Star Wars: The Clone Wars Creator Address Theory That Ahsoka's The Rise of Skywalker Cameo Means She's Dead

When fans saw Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, many were thrilled to hear the voices of Jedi from all corners of the franchise, which also ignited speculation that Ahsoka Tano could be dead at this point in time, though Star Wars: The Clone Wars creator Dave Filoni pointed out that fans shouldn't be so quick to jump to assumptions. From Luke Skywalker to Mace Windu to Yoda to Kanan, it seemed as though all of the voices heard by Rey in the finale were those of fallen heroes, resulting in fans speculating that this confirmed Ahsoka was dead during this point in the franchise.

"I have to wonder with Star Wars fans," Filoni shared with Gizmodo about the theory. "They seem to watch the movies but they don't take all the lessons. They deal a lot in absolutes, which is very much a Sith thing. I remember in [Star Wars:] The Empire Strikes Back Luke speaking out through the force to Leia. Vader also does this at the end of Empire Strikes Back. There's no absoluteness that these people are dead. I mean, some of them we know are dead."

Fans first met Ahsoka in The Clone Wars, though that series' unexpected cancellation by Cartoon Network left fans wondering what was in store for the character, as she didn't appear in any live-action films. When Filoni delivered fans his next animated series, Star Wars Rebels, viewers were thrilled to see Ahsoka's return, as that series' finale teased that she and Sabine Wren survived past the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Filoni went on to note that the brief cameo doesn't tie into the return of The Clone Wars, but was instead an opportunity to unite the entire franchise.

"It doesn't really have any big implications to what I'm doing with the character, to be honest," Filoni admitted. "I just thought it was a really fun thing. I thought [director] J.J. [Abrams]'s instinct to be so inclusive with all these various elements of Star Wars and characters [was great]. And I thought it would be a great thing for the actors involved to be a part of something that was just really this celebrating moment of the Star Wars saga. So I didn't think of it in a literal story [way]. The film, to me, is like a different area."

With rumors circulating that another animated series could be in the works, fans are holding out hope that we could see even more of Ahsoka in the future, but until then, Star Wars: The Clone Wars' final season should tide us over when it premieres on February 21st.

Are you hoping we get more Ahsoka adventures in the future? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!