Via Starwars.com:

IN HONOR OF THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE THEATRICAL DEBUT OF STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS THIS WEEK, STARWARS.COM DELVES INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANAKIN SKYWALKER’S PADAWAN, FROM SPUNKY TEEN TOGRUTA TO FORMIDABLE HERO OF THE REBEL CAUSE.

The look of Star Wars is unlike anything else in popular culture. Step back in time to explore the history and philosophy behind the concepts that define the galaxy far, far away in Designing Star Wars.

It’s hard to imagine now, but Star Wars: The Clone Wars almost wasn’t a story about Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Supervising Director Dave Filoni’s original vision for the series, scribbled on a piece of lined paper, involved a band of misfit scoundrels aboard a freighter and operating on the fringes of the galactic conflict. It would have included a Padawan Learner named Ashla, and her Jedi Master on assignment with the crew, working to aid the war effort by dealing with arms dealers and crime bosses like the Hutt clan. It would have occasionally brought the pair back to the frontlines to defend the Republic.

But before the idea came to fruition, George Lucas stepped in, offering a guiding hand to bring Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi back into the spotlight to explore the heat of the battle with characters that already had a foothold in the war. Ashla became Anakin’s Padawan, Ahsoka. And the rest is history.

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