Celebrating May the Fourth, Ashley Eckstein looks back on Ahsoka Tano’s journey from Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Rebels — including the unforgettable Darth Vader scene that brought real tears.

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I hopped on Zoom with Ashley as she prepared to reunite with fellow Clone Wars castmates Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor at a convention. As we introduced ourselves, I could hear Ahsoka come through in Ashley’s natural speaking voice, and it immediately brought back memories.

Ahsoka’s journey began with 2008 film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and quickly expanded into the animated series, where her snippy remarks and heart of gold made her a fan favorite. Fast forward through a defining arc in Rebels, a live-action series, and multiple novels, and Ahsoka has firmly cemented herself as one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars universe.

What better way to celebrate Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!) than by hearing some of Ashley's favorite behind-the-scenes memories? Below are some fun facts I learned from Ashley, as we chatted through Ahsoka's evolution.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Ashley: I knew from the very beginning that she was Anakin Skywalker's Padawan, which was shocking. As a Star Wars fan myself, I thought that Anakin didn't have a Padawan. This was a game-changer, and instantly, my mind was blown. We were also going to see a girl that was a Jedi on a regular basis. Yes, we had seen female Jedi before, but they were not the lead characters. The fact that we were going to see this female Jedi weekly was so exciting.

I knew that she was gonna be a little snippy, and that Anakin and Ahsoka were going to have a brother-sister relationship. But from there, I didn't know anything further.

In the beginning, I was under the assumption that Ahsoka had to die. I heard many fan theories about it. Of course, I never wanted that to happen, but she wasn't in Episode 3 — so it was natural to believe that something would happen to her.

But never, ever did I imagine the storyline that would eventually become Ahsoka Tano's journey. Never did I imagine what would happen in the Siege of Mandalore, that she would appear on Star Wars: Rebels, or that she would have her own live-action series.

I always hoped that people would grow to love Ahsoka as I do. I never imagined how Ahsoka would change lives and save lives the way that she has now, 20 years later.

Ashley: Originally, they wanted Ahsoka to have an Icelandic accent, and I could not do an Icelandic accent. I sounded terrible. For some reason, I got a callback, so I studied and thought I had perfected an Icelandic accent. But it just wasn't what Dave Filoni wanted.

I don't know what came over me, but I did something in my callback that landed me the role. After I did the first line and thought I was doing well, Dave Filoni stopped me and asked, "No, can you do it more Icelandic?" I raised my hand, and I said, "I'm sorry, but I am doing Icelandic. I don't know what you want." It turns out that that got me the part.

He wanted somebody that was snippy, but not bratty or rude or disrespectful. When I was cast, I asked Dave. I said, "Why me?" He said, "Well, you're genuine, and Ahsoka is genuine."

So much credit goes to my parents. The number one rule in our house was that we had to be kind and that we had to treat others as we would want to be treated. So even when speaking back to the director, it was still done with genuine care, just wanting to do it correctly.

I think that's Ahsoka. Her kindness is her biggest power.

Ashley: Like Anakin and Ahsoka, Matt and I are also like brother and sister.

It's an interesting story, because we had a different Anakin at first. His name was also Mat — shout out to Mat Lucas [voice of Anakin in Star Wars: Clone Wars]. He was an incredible Anakin, and we worked with him for about the first six months. Then they decided to recast, and they cast Matt Lanter.

I had already been recording Ahsoka, and we were five or six episodes in. Dave Filoni had told me, "Look, people are going to want to ship Anakin and Ahsoka. Absolutely not. This is like a brother-sister relationship."

So when I first met Matt — and he loves to tell the story — he came into the studio and before I even said, "Hi, nice to meet you," I just said, "Just so you know, there's nothing going on here!" I meant Anakin and Ahsoka — I was trying to tell him what Dave told me, and instead it turned into this really funny moment.

Ashley: Matt and I were both new to the voiceover world. We were both on-camera actors learning from voiceover icons. We also bonded because we recorded as a cast. We were always standing next to each other during our records, and we are right around the same age.

We instantly became very good friends, and we're still very good friends to this day. We're a huge part of each other's lives. In fact, I'm getting ready for a convention now where I'm about to go meet Matt and James [Arnold Taylor, voice of Obi-Wan], and we're all still very close.

Ashley: The fight scenes always look a little silly when you're recording them, because we record our voices before the animation is done. So, I would always use a pencil as a pretend lightsaber. You have to stand still behind a microphone and not make any noise. I would flail my arms and change my body position as best I could without affecting the sound. (Laughs) You end up looking really silly, and you also have to use your imagination.

Dave would describe to us what was happening in the moment. For example, he would say, "Okay, you're getting picked up by this giant bird-like creature. You're being flown across the room about 200 feet, and then you're being dropped like 50 feet, and you're going to hit the ground and roll three times, and then I want an impact sound against the wall. Go!"

Not only do you have to remember all of that, but you also have to think about what that sounds like and do it instantly. Most of the time, there's no practice at all because Star Wars is so top secret. Sometimes we got our script when we walked in the door. If we did get it ahead of time, it was maybe 24 hours in advance. It was definitely a learned skill.

It takes so many people to bring Ahsoka to life, and I call it "Team Tano." Everyone is excellent at what they do, and it takes a team of people, from animators, choreographers, people who light the scene, writers, and directors — so I'm just one part of a giant team.

Ashley: That was a very emotional scene when I recorded it. When Clone Wars was canceled, we were devastated, because we never really had closure. We found out in the middle of Season 6, and there was never that final wrap-up, that final goodbye, that final session where we got to sign each other's scripts.

Now fast forward to Rebels. I was so excited and so honored to be a part of it, and I was overjoyed when I found out that Matt Lanter was coming back to help voice Vader. It was such a gift to get one last recording session with Matt. In my mind, I thought that was going to be the final goodbye, the final recording session, and so the emotion was easy because it was real.

I was saying goodbye to Matt, while Ahsoka said goodbye to Anakin. 

My heart was beating out of my chest. There were real tears, and even though it's sad, I got that moment of closure that I thought I would never get.

Ashley: I founded the fashion brand Her Universe in 2010. It's a fandom fashion line and lifestyle brand, and we do what I call a "geek couture" fashion show at San Diego Comic Con. It's a competition where we pick two winners who receive the opportunity to design a fashion collection with Her Universe to be sold in retail stores and to fans. I'm very proud of it.

It's grown over the years, and we'll be back again at SDCC this year. We've announced that Warner Brothers, and specifically DC, is the sponsor. It's going to be a complete DC Universe-themed fashion show.

Ashley: I’m releasing a book alongside my husband, David Eckstein, who is also releasing his memoir. I’m a very proud wife. His story is truly one of the greatest underdog stories.

At the same time, I’m releasing a fiction romance novel called Lucky 22, inspired by how we met and fell in love. It’s definitely like a Hallmark movie — very wholesome, very light spice — and about 90% of it is true.

A big part of the book is how I booked the role of Ahsoka Tano and what was happening behind the scenes in our lives during that time.

There are going to be so many Easter eggs for Star Wars fans, and I’m really excited to share that with everyone. It comes out on September 8, and we’ll be going on a big book tour later this year.

Ashley: Ahsoka genuinely wants to help people, no matter what. She even says my favorite line: (in Ahsoka's voice) "In my life, when you find people who need your help, you help them, no matter what."

As I've grown into an adult and learned more about myself, I'm what you would call a super empath. My nickname as a kid was "little sunshine" because I am naturally a positive, happy person. That doesn't mean that I don't have bad days or dark days or sad days, but the darkness won't keep me down. That is Ahsoka.

I'm honored that I got to bring my heart and soul to Ahsoka. I think I had all of these qualities, but I didn't understand myself until I saw myself in Ahsoka. I saw how powerful she is, and it made me want to lean into and live all of these qualities.

It's still a choice at the end of the day. You can choose to lean into the light side, or you can choose to lean into the dark side. We have both sides in us, and Ahsoka has absolutely changed me.

I do believe that she represents the light side in many, many ways, and that's now my purpose in life — to always lean into the light.

Keep up with Ashley on Instagram, @ashleyeckstein, and @heruniverse. You can pre-order Ashley's upcoming book, Lucky 22, here.

- Roger Christian on designing the lightsaber