Star Wars has announced that Ahsoka will be dropping new episodes on different days and times than initially scheduled. As part of the Disney+ streaming plan, all new Star Wars content has been dropping on early Wednesday mornings, a pivot from the initial Friday slot. While streaming has allowed for everyone to participate in online discussions, the times new episodes released forced many to wait until the morning or later the following evening.
As a tribute to the Ahsoka events celebrating the series’ release, Star Wars announced that all episodes will now release Tuesdays at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT/ 2am BST.
The first two episodes of Ahsoka are now scheduled to drop on Tuesday, August 22. Each episode will release on the following Tuesday night until the series finale on October 3.
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Ahsoka Has Become An Event
Ahsoka has gone from a typical streaming series to an event. Given the show’s cinematic tone and quality, the pivot is as close to making Ahsoka a theatrical release as possible. The move isn’t unprecedented; Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s first two episodes debuted at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2022 – exclusively to attendees in the evening on Friday, and then three hours earlier than scheduled for viewers at home. This trend didn’t continue for the show’s following episodes, however, which moved back to the normal Wednesday slot.
In many ways, Ahsoka is a tease for what to expect in Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian theatrical film. Grand Admiral Thrawn will serve as the movie’s villain, with his return set to occur in Ahsoka. Much of the cast is expected to appear in the film as well, bringing the live-action Star Wars Rebels characters into contact with the likes of Din Djarin, Grogu, and Bo-Katan Kryze. The movie will be a higher-budget continuation of what Ahsoka sets up, and Filoni’s directing remains a consistent throughline across formats.
Disney+ Should Follow Ahsoka’s Formula For All Shows
To enhance the viewing experience, Disney+ should copy Ahsoka‘s new formula for all Star Wars and MCU shows. Quality not considered, the Disney+ series seldom have a special event feel given the odd release hours. East coast audiences either stay up until 3 am or wait to watch a new release, while west coast viewers are stuck at midnight. The plan complicates things for fans overseas, but a timeframe that gets more of the diehard and general audiences to tune in sooner makes it a good problem for Disney.
Executive producer Jon Favreau has often spoken of the online discourse being a highlight of weekly streaming release. By dropping Ahsoka episodes at reasonable hours, there will be more engagement on social media to boost excitement for the show. With Star Wars being a family experience, more audiences will gather together to watch Ahsoka, playing up the event feel of the series. If Disney+ follows the precedent Ahsoka is setting, higher levels of enthusiasm for Star Wars and MCU shows can be expected.
Episodes 1 and 2 of Ahsoka premiere Tuesday, August 22 on Disney+.
