Just two words, that’s all it took. As the panel guests began to take their seats, the crowd was anxious with anticipation. James Arnold Taylor uttered the two words that everyone in the room had been waiting to hear. “Hello there.”

This panel really was something special because it wasn’t just the core three Clone Wars voice actors. James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), and Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano) were joined by Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex), Daniel Logan (Boba Fett), and Nika Futterman (Asajj Ventress). These six actors sitting in the same room led to some very fun interactions and speculation among the cast mates.

A Message to Funko Pop

In a rather odd occurrence, the subject turned to the quality of character that Nika Futterman had given Asajj Ventress, and how it is almost criminal that her character doesn’t have her own Funko Pop figurine. James Arnold Taylor decided that this offense should not go unanswered, and so he pulled out his phone and began recording. A message directly to the makers of the tiny collectibles, “these are my friends, and they all want a Ventress Funko Pop.”

The Importance of Ahsoka

Over the years, Asoka has become one of the most popular characters in all of Star Wars. While it may have taken the rest of the fanbase a little while to catch on, Ashley Eckstein spoke about how she knew from the beginning how important a succatano would be to the franchise.

Eckstein explained that as a young girl, she loved Star Wars, though she had fallen in love with R2-D2. And looked up to the original strong female rebel Princess Leia, There was still something missing to reach out to her demographic, and Asoka was the answer. “There wasn’t a girl character that had a lightsaber in her hands on a weekly basis, like Ahsoka. And so when I was cast as Ahsoka, I knew that she was going to be a game changer… And so that’s why I poured myself into this character”

Star Wars ‘What If?’

Early on in the panel, there was a delicious exchange between James Arnold Taylor and Nika Futterman. When Taylor looked across the stage towards Futterman and said “Hello Ventress” in character as Obi-Wan, and with a signature Ventress sultry hiss, she answered “Hello darling”

While the audience was delighted to see this exchange, that moment would be recalled later in the panel when a fan asked a question about potential stories that could be told in a Marvel What If style show. Dee Bradley Baker pitched the brilliant idea of a nature documentary detailing the lives of the noble Tonton, but Nika Futterman gave everyone chills when she suggested they explore the relationship between Ventress and Kenobi. The voice actors of both characters agreed that they were surprised nothing romantic ever happened between them in the show.

The Lost ‘Clone Wars’ Seasons

According to the actors, they recorded eight full seasons during the production of the original Clone Wars series. Unfortunately, only five seasons were released in the initial run on Cartoon Network, with a shortened sixth season on Netflix in 2014. The cast revealed some plot lines of those lost episodes. These included more of Ventress’ story as a lone bounty hunter and a lot more of Daniel Logan’s Boba Fett. He specifically noted a scene where Boba Fett faced off against Cad Bane, a scene we would eventually see in the live action show The Book of Boba Fett and an unfinished animatic from the Clone Wars.

In fact, it seemed that the loss of these two seasons took a particularly large toll on Daniel Logan. Many of his episodes had been in those seasons, and he had, apparently, not been informed that the show would be ending so soon. He lamented seeing the “rolling scroll” on that final episode (credits rather than the next episode preview) and joked about calling LucasFilm afterward to ask them “what about my episodes?!”

Filoni, The Artist

At one point, when describing how wonderful her castmates were to work with, Nika Futterman gave a hint at what it is like to work with Dave Filoni. Filoni has become one of the more legendary Star Wars creators, and much of that is due to his passion for the franchise. It is that passion that led Futterman to describe him as “this artist that was sketching this thing.”

She explained that, as professional voice actors, recording sessions can move pretty quickly, however “We can get an episode done in, like, 20 minutes, but not if you’re working with Dave. If you’re working with Dave, it takes four hours because, in between everything, is a story.”

Love For Dee Bradley Baker

I want to give one final shout out to Dee Bradley Baker, the voice of Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Sargent Hunter, and every other clone in the Star Wars animated universe (aside from Boba Fett and Omega). He was a delight for the entire time he was on stage and would often slip seamlessly into his “Wrecker” character voice from The Bad Batch for comedic reactions. Just before the panel ended, he revealed a recent project that had him very excited.

When the panel was asked to give their non Star Wars science fiction preferences, Dee Bradley Baker admitted that he has been a massive Planet of the Apes fan for decades. He then added that he was recently able to fulfill a dream of his. He officially became a part of that beloved franchise by providing some of the ape sounds for the latest addition to that franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The smile on his face was magical.

I have to thank Comic Con Revolution for giving me the opportunity to see this panel. It was a lot of fun and we were able to see some really special moments. To any fans of The Clone Wars, if you ever get the chance to see any grouping of these wonderful actors, I would highly suggest you take it.