The final Q&A involving the Ahsoka cast held over the Invasion weekend came with Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Eman Esfandi.
There was a lot to unpack here so let’s drive straight in.
The pair kicked off by discussing the Nogi-Pod fight that occurs towards the end of the series. Eman explained that all involved had trained for a long, long time to get this fight right as it was to be a complicated shoot. Lots of angles, lots of moving parts and the fact that this was not shot on a volume sound stage. This final component proved to be tough. When the time came to film this sequence, California was experiencing a massive heat wave. The crew fitted the cast with something called ‘ice shirts’, similar to that used by F1 drivers during extreme heatwaves to keep body temperatures cool. With this helping in a manner of sorts, Eman then said that he had not rehearsed in full costume. By the time filming came, in his own words, the fight was a disaster. His gloves kept sliding off, he missed his mark, kicks were heading in the wrong direction. In the end, most of the fight we see on-screen was pretty much made up as they went along.
In the first instance of proving just what a Star Wars fan Eman is, he informed us of his extensive helmet collection and remarked to Natasha just how much room they took up. When asked what type of costume he would love to wear in Star Wars, he said he was a huge Power Rangers fan (what kid wasn’t back in the 90s?) and said he’d love to wear an all-black ensemble like the Black Ranger or like Luke’s in Return of the Jedi.
Next, someone asked what project or character the pair would love to be involved in aside from the one they’re in now. Without missing a beat, Eman said Visions. He loves the series and would love to voice a Sith character in the show in any way. Natasha drew big laughs when saying she’d love to be an “Australian creature.” Eman, again proving his passion and demonstrating that he really knows his lore, circled back by saying that his brother had introduced to him to character of Darth Revan. He loves this character, perhaps his favourite in Star Wars and urged anyone who hadn’t sought him out yet to do so in the old expanded universe – now classified as Legends.
Sticking with Revan, Eman went on to talk about a conspiracy theory on the web going around that Ezra was someone linked to Revan. Eman knows this will never happen but is happy for the theory to be out there in anyway. He then offered the joke that perhaps he could play Thrawn’s new jester. “Darth Jester, maybe?”
The pair then went to talked about the fantastic use of practical effects and sets that were used in the show and Natasha commented on how brilliant it felt to really bring some “old Cowboy and Western elements” into the show and really create a hybrid of Samurai and Western.
A fun question that came from the crowd was when they were asked if either of them took anything from the set. Eman drew a laugh when he said he was crushed when he realised that no one else seemed to be taking anything and realised he couldn’t get away with it either. Natasha drew a bigger laugh when she said, quite nonchalantly, that Sabine’s jacket we first see her in wasn’t needed for season 2 so… “Maybe I have it, maybe I don’t.”
It was time to ask my question. I detailed it around the notion that Hayden Christensen’s return in this show was in many ways far greater than that of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s. In Kenobi, it was all about Vader. We saw glimpses of Anakin here and there, we had the lightsaber training flashback and then the end dual, but with Ahsoka, it was all about Anakin Skywalker.
The pair were on fine form and I was incredibly amazed by the thoughtfulness and detail of their answers. Natasha explained how she went to set, despite not being needed, for the all of the World Between Worlds sequence. She knew this would be special and didn’t want to miss it. She told us she deliberately changed her stunt training time to be on set on those days so she could witness it. Again, much like with Anthony as C-3PO, there was an air of magnificence when Hayden was on set. Eman told us he first met Hayden when training in the gym and they bonded over their love of playing tennis. He too, much like Natasha, went out of his way to be on set for the final scenes filmed for the show. This is the closing moment of the show when Anakin’s Force Ghost is watching over Sabine and Ahsoka. This was a surprise to me when Natasha revealed that Hayden was on set with everyone for that shot. The way the scene plays, with Anakin in the distance, it would have been incredibly easy to simply shoot Hayden by himself and add him in later. This was not the case, however, and demonstrates a level of care that Filoni takes. Eman ended this part of my question asked by explaining that though this a new show, a new version of Star Wars – when an “OG connection to George Lucas” shows up, it suddenly takes everything to a new dimension.
As we began to wrap up this brilliant panel, a few final questions came in the guise of ‘favourite things?’
First up was favourite fight. For Natasha it was the first dual between Sabine and Shin Hatti. She loved the choreography and visuals of the fight and believes it stands out as a brilliant one. For Eman, it was the battle between Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra in the final episode as they took on the Night Troopers.
Finally, it was favourite things that have happened recently in Star Wars. Natasha told us that it was the fact that she gets to use to Force. For Eman, once again he proved just what a genuine fan of Star Wars he is. Much to the surprise of the crowd, he told us that Tech’s demise in The Bad Batch stands out as an emotional favourite for him. He really felt the loss of that character and immediately was on the phone to his brother when that episode aired.
That brought us to a close of a brilliant panel and I for one, loved every second of it. After witnessing these three Q&A’s back-to-back, I have the sudden urge to and watch Ahsoka again.
With that being said, if you need me, you’ll know where to find me.
- Hardcover Book
- Breznican, Anthony (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 492 Pages - 04/21/2026 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
