It turns out we almost got to see Ahsoka Tano on the big screen back in 2002 in Attack of the Clones, albeit in a roundabout way. The fan-favorite Force user originated in The Clone Wars and has since gone on to become one of the most popular characters in all of Star Wars. As writer/producer Dave Filoni tells it, she was nearly retconned into George Lucas' second prequel.

The Clone Wars is about to come to an end, with the final season currently on its final run of episodes, with the finale set to air on May 4, Star Wars Day. Dave Filoni, who helped bring Ahsoka to life alongside franchise creator George Lucas, recently went over the character's history in a deep-dive interview. At one point, Filoni revealed that one of Yoda's youngling Jedi trainees was nearly turned into Ahsoka. Here's what Filoni had to say about it.

"We called her Ashla in the beginning. That was 2005, and that worked on several levels for me. I think it was the name given to one of the [young Jedis Yoda was training] in Attack of the Clones. There was a little Togruta girl. We kicked around the idea that maybe that was Ahsoka but then we thought the age didn't really work out for it to be the same character. She was too young in the film."

There is a notable scene in Attack of the Clones which sees Yoda training a young group of would-be future Jedi. Amongst that group was the young Togruta girl in question who, had things gone another way, would have become Anakin Skywalker's apprentice. But that's not how the chips fell and fans are still waiting to see Ahsoka in live-action. Though, it looks like that is going to happen in The Mandalorian season 2, with Rosario Dawson in talks to play her.

Ahsoka voiced by Ashley Eckstein, has become a staple of the franchise and has transcended her relatively humble beginnings. At first, many fans hated the character and the idea of Anakin having a padawan. But over time, Ahsoka evolved and became something truly special and unique within the Star Wars universe. Dave Filoni also explained how George Lucas brought the idea to the table in the first place.

"[George] said, 'This is going to be Anakin Skywalker's padawan because I want him to have a padawan. People don't expect that and it will add a way to give him somebody to teach, and it creates a great dynamic between him and Obi-Wan and her.' And at first it seems like, well that's a far-out idea. Growing up, I never thought Anakin had a padawan. That's why George is George. He just perceives things and trusts his instincts and goes for it and ends up creating a character that now is beloved."

Fans did get a small taste of Ahsoka in a live-action movie recently. The Rise of Skywalker featured a brief but important voice cameo during Rey's final battle with Palpatine. We will be seeing more of Ahsoka next week as well when The Clone Wars finale airs. This news comes to us via Vanity Fair.