How Disney Channel Caused Some Backlash In The Early Days Of Ahsoka

Today, Ashley Eckstein is known for voicing one of the most popular "Star Wars" characters of the 21st century: Ahsoka Tano. The performer, who has won praise and recognition for her turn as the Togruta Jedi turned Rebel, surprised audiences when she made her debut in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." She quickly proved herself capable of not just kicking major butt in the "Star Wars" universe but also of being great enough to slip into existing canon without alienating picky fans of the original and prequel trilogies.

Since Ahsoka's introduction, she's become a massively popular character, starring in "Star Wars Rebels" and "Tales of the Jedi" and making the leap to live action, with Rosario Dawson putting on the head tails to embody the character. Ahsoka wasn't always embraced by "Star Wars" fans, though. In an interview Eckstein gave to Vanity Fair in 2020, the actor revealed that reactions to her role were initially pretty negative for a very weird reason: she was starring in a Disney Channel series at the time.

The idea of "Star Wars" fans getting angry that a canon show might have a link to Disney seems laughable now, given that Lucasfilm has since become a part of the Disney conglomerate. Back when the "Clone Wars" series premiered, though, Eckstein had only recently acted in the popular tween series "That's So Raven" and appeared in episodes of kid-friendly shows like "Phil of the Future" and Nickelodeon's "Drake and Josh." It was these roles that Eckstein said made some fans and journalists skeptical of her casting. "There was definitely resistance to Ahsoka," Eckstein recalled. "She had her haters in the beginning."

While Eckstein says part of the criticism came from fans who said Ahsoka was "too bratty," she was also the target of some pushback. "I even got a lot of hate in the beginning because I was most known for my work on the Disney Channel," she recalled when speaking to Vanity Fair. "I was an actress on 'That's So Raven,' and I got a lot of hate that this Disney Channel actress is going to come ruin 'Star Wars.'" For those who might not remember, Eckstein played Muffy, one of the followers of mean queen bee Alana (Adrienne Houghton), who acted as an echo for her insults. She also had a memorable one-off role in "Drake and Josh" as Susan, a wild girl Drake (Drake Bell) dated who tried to two-time him by seducing Josh (Josh Peck) in an early episode of the series.

Of course, Eckstein didn't ruin "Star Wars" — far from it. "I definitely read several of those headlines, and I was really, really down," she said. "I took a day to just kind of wallow in the negativity and be sad for a second. But then after that day I said, 'No, this character is still important.'" Her resilience paid off, but it's important to note that sexism, racism, and the rise of social media have meant that not every "Star Wars" actor joining the saga since Eckstein has been lucky enough to shake off the haters so easily. John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran famously endured prolific fan vitriol after being cast in the sequel trilogy, with Boyega eventually speaking out about how frustrating the process of enduring all that toxicity — and a narrative sidelining in the series — was.

If there's an easy example to point to as proof that change can be good for "Star Wars" (and "Star Wars" fans), it's in the form of the near-universal love for Ahsoka. Looking back, it seems silly that one of the franchise's most important characters was once the subject of a backlash due to her actor's past filmography. Since joining the franchise, Eckstein has played Ahsoka across 86 episodes of "Star Wars" animated shows, not to mention the many movies and video games to which she lends her voice. She's certainly not just the girl from "That's So Raven" anymore — although she's great in that show, too.