The practicality of having an adorable little alien hanging around inThe Mandalorianhas seemingly rubbed off on theStar Warsfranchise. WhenAhsokapremieres, Grogu won’t be the only funny little guy in a galaxy far, far away.
Earlier this year, Amandla Stenberg teasedpractical effects and creatures inStar Wars: The Acolyte. Some might have seen that as a refreshing break from an over-reliance on computer-generated imagery in recent shows. However, it may be more of an indication of howStar Warswill operate going forward. After Grogu (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) immediately captured the hearts of viewers and actors alike, it almost seemed like a waste for that idea to be a one-off. Apparently, the folks in charge took the concept to heart.
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As seen briefly in the trailer forAhsoka, an animatronic Loth-cat (a creature seen prominently on the planet Lothal in the animated seriesStar Wars Rebels) will feature rather prominently in the upcomingAhsokaseries, and several of the actors have already fallen for its charms. “That was my little buddy!” laughed Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren) in an interview withEmpire Magazine. “That cat, the complexity of the design… I mean, it has a real skeleton under there, because that’s how they control such intense facial expressions and everything.” While the actress was busy bringing the young and artistic Mandalorian Sabine to live-action after the character’s first appearance throughoutRebels, the little Loth-cat seemingly kept her company. She wasn’t the only one.
“It was real, it was there!” added Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who playsthe Twi’lek pilot Hera Syndulla(also originally fromRebels). Even Rosario Dawson, who has been portraying the titular sometimes-Jedi Ahsoka Tano in live-action sinceThe Mandalorianseason 2, was taken in by the little fuzzball. But she was also impressed with the technical aspect. “It would snarl and look cute,” Dawson said. “Really, the detail was next-level.” It seems clear what sort of vibe the effects department is going for, especially given one last comment from Bordizzo. “Move over, Grogu!”
WhileAhsokaappears to be entirely about Ahsoka Tano, many have noticed that the series will more likely use her as a framing device to deliver a new live-action season ofStar Wars Rebels. The finale of the latter series saw young Jedi Ezra Bridger seemingly sacrifice himself to save his friends from the tactical genius Grand Admiral Thrawn. He did this with the help of purrgil, whale-like creatures who can travel through hyperspace, launching the ship that held Ezra and Thrawn into unknown regions. A short epilogue showed Ahsoka setting off with Sabine in search of Ezra, and it looks like the new series will pick up right where that moment ended.
The effects being used for the Loth-cat could be one of the stand-out aspects ofAhsoka.Practical effects in sci-fimust be done right, andThe Mandalorianset an ideal standard for creatures. Given how people like Werner Herzog immediately took a shine to Grogu, and now the cast ofAhsokais similarly enamored with their little kitty friend, it certainly seems to be the right choice.
