Star Wars Bits: Ahsoka, Star Wars: Visions, Darth Vader, Galactic Snackin' Grogu, Captain Rex, And More!

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

A couple of months ago, an official casting grid obtained by scooper Daniel RPK revealed some information on the upcoming Star Wars: Ahsoka series for Disney+, including a synopsis:

"Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is on the hunt for the evil Grand Admiral Thrawn in the hope it will help her locate the missing Ezra Bridger, the young Jedi that disappeared with Thrawn many years ago."

In addition to the synopsis, two strong supporting characters were listed on the casting grid, both using codenames.

"Boka" is described as strong-minded, independent, and a born leader. Boyish-looking Middle Eastern, African, Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Mixed Ethnicity or West Indies/Caribbean actors between the ages of 20-35 years old are being sought after for the role.

"Morai," on the other hand, is extremely volatile, very complex, and "shady." Actors of all ethnicities between the ages of 40-60 years old are being considered for the part, with a strong preference for accents.

When you read those descriptions, they sure sound a lot like the two Star Wars Rebels characters mentioned in the synopsis, Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn.

More recently, The Illuminerdi reported that Barriss Offee, the female Mirialan Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side during the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, would be appearing in Star Wars: Ahsoka. The Illuminerdi's source is a new casting grid, which lists Barriss as a role for a female actor of Asian ethnicity between the ages of 20-30. Now, Barriss Offee very well may show up on Ahsoka, but given what we know about the previous casting grid and its use of codenames, the listing could be a red herring for another Rebels character, Sabine Wren.

Sabine is of Asian descent, voiced by Indian-American actress Tiya Sircar on Rebels, and the 20-30 range would match her age during the events of The Mandalorian, which is when Ashoka will take place. Barriss, it's worth noting, is closer to Ahsoka's age (30-40) during this period (if she's alive). And, given how Rebels ended, with an epilogue (set post-ROTJ) in which Ahsoka Tano recruits Sabine to find their missing friend, it's more than likely the beloved character will appear at some point in the live-action series.

Lucasfilm's upcoming Star Wars: Visions is an anthology of animated shorts celebrating Star Wars through the lens of the world's best anime creators and storytellers.

Anime Expo just announced that Lucasfilm will share a first look at the upcoming series at Anime Expo Lite this July with the panel Star Wars: Visions – Sneak Preview.

"Join host Chastity Vicencio and Lucasfilm executive producers Jacqui Lopez, James Waugh, and Josh Rimes, Qubic Pictures' and co-executive producer Justin Leach, and producer Kanako Shirasaki for an inside look at Star Wars: Visions before the series debuts on Disney+ later this year."

The virtual panel will take place on Saturday, July 3, 2021, at 3 p.m. PT and will last for 30 minutes. Register for the event and purchase a digital pass here.

Marvel's Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters crossover continues in Star Wars: Darth Vader #13, with the Dark Lord of Sith Lord looking to reclaim Han Solo. In an exclusive preview of the issue from StarWars.com, we find Vader and Ochi of Bestoon (BESTOON BOYZ 4-LIFE) squaring off against assassin droid and bounty hunter IG-88. Click the link to see some pages of the upcoming issue, which looks pretty terrific!

From writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco, Star Wars: Darth Vader #13 arrives June 23 and is available for pre-order now on Comixology and at your local comic shop.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Disney+ is shifting its original series release dates from Fridays to Wednesdays. The changes will begin in July and affect all global original series. Sources say the shift is designed to accommodate the increased volume of original content on Disney+. The Wednesday schedule is strictly for original series, including The Mandalorian and other Star Wars and Marvel series. Original movies, however, will continue to premiere on Fridays.

Written by Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Chris Kempshall, and Amy Ratcliffe, with a foreword by ILM visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett, Star Wars: Battles That Changed the Galaxy will "provide fresh insights on the dramatic battles we've seen play out in Star Wars films, animation, books, and comics."

"Beyond the Battles of the Republic, subsequent sections chronicle the spark of rebellion on the muddy surface of Mimban to the raid of a rain-soaked Imperial outpost on Eadu, the all-out Galactic Civil War that started on Scarif and ended with the Battle of Jakku, and the rise of the First Order from the scattered Imperial remnants, leading to the clash between Resistance fighters amid the fractured New Republic and culminating with the Battle of Exegol."

Check out StarWars.com for an exclusive preview of the upcoming book and pre-order your copy ahead of its arrival on October 5, 2021.

Over at From 4-Lom to Zuckuss, they've got the exclusive reveal on some new additions to the 50th anniversary of Lucasfilm Black Series line: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Greedo on The Power of the Force 2 card backs! The figures will be up for preorder today, Friday, June 18th, at 1 p.m. ET on Hasbro Pulse and shopDisney! Head on over to From 4-Lom to Zuckuss for more information, including some great hi-res photos.

Available for pre-order now for a December release, the new Galactic Snackin' Grogu animatronic toy stands over nine inches tall and features motorized movements, including head, ears, and arms that move, and eyes that open and close. Grogu also makes sounds, including coos, giggles, babbles, and more! Apparently, the toy will feature over 40 sound and movement combinations.

Galactic Snackin' Grogu comes with four interactive accessories (bowl with tentacles, cookie, shifter knob, and spoon) that, when placed in his small hands, will cause him to react with animations and sound effects. Pretty cool, huh?

Over at Mighty Jabba's Collection, the user has sculpted, 3D-printed, and painted "The Visible Hutt," inspired by The Visible Man model kits, which show how all the bones, muscles, and organs fit together in a human body. Be sure to check out their Instagram for more cool Hutt Stuff.

On This Week! in Star Wars, host Kristin Baver breaks down all the latest Star Wars news:

"This week in Star Wars, we explore the upcoming book that will take a deep dive into the "wars" in Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy, get an exclusive look at some concept art from Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series, and mark our calendars for the Star Wars: Visions panel at the virtual Anime Expo. Plus, Dee Bradley Baker shares his thoughts on Commander Rex appearing in Star Wars: The Bad Batch on Disney+."

And finally, speaking of Anakin Skywalker's clone captain, Star Wars Kids has a great video all about Captain Rex: