Star Wars Is Switching Main Characters In 4 Months

Published Sep 21, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek. Craig is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-elvy-5b31a3381/ Star Wars has burned through plenty of main characters since Luke Skywalker first started swinging a lightsaber around. From the fresh-faced Anakin Skywalker to the hidden-faced Din Djarin, the Star Wars galaxy has heroes in plentiful supply. The difference in the modern era is how quickly those heroes are arriving. Once upon a time, the baton passed very slowly from Luke Skywalker to his various successors, but in this age of streaming and its ever-turning wheel of spinoffs, Star Wars is moving through protagonists at hyperspeed. In 2026 alone, Maul, Din Djarin, and Lah Kara have carried the burden of main character status, appearing in various projects across the brand. That pattern looks destined to continue into 2027, with the next switch coming as early as January via Ahsoka season 2, when the titular character played by Rosario Dawson will drag the Star Wars franchise into a new year. While Ahsoka season 1 made full use of its talented and star-studded ensemble, there was never any doubt that Dawson's Ahsoka Tano held lead character status. After a starring role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a big part in Star Wars Rebels, and a cameo in The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka is a veritable veteran at this point, and few can remember the days when she was dismissed as the annoying sidekick of a young Darth Vader. Ahsoka Tano Is A Safe Pair Of Hands For The Star Wars Franchise Credit: Disney+ via MovieStillsDB It says a great deal about how far Ahsoka Tano has come as a character, as well as how hugely Star Wars has changed, that she could now be considered a reliable steward for the brand. For all of Maul's development, he's still no typical protagonist, and as great as Kara is, Visions represents a highly experimental branch of the Star Wars tree. The performance of The Mandalorian and Grogu, meanwhile, perhaps demonstrates that Din Djarin's name value has a ceiling. After those three main characters, returning to the familiarity of Ahsoka Tano as our lead is something of a relief. Even more so because, later in 2027, Star Wars will take its next big screen gambit with Starfighter, which will hand the 'main character' token over to Ryan Gosling's Kade Auberon. A Star Wars movie where Shawn Levy directs Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams feels like a recipe for success on paper, but after The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian and Grogu, absolutely nothing is certain, making Ahsoka's latest tenure as Star Wars' main character even more important. Star Wars Changing Main Characters Is (Hopefully) Leading To Something Bigger The list of Disney Star Wars movies that haven't materialized is longer than anyone would like, and aside from the upcoming Starfighter effort, the franchise's big screen future remains clouded. A number of projects are reported to still be in development, but recent history has taught fans not to believe it until they actually see it. That's essentially where Dave Filoni's Star Wars crossover movie stands currently. First announced in 2023, the plan was seemingly to have The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and potentially other shows dovetail into a major cinematic event with Grand Admiral Thrawn as the villain. Firm updates have been hard to come by since then, and after Mando's loss of momentum, the question of if and when we get Filoni's climactic crossover remains unanswered. The very reason Star Wars has been switching main characters so often lately has been to craft this big final act. Not entirely dissimilar to how the MCU works, the likes of Ahsoka and Din Djarin were supposed to lead solo projects before one giant team-up against Thrawn, so it would certainly be disappointing if their end of the bargain wasn't held up in some shape or form. Release Date August 22, 2023 Network Disney+ Showrunner Dave Filoni