacks during the live action Ahsoka show. Wait and see I guess.

 

Nope, Ashley looks way closer than Rosario to me.

 

I have a theory why Rosario got the role, but it would probably get misconstrued.

 

I think it's about time we put the X looks better than Y as Ahsoka argument to rest. I'm getting kind of tired of posting the Ahsoka cosplay of Ashley on here.

 

I spoke to Sam Witwer about this briefly at Celebration. The truth is, TCW didn't get its due when it was first airing by virtue of it being 1. an animated series 2. pre-Disney/streaming. Yes, the show is now getting its flowers what with more and more new 'canon' content pulling threads from it, but it still is unfortunate that the show wasn't celebrated when it was originally airing, and it only started to receive its due upon its death.

So I can imagine it may sting Ashley a bit to see the Star Wars show that she worked on & poured her heart into by way of this original character (who was also initially mocked endlessly by many of the old guard), now be used as a stepping stone for these Disney+ shows that garner much more publicity than TCW ever did because they're live-action and we are now in a media era that wants consumers to buy into these foolish "cinematic/television universes."

That being said, I also got the chance to meet Ashley again at this year's Celebration, and she had the biggest autograph line of all the voice actors from animation. She has built a really close relationship with Ahsoka's fans and that's not going away any time soon. As someone who considers themselves a pretty big Ahsoka aficionado, I can't wait to see more of Rosario, I think she's the perfect actor for this role, but I nonetheless hold such a big place in my heart for Ashley. I was actually set to meet her again pretty soon at a book signing but sadly I'll be busy!

 

Ahsoka was clearly not designed to have the facial features of a white person. And that’s that. Filoni was of course 100% aware of this, and considered Rosario from the beginning as a great match. And on top of that, she’s an accomplished screen actress. I love Ashley, but she’s white and not an accomplished screen actress. There’s no difficulty whatsoever in understanding why she’s not playing live action Ahsoka.

But nobody can take away from Ashley that she breathed life into one of the most popular Star Wars characters of all time. And as a cartoon. That’s an extraordinary achievement, and someone else playing that character in live action does nothing to diminish that. In fact, it’s an honor to Ashley that an actor as good as Rosario is playing her character. And Ashley has said so herself.

Just because some fans think everyone operates with their ego on overdrive, it doesn’t make it true. Ashley has been humble and gracious, and some of her fans have not followed her example. That’s disappointing. And my understanding is that this disappoints and annoys her too.

 

I didn't even realize she has another book out. I had gone to a book signing of hers in NYC a few years ago when she had released her, "It's Your Universe" book, and got her to sign the Ahsoka novel as well (click APPLES in my signature). Of course she's incredibly popular among the voice actors; she's highly recognizable and I don't think she's ever said no to interviews pertaining to all things going on with Ahsoka and Star Wars in general.

 

I'm not saying any of that isn't true. All I'm saying is that Ashley looks closer to animated Ahsoka in my opinion.

 

Got it. Though I disagree particularly as it relates to TCW-era Ahsoka. Rebels Ahsoka is more ambiguous, but IMO still clearly the facial features of a person of color.

 

I kinda get that but I don't think it's crazy obhious. I really see Ashley in rebels ahasoka though. Maybe it's just the animation messing with me?

 

Sorry, but this topic has been going back and forth just too much.





You notice with enough light, Rosario's orange shade looks very similar to Ashley's makeup in her cosplay. I've said it before and I'll say it again; talk about acting experience. Talk about knowing how to properly convey emotions through gestures and behaviors. It makes absolutely no sense to talk about "well she looks more like X than the other one" because with makeup, anything is possible. Again, Lars Mikkelsen isn't bluer than any other potential actor who could've portrayed a LA Thrawn, is he?

 

Great point.

 

Now before anyone screams, this is a fan-made, "What if?" poster included in an article referencing TCW scenarios like that. I have no complaints about Ahsoka's attire in this, but if this is supposed to suggest that they all joined forces together, you'd think she'd be her younger version; or the other three would be much older.

 

Is that supposed to be all of them on Mortis.

 

The article doesn't specify where they are. I guess the image is just to be left to the imagination.