Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2

• 1. Introduction

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  Ahsoka season 2 is the upcoming second season of the Star Wars series Ahsoka, scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in early 2027 with eight episodes. It follows Ahsoka Tano and her Jedi apprentice Sabine Wren, while Grand Admiral Thrawn leads the remnants of the Galactic Empire against the New Republic. Before cameras rolled, the production had to make a delicate decision. One of its major roles passed to a new actor, and the choice carried real weight for the people making the show. How does a story carry on in a moment like that? How did a spin-off announced as one piece of a larger plan grow into a second season? And what has Ahsoka's journey left unresolved?

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• 2. Lost In Another Galaxy

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  The animated series Star Wars Rebels ended with its hero Ezra Bridger and its villain Grand Admiral Thrawn carried off to an unknown location. Its epilogue showed Ahsoka joining Ezra's friend Sabine Wren to search for them. Dave Filoni established that thread, and the first season of Ahsoka took it up. Some fans and commentators described that season as effectively a fifth season of Rebels.

  In the first season, Ezra and Thrawn are found in another galaxy and return to the main Star Wars galaxy. Ahsoka and Sabine are left stranded behind, along with the antagonists Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. During his own journey, Baylan discovers large statues of the Mortis gods. These are powerful Force-wielders who were introduced in the animated series The Clone Wars.

  The new season takes place in the same timeframe as The Mandalorian, after the film Return of the Jedi. That places it within the 30 years of story time between Return of the Jedi and the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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• 3. Two Fronts

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  On a world called Peridea, Shin Hati hunts Ahsoka and Sabine through the first of the season's two storylines. Their journey is tied to the Mortis gods, and it builds toward a confrontation with Baylan.

  The second storyline moves elsewhere. Thrawn commands the remnants of the Galactic Empire, and he has Nightsister allies at his side. Their enemy is the New Republic, whose forces are led by Admiral Ackbar, a character who dates back to Return of the Jedi.

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• 4. Replacing Baylan

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  In May 2023, the actor Ray Stevenson died, and it was unclear how the story of Baylan Skoll could go on. Filoni said that writing the season afterward was challenging. He spoke with the actor's family before deciding to recast the role and continue the character's story.

  Filoni described Baylan as "the parallel to Ahsoka in every way, a different journey for a Jedi who has been lost". That description explains why he wanted the character to continue.

  Rory McCann was cast as Baylan in January 2025, and his casting was confirmed that April at Star Wars Celebration Japan. Filoni said the production wanted an actor who understood both the character and Stevenson. That actor also had to follow the "blueprint" Stevenson had established. Of McCann, Filoni said he had "such respect for Ray, and his whole focus is not letting Ray down and not letting the audience down".

  McCann's path to the Star Wars universe had an earlier detour. He had been cast as Brasso in the series Andor, but a knee injury forced him to leave that role. Joplin Sibtain replaced him.

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• 5. The Returning Company

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  Rosario Dawson stars again as Ahsoka Tano, with Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla. Ivanna Sakhno plays Shin Hati, and Eman Esfandi plays Ezra Bridger. Lars Mikkelsen returns as Thrawn. Hayden Christensen also stars, in the role of Anakin Skywalker.

  Jeryl Prescott Gallien and Jane Edwina Seymour come back as the Nightsister Great Mothers Aktropaw and Lakesis. A third Great Mother, Klothow, will not look the same. Claudia Black was asked to reprise the role but chose not to. She felt the salary offered would not let her meet her responsibilities as a single mother in Los Angeles while filming in London. Black said she understood Disney's business decision not to meet her salary demands.

  Other characters confirmed for the season include Huyang, Chopper, Enoch, and Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios.

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• 6. From Spin-Off To Sequel

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  In December 2020, Lucasfilm announced several spin-offs from The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka was among them. Rosario Dawson was set to reprise the role she played in The Mandalorian. Before her, Ashley Eckstein had voiced Ahsoka in Filoni's animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels. The spin-offs were meant to build toward a "climactic story event". Jon Favreau, the creator of The Mandalorian, and Filoni developed them, with Filoni creating and running Ahsoka. Kathleen Kennedy, Carrie Beck, and Colin Wilson served as executive producers for Lucasfilm. The second season is produced by Lucasfilm and Golem Creations.

  By February 2023, Disney was no longer listing Ahsoka as a miniseries. That April, Filoni was announced as the maker of a film that would culminate the connected stories of The Mandalorian and its spin-offs. Its timing depended on future television seasons, including a possible second season of Ahsoka that hinged on the first season's performance.

  When the first season finished releasing that October, a second season looked more likely than the film. In November, Filoni revealed he was now chief creative officer at Lucasfilm. He said he was considering a second season of Ahsoka at that time. Lucasfilm officially announced it in January 2024.

  Filoni wrote all eight episodes, and he had finished them by April 2025. Bryce Dallas Howard revealed in September that she directed two of them, after earlier work on The Mandalorian and other Star Wars series. Filoni, Jennifer Getzinger, and Anders Engström directed the remaining episodes.

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• 7. Building The Season

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  Principal photography began on the 28th of April 2025 in the United Kingdom. Stephan Pehrsson served as cinematographer for episodes two, three, and six. A wrap party took place at the end of September, and work finished in October.

  Doug Chiang came back as production designer, joined by Martin Foley. Filoni asked special effects supervisor Neal Scanlan to replicate "all the wiggles" of the original Admiral Ackbar prosthetics from Return of the Jedi. Sabine's loth-cat Murley, made with puppets and animatronics, also returns. New loth-kittens join her, and Filoni explained that they have "legs that aren't strong enough to walk, so they have to roll around".

  Kevin Kiner returned as composer, and he began discussing the new season with Filoni by mid-June 2024. While writing, Filoni assembled a playlist of music for Kiner to use as a reference.

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• 8. Teasers And Announcements

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  The season's announcement in January 2024 came with a sketch by Filoni. It showed Ahsoka and Sabine with the Mortis gods statues, and it set off speculation about the story.

  In April 2025, Filoni, Favreau, Dawson, and Christensen discussed the series on a panel at Star Wars Celebration Japan. Most of the talk looked back at the first season, but the panel also teased what was coming before filming started. A teaser showed concept art and still images. Its voiceover was inspired by the first teaser trailer for the film The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980.

  Dawson promoted the season at Disney's upfront presentation in May 2026. There the early 2027 release window was announced, and behind-the-scenes footage with Filoni and cast members was shown.

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