Speaking of Ahsoka, I believe some people may have asked about her background for those that haven't seen Clone Wars or Rebels. As someone who steadfastly avoided them, in part because the first release of Clone Wars was the first four episodes released as a movie and was not great, the fact that they were cartoons and lastly because I cynically viewed most Star Wars content that wasn't the movies as just ways to milk the movies, I strongly recommend bingeing the two series. I finally watched them earlier this year and they are both quite good, especially if you stick with them.
However, if you are positive you will never watch them and don't mind Ahsoka's arc being spoiled, I recommend the following.
They are from Binge Mode which has won some awards as best podcast. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion have hosted this for a while and do deep dives into several franchises. They started with Game of Thrones but have also covered the Harry Potter series (both books and movies. yes they actually went through the books a few chapters at a time. It was a long series)and Star Wars (including all of the movies, series and other now non-canon material). They just started the Marvel MCU movies and unfortunately this will be their last as Jason recently left the Ringer. They are both well versed in all of the canon for each of the series, including all of the Star Wars canon.
The best moments ranked link is actually a video of a portion of the podcast that was filmed and includes some visuals from the series in addition to being able to see Jason and Mallory. They are very animated and invested in the material. You can skip that part of the podcast and just watch it for a better experience. However if you listen to the entire podcast you don't need to watch the video. It is duplicative of that section.
https://www.theringer.com/2020/1/24/21080864/binge-mode-star-wars-ahsoka-tano-a-character-study
https://www.theringer.com/video/202...de-star-wars-ahsoka-tanos-best-moments-ranked
For a shorter version, here is Mallory explaining to the hosts of the Watch podcast why Ahsoka matters in about 7 minutes. Andy Greenwald is one of the hosts, who in addition to being a critic, was also a lead writer on Legion. In 2018, he and Sam Esmail had their adaptation of the book Briarpatch ordered to series on USA Network. Greenwald is both a writer and executive producer on the show, which stars Rosario Dawson. That led to some interesting moments on their Watch podcast when he had to continually feign he didn't know anything about her casting or whether Ahsoka would show up in Mandalorian when he obviously knew. Neither he nor his cohost watched Clone Wars or Rebels so they were also asking for someone to help them understand.
https://www.theringer.com/video/2020/12/1/21890477/why-ahsoka-tano-matters-with-mallory-rubin
I'm pretty sure the first two pods were done before the Clone Wars finale was released so they may not be included. I've forgotten.
If you want a nice writeup of the ending of Clone Wars and how it ties up all of the Star Wars stories, I would recommend this article, but only if you are sure you'll never watch the series. It obviously spoils everything, including Ahsoka's arc and the final days of Anakin Skywalker.
The ‘Clone Wars’ Finale Perfectly Tied Together Every Era of ‘Star Wars’
Again, I really strongly recommend the series. they have some of the best storytelling and charcter development in Star Wars. But if you are certain you won't watch and want primers, I think these are good recommendations.
However, if you are positive you will never watch them and don't mind Ahsoka's arc being spoiled, I recommend the following.
They are from Binge Mode which has won some awards as best podcast. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion have hosted this for a while and do deep dives into several franchises. They started with Game of Thrones but have also covered the Harry Potter series (both books and movies. yes they actually went through the books a few chapters at a time. It was a long series)and Star Wars (including all of the movies, series and other now non-canon material). They just started the Marvel MCU movies and unfortunately this will be their last as Jason recently left the Ringer. They are both well versed in all of the canon for each of the series, including all of the Star Wars canon.
The best moments ranked link is actually a video of a portion of the podcast that was filmed and includes some visuals from the series in addition to being able to see Jason and Mallory. They are very animated and invested in the material. You can skip that part of the podcast and just watch it for a better experience. However if you listen to the entire podcast you don't need to watch the video. It is duplicative of that section.
https://www.theringer.com/2020/1/24/21080864/binge-mode-star-wars-ahsoka-tano-a-character-study
https://www.theringer.com/video/202...de-star-wars-ahsoka-tanos-best-moments-ranked
For a shorter version, here is Mallory explaining to the hosts of the Watch podcast why Ahsoka matters in about 7 minutes. Andy Greenwald is one of the hosts, who in addition to being a critic, was also a lead writer on Legion. In 2018, he and Sam Esmail had their adaptation of the book Briarpatch ordered to series on USA Network. Greenwald is both a writer and executive producer on the show, which stars Rosario Dawson. That led to some interesting moments on their Watch podcast when he had to continually feign he didn't know anything about her casting or whether Ahsoka would show up in Mandalorian when he obviously knew. Neither he nor his cohost watched Clone Wars or Rebels so they were also asking for someone to help them understand.
https://www.theringer.com/video/2020/12/1/21890477/why-ahsoka-tano-matters-with-mallory-rubin
I'm pretty sure the first two pods were done before the Clone Wars finale was released so they may not be included. I've forgotten.
If you want a nice writeup of the ending of Clone Wars and how it ties up all of the Star Wars stories, I would recommend this article, but only if you are sure you'll never watch the series. It obviously spoils everything, including Ahsoka's arc and the final days of Anakin Skywalker.
The ‘Clone Wars’ Finale Perfectly Tied Together Every Era of ‘Star Wars’
Again, I really strongly recommend the series. they have some of the best storytelling and charcter development in Star Wars. But if you are certain you won't watch and want primers, I think these are good recommendations.
