Star Wars: Dave Filoni Confirms Ahsoka Viewers Won’t Need to Have Seen Rebels, Offers Suggested Episodes

Part of what has Star Wars fans so excited for the upcoming Star Wars: Ahsoka is that, based solely on casting reports and the first trailer, there will be a lot of elements from the animated Star Wars Rebels that will be adapted into live-action, but if you haven’t watched all 75 episodes of the series, creator Dave Filoni says you’ll still be able to enjoy Ahsoka. With months to go before Ahsoka premieres, however, he did note that anyone who was potentially intrigued by the series could be served well by watching just the final season of the series, given the emotional impact those events will have on figures we see in Ahsoka. Star Wars: Ahsoka is set to premiere on Disney+ in August.

“I would start, probably like the episode ‘Jedi Knight,’ where the sad thing happens to Kanan,” Filoni shared with Collider of Rebels episodes fans could check out. “Even if you didn’t understand what that was, it would propel you forward. If you just watched Season 4, you’d be set. You can start with that and you get that these Rebels are fighting this tyrannical Empire and that would get you everything and everybody you need. You don’t need to do the entire gamut of Rebels, but you should. Once you watch that, you’ll be like ‘Well, I’m gonna watch it all.’”

He added, “I’ve been very aware when writing these things that you don’t need to have seen any of it; not that I don’t want you to, I want you to, but you don’t have to.”

Star Wars Rebels debuted at an interesting time for Star Wars fans, as it marked the first animated Star Wars series following The Walt Disney Company’s purchase of Lucasfilm, which also came after the unexpected cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While audiences were obviously excited about the new adventure, some were apprehensive due to the unresolved ending of The Clone Wars.

Luckily, an unseen figure that was referenced many times in the first season of Rebels was revealed to be Ahsoka Tano, with Rebels allowing to serve as a spiritual sequel to The Clone Wars. While Ahsoka served as an important figure in the series, Rebels also introduced audiences to other compelling members of the Ghost crew, as well as the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn, who will be pivotal components of Ahsoka.

Stay tuned for updates on Star Wars: Ahsoka.

Are you looking forward to the new series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!