We first met Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels, and a character who could have quite easily fallen into the category of "annoying kid sidekick" soon established himself as a fan-favourite Jedi.
Over the course of four seasons of the animated series, we saw young Ezra become increasingly more powerful, crossing paths with everyone from Maul to Yoda and even Emperor Palpatine. However, in Rebels' closing moments, he vanished alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ahsoka told the story of their return and it was clear Ezra had only become stronger during his exile on Peridea. Now, he's back in the main Galaxy and, with Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren left behind, possibly the only person capable of stopping Thrawn.
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In an interview recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike, actor Eman Esfandi finally addressed his experience of becoming the live-action Ezra.
"I take Ezra Bridger as a real person, and he's so smart, and he's so gifted. He's grown into himself a lot more," the actor says of where we find him in Ahsoka. "He's become a much stronger Jedi, but even more so, he's become more of a family member amongst his team and crew of Rebels."
"I already felt so connected to Ezra and felt like he was there whenever I needed him," Esfandi adds. "I just felt that inspiration, but yeah, Ezra, young kid, with a lot of heart."
You can check out the full interview with the Ahsoka star in the player below.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
In addition to Rosario Dawson in the title role, the series stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.
Ahsoka was written by Dave Filoni, who executive produces alongside Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson, and Carrie Beck. Directors include Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Rick Famuyiwa.
All episodes of Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+.