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Ahsoka Star Esfandi on How Season 2 Compares to "Rebels," "Clone Wars"

Star Wars: Ahsoka star Eman Esfandi discusses how Season 2 compares to "Rebels" and "Clone Wars," and how it kicks off "guns blazing."

Even though the second season of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau's Rosario Dawson-starring Star Wars: Ahsoka won't hit screens until sometime in early 2027, that doesn't mean it's too early to talk up what fans can expect. While checking in with the Thank the Maker podcast, Eman Esfandi (aka Ezra Bridger) gave fans a heads-up that Filoni is going big this season, making some interesting comparisons to the animated series universe to illustrate his point.

"You guys will not believe how big it gets," Esfandi shared. "Dave just took the training wheels [off], it's like he took them all off for all of us and himself in some way. But obviously not himself, he's a legend. But if you saw 'Rebels' early, and you see 'Rebels' towards the end, you see that he takes off training wheels. 'Clone Wars' at the end. You're gutted. It's an adult drama… That similar transition where Dave started with kid shows, and then transitioned them into adults, as the kids do, not only who watch the show, but also the kids of the show"

Esfandi continued, "Ahsoka was a kid. Ezra was a kid. And they just have to grow up way too young. But you watch that. And a lot of us who grew up, y'all's era, my era, the new era, we all had to grow up too young. There's war and everything going on all the time, trauma going all the time. We're all growing up too young, it feels like sometimes. It's impressive to see, and I think Dave just does that really well. I think season 1 is almost like, 'Hey, Rebels season 5, here's some new characters, some set-up, some action, a lot of love, a lot of like, wow, oh my god.' And then season two is like guns blazing."

Ahsoka Season 2: Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 Offers Details

Filoni, Dawson, and Jon Favreau were in attendance during Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, confirming that filming on the eight-episode season was about to get underway. In terms of the "Star Wars" universe series overall, Filoni noted that Hayao Miyazaki's work (especially Princess Mononoke) was a major influence: "It was such an important reference point for me and for us." From there, Dawson shared how she was "grateful" that her WiFi was acting up so that Filoni and Favreau couldn't see her "jumping up and down and losing my mind." As for the character getting her own spinoff series from The Mandalorian, Dawson credits the fans' reactions for making it happen.

Favreau explained how the respective creators are influenced by other creators in terms of storytelling, whether that influence comes from live-action or animation. "I have some toys, you have some toys, I'm not letting you play with that one," Filoni shares at one point, having some fun with how protective he is over characters like Ahsoka and Thrawn. "You can mention Thrawn, but we get to show him," Filoni added, laughing. And that's when Hayden Christensen made his appearance, receiving an epic ovation from the crowd in attendance. "I loved being able to see you be there and show another side to this character. It was just beautiful," Dawson said of her co-star.

Christensen found it "just amazing" being able to return as Anakin and "to take Ahsoka down the yellow brick road of her memories" over the course of the first season. Christensen appreciated having the opportunity to explore "a very compelling period in Anakin's life we never really got to see in live-action. I was really excited to do in live-action what George [Lucas] and I talked about while shooting Episode III." Filoni made sure Christensen knew that "no one swings a lightsaber like you, man," with Christensen joking that he was "coming in heavy, man." On a serious note, Filoni and Christensen also shared their respective experiences working with "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas.

Filoni also took a moment to honor the late Ray Stevenson, who portrayed Baylan Skoll. "Ray was the greatest person, the greatest spirit on the show," he shared during an understandably emotional moment. The crowd was also offered a look at Rory McCann in costume for the first time, with Filoni explaining the role that Baylan plays in Ahsoka's journey. "Baylan is important. He's the parallel to Ahsoka, and that's a parallel that's got to continue," he explained. As for other Season 2 details, Filoni shared that Admiral Ackbar will get into it with Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) – and yes, there will be loth kittens. Speaking of "the amazing" and "very tall" Mikkelsen's big bad, Filoni shared that, "Thrawn is the right villain for this era of Star Wars."

After the celebration died down from the news that Christensen would be returning, an 80s retro teaser (with announcer and everything) hyped up the face-off between Ahsoka and Baylan Skoll, who are in the middle of a smackdown involving some very large pieces of machinery. Here are some of the video highlights from the panel:

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