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Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 trailer, Siege of Mandalore reveals

Ahsoka, Anakin, Maul and the Bad Batch will be the focus of the upcoming Disney Plus season.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
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Sean Keane
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The fallout of Ahsoka Tano leaving the Jedi Order will be revealed when Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 hits the Disney Plus streaming service.

Many of the upcoming season's storylines as well as a trailer were shown on Sunday at a Star Wars Celebration Chicago panel. Executive producer Dave Filoni and members of the cast took the stage to discuss how they found out about the new season and the events the season will depict, including a major moment between Ahsoka and Maul.

You can watch the panel on the Star Wars YouTube channel, which we've embedded here. The trailer is not separate yet, but can be found at the 52:20 mark of the panel video.

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We'll get more Ahoska Tano on Sunday.

Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

The show focused on Padawan Ahsoka, her master Anakin Skywalker and his master Obi-Wan Kenobi as they battle in the titular galactic conflict between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

The trailer opens with the season 5 scene of Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order in sepia tint, before changing to color as we move on to fresh footage. We get shots of her descending into Coruscant's underworld to start a new life, and the implication that she later escapes on a ship belonging to her new friends.

Clone Commander Rex remembers his fallen brothers, while Yoda is "no longer certain one ever does win war." We also see Ahsoka's reunion with Anakin, who gives her back her lightsabers (which now have blue blades instead of her original green ones).

"They're good as new... maybe a little better," says Anakin, who also presents her with an orange-helmeted clone squad to lead into battle.

The trailer ends with a few hints of The Siege of Mandalore plot arc, which was meant to act as the concluding arc of show before its cancellation. It'll feature an epic dual between Ahsoka and Maul, and we got a little taste as the trailer came to an end.

"I was hoping for Kenobi, why are you here?" says a disappointed Maul, before they clash sabers.

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The cast of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and executive producer Dave Filoni onstage at Celebration Chicago.

Sean Keane/CNET

During the panel, Filoni noted how technically challenging making the show always was, but thinks this season is better than ever.

Ahsoka actress Ashley Eckstein found out about the show's return while in line for a ride at Walt Disney World, remarking that she learned about it from a furtive text conversation with Dee Bradley Baker (who voices all the clones).

"Tell no one, Jedi promise," Baker apparently wrote.

Sam Witwer, who voices Maul, kept pushing Filoni for details on the Siege of Mandalore, but Filoni's wife Anne tipped him off about the show's return when she said, "Dave, can I tell him?"

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Designs for Rex during The Clone Wars panel at Star Wars Celebration Chicago.

Sean Keane/CNET

Since The Clone Wars ended, Eckstein has played an older, wiser Ahsoka in Star Wars Rebels, which takes place many years later.

"It took me a while to go back to Clone Wars Ahsoka," she said.

Thanks to the pickup of 12 episodes, Filoni was able to complete concepts that were only partially finished but have been revealed to fans since the show was cancelled.

"We revamped the show a tiny bit,"he said, noting that some facial features were tweaked compared to the original run due to improvements in animation technology.

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The Bad Batch has been fully realized for the new season of The Clone Wars.

Screenshot by CNET via Star Wars/YouTube

The Bad Batch, a group of genetically enhanced clones, were previously seen in the unfinished story reels. The crowd was treated to a completed clip of the Bad Batch taking out a massive squad of battle droids.

Ahsoka's life on Level 1313 of Coruscant's grimy underworld, where she meets twins Trace and Rafa was also hinted at. She'll be learning from the new people she surrounds herself with.

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Ahsoka will have a new design when The Clone Wars returns.

Screenshot by CNET via Star Wars/YouTube

"There's a lot of character development in these episodes," Eckstein said,

A second clip from the new season was more action focused, showing Ahsoka's bumpy descent into Coruscant's underworld.

Filoni noted that the Siege of Mandalore is "something fulfilled that I never got to do," since it was meant to conclude the show and bring Maul to the forefront again.

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Darth Maul as he will be seen in the upcoming Clone Wars season.

Screenshot by CNET via Star Wars/YouTube

"He's not crazy old grandpa Maul from Rebels, he's the younger guy," said Witwer.

Maul's new look is inspired by his Solo appearance and Ray Park, who has physically portrayed Maul since Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was suited up in a MoCap suit for an "epic" Maul-Ahsoka battle, Filoni said. 

A third clip revealed at the panel is an unfinished scene where Anakin introduces Ahsoka to a Clone Trooper squad, led by Rex, with orange detailing painted onto their helmets.

After this, Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Catherine Taber (Padme Amidala), Tom Kane (Yoda), Matthew Wood (General Grievous) and James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan) joined the panel and expressed their gratitude to the fans.

"Appreciate it we do, yes," Tom Kane said in his Yoda voice.

Filoni brought it home by highlighting that Star Wars creator George Lucas may be retired, but he remains a big part of the momentum that got The Clone Wars going.

"The reason why it works is because I was taught by the master," Filoni said, noting how he "listened" to Lucas instead of trying to impress him.

We don't have a release date for the new season yet, but it's likely to hit Disney Plus either late this year or early in 2020.

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Watch this: Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns