Maybe Star Wars: Ahsoka was never intended to have a second season

Almost as soon as Ahsoka’s season finale debuted on Disney+ , fans have been united in asking the same question: when will season 2 begin? Friends, I have some bad news: I don’t think we’re going to get a second season.

There are multiple reasons for my bad news forecast beyond simple pessimism. Let’s start with the obvious one: when Ahsoka was initially announced way back in 2020, it was explicitly described as a “limited series,” in the same way that Obi-Wan Kenobi was. That show, too, has many asking for a second season. In both cases, the cast have made comments about how they’d love to return, but the studio has pointedly shied away from making any announcements or even promises about a comeback.

That part shouldn’t be overlooked; Lucasfilm has been relatively clear about its plans for future Star Wars projects, and there’s been no tease of future Ahsoka seasons. Compare that to the fact that conversations surrounding future seasons of Andor, The Mandalorian, and The Bad Batch were openly happening during the airing of previous seasons; the longest fans have had to wait for a renewal announcement was The Bad Batch season 3, which came just two weeks after the second season finale in March… and even that delay was likely because it was being held back for April’s Star Wars Celebration Europe.

(Looking across the Disney aisle, Marvel announced the surprise second season of Loki — another show that had been announced as a limited series — in the end credits to the finale of season one. No such announcement accompanied the season finale of Ahsoka.)

We do know that Ahsoka showrunner and creator Dave Filoni is working on an upcoming Star Wars movie, however — one that was teased way back in 2020 as the culmination of the plot lines of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka, as well as a “climactic story event.” Even back then, the audience was being primed to expect closure outside of the Ahsoka series, tellingly enough.

As if all of the above wasn’t enough of a sign that we’re not going to get an Ahsoka season 2, there’s also the fact that the season finale offered two separate unsubtle indicators that Ashoka’s story was, to all intents and purposes, over. Firstly, there was her apparent willingness to accept being stranded on Peridea, with her telling Sabine that it’s where they both should be, and telling her — and the audience — “it’s time to move on.” This came after Thrawn telling her that Peridea was where a ronin like her belonged; two separate signs that Filoni was suggesting this wasn’t a temporary setback to be resolved, but a new status quo for the character… one that, helpfully, meant that she could live a long life without upsetting the “no Jedis around to stop the First Order rise” setting of the sequel trilogy of movies. (A guide to Ashoka’s place in the Star Wars timeline can be found here.)

Perhaps more importantly, the Force Ghost of Anakin showed up at the end of the episode to look on approvingly at where Ahsoka is now. It’s a small thing, but it works as a grace note for the character’s journey as a whole, with her Master finally happy of how far she’s come. While it’s almost guaranteed that Ahsoka Tano will show up again — she’s almost certainly going to find a way to return to the main Star Wars galaxy as part of the aforementioned Filoni movie — her story feels… finished, at least onscreen. Ghost Anakin’s smile seals the deal, for me at least.

Maybe I’m wrong, of course; if viewership held up, Lucasfilm might go for a second round. Rosario Dawson has said that she’d be willing to return, and Disney did remove language that suggested the season finale was a series finale on social media, so it’s far from impossible. And yet… given all the evidence, I just don’t think we’re going to get that news any time soon.

Even if there’s no new Ahsoka coming anytime soon, that just means there’s more time to revisit her story from the start.