D23 Star Wars Panel: Original Trilogy Returns to Theaters, Ahsoka Season 2 Teased, and Ryan Gosling's Starfighter Trailer Debuts

D23's presentation last night delivered a packed Star Wars segment, and the headline news is twofold: the original trilogy is heading back to theaters in its unaltered form to mark 50 years of the franchise, and Shawn Levy finally showed off a teaser for Star Wars Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling.

This matters because Star Wars fans have spent years debating the changes made to the original films, and Ahsoka season 2 and Starfighter represent two very different directions the franchise could take next, one continuing the animated era's storylines and the other pushing into brand new territory.

The Original Star Wars Trilogy Returns to Theaters Uncut for the 50th Anniversary

Dave Filoni took to the stage to celebrate 50 years of Star Wars, and one of the ways Lucasfilm is marking the anniversary is by putting the original films back in theaters as they were originally released. As I put it, "I have never seen them on the big screen without, you know, the Jabba scene added or any of the random CGI moments." I said I would love to see these movies as they were made, as they were intended originally, on the big screen, calling it a beautiful way to celebrate the anniversary.

Ahsoka Season 2 Brings Back Hayden Christensen's Anakin Force Ghost

From there, the panel moved on to Ahsoka season 2. Rosario Dawson was there, along with Eman Esfandi, who plays Ezra, and Hayden Christensen, returning as Anakin Skywalker, all on stage to talk about the new season. I noted how much love Christensen gets now for playing Anakin, saying Disney fans have really championed and cheered him on, and that the room erupted when he took the stage. From what I'm hearing, it is never lost on him how much he appreciates fans embracing him in this new era of Star Wars.

It looks like Christensen will be a big part of Ahsoka season 2, even though Anakin is dead and now a Force ghost. According to what was shown at the panel, he is constantly asking Ahsoka, "Look, are you a Jedi or not?" and that question seems set to be a major point of the season.

I was honest that I wasn't completely won over by season 1, saying it had some moments but didn't blow me away. Based on what was shown at the panel, though, season 2 looks promising, at least visually, with some cool battles and amazing visual effects. My hope is that all of that leads to a genuinely fun second season, joking that maybe it's a sophomore glow up moment for the show, with fingers crossed that things really get going.

Star Wars Starfighter Teaser Trailer Debuts With Ryan Gosling

The segment many people are anticipating, and what I think the Star Wars universe is really hinging on right now, is Star Wars Starfighter. Shawn Levy came out to introduce it, kicking things off with a montage of Ryan Gosling's time playing a musketeer. Gosling even came out on stage wearing his old musketeer jacket, and Levy gave him a new jacket for Star Wars featuring his character's insignia, a Rebel Alliance symbol turned upside down with X's beneath it, making it look like a Star Wars skull and crossbones. I said, "which I love. I think it looks so dope."

The teaser trailer that followed showed a curmudgeonly Gosling dealing with a young kid telling him to get away from a speeder, followed by fun visuals of space chases. It was, in my words, a very, very small teaser, almost blink and you'll miss it.

Still, I said I'm really pumped about this one because it feels like the Star Wars universe is expanding, with new characters and a new story. While I expect it will tie into the greater Star Wars lore, I noted it feels nice to have a project that isn't hinging entirely on knowing the animated universe or continuing the Skywalker saga. I said I have high hopes for Starfighter and that my expectations are way up for this one.

Are you excited about the original trilogy's theatrical return, hopeful for Ahsoka season 2, or most curious about Starfighter, and how are you celebrating 50 years of Star Wars?