Ashley Eckstein Recommends Watching ‘Star Wars’ Animated Shows Ahead of ‘Ahsoka’

We recently wrote about all of the reasons that fans should watch Star Wars: Rebels before the Ahsoka show’s release. As it turns out, we aren’t the only ones who think that way.

Ashley Eckstein, the original voice actress of Ahsoka Tano, recently sat down with CinemaBlend and talked about the upcoming HerUniverse fashion show and Star Wars in general.

The interviewer asked Ashley “whether she feels Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars are worth watching even as the franchise moves forward.”

Ashley responded with the following quote:

“Oh, absolutely! I actually recommend to everyone who is excited about the upcoming Ahsoka series, I highly recommend that you take the time to watch Clone Wars, and watch Star Wars Rebels, and even Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Because if you don’t, you’re going to miss out on crucial, crucial backstory that you really need to know to fully enjoy the Ahsoka series, which is so exciting.”

Personally, I’m a little shocked at the phrasing of the interviewer’s question. Asking a voice actress if their show is “even worth watching” feels exceptionally rude, especially with how disrespected animators and voice actors are in modern Hollywood. Ashley Eckstein was a vital part of creating one of the greatest Star Wars characters of all time and asking her, to her face, if her shows are even worth watching is galling.

That being said, many people feel that way about Star Wars and other long-running franchise media; they take a look at the 100-plus episode show and the lackluster animation quality of the first season and question if Clone Wars is worth watching.

To which I say: I promise you, they are. Both The Clone Wars and Rebels are some of the finest Star Wars content ever made. Besides both shows being quality television for all ages, Ahsoka, Clone Wars, and Rebels are going to be more important than ever to the future of Star Wars, especially since Dave Filoni seems to be a major writer, director, and producer in the future of the franchise and he’s never been one to leave characters behind.

Who knows? The Star Wars movie he’s working on may end up being an Ahsoka Tano movie featuring characters from The Clone Wars and Rebels. (We can always hope.)

If you are looking at watching The Clone Wars, here’s a list of the best arcs, including some of the best arcs about Ahsoka Tano. It’s a long journey, but it’s a road worth traveling, I promise.

(featured image: Disney+)