Dave Filoni may have just given Star Wars fans, specifically those who love Ahsoka Tano, a little holiday gift in the form of hope. Filoni, known best in a galaxy far, far away as the creative force behind animated shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels, is the one responsible for bringing the character of Ahsoka to life. Over the years, she's gone on to become one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise. However, following the release of The Rise Skywalker, many thought the Jedi was dead. But Filoni has hinted once again that Ahsoka lives!

Warning: spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Toward the end of the movie, Rey hears many Jedi voices of the past calling to her, which aides her in her battle against Palpatine. Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Mace Windu and Kanan Jarrus are amongst those that Rey hears. As is Ahsoka Tano. However, given that every other voice we hear calling to Rey is dead, many (myself included) inferred that Ahsoka had also died since we last saw her.

On Christmas, Dave Filoni took to social media to cast more than a little doubt on that assumption. Filoni shared a message that reads, "Was thinking of all of you this fine morning, Happy Holidays!" The message was accompanied by an image featuring Gandalf from Lord of the Rings standing next to Ahsoka. Gandalf is saying the following to her.

"People thought I was dead too. Look how that turned out..."

In The Fellowship of the Ring, we see Gandalf die. Or so we think. Yet, in The Two Towers, we see him return as Gandalf the White. Dave Filoni seems to be implying that our assumption was incorrect. Ahsoka Tano may indeed be alive. This wouldn't be the first time we all thought wrong about her fate either. At the end of Rebels season 2, Ahsoka faces down Darth Vader and it seems she died. But in the episode A World Between Worlds she is rescued from her fate by Ezra Bridger using an ancient Jedi power that allows Force users to travel through time.

Point being, the franchise has taught us never to count Ahsoka out. When last we saw her in the Rebels series finale, Ahsoka was heading off into the Unknown Regions with Sabine Wren to locate Ezra Bridger following the events of Return of the Jedi. So we know she, at the very least, lived past the events of the original trilogy.

Does this mean Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm have more plans for Ahsoka in the future? The Rise of Skywalker finally brought her into the live-action fold, even if it was just a voice cameo. Perhaps we'll finally see her show up in the flesh? Maybe in a Disney+ series? At the very least, it seems like Filoni will be reviving the #AhsokaLives hashtag until he decides to answer the Jedi's fate in the official Star Wars canon. Be sure to check out the post from Dave Filoni's Twitter account for yourself.