Lucasfilm has not been shy about what Star Wars fans can expect from Ahsoka, the live-action Disney Plus series following fan-favorite Clone Wars character Ahsoka Tano, former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker and rogue Jedi badass played by Rosario Dawson circa The Mandalorian: Thrawn.
The biggest bad in Star Wars lore outside of the movies gets name checked here, like in previous trailers, as “heir to the empire,” partly because that’s the name of the the Legends novel by Timothy Zahn he first appeared in, along with most of the now-defunct Star Wars Expanded Universe.
In the new canon, Thrawn has been lingering on the periphery of Star Wars media, his story being retold in novels and in the final seasons of Star Wars Rebels, where he was a primary antagonist. In these stories, he hasn’t yet achieved the stature and power that he wields in Heir to the Empire, but he’s on his way — and Ahsoka looks like it’s going to be partially about what happens when he gets there.
Mostly, the trailer reads like a love letter to the animated era of Star Wars that Ahsoka head writer Dave Filoni has overseen since Clone Wars. Sharp-eyed viewers will notice a ton of characters from Clone Wars and Rebels making the jump to live action, including Rebels protagonist Ezra Bridger (played by Eman Esfandi).
Ahsoka will debut with a two-episode premiere on Aug. 23.