Is ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’ Season 2 Really Delayed?
by Erik Amaya
During Disney+’s Upfront presentation a few days ago, the streamer startled Star Wars watchers by announcing the second season of Star Wars: Ahoska will stream in early 2027. Previously, the series’ return had a loose 2026 release window, leading some to suggest the program has been delayed.
But is that the case?
Examining the behavior of Disney+ since its launch, some patterns are easy to notice. For one: a loose launch window can always lead to a program being held in reserve — something Nintendo seems to do in the gaming space from time to time with its intellectual property. The first season of Ahsoka itself appeared later than original planned. Of course, Disney and Lucasfilm’s ambitious project slate revealed at its 2020 Investors Day preview event was constantly overhauled as the COVID 19 pandemic and other considerations altered the deal. Additionally, Marvel TV programs like Ironheart, Echo, and Wonder Man were also held back for seemingly opportune times. Curiously, only Wonder Man truly landed in the right moment to earn a second season while Echo was converted to a miniseries event before it ran and Ironheart reportedly ran afoul of Marvel’s creative crisis a few years back.
Then there’s the streamer’s own needs influencing the release of Star Wars programs. It ran the recent Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord at a breakneck pace. At the same time, it seems less interested in making live action Star Wars with Ahoska as the only project in post-production and seemingly nothing else in the development pipeline. Every other show completed its run (Andor, Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi), finished up in an agreeable place to stop (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew), or ended under a cloud of controversy (The Acolyte). Then there’s The Mandalorian of it call. The first Disney+ original could return for another season, but it’s unclear if or when.
Meanwhile, Lucasfilm itself has changed in the years since Ahsoka‘s first season. Former studio president Kathleen Kennedy retired, handing business and operations duties over to new co-president Lynwen Brennan and creative oversight to Ahsoka executive producer Dave Filoni. But even before Kennedy’s departure, it seemed Lucasfilm wanted to scale back its TV offerings in favor of feature films. During her tenure, she announced a lot of projects. But always in motion is the future, and surprisingly few of them have materialized except for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter. Filoni himself is meant to direct one of the features — the long promised culmination of ideas shared between The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. Of course, it is unclear if this is still part of the plan now that Filoni is co-president and chief creative officer of the company.
And that might be the real reason for Ahsoka‘s seeming delay. Filoni, the chief creative behind the series, has a lot on his plate between getting the movie slate in shape — it includes Starfighter; two movies set to feature Rey (Daisy Ridley), one of which is meant to start a new trilogy; Filoni’s own feature debut; and a number of other projects that have been in development for a long time — and keeping Lucasfilm Animation going with programs like Shadow Lord and the occasional Tales of anthology shorts. Are there any creative resources left for live action Star Wars TV, especially if Disney+ is less interested in utilizing the brand that way?
Delayed or not, holding the program for 2027 is, in a way, smart as it stretches the show out of The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s shadow, but also avoids the hype that will build around Starfighter. It also means, as Filoni suggested in one interview, a chance to properly premiere the series as it could not do so during the first season. Writer and actor strikes at the time meant none of the cast nor Filoni could attend such an event. Additionally, considering the way streaming service allow viewers to nitpick the details, added time for post-production will hopefully translate to more polished effects work.
But also keep in mind that Filoni is now in the pilot’s seat and the philosophy of Ahsoka — to say nothing of its lore — is now at the heart of Star Wars. That may also be a factor in any additional live action television outings if Filoni is even interested in using the format after Ahsoka returns next year.
