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There's always something to report from a Rosario Dawson panel. Case in point, the actor was recently at LA Comic Con, during which she spoke about everything from Netflix's Daredevil to Josie and the Pussycats to, of course, her turn as the live-action Ahsoka Tano in the Disney+ series of the same name. During the Q&A portion of the panel, one fan cosplaying as the same character brought up a question that was as much a window into the Star Wars universe as it was into Dawson's portrayal of one of its most popular characters.

"What scene or event captures the essence of Ahsoka Tano your character?" she asked.

Dawson took a moment to consider the question, which moderator (and former Popverse Deputy Editor) Tiffany Babb jokingly pointed out was a big one. Eventually, though, the actor had a response.

"What I really love in the new stories," Dawson began, "is seeing just how hardcore Anakin was with Ahsoka in her training. To the point of her actually being knocked unconscious and [him] waiting for her to stir so he could sic some more violence on her, to combat. I think of that dynamic of their relationship [...] that idea of leadership and showing up and pushing yourself beyond your own personal limits"

Fans who have watched Ahsoka will recall several points in the series at which the titular non-Jedi was reunited with her former trainer, Anakin Skywalker, via flashback, holorecording, or timeless dreamscape. These were some of the most lauded moments of the series, partially because franchise favorite Hayden Christensen returned to the role, but Dawson clarified that her character's tenacity began long before them.

"Seeing her as a little baby,"she said, "seeing her with her parents and how Force-sensitive she was since she was a child, it's like: I think we can get a little lazy when we have innate talent towards something. We don't push ourselves. That's what I really admire about her and I really admire about the tenacity of so many of the characters within the Star Wars Universe. It's never a one-time decision; it's in every single day, every single confrontation, every single challenge that provokes in them how they show up."

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Dawson goes on to point out that this is a tenant of more than just her own character. Indeed, preparing oneself to hold true to one's ideals even in the face of  impossible odds is integral to nearly all of the franchise's heroes (and on the flipside, failure to do so is at theheart of almost all of its villains). But Dawson's talking about her own experiences here, as she proves by concluding:

"That shows up everywhere, but I particularly love it within [Ahsoka’s] relationship with Anakin. They never are satisfied with how good they were before; it's always pushing themselves toward another level of excellence. Because you just never know, as a proper samurai or whatever, if the next battle will be your last. If you're fighting for a good reason, you want to make sure that you're giving it your all."

Ahsoka is streaming now on Disney+.

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