Outside of May the Fourth, the Star Wars Celebration is easily one of the biggest conventions and gatherings for all things far, far away. It’s also the place where the biggest announcements for this most beloved of franchises, in all its forms, take place.
With the Star Wars Celebration 2025 recently wrapped up, let’s take a look at what to expect within our favourite universe in the coming years.
Hayden Christensen Confirms His Return To “Ahsoka” Season 2
When it comes to Star Wars, no one has a bigger name or a bigger impact in the community and lore than Hayden Christensen, better known as the actor for Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy. Admittedly, he wasn’t particularly loved when he first made a splash on the big screen, but fans have collectively come around and now love the 44-year-old actor, something that was completely evident when he made his appearance in the highly rated “Ahsoka” series.
Now, fans are getting more screentime of their favourite fallen Jedi and his rogue apprentice, as Hayden has confirmed that he will be reprising his role in season 2 of the series, saying that “There’s not much that I can share, but Anakin will be back for season 2.”
His co-star and the lead actress playing the titular Force-wielder, Rosario Dawson, shared that she’s “so grateful he’s coming back for the second season” while she was on the panel. Fans and/or viewers of the hit streaming series know how exceptional the two’s chemistry was, both on and off set.
Fans lost their minds when they saw Christensen don his traditional Jedi garments and doubly so when he strutted towards Ahsoka with murderous intent as Darth Vader would halfway through the season. However, it is worth emphasising that “Ahsoka” took place several years after Vader’s death in “Return of the Jedi”; this was only a Force ghost, something Dawson’s character had to contend with. This leads to the interesting question of how Christensen will appear and what will be the impact of these appearances on the larger plot at hand.
“Ahsoka” showrunner Dave Filoni also announced a few more faces returning for season 2, such as Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn, Eman Esfandi’s Ezra Bridger, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera Syndulla, and the astromech droid Chopper. It was also announced that Baylan Skoll will be making his return, a phenomenal villain played by the late Ray Stevenson back in season 1. The role has been given to Rory McCann, known for his role of Sandor “The Hound” Clegane on “Game of Thrones”.
Before the panel ended, a quick teaser, which was exclusive to the event, was presented, showcasing the adventure across two galaxies with a narration teasing “old friends”, “the power of the occult”, and “ancient machines from a dark and terrible past”. Whatever they could mean is up to anyone to guess; regardless, we are excited to see what comes next, especially since season 2 will begin production this week.
“Maul: Shadow Lord” Announced As Newest Star Wars Animated Series
It’s no secret that Star Wars has always been an expansive universe, a place that has enough wiggle room to fit in various headcanons and side stories for fans to feel like they themselves are a part of the universe — without meddling with the continuity of the main movies. It’s no surprise then that this has been the source of some of the most popular stories to have ever been animated in the last 20 years.
Maul – Shadow Lord, a Star Wars Original series, arrives on @DisneyPlus in 2026. #StarWarsCelebration pic.twitter.com/yW2YDxGj3J
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 18, 2025
“The Clone Wars,” “Rebels,” “The Bad Batch” and even the “Tales Of…” miniseries have all originated from the fandom, and have been animated by George Lucas’s very own Lucasfilm Animation studio. As the studio recently celebrated its 20th anniversary panel, Lucasfilm CCO Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm Animation President Athena Portillo presented the new project, alongside Sam Witwer — “Maul: Shadow Lord”.
According to the panel, this upcoming series will take place after the events of “The Clone Wars” and will follow everyone’s favourite Dathomirian as he struggles to gain control of the criminal underworld of the galaxy. In a brief trailer, Filoni showcased what to expect from the upcoming project. According to Empire, the trailer featured bounty hunters, alien races, and lightsabres aplenty, all in the beloved animation style of “The Clone Wars”. However, what captivated audiences the most wasn’t the appearance of Darth Maul but that of another follower of the Sith. As if straight from the Legends novels herself, Darth Talon has made her way to the small screen as Maul’s apprentice, among other familiar faces.
Maul is a fascinating character, one that has lived on, figuratively and literally, because of how fans loved him and his arc over the years ever since he appeared in “The Phantom Menace”. Finally, we get to see how Darth Maul fared as a crime boss, something that was hinted at all the way back in 2018 in the post-credit scene at “Solo: A Star Wars Story”, and we’ll finally get to witness the events that transpired between “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” later in 2026.
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Empire
