The galaxy far, far away is always expanding, and the next Star Wars series that will be available streaming with a Disney+ subscription also brings Ashley Eckstein back as Ahsoka Tano. The actress was the first to bring Ahsoka to life on screen with seven seasons of The Clone Wars, several episodes of Star Wars Rebels, and even smaller projects in the franchise like Forces of Destiny and Tales of the Jedi... all in animation. Rosario Dawson was cast to play the Star Wars fan-favorite in live-action. Now, with Eckstein finally returning as Ahsoka, she opened up about what Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni promised her.
Eckstein returned to voice Ahsoka Tano for the second installment of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Past, billed as Pieces of the Past. I spoke with the actress about the Wicked-themed 2025 Her Universe Fashion Show that she co-hosted with Broadway legend Michael James Scott, and we took a slight detour to talk about Star Wars. With Rosario Dawson playing Ahsoka as a guest star in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett before the premiere of the Ahsoka solo series in 2023.
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy will be Eckstein's first new performance as her beloved character since the live-action series released, so what was it like for her to get the call that Ahsoka was needed back in animation? I asked her that very question, and Eckstein shared:
I cried. I mean, I'm not going to lie. It was so special to get the call. With Ahsoka coming to live action, Dave Filoni promised me that I would always be the voice of Ahsoka in animation, but I also didn't know if we would see Ahsoka again in animation. So I never take it for granted, and when I got the call that Ahsoka would be coming to LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past, it was just so special.
Dave Filoni may be the CCO of Lucasfilm circa 2025, but he was the showrunner for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which ran from seven seasons between 2008 - 2020. Ashley Eckstein was the voice of Ahsoka in each of those seasons, long before Rosario Dawson was ever cast for live-action. With LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy's upcoming season, he's clearly keeping his promise. That's not to say that LEGO Star Wars Ahsoka will look like the character animated into The Clone Wars or Rebels, however!
The character has remained near and dear to Ashley Eckstein's heart for how she "inspired an entire generation of fans," so it's no wonder that she was excited to play Ahsoka again... even if she hadn't exactly been animated in the LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy style before. Eckstein went on:
I actually have a brickhead Ahsoka. I had one already, so to have to bring brickhead Ahsoka to life was really fun [with] Dan [Hernandez] and Benji [Samit], the creators of LEGO Star Wars. Also I got to work with the Lucasfilm animation team again, its own galaxy. I can say that it's its own special galaxy that is just for LEGO Star Wars. But Ahsoka, at her heart, is still the same. It's still the same Ahsoka, whether she looks like she does Clone Wars or Rebels, or whether she looks like brickhead Ahsoka, it's still Ahsoka. So I'm excited for fans to see it.
If you watched the first season of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, you'll know that it's not exactly set in the larger Star Wars canon. Even if you didn't watch that first installment on Disney+, the trailer (featuring Ashley Eckstein voicing Ahsoka) will show you just how distinct it is from other animated entries in the franchise:
In addition to Ashley Eckstein, Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past features Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo as Sig Greebling, Tony Revolori as Dev Greebling, Bobby Moynihan as Jedi Bob, Marsai Martin as Yesi Scala, Michael Cusack as Servo, Billy Dee Williams as Landolorian, Ahmed Best as Darth Jar Jar, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Sam Witwer as Maul, Dee Bradley Baker as Darth Nubs, and Kelly Marie Tran as Darth Rose Tico, to name just some of the characters who appear. Mark Hamill will make a special guest appearance as Luke Skywalker as well.
The four-part Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past releases on Friday, September 19 on Disney+. You can also find The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and all the other Star Wars animation projects you could want on the Disney streamer.
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