Ahsoka Season 2 Just Became the Most Important Star Wars Release This Year

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2026 is a significant year for Star Wars. After a break from theatrical releases, a new movie featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu will hit cinemas this summer. Plus, a new animated series, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, will continue Lucasfilm’s tradition of compelling storytelling. However, the biggest news is a change in leadership: Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm. She’ll be replaced by co-presidents Dave Filoni, who will focus on the creative side, and Lynwen Brennan, who will handle business operations. Because of this leadership shift, the next Star Wars release in 2026 feels more important than ever.

Although there’s no confirmed release date yet, most people expect Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2 to debut sometime in 2026. The new season will continue the story from the end of Season 1 and focus on the growing battle against Grand Admiral Thrawn. With Dave Filoni now overseeing all of Lucasfilm, there’s a lot of anticipation for Ahsoka Season 2.

Dave Filoni Is the Main Creative Voice Behind Ahsoka

Though Dave Filoni directed and wrote episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Jon Favreau was the main creative force behind those shows. With Ahsoka, Filoni took on a much larger role. He’s credited as the creator, showrunner, and sole writer for the first season. Given his long history with Lucasfilm, this makes perfect sense. He originally developed the character of Ahsoka Tano with George Lucas for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and has been closely connected to her ever since. So, he was the natural choice to lead the live-action Ahsoka series.

Dave Filoni was deeply involved in creating the second season of Ahsoka. He confirmed late in 2024 that he’s the sole writer, meaning he’s leading the creative direction even while working with multiple directors. While this wasn’t unusual when Kathleen Kennedy led Lucasfilm, it’s particularly noteworthy now that Filoni is a co-president of the company. With Filoni and his partner overseeing which Star Wars projects move forward, Ahsoka Season 2 offers a unique glimpse into his vision for the future of the franchise and could hint at what’s to come.

Star Wars fans have complicated feelings about this news. Dave Filoni clearly loves the Star Wars universe and understands how much it means to people, which is a huge strength as he takes on new projects. However, some fans worry about his creative direction. Filoni often includes very specific references and caters heavily to existing fans, and there’s a risk this could make shows like Ahsoka appeal only to a smaller audience. The show relies so much on characters and plot points from the animated series Star Wars Rebels that viewers who haven’t seen it—especially those new to Star Wars—might feel confused or lost.

It’s exciting to see characters like Ahsoka, Sabine Wren, and Grand Admiral Thrawn brought to life in live-action, and the Ahsoka series definitely has a role to play in the broader Star Wars universe. However, it shouldn’t become the standard for the entire franchise. Dave Filoni’s creative style works well when Ahsoka is part of a bigger picture with other creative leaders involved. Now that he’s in a top leadership position and Ahsoka is taking center stage, the show will face much more intense scrutiny. Essentially, Ahsoka is now “Filoni’s Star Wars,” and with his promotion, the entire franchise feels that way too. Fans will be closely analyzing the scripts and storylines for Ahsoka Season 2, trying to understand his overall vision for the future of Star Wars.

Can Ahsoka Season 2 Assuage Fan Concerns About Filoni?

I’m really looking forward to Ahsoka Season 2, and I’m hoping it can address some of the worries fans have about Dave Filoni’s approach to Star Wars. Sometimes it feels like he gets so focused on the details and backstory that he loses sight of the bigger picture. I don’t expect the show to directly tackle that criticism, though. It’s clearly building on Star Wars Rebels, and with hints about the Mortis gods and Baylan Skoll seeking deeper Force knowledge, it’s going to dive even further into established lore and connect to things from the animated series. It’s exciting, but it also feels like it’s doubling down on that complex mythology.

While the second season of Ahsoka might be a bit complex for some viewers, it shouldn’t be seen as a judgment of Dave Filoni’s overall vision for Star Wars. It’s just one piece of a much bigger story. It’s also important to remember that Kathleen Kennedy will be working with Filoni to lead Star Wars, with Kennedy focusing on the business side and Filoni on the creative side. They’ll make decisions together, and Filoni wants to ensure the franchise doesn’t rely solely on his ideas. Kennedy’s input could offer a fresh perspective and balance Filoni’s creative approach.

There’s reason to be hopeful about Ahsoka Season 2 because of changes in how it’s being made. Recent Star Wars shows on Disney+, like The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi, heavily relied on a technology called The Volume for filming. While impressive, this technology has limitations. For Ahsoka Season 2, Lucasfilm is using a wider range of filming methods, including shooting in real locations. As Andor showed, this approach can better capture the grand scale and feel audiences expect from Star Wars, since it isn’t limited to a studio set.

As a big film fan, I’ve been really excited to see that the new Star Wars: Starfighter movie is using a lot of real sets and locations. It’s great that Dave Filoni and his team seem to be moving in that direction, showing they’re not just relying on the Volume stage. Don’t get me wrong, the Volume is awesome, but it’s good to see they’re willing to use different techniques depending on what each project needs. If Ahsoka Season 2 can really wow us with its visuals and make those worlds feel huge and immersive, that’ll be a fantastic sign of things to come for the future of Star Wars.

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2026-02-13 23:46