It has been over four decades since the first film of the iconic science-fiction franchise was released. And yet, the annual ritual date of May the Fourth remains a global festival in itself.
Even as the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, Star Wars fans will get to reminisce about their favorite heroes with Disney+.
What is Star Wars Day?
Star Wars Day was marked by fans of the blockbuster franchise for May 4. The particular date was chosen as a pun to the series favorite refrain from the series — May The Force Be With You.
How to watch Star Wars on the big day?
Disney+ has launched movies from Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel on Tuesday in preparation for the big day. You can sign up with a seven-day free trial, and it is then $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year.
Disney is particularly making the day special by releasing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the final chapter of the Skywalker saga directed by JJ Abrams and starring Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, and others.
An 8-part documentary series about the making of latest franchise series Star Wars: The Mandalorian.
Saving the best for the last, the most exciting of all is the release of the series finale of animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The series, which began back in the early 2000s, will see its finale on May 4, 2020.
Ahsoka Tano’s legacy lives on!
It will not be a stretch to say that Star Wars has given us some of the biggest heroes of pop culture.
For the 43rd year, we celebrate the legacy of one of its most famous characters: Ahsoka Tano, the first female Jedi lead of Star Wars.
The legends of Tano, although appeared only in the animated projects, have become crucial to the Star Wars lore.
She was first introduced as the protagonist in ‘The Clone Wars,’ a film released in 2008. But it was here subsequent appearance in the TV series that followed the film, that got her a special place with the fans.
Introduced as a young and naive Padawan (student) to none other than Anakin Skywalker — who goes on to become the dreaded Darth Vader — Tano was an entry point for young viewers into the franchise.
However, the feisty apprentice took some time before she could be accepted by the fans. For many found her too young and too annoying as Jedi. But the character’s loyalty and ability to face any problematic situation soon won praise as well as hearts.
During the course of the series, she successfully handles a one-on-one fight with the Jedi hunter General Grievous, organizes a coup against her captors when she’s taken prisoner along with other Jedi younglings and is a strong voice against the evils of war profiteering.
At the end of season five, Tano is accused of being a terrorist, she makes a walkout on the Jedi Order, having lost faith in the organization.
She didn’t turn up in season six, and since the show’s production in 2012 after Disney bought Lucasfilm, fans thought Tano was gone forever. But the character would return as a rebel agent in ‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2015), facing off against her old mistress.
This was followed by many hues and cry from fans, forcing Disney to greenlight the final season of Clone Wars. The latest and final season brings to a dramatic close the first chapter of Ahsoka’s life, while also answering the questions about her origins.
The epic story feeds off of Anakin (Darth Vader)’s own journey of choosing the dark path and also how Ahsoka’s heroism paved the way for many Star Wars heroines introduced in her wake. Rey and Jyn Erso, Hera Syndulla, and Captain Phasma are as much the legacy of Tano as they are of Princess Leia.
Here too, Tano had the upper hand for being introduced at a time when women formed a huge part of the Star Wars fan base, forcing the creators to give her greater depth.
“Truly, if you follow her story, even in the darkest of times, when you think all hope is gone — I mean, Ahsoka walked away from everything that she knew,” actress Ashley Eckstein, who voices Ahsoka, said in an interview with Looper. “All the light is gone, you would think. And Ahsoka chooses to still see light. She chooses to still have hope.”
Even as the series ends this May 4, fans can expect her story to continue in the upcoming season of The Mandalorian, with rumors suggesting Disney have cast Rosario Dawson for the part. The Mandalorian season 2 is expected to come out in October this year.
Meanwhile, have a happy and safe Star Wars Day y’all!
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