Rumour in the air is that the Disney+ Ahsoka series is casting a second lead alongside Rosario Dawson’s titular character. And this seems like a potentially great idea.
But here’s to hoping it’s not Ezra Bridger. Are you confused why? Then let us explain.
Ahsoka Tano was already a beloved character before appearing in the second season of The Mandalorian. She had already appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels animated shows and gathered a huge fan following.
The Mandalorian was her live-action debut, and Rosario Dawson portrayed the character to perfection. Back then, fans wanted to see more Ahsoka in live-action Star Wars media.
Thankfully, Lucasfilm heard everyone, and Rosario Dawson’s performance ultimately led to her solo series. The Ahsoka show will follow the same timeline as The Mandalorian so that they can follow the titular heroine’s hunt for Thrawn.
Viewers of the second season of The Mandalorian will know that this was teased in the show. New reports have surfaced stating that Disney is looking to cast another main character who will be Ahsoka’s partner.
No actors have been shortlisted just yet, but the mysterious new character is called “Riz.” He is described as:
“lone wolf…world-weary despite his young age.”
Many are assuming that this “Riz” is a codename for Star Wars Rebels’ character Ezra Bridger. After all, apart from the similar names and character descriptions, it’s very typical for the franchise to avoid spoilers and prevent leaks by using codenames while casting familiar characters.
Ezra Bridger is a strong contender because The Mandalorian never really explained what happened after Ahsoka went off to find Ezra, who went into the World Between Worlds.
So there are questions that will need answers. And we would love to have them. However, we still think that this Riz needs to be a new character.
Ashoka And Grogu
Almost every part of the upcoming Ahsoka show till now is based on a previous Star Wars project. There’s the titular character herself, Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin Skywalker, and even rumours of Sabine Wren showing up.
Also, how can we forget Thrawn, who seems to have been set up as the main villain in the show? So with multiple such links to existing Star Wars projects already, Ahsoka really doesn’t need another connection in the form of Bridger.
Other Star Wars Disney+ projects have understood how important it is to keep projects fresh and ensure that the Star Wars universe grows.
For example, The Mandalorian introduced new characters like Din Djarin and Grogu, resulting in a massively successful show. Similarly, the upcoming show The Book of Boba Fett will pair up Boba with Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, who is quite a new character.
Thus, they will be blending the past and present of the franchise perfectly. As such, we think that Ahsoka will work better if it introduces a new character. This will again blend in the old and new facets of the franchise perfectly.
Ezra Bridger In Star Wars: Rebels
Now, before you bring the pitchforks, this isn’t to say that Ezra Bridger shouldn’t appear at all in Ahsoka. He definitely should. After all, Star Wars Rebels deliberately left Ezra’s fate ambiguous, and Ahsoka is the right show to close that story thread.
However, this doesn’t mean that live-action Bridger needs to be an always present costar to Ahsoka. He’s better suited to be a background presence who takes on a recurring role in the latter half of the show.
Boba Fett and Din Djarin
Kind of like Boba Fett in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka is introducing Riz as a foil to Rosario Dawson’s experienced ex-Jedi. Right now, it looks like Riz and Ahsoka will emulate the student-mentor dynamic that our titular heroine shared with Anakin.
So, Star Wars: The Clone Wars started with Anakin as the one who was the famed legacy character, and Ahsoka was the apprentice who wanted to prove herself.
But now the roles have reversed, and Star Wars fans will get to see Riz as the newbie who wants to impress (her and the audience). It will be great to see Ahsoka in the mentor role because it signifies that she has grown over time. Overall, if done right, it will be an interesting dynamic that will enrich the show.
You might also like Disney+ Ahsoka: Anakin’s Return Can Explain A Rise Of Skywalker Theory.
