J.J. Abrams teases Ahsoka Tano cameo in The Rise of Skywalker

On September 7, 2003 the New England Patriots lost to the Buffalo Bills 31-0. Rather than despair or pack it in, the NFL team responded by winning the next seventeen out of eighteen games and the Superbowl. Now I know what you're thinking, "Corrye what does this information have to do with the price of kyber crystals on Coruscant?" Well what happened to the Patriots is strangely similar to what happened with Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

In 2008 the television show kicked off with a major motion picture. The result was disastrous, a tepid and bland film that holds an 18% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is regarded as the worst STAR WARS film of all time. However, this ignominious start did not deter the showrunners and the program got better. And then it got even better. And then it got great.

Arguably the best part of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the introduction of the character Ahsoka Tano. A member of the alien species togruta, Tano was the padawan learner of Anakin Skywalker. Eventually, Ahsoka Tano would leave the Jedi Order completely and confront her old master in Star Wars: Rebels. The character has gone on to appear in numerous comics and her own STAR WARS novel. However, the Force sensitive dynamo, nicknamed "Snips" by Anakin, has yet to appear in a live-action film. Well if director J.J. Abrams is to be believed, that's about to change.

During a recent press junket interview for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, Abrams was asked what his favorite STAR WARS character was. Abrams gave the standard answer of Han Solo, however he then asked the interviewer what their favorite character was. They replied that it was Ahsoka Tano to which J.J. Abrams said, “Hmmm, Ahsoka, huh? Well then you’ll probably want to watch closely during THE RISE OF SKYWALKER."

I'm sorry what? Did J.J. Abrams just low-key drop a hint that Ahsoka Tano is going to show up in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER? Did that seriously just happen?

Now before any of you get too excited, it's important to keep Abrams' words in context. He said "watch closely" which implies that Ahsoka's appearance (if it happens) will be very brief in nature. In fact I doubt it will amount to much more than a quick cameo, without any speaking lines. I could definitely envision a scene where she's just a person amid the background while Poe is giving a speech.

While I'm excited at the prospect of seeing Ahsoka Tano in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, it almost seems like a waste. She's a Force sensitive former Jedi padawan whose skills and knowledge could greatly benefit Rey. In addition, she's been missing for decades so I'm sure fans will want to know where in Lothal she's been. The problem is that not everyone follows every corner of the STAR WARS universe, so her appearance in a major capacity wouldn't make sense to a lot of people.

If Ahsoka Tano does in fact show up, the move will eschew tradition. Despite being canon, the saga films have made it a point to segregate themselves from the animated series.

Regardless, we will know for sure whether Ahsoka Tano shows up in just four short days when THE RISE OF SKYWALKER releases on December 20.