How Star Wars Changed Ahsoka’s Lightsaber Design To Make The Show’s Stunning Duels Possible

Ahsoka modified the lightsaber design of its titular character for the sequence’ lightsaber duels. Ahsoka Tano has fought with lightsabers since her animated debut in The Clone Wars film in 2008. After turning into a fan-favorite character in The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 2, performed by Rosario Dawson, and paving the way in which for her personal live-action sequence. Bringing Ahsoka into live-action required many sensible changes

A video from Screen Rant‘s Rob Keyes at Destination D23 that includes Ahsoka‘s props grasp Josh Roth reveals certainly one of these changes, particularly how Ahsoka’s lightsaber design was modified after The Mandalorian season 2. Check out the video and Roth’s feedback under:

“The design for Ahsoka’s saber here was very important. We had to slim it down, we had to work with it, and it was really challenging because we didn’t have, at the time, the technical ability to keep the batteries inside the hilts. So we had to keep the batteries in Rosario’s sleeves, for the first time starting in season 2. Now when we saw Rosario getting her own show, for number one, we had to change that. So we were able to work with my team to create a new saber that was totally integrated, so she could do all the stunts and fighting.”

As Roth explains, Ahsoka‘s lightsaber duels would not have been potential with out placing the batteries contained in the lightsaber hilts. This is a change from The Mandalorian season 2 when the batteries had been stored in Dawson’s sleeves. Without this alteration, Dawson’s actions would’ve been extra restricted in Ahsoka and the present’s lightsaber duels would not be as spectacular.

Ahsoka’s Lightsaber Duels Have Shown Some Of Star Wars’ Best Choreography

Ahsoka has already set itself aside from different live-action Star Wars tv sequence by means of the amount and high quality of its lightsaber duels. Most of the opposite sequence have been comparatively gentle in the case of lightsaber motion, however solely 4 episodes in, Ahsoka has already featured a number of duels between Ahsoka and Marrok, Sabine Wren and Shin Hati, and a duel between Ahsoka and Baylan Skoll. Part of what makes these lightsaber fights work so properly is that they characteristic a few of Star Wars‘ greatest choreography.

The duels in Ahsoka steadiness out the various kinds of lightsaber motion seen all through years of Star Wars initiatives. The unique trilogy’s lightsaber fights had been extra gradual and methodical, with the battle relying extra on emotion than artistry. The prequel trilogy created extremely choreographed fights that made lightsaber fight look extra fluid, whereas the sequel trilogy emphasised the precise weight of the lightsaber and the bodily toll of every duel. Ahsoka blends all these influences, with duels that depend on emotional stakes, whereas additionally that includes spectacular choreography and fluid, but grounded actions.

Baylan’s lightsaber fight looks like a wedding of those parts as he’s extremely methodical whereas additionally carrying a sure weight and bodily effort behind every motion. Ahsoka and Marrok staring one another down and settling into their stances in episode 4 additionally felt harking back to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul’s final duel in Star Wars Rebels, with the anticipation regularly escalating earlier than the killing blow happens in a matter of seconds. As Ahsoka heads into the second half of its first season, the lightsaber duels will undoubtedly proceed to be one of many strongest features of the sequence.

Source: Rob Keyes/Twitter