The Apprentice Awakens: Ahsoka Tano: A Star Wars Anthology Story…
Is Patty Jenkins (director of Wonder Woman) the ideal candidate to direct an Ahsoka Tano Star Wars Anthology Movie?
“ I know you believe in me, Anakin, and I’m grateful for that. But this isn’t about you. I can’t stay here any longer, not now.” Ahsoka Tano — Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Picture this…hypothetically of course!
Sometime soon, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, issues a press release and confirms the studios intention to produce a Star Wars: Ahsoka Tano Anthology movie!
The fans would be sent into a delirium. The prospect of a big screen adaptation of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels heroines story, would appease the legions of fans around the world all yearning to see Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice ignite her lightsaber in a live action adventure. Who would have thought, that a character so despised upon her first appearance in the feature length The Clone Wars movie, would have such a change in fortunes and be accepted into fandom on such a massive scale.
Her incredible reversal of fortunes has seen her return from Jar Jar Binks scale hatred, to one of the most revered characters of the modern era. Her insertion into the tales of The Clone Wars, struggling to endure some of the most arduous battles really resonated with the fans and secured her a place in all our hearts. From an inexperienced and snippy youngling through to fully fledged Jedi warrior, Ahsoka played a pivotal role in many of the defining moments of The Clone Wars era before her tragic fall from grace when her trusted friend, Barriss Offee betrayed and framed her for murder.
This betrayal, proved to be the climatic episode to her spell with the Jedi Order, which she was forced to abandon once her faith in the religion had been eroded. This despite being vindicated of the crime. But of course, she was destined to reappear during the Star Wars Rebels adventures, acting as a guiding force for both Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus respectively, but her ties to the Jedi Order were constantly guiding her toward a climatic confrontation with her former master…the fallen Anakin Skywalker.
Now, a charred and broken version of his former self, Skywalker had been consumed by hatred and had turned to the dark side, assuming the identity of Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith. In the aftermath of the slaughter of the Jedi Order, Vader took his rightful place beside the Emperor as enslaver of the galaxy. Her destiny forged a path to confrontation, and in the climactic battle of the series’ second season, Ahsoka Tano engaged Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel against the backdrop of a collapsing Sith temple…
Battered and limping, Vader narrowly escaped from the wreckage and survived to take his rightful place alongside the Emperor, destined to rule the galaxy with an iron fist until A New Hope would arise. Ahsoka however, vanished into the darkness of the temple wreckage…her fate an unresolved mystery…. for now!
We have been teased with her potential return by series showrunner Dave Filoni, whom often sports a t-shirt boasting an Ahsoka Lives slogan, but nothing has been confirmed for the final season of the series set to debut later this year.
Star Wars: The Anthology Movies
With the arrival of the Star Wars Anthology movie series, we have been tantalised with the prospect of character driven motion pictures based upon some of the greatest personalities making up the galaxy far, far away…
Legendary Bounty Hunter Boba Fett, Jedi Master Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo have all been suggested, but it was the galaxies favourite smuggler emerging victorious from the Lucasfilm selection process. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, paved the way and built a solid foundation for what was to come and went on to cement itself as a firm fan favourite, but the Han Solo movie has been plagued with issues ranging from directorial replacements to last minute acting coaches for the main stars. It all sounds very dramatic from an outside perspective, but Rogue One endured similar issues and emerged with a level of brilliance that appeased the fans and delivered what is regarded as an instant classic.
The fans have now begun to look beyond the announced movies and have dared to ponder the possibilities of future additions, with many of their favourite characters being forwarded for consideration. Aside from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett, the most popular character choice…is Ahsoka Tano. And in this case, the fans aren’t alone in their appeals in calling for her to be recognised for contention. Actor Rosario Dawson, famous for her roles in Sin City and Marvel’s Daredevil has taken to social media to offer her services for the role, should it be given the green light.
As a fan of the character, she has expressed a passion to bring her to the big screen and bridge the gap between her appearances in The Clone Wars and Rebels. Of course, Ashley Eckstein…the true voice and soul of Ahsoka Tano would need to offer her vocals for dubbing purposes, but being a devoted defender of the character, it would not take much convince her.
If an Ahsoka Tano anthology movie is to have any chance of success, not only would it need fan support to flourish, but the project would require a highly talented director to take the reins and steer the project to victory. Many of the fans have championed the need for a skilled female director to assume such responsibilities and bring a level of credibility to the project, and at the head of the crowd stands Patty Jenkins.
The talented director, has recently enjoyed an unprecedented level of success with her most recent effort, the DC comics blockbuster Wonder Woman, and her ability to bring such an impeccable movie to the screen has not gone unnoticed. Her ability to project the visceral side of war amidst a tent-pole and glitzy comic book property has been received as a breath of fresh air, and the movie has gone on to become one of the most successful projects of the entire summer season.
Her efforts with Wonder Woman have earned her the accolade of restoring some much-needed credibility back into the DC universe, at a time when both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice have struggled. It would seem cathartic, that at a time when the Star Wars Anthology movies are under such scrutiny, that a director of her calibre of movie making is regarded as the perfect candidate to legitimise the galaxy far, far away…
Wonder Woman, was a truly wondrous movie, one that has been heralded as a period piece, and did not shy away from embracing the true ugliness of our planets darkest hour. Even though it is regarded as a comic book property, the finished product associates itself more with the old school war movies of eras gone by which has earned its fair share of acclaim. Should Jenkins be rewarded with a tent-pole Star Wars movie to apply her considerable talents, surely an Ahsoka Tano standalone movie would serve as the perfect template.
A gritty and visceral Ahsoka Tano movie, depicting her struggles at the height of The Clone Wars and beyond would be fantastic entry into our beloved Star Wars saga. Exploring the turmoil, she endured in the aftermath of her self-imposed exile from the Jedi Order, would make for fantastic viewing and would satisfy the fans appetite for more Ahsoka. The anguish of turning her back on the values she had cherished for much of her adult life, would have harboured a deep seeded inner turmoil. One that would have affected her on psychological level.
With a proven director of Jenkins’ calibre at the helm would almost certainly bring a level of credibility back to the Anthology franchise at a time when it is needed the most.
So, considering Wonder Woman’s fantastical success, I implore Lucasfilm to sign her up. Whether it be an Ahsoka Tano movie, or even the eagerly anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi entry, Patty Jenkins has demonstrated a rare ability that would restore a balance of credibility to the Star Wars universe.
Unfortunately, this amounts to nothing more than hypothesis. But in fandom, we are full of hope for the future with the Star Wars universe being the biggest sandbox for the best directors in the world to play in. And, an Ahsoka Tano movie directed by Patty Jenkins would be a dream come true…
Trust in the Force…and the Force will always guide us!
Until next time…
May The Force Be With You
