As the dust settles on another year of Star Wars Celebration, fans are left eating well with plenty of new trailers and announcements. But, as usual, they're left with plenty of new questions, and there's one at the forefront of many minds. Why do the mysterious new baddies in Ahsoka have orange lightsabers?
Two new characters are among the many surprises in the exciting new Ahsoka trailer. They are Shin Hati (played by Ivanna Sakhno) and Baylan Skoll (played by Ray Stevenson), a pair of lightsaber-wielders giving off some distinct "we are villains" signals. All signs indicate they are some form of master and apprentice Sith, particularly given their destructive presence in the trailer. But things aren't always what they seem in Star Wars, and fans quickly noticed that their lightsabers weren't the typical shade of deep red seen among Sith in the past.
In a recent interview snippet from the ScreenRant+ TikTok, series creator Dave Filoni explained why he gave Shin and Baylan's lightsabers a striking orange hue instead of the aforementioned red. "That was very intentional," he said when asked about the color. "I didn't make them like just a stark red. I remember as a kid that Vader's lightsaber kind of fluctuated from visual effects to visual effects, being a little bit more orange. I didn't want to go like straight up orange, but it's identifying a little bit of something, maybe to kids, that they might not straight up be what you think they are in the beginning."
Ahsoka is rumored to feature a Star Wars Rebels-inspired time skip, which would make sense given what's been shown in the trailer. Based on appearances by several characters from Rebels, including Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, there's a focus on that previous series. Ahsoka will seemingly pick up where Rebels left off, with Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) setting off alongside Sabine to search for Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) after his disappearance in that show's climax. There are certainly worse ideas than a direct follow-up to Rebels.
Aside from one actor's big return to Star Wars in Ahsoka, the lightsabers are one of many curiosities fans instantly picked up on in the trailer. Some even noticed that the orange color seemingly matches Darth Vader's saber in one particular poster for the original 1977 Star Wars. That's the attention to detail one can expect from this crowd. Filoni clearly shares that same passion, making him an excellent choice to tell these stories.
Ahsoka is shaping up to be one for Star Wars fans, though Filoni has said that viewers don't have to watch the previous shows to enjoy it. Still, that doesn't mean those who have kept up with the lore won't get some satisfying callbacks and payoffs. It looks like it's one to look forward to.
Ahsoka is set to premiere in August 2023 on Disney Plus.
Source: ScreenRant+/TikTok