The Mandalorian hints at return for Star Wars fan favourite character

So who exactly is returning? Look away now if you haven’t seen the Mandalorian season two, episode three – spoilers after the jump.

During the episode (titled The Heiress) Pedro Pascal’s bounty hunter finally tracks down some other Mandalorians, helps them pull off a heist – and get some new information about the lost darksaber – before they give him the information he’s seeking. Finally, a route to some Jedi to help The Child.

And the person he’s told to seek out in the city of Kaladin on a distant world will be familiar to many Star Wars fans – Ahsoka Tano. A key character in animated series like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka was the padawan of Anakin Skywalker before his turn to the Dark Side, and over the years she’s become a firm favourite among Star Wars fans.

Ahsoka’s live-action debut in The Mandalorian has been rumoured for a while, with Sin City’s Rosario Dawson apparently in line to take up her dual lightsabers, but this seems like the most firm confirmation yet that this huge cameo is actually happening – and soon – in what’s sure to be one of the biggest moments of the series for Star Wars fans.

Though of course, if Din Djarin is looking for Jedi, Ahsoka doesn’t technically fit that description. During the course of her long time starring in Clone Wars, Ahsoka (played by Ashley Eckstein) ended up leaving the Jedi Order, though still took part in the conflict’s final battles (and narrowly escaped the Jedi Slaughter from Order 66).

In her last appearances chronologically in Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka was helping battle the Empire (and her former master Anakin, now Darth Vader), and hunting for missing character Ezra Bridger – so it’s also possible that this upcoming appearance will tie more into Rebels and the other Star Wars animated series, potentially even meaning the presence of other characters from those worlds we haven’t seen in live action before.

Still, whatever happens (and assuming she isn’t just on her holidays when Mando turns up looking for her), an upcoming appearance from Ahsoka Tano will be a big moment in The Mandalorian, and a hint at the sort of cross-platform integration that could change Star Wars forever.

And who knows? If they can pull off including Ahsoka and Boba Fett, maybe this is just the beginning of some big Mandalorian Star Wars cameos...

Want to know more about The Mandalorian cast, The Mandalorian release schedule or when is The Mandalorian set? Check out our suite of content on RadioTimes.com, or our latest Mandalorian review.

New episodes of The Mandalorian are available on Disney+ on Fridays – sign up to Disney+ for £5.99 a month or save 15% with the annual plan for £59.99 (savings based on 12 mo. of monthly subscription). T&Cs apply.

Check out what else is on with our TV Guide