Star Wars: Ahsoka was partly inspired by Lord of the Rings' best wizard
And no, it’s not Radagast the Brown
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Rosario Dawson,Star Wars: Ahsoka’s lead actor, has revealed that the forthcoming Disney Plus series took some surprising inspiration fromLord of the Rings.
Speaking toEntertainment Weekly(EW) before the actors strike brought Hollywood to a standstill, Dawson explained how Gandalf the Grey served as a major influence on titular character Ahsoka Tano.
Dawson reprises her role as the iconic Jedi from previous shows set in that galaxy far, far away inStar Wars: Ahsoka. The formerDaredevilstar has portrayed the live-action iteration of the fan-favorite character sinceThe Mandalorian’s second season. Before that, Ahsoka, who made herStar Warsbow in 2008’sThe Clone Warsanimated series, was voiced by Ashley Eckstein in the aforementioned show and sequel seriesStar Wars: Rebels. It’s the latter of these two shows that, along with Ahsoka’s appearances inThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fett, set upStar Wars: Ahsoka’s story.
Despite her recent appearance in theStar Warsfranchise, then, Ahsoka Tano’s history is extensive and packed with plenty of character development. However, Dawson believes there’s much more to explore from a character evolution standpoint with the beloved Twi’lek. She didn’t expect, though, for the next stage of Ahsoka’s journey to be influenced by everyone’s favoriteLord of the Ringswizard (sorry, Radagast the Brown).
“In the animation [shows], you saw her go to the white,” Dawson told EW. “But what I loved is the idea that there was even another level to her. [Showrunner] Dave [Filoni] and I talked a lot about Gandalf the Gray and Gandalf the White – talking about that transition and how she’s someone very capable and excellent and looked up to as a leader, but she still has levels of development to go.”
Unexpected as that inspiration sounds,Star Wars: Ahsokaalso takes its cues from other notable sources. Given Star Wars' clear nods to Akira Kurosawa films, samurai genre fare influenced Ahsoka’s standalone series, too.
“She seems very lone wolf, and we kind of felt that coming off ofRebels,where she works with all of these different folks, but she’s really on her own in a lot of ways,” Dawson said. “What I really liked about this [show] is that we get to flesh that out a little bit more. We get to see what that’s like for her in this position and the path she’s choosing as a sort of ronin, just this warrior on her own. And I really loved that we get to rekindle some of these relationships that she’s had from her past.”
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Considering they exist in separate genre universes, we’ll never see Ahsoka and Gandalf meet, let alone interact. Even so, it’s still intriguing to learn that J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary fantasy book series inspired one of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all-time. It’s almost as surreal as learning thatShazam!: Fury of the Godswas partly influenced byiconic anime movieAkiraand beloved videogame seriesThe Legend of Zelda.
Anyway, we don’t have long to wait forStar Wars: Ahsokato make itsDisney Plusbow. The Dawson-starring TV series will launch with a two-episode premiere on one of the world’sbest streaming serviceson Wednesday, August 23.
For more Star Wars-based coverage, find outhow to watch theStar Warsmovies in orderand learn about the othernewStar Warsmovies and TV showscoming over the next few years. As forLord of the Rings, get the lowdown on everything we know aboutThe Rings of Powerseason 2onPrime Video.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
How to watch Gangnam B-Side online – stream the South Korean drama from anywhere
‘The stakes are so different’: Endurance filmmaker on finding Ernest Shackleton’s iconic lost ship in a new documentary on Disney Plus
Arcane season 2 confirms the hit series isn’t just one of the best Netflix shows ever made – it’s an animated legend that’ll stand the test of time
