The friendship between Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex has stood the test of time in the Star Wars franchise, but will it be featured in the Ahsoka series? The two had an unlikely start, as do all iconic relationships. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka appears during the battle of Christophsis at the behest of Master Yoda to reveal her new status as padawan of Anakin Skywalker. Anakin reluctantly introduces her to the captain, who wastes no time reminding the Jedi Knight of his previous reluctance to take on a student.Ahsoka and Captain Rex are later seen in Clone Wars debating the importance of experience versus rank when it comes to hierarchy in the Grand Army of the Republic. Years after the Clone Wars were revealed to be Chancellor Palpatine’s grab for power as Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the two revisit their playful debate. In the season 2 finale of Rebels, Ahsoka reminds Captain Rex that she outranks him due to just how much more experienced she is in battle. In light of the Ahsoka series, many fans hope that this friendship won’t just be mentioned but that Captain Rex himself will make significant appearances alongside the Togruta Jedi.In the beginning, both characters were just two different types of cogs in an epic Star Wars fight for the very soul of the galaxy. She was a youngling thrust into a warzone, and he was a clone trooper made for war. Both of them were reluctant players in a game more rigged than either of them would ever know.
Like Captain Rex and even Anakin Skywalker, fans were initially reluctant to accept Ahsoka. They thought she was annoying and didn’t serve much purpose in Clone Wars outside of playing the role of the little sister who’s constantly in the way. By her final appearance in the Clone Wars series, however, she had not only gained the favor of fans, but she’d also become popular enough to enter discussions for gaining her own series. Fans loved the idea of Ahsoka in her own spotlight.But can the same be said for Captain Rex? The mind-control chip that turned many of his brothers into slaves of the Galactic Empire barely had time to work on him before Ahsoka helped a med droid get it out of his head. So, fans of the captain never had to watch him turn on the Jedi. In fact, they eventually got to see him playing hero for his brothers stuck under the brutal heel of the Empire in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.Years after much of the galaxy fell to Imperial rule, clone troopers started coming out of the mind fog of the chip’s control over their brains. They were waking up just in time to realize that the very Empire that enslaved them was also working toward getting rid of them. Captain Rex took it upon himself to start rescuing them alongside ARC Trooper Echo, reminding of just how awesome this character can be when allowed to live up to his potential. This reminder sent demands for Captain Rex to appear in other Star Wars projects through the roof – particularly in the Ahsoka series coming to Disney Plus in August. Lucasfilm's trailer reveals that other Star Wars: Rebels alumni will be making appearances. While it didn’t contain a familiar blond trooper, it could be saving the best for when the series actually airs.
All the demands in the world mean nothing if Temuera Morrison isn’t on board — but thankfully, he is. Morrison shared his desire to bring Captain Rex into the Star Wars world of live-action in a previous interview. He referred to the captain as iconic and expressed a specific interest to bring to life a much more mature of the captain in one of the newer projects. Like all the Disney projects, the Ahsoka series is surrounded by much mystery and intrigue. Temuera could be teasing fans with something that’s already been set in motion, or simply announcing that he, too, is looking forward to keeping the stories of the clone troopers relevant to the Star Wars franchise.Another important voice in this speculation is that of Dee Bradley Baker, known for voicing pretty much all the clone troopers in the animated projects. He has neither confirmed nor denied Captain Rex making the transition to live-action, but he did share a tweet recently that sent the theorizing into overdrive.
There are many reasons to believe that Captain Rex will be featured in the Star Wars: Ahsoka series. He’d be returning by popular demand. It makes sense that a story about Ahsoka would include her oldest friend. It would mark his official debut in the Star Wars live-action projects. More importantly, it could potentially leave the door open for other appearances by him as well as his fellow clone troopers.
However, there are also many reasons to believe these are all baseless rumors. The newer Star Wars projects may be a blast to the past with returning characters and storylines. The Mandalorian sent fans reeling when they brought back Luke Skywalker to take on Grogu as a padawan. Likewise, The Book of Boba Fett shocked fans when it had Boba Fett (Morrison) square off with Cad Bane (Corey Burton). But not much of it has involved clones aside from that homeless, nameless trooper that Obi-Wan Kenobi encountered in his own series. Only the final reveal will settle this conversation once and for all, just thinking about it has fans even more excited about the Ahsoka series.