Now that “The Mandalorian” Season 3 is over, it’s time for “Star Wars” fans to look at what’s ahead on Disney+ later this year. Next up? “Ahsoka” this August, which sees Rosario Dawson reprise her role as the famed Jedi she played in the second season of “The Mandalorian.” But Dawson isn’t the character returning in the upcoming show. A bunch of familiar faces from other “Star Wars” lore will appear in “Ashoka,” including Mary Elizabeth Winstead‘s live-action take on the popular “Star Wars: Rebels” character, Hera Syndulla, who’s only been an animated character until now.
Winstead, Dawson, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Sabine Wren in “Ahsoka,” sat down with EW’s “Dagobah Dispatch” podcast to discuss the upcoming eight-episode series. And according to Winstead, having four seasons of “Star Wars: Rebels” to watch to prepare for her role was an actress’ godsend. “Having a character who’s already existed and has such a rich history on something like “Rebels,” as an actor, it’s incredible,” Winstead said on the podcast. “Because sometimes we’re tasked with creating our own backstories or trying to flesh out a character that doesn’t really have that much on the page. And so to play a character that has season after season of storylines and complex histories with everyone in their life and relationships and experiences was really something I’ve never experienced quite like that.”
For those who haven’t watched “Star Wars: Rebels,” Hera Syndulla is a Twi-lek resistance leader who leads a crew of insurgents as they fight against the Empire on the planet Lothal and other parts of the galaxy. Eventually, Syndulla becomes not only a respected ship captain but a Rebel general. The character also has one of the main love stories in “Rebels” with the Jedi Kanan Jarrus, eventually having a son with him. Hera’s arc on the animated series proved invaluable for Winstead. “To have “Rebels” to refer to, and to have [series creator Dave Filoni] to speak to about it every day on set, was a real luxury for sure,” the actress said.
As creator of “Star Wars: Rebels,” Filoni is the main authority on Hera and some of the other newcomers to the “Star Wars” live-action universe in “Ahsoka,” like Eman Esfandi‘s Ezra Bridger. Good thing that Filoni also writes all eight episodes of the upcoming series, along with directing the pilot and another episode or two. Beyond Bordizzo’s Sabine Wren, another big live-action “Star Wars” debut in “Ahsoka” will be Lars Mikkelsen‘s Grand Admiral Thrawn, a major villain in the “Star Wars” expanded universe. Mikkelsen previous voiced Thrawn in “Star Wars: Rebels.” Expect other popular “Star Wars” characters like Anakin Skywalker and Mon Mothma to show up in “Ahsoka,” too.
But back to Winstead’s Hera, who will prove to be one of the major characters in Filnoi’s upcoming series. “I see Hera as an incredibly strong but complicated person,” Winstead said about the character. “She is very maternal, but also she’s this leader of this crew. And as we see, she continues and becomes a general. And so she’s leading quite a lot of people, and she’s become something of a legend in her own right.” Winstead wants to strike a balance between Hera’s tactical prowess and maternal instincts, though. “Seeing those things combined is very unusual, and something that I really wanted to play on screen,” the actress continued, “because that’s such an aspirational thing, I think, as a woman — or just a person — to be able to be all of those things in one.”
It sounds like Winstead’s Hera Syndulla will be among the most exciting things about “Ahsoka.” But there’s so much to anticipate with Filoni’s series, and there’s not much longer for “Star Wars” fans to wait: “Ahsoka” premieres on Disney+ on August 31. Take a look at Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla in the “Ahsoka” teaser trailer below.
