Four Important Star Wars: Rebels Characters Are Returning For Ahsoka

Among the galaxy of current and upcoming "Star Wars" television shows, one of the most anticipated is "Ahsoka." The 2023 series will star Rosario Dawson as the eponymous Jedi. She was a major character in both "Star Wars: Clone Wars" and "Star Wars: Rebels," and she made her live-action debut in Season 2 of "The Mandalorian."

Filming for "Ahsoka" officially began on May 9. Since "Ahsoka" has only been shooting for three weeks, it was a major surprise when executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni shared an exclusive first look at the show, at Disney's Star Wars Celebration 2022 in Anaheim. 

The "Ahsoka" reveal occurred on Saturday during a panel discussion about the past and future of "The Mandalorian," which Looper attended. Favreau, Filoni, and several of both "The Mandalorian's" and "Ahsoka's" cast members were in attendance, including Dawson. While the reveal footage likely won't be made available to the public for some time, if at all, it still has massive implications for the show itself. Most importantly, four characters from "Rebels" will be part of the story. 

The exclusive teaser begins with Ahsoka on the bridge of the light freighter Ghost. She's soon joined by Hera Syndulla, who's only visible from the back–and at this point it's still unclear who will be playing her. The teaser also shows the Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren. Her involvement has been known since 2021, when Natasha Liu Bordizzo was announced to be playing the role (via Deadline). Bordizzo was also in attendance at the panel. 

"So much I could say," Bordizzo said. "I feel like I've just been adopted into a new family. I feel that way about everyone I work with but also the fans. It's just the most welcoming, creative... I mean, I never experienced anything like this. Set is going really well.

"I know how much Sabine means to many people in this room, and I know how much she means to Dave and I think you guys are going to be really excited about the journey she's about to have."

The teaser concludes with a live-action recreation of the final scene from "Rebels," showing a painting of Ezra Bridger. Ezra is the main character of "Rebels" and disappeared at the end of that series. Fans have been hoping that Disney would continue the story of the search for Ezra, and now it appears that "Ahsoka" will do just that.

Finally, there's the gang's faithful droid Chopper. He wasn't part of the footage, but fans were treated to a surprise appearance by the robot, who rolled out onstage and danced with Dawson.

Today's teaser trailer was brief, but it confirms the story of "Star Wars: Rebels" isn't over quite yet.