Ashley Eckstein was there from the moment Ahsoka Tano first appeared on screens in her debut film, The Clone Wars. While her character initially received mixed reviews, over the last fifteen years, Ahsoka has become one of the most beloved Star Wars characters of all time.
Part of her popularity stems from Eckstein’s fantastic performance as Ahsoka, bringing brilliant writing to life with a striking depth of emotions and warmth.
Ahsoka is played by Rosario Dawson in live-action projects such as The Mandalorian, but Eckstein is well known for voicing this character in the animated universe. Overall, she has played Ahsoka in 14 projects. Her largest role was in The Clone Wars television show, where she voiced Ahsoka in a whopping seventy episodes!
An older version of Eckstein’s version of Ahsoka had a large role in Rebels, where she guest-starred in fourteen episodes. Eckstein continued to voice the character in eleven episodes of The Forces of Destiny, a series of shorts about the powerful women of the Star Wars universe. Most recently, The Tales of the Jedi focused on Ahsoka’s life for three episodes, in which Eckstein lent her talents for two.
One of Eckstein’s lesser-known cameos is a small role at the end of The Rise of Skywalker. Rey has a moment where she hears the voices of several Jedi in her mind and among them is Ahsoka, cheering Rey on when she needs it most.
Eckstein’s work is not confined to TV, however, as she has contributed her voice to seven video games. Aside from a math-based game and two pinball games, Ahsoka was a character involved in a series of Clone Wars games including Lightsaber Duels, Jedi Alliance, Republic Heroes, and a Lego video game.
Finally, the book Ahsoka, written by E.K. Johnston, was transferred to audiobook format with Eckstein performing as the reader. The book is no longer considered canon, but it still features an amazing performance by Eckstein, demonstrating her deep connection with Ahsoka.
Few people know the character of Ahsoka better than Ashley Eckstein. Her dedication to this character is part of what keeps her so close to the hearts of many Star Wars fans. As Ahsoka’s story continues to develop, we can only hope that Eckstein will remain a part of that journey, supporting the fan-favorite togruta in her new show and beyond.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Ahsoka and the many projects that feature her wouldn’t exist.