Starting from George Lucas and his love of family continuing to Dave Filoni and all the new Star Wars TV shows, Lucasfilm continues to support strong female characters in real life and on screen.
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During the Mando+ Panel, the audience was treated to everything Mandalorian, including a surprise visit from Grogu. Although I’ll never stop calling him Baby Yoda. We got a sneak peek of Season 3, and it was incredible! Fan favorites are back including Bo-Katan played by Katee Sackhoff.
When asked about where Bo-Katan’s head and focus was now, she quipped, “Her head is still attached to her body so that’s a good thing.”
She then proceeded to talk about her father and how he raised her on science fiction and strong characters. Strong female characters were not plentiful then. “We had Sigourney and Linda and Lucy Lawless, but I wanted to be Bruce Willis.”
“To be able to play the women that I have been able to play throughout my career has been such a gift,” continues Sackhoff. “And strong women keep presenting themselves to me.” She credited Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau (the guys at the end of the table) for creating so many strong characters in Star Wars. The fact that they’re women? They’re just women.”
She started playing Bo-Katan 10 years ago as the voice in Rebels and The Clone Wars. “The fact that you guys love her, flaws and all, means the world, thank you. You’re in for a treat.
And speaking of strong women, then Dave Filoni introduced the stars of Ahsoka, Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu (Sabine). The crowd went wild. Dave Filoni thanked everyone on the panel who helps make these characters come to life. He also thanked Ashley Eckstein, who voiced Ahsoka in Rebels and The Clone Wars.
Some fans have wondered why she wasn’t chosen for the live-action role, but we all love Ashley and it was nice to at least hear Dave acknowledge and thank her, because without Ashley Eckstein and her dedication and love for the the Star Wars community and the female fans, I don’t think Ahsoka would be as popular as she is now.
The Force is strong with the females in Star Wars, and here’s hoping to more strong characters.