In just two short minutes, the teaser trailer for the upcoming "Ahsoka" Disney+ series provides
a wide array of references for "Star Wars" fans to catch.
The "Ahsoka" trailer hits the ground running, featuring numerous returning characters from
"Star Wars Rebels."
Most ominously, we get our first live-action look at Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Fans have known since Season 2 of "The Mandalorian" that Ahsoka was after the Chiss military officer,
but we now know he's coming.
"Where is your master?
Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?"
To make "Star Wars" fans even more excited, the titular Jedi mentions that she's heard
whispers of Thrawn's return "as heir to the Empire."
While some may see this as a throwaway line to simply set up this new villain's presence,
fans of the extended universe will immediately recognize the reference to Thrawn's first
appearance in Timothy Zahn's novel of that name.
The novel's story takes place five years after the Battle of Endor and the defeat of the Empire.
Grand Admiral Thrawn gathers his Imperial forces, including a clone of Jedi Master Jorus
C'boath, becoming a massive threat to the New Republic.
The fan-favorite novel is the first in Zahn's trilogy introducing Thrawn to the "Star Wars"
universe, and many consider it the go-to Thrawn story.
If Lucasfilm is adapting parts of it for the character's arc in "Ahsoka," then fans are
in for quite the treat.
Another foreboding figure in the "Ahsoka" trailer is a darkly dressed Force user played
by Ray Stevenson.
He's not directly named, but he is calm, cool, and collected, even as he ruthlessly attacks
a group of Rebels.
However, since "Ahsoka" isn't wasting any time by showing that Grand Admiral Thrawn
will be a major player, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think that Stevenson's
character might be from the same book series where Thrawn originated.
Also introduced in "Heir to the Empire," Joruus C'baoth is a Dark Jedi that is instrumental
in many of Thrawn's plans.
He is actually a clone of a slain Jedi Master with nearly the same name, a former friend
of Emperor Palpatine.
Clones are usually designated with a misspelled name in the world of "Star Wars," and considering
that cloning plays a major role throughout "Star Wars," it would make sense if "Ahsoka"
features a cloned Jedi to highlight that this has been a process spanning decades.
Whoever Stevenson is playing is sure to be of great interest, whether it be Joruus or
some other character, and it will be fascinating to see how he connects to Thrawn.
"Ahsoka" won't be short of space battles and threats that will pose challenges for our heroes.
People will suffer.
Peril will befall the galaxy.
But the people behind the "Star Wars" franchise also understand that cute furry creatures
can help launch successful merchandising campaigns along with serving as comic relief between
the big battles.
"Ahsoka" will continue this trend with Tooka cats.
These orange critters are adorable, but they do more than sit around looking pretty.
Tookas are known for their hunting skills, and they're mostly used for getting rid of pests.
The creatures have appeared in live-action "Star Wars" products before, most recently
on "The Mandalorian," where they can be spotted rummaging through garbage and snarling at Grogu.
The Tooka cat in the "Ahsoka" trailer looks friendlier than some of its peers, and its
big cameo suggests that it might be the most significant such feline to grace the "Star
Wars" franchise to date.
Near the start of the trailer, Rosario Dawson's titular character unsheaths her lightsabers
and proceeds to use the Force to spin them around and open up a hole in the ground.
It seems that she's getting ready for battle, as she's used the same maneuver during dangerous
situations in the past.
This move is actually a reference to a big Ahsoka moment from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."
She performs a similar move so that she and Rex can escape a group of clones during Order 66.
It's a subtle moment in the trailer, but eagle-eyed "Star Wars" fans will instantly recognize it.
The "Ahsoka" trailer includes a seeming nod to "Underworld," and we don't mean the unproduced
"Star Wars: Underworld" TV series, which would have chronicled organized crime in the city
of Coruscant.
No, the apparent "Underworld" nod here is to the 2003 film of that name in which vampires
and werewolf-like Lycans battle for monstrous supremacy.
"For those like me, a death dealer, this signaled the end of an era."
When Ahsoka cuts the hole in the stone floor and drops down into an underground lair, it's
definitely reminiscent of when Kate Beckinsale's vampire hunter, Selene, blasts herself through
a floor and lands the same way in the first "Underworld" movie.
"Ahsoka" and "Underworld" both revolve around butt-kicking women, and it's nice to see the
"Star Wars" series give a shout-out to the entertaining action-horror blockbuster.
It looks like "Ahsoka" will give "Star Wars Rebels" fans plenty to chew on as it picks
up where the animated series left off.
At one point in the trailer, Sabine stands on a tower, watching as Ahsoka's T-6 shuttle
flies overhead.
The scene is a direct reference to "Rebels."
In the final episode of that series, the Ghost crew have all gone their separate ways five
years after the Battle of Endor.
Sabine remains on Lothal, watching over the Capital City from her tower, when Ahsoka's
ship flies past.
The Mandalorian then leaves Lothal with the Jedi, assisting her in the search for Ezra.
The version in the "Ahsoka" trailer is nearly a shot-perfect remake, bringing the two characters'
reunion to live action.
"Rogue One" gave fans one of the greatest "Star Wars" scenes of all time, with Darth
Vader cutting down an army of soldiers in a hallway.
It looks like those New Republic recruits will be victims of a similar attack in "Ahsoka."
In the trailer, Ray Stevenson's new Sith takes on a small group of New Republic troopers
on a ship.
He effortlessly deflects their blaster shots as he walks closer and closer.
The brief scene is oddly reminiscent of Vader's climactic ending in "Rogue One" — not to
mention Darth Maul's hallway scene from "Clone Wars."
One soldier gets the Force Choke treatment, while the others don't really look to have
anywhere to hide.
"Star Wars Rebels" star Freddie Prinze Jr. claimed on the "Lights, Camera, Barstool"
podcast that Dave Filoni , the showrunner of "Ahsoka, directed the iconic "Rogue One" scene.
Early on in the "Ahsoka" teaser trailer, we're introduced to the live-action version of Sabine
Wren played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo.
The character first appeared in the animated series "Star Wars Rebels," which takes place
in the early years of the Rebellion prior to the events of the original "Star Wars,"
Sabine is a Mandalorian warrior who helps reunite her people by claiming the Darksaber
from her adversaries.
Though it's been years since she wielded the blade, Sabine has no doubt retained all the
skillsets of a seasoned warrior.
Prior to the ending of "Rebels," Sabine develops a strong bond with her fellow member of the
Ghost crew — aka the Spectres — Ezra Bridger, who disappears suddenly at the end of the
"Rebels" story.
In the series finale "Family Reunion – and Farewell," the Spectres dissolve, with Ahsoka
and Sabine departing to the stars in search of their missing ally.
Since "Ahsoka" takes place years after "Return of the Jedi," in-step with "The Mandalorian,"
it's unclear if these two are still hoping to find their missing comrade or if they've
given up the search entirely.
With Thrawn returning to threaten the galaxy, Sabine will likely be close behind.
Since the Grand Admiral was the last one to see Ezra alive, she'll probably want a few
words with the Imperial warlord regarding her friend's whereabouts.
Nevertheless, as the Mandalorian culture continues to rebuild, we hope to see Sabine take part
in her people's continued legacy.
Maybe she'll even reunite with Bo-Katan down the line...
A longtime staple of the "Star Wars" universe, Mon Mothma has been a leader in the Rebellion
for as long as they've been around.
Though she first appeared in "Return of the Jedi," she was a Rebel long before the original trilogy.
In fact, actress Genevieve O'Reilly — who replaced the original trilogy actress Caroline
Blakiston — first played the character in George Lucas' third prequel installment "Revenge
of the Sith," though only in a deleted scene.
O'Reilly returned to "Star Wars" in the standalone prequel film "Rogue One," and has since played
a recurring part in the franchise.
After a larger role in the series "Andor," O'Reilly returns as the Rebel leader here,
possibly to aid Ahsoka in her search for Ezra Bridger.
Though it only appears a handful of times in the series, the Lothal Jedi Temple was
a mystic and megalithic site where Jedi Masters would bring their Padawans to determine their
promise as potential Jedi Knights.
In "Rebels," Ahsoka and Kanan Jarrus take Ezra to the temple as a rite of passage.
Eventually, the site — which serves as a gateway to the World Between Worlds — is
severed, and access to the Temple is cut off as it sinks below the surface.
Years later, Luke Skywalker attempts to find the temple in Marvel's "Star Wars" comic series,
only to lose the connection.
Admittedly, Ahsoka might not be at the Lothal Temple at all, but if she were to attempt
a connection with the World Between Worlds, it seems like the first — and possibly only
— place to start.
After the Empire takes power, Jedi temples become few and far between, with many of them
broken beyond repair.
This is why Luke is seen constructing a brand-new Jedi temple during the events of "The Book
of Boba Fett."
Whatever Ahsoka's reasons are for investigating the Temple, it's clear that she has a mission
that she's going to see through.
There are plenty of notable astromech droids that have graced different episodes of the
greater "Star Wars" canon, and while none are more famous than the original R2-D2, Chopper
is in a category of his own.
Mischievous and a bit prejudiced against other droids, Chopper isn't so different from your
standard R2 unit, if you discount the mini pincers sprouting out of his head.
Naturally, he sticks out like a sore thumb in the "Ahsoka" teaser.
Aside from his animated appearances, Chopper has only shown up in live-action "Star Wars"
on one brief occasion in the form of a cameo in "Rogue One."
That said, "Ahsoka" will mark the fan-favorite droid's first official appearance in live-action
"Star Wars," confirming his place in the post-"Return of the Jedi" world.
And where Chopper is, the rest of the Ghost crew won't be far behind.
After Garazeb Orrelios made his live-action debut in Season 3 of "The Mandalorian," it
doesn't come as a surprise that the rest of the Spectres would follow.
Speaking of the Spectres, Hera Syndulla, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is also seen in
the "Ahsoka" teaser.
Now a general in the New Republic, this Twi'lek {TWY-lek} pilot has continued the fight long
after the death of her partner Kanan Jarrus {KAY-nan JAIR-us}, who gave his life to save
the Ghost crew near the end of "Rebels."
Appearing in "The Clone Wars" spin-off "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," a young Hera appears
in a two-part episode that provides some necessary backstory for her hatred of the Empire.
"The Empire's taken my parents.
And they are after me now, too."
Continuing on to "Rebels," Hera works alongside Ahsoka in a Rebel cell stationed around the
Lothal system, pushing back against imperial enemies like Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Needless to say, Hera has some real experience and is often considered the best pilot in
the Rebellion — even better than Luke Skywalker or Han Solo.
Though her ship, the Ghost, is seen briefly in "The Rise of Skywalker," it's unclear how
long Hera outlives her companions in the greater "Star Wars" timeline.
Hopefully, "Ahsoka" will keep her in the game for as long as possible.
Following her guest appearance on "The Mandalorian," Ahsoka was on a mission to find Grand Admiral
Thrawn and end his reign of terror for good.
In her way stood Morgan Elsbeth, a servant of Thrawn's who's completely devoted to the Empire.
But with the Empire in shambles and the New Republic on the rise, it stands to reason
that Elsbeth returned to the shadows to do her master's bidding outside of the public eye.
Ahsoka may be tracking her down for more information, but there's another possibility as well.
The droid guards that Ahsoka battles in the teaser at, presumably, the Jedi temple ruins
are the same ones who work for Elsbeth.
In fact, Ahsoka and Din Djarin battled them when their paths first crossed.
While we know very little about Elsbeth's history, many believe that she may actually
be one of the Nightsisters — a group of witches from Dathomir.
Nevertheless, Elsbeth's return signals that Thrawn himself isn't far behind and that he
means serious business.
Arguably the main character of "Star Wars Rebels," Ezra Bridger is one of the most impressive
Jedi to ever travel the galaxy.
Trained by his master Kanan Jarrus, Ezra goes from a Force-sensitive misfit into a full-fledged
Jedi Knight throughout the series.
After his disappearance at the end of "Rebels," what happens to Ezra is one of the biggest
unanswered questions in all of "Star Wars."
With the deep-space whale-like creatures the purrgil appearing, albeit briefly, in recent
episodes of "The Mandalorian," there's hope that we'll discover where they took Ezra and
Thrawn after the events of the animated series.
With Thrawn's return upon us and plenty of other animated characters coming to life in
live action, there's little doubt that we'll be seeing Ezra Bridger soon enough, hopefully
reunited with his friends.
Of course, it's entirely possible that Ezra — played by Eman Esfandi in "Ahsoka" — won't
appear in anything more than holograms and flashback sequences.
But with Thrawn's arrival, it would be a shame if Ezra didn't make a real appearance as well.
Only appearing in a single shot in the "Ahsoka" trailer is the professor droid Huyang
, known for his time in service to the Jedi Order.
For over a thousand generations, Huyang taught different Jedi younglings the ways of the
Force and their Jedi history.
Alongside his tutelage, he also instructed young Jedi on constructing their very own
lightsabers, preparing them for their intensive Padawan training.
In "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Ahsoka travels with the droid and a group of younglings as
they gather their kyber crystals, which almost destroys the ancient professor.
We don't know what happened to Huyang between the events of Order 66 and the destruction
of the Empire, but we do know that he seems to be talking with Ahsoka here.
It's possible that this scene is actually set during the Clone Wars, but it's also possible
that the old droid survived to the present day to help rebuild the Jedi Order.
While it's admittedly unclear if this is indeed the famed World Between Worlds seen in "Star
Wars Rebels," the teaser trailer shows Ahsoka arriving at a ruined temple.
From the glyphs and maps seen during this sequence, some have noted that the former
Jedi may be attempting to enter The World Between Worlds.
Later in the trailer, Ahsoka is seen battling Baylan Skoll in a space that looks somewhat
similar to Ezra's time in the otherworldly space.
The World Between Worlds from "Star Wars Rebels" allows its guests to experience and even interact
with various timelines.
Only Ezra Bridger has been known to break into this Force-sensitive space, for the sake
of saving Ahsoka from being killed by her former master Darth Vader.
Though he attempted to save his own master as well, Ezra recognized that the timeline
changes would be too severe and cost the lives of his friends.
"I'm sorry, Ezra, but you must see, Kanan found the moment when he was needed most.
And he did what he had to do…for everyone."
Though we don't know why Ahsoka might be trying to enter into the World Between Worlds, we
do know that it's a truly unique space that the "Star Wars" universe has kept at arm's length.
Time travel can be dangerous, after all.
In the "Ahsoka" teaser trailer, we see a young woman named Shin Hati who wields an orange
lightsaber and seems to exude dark side energy.
An apparent villain, Shin is on the hunt for Ahsoka and might be the apprentice of Baylan Skoll.
Clad in a dark hood and a darker scowl, her violent and impulsive nature is a direct contrast
to that of Ahsoka.
After years of training under Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka learned that her emotions could be
controlled and channelled into something more useful.
One addition to Jedi lore that was featured in the prequel trilogy was the single braid
that Jedi Padawans wore to signify their tutelage under a Jedi Master.
They weren't Masters themselves, and they were yet to be Knights, making their training
paramount to their education in the Force.
In the teaser, Shin seems to sport her own Padawan braid.
Though this tradition dies out after the fall of the Jedi Order, it could make a comeback
during the New Republic era.
If Shin and Baylan really are Sith, they may have ties to our hero's past or "The Clone
Wars" era.
On the other hand, the orange lightsabers, as opposed to the classic red sabers wielded
by Sith Inquisitors, and padawan braid might mean that Shin and her master aren't quite
as malevolent as they seem.
Aside from being a valiant warrior, Sabine Wren is also an artist.
In the "Ahsoka" teaser, there are a few pieces of art on her wall while she glances at a
hologram of her fallen companion Ezra Bridger.
Behind her, we see a sketch of a pile of rocks somewhat reminiscent of the rocks Yoda uses
to train Luke Skywalker's skill, patience, and concentration in "Empire Strikes Back."
But that isn't the only art worth noting.
Directly to the left of Sabine's head is an image of a wolf-like creature.
This is most likely a Loth-wolf, a species native to Ezra's homeworld of Lothal that
often acts as "spirit guides" to Force-sensitive beings.
Usually guardians of the light side, the Loth-wolves aided Ezra in the past.
Likewise, Sabine has drawn a few Loth-cats on her walls, no doubt companions to the actual
Loth-cat she owns in her home.
These felines are also native to Ezra's homeworld and are likely constant reminders to Sabine
of his loss.
The teaser also shows glimpses of a battle between Ahsoka and a red lightsaber-wielding
opponent who may be a member of the Inquisitors.
While most of these assassins were defeated prior to "Return of the Jedi," it's certainly
possible that there are a few still out there, hoping to eradicate the surviving Jedi from
the galaxy.
Throughout "Star Wars Rebels," "Obi-Wan Kenobi," and the Marvel Comics, the Inquisitors have
mercilessly hunted nearly every surviving Jedi post-Order 66, though they failed to
kill some of the most important.
Thankfully, Ahsoka seems to gain the upper hand and proves herself a formidable opponent.
After seeing the Inquisitors in live-action during the Disney+ "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series,
it would certainly be exciting to see these villains show up again going forward.
What's especially compelling about this group of Jedi killers is that many of them were
trained directly by Darth Vader himself, meaning that much of Ahsoka's training under Anakin
Skywalker most likely overlaps with their own.