Star Wars: Ahsoka prop master Josh Roth was joined on stage by Chopper at Destination D23 amid the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined striking film and TV writers on the picket lines in July, marking the first dual strike from the two unions since 1960. While on strike, actors cannot promote any current or future projects, including at conventions and fan events.
As a result, casts of productions on the event schedule at Destination D23, aka "the Biggest Disney Fan Event of the Year", were not in attendance. One presentation saw property master and puppeteer Josh Roth on stage to talk about some of the creations made for Ahsoka, including the one and only Chopper.
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THEM FAIR PAY! https://t.co/ColybRv7yr
— Chopper (@Chopper_Rebel) September 10, 2023
In one particularly crowd-pleasing moment during the Ashoka segment, Hera's trusty yet cantankerous droid companion rolled out to give the audience a wave in the absence of the show's cast. Roth joked about finding a "stowaway" backstage as Chopper joined him on stage to lap up cheers and applause from the fans.
C1-10P, commonly known as "Chopper" or simply "Chop", first appeared in the animated series Star Wars Rebels before making the leap to Ahsoka, following a live-action cameo in Rogue One. Chopper often sports a battered and inconsistent paint job for a worn-look that matches his sometimes cranky personality.
Everyone say, “Hi, Chopper!!!” 👋 #Ahsoka #DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/T3Xzg5W5lz
— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) September 10, 2023
Videos coming out of Destination D23 reveal more about the work that went into crafting the astromech droid and perfecting its details, with one clip and caption explaining that it took Roth and the team 20 weeks to create "the real live-action Chopper to do all the things Dave Filoni needed from it, like the head bobble".
Chopper has popped up a few times during the first four episodes of Ahsoka, and he could yet make a return to the big screen as Episode 5 is getting a limited theatrical release for the show's Midseason Fan Celebration on September 12 alongside its Disney+ debut at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern and 2am the day after in the U.K.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/chopper-stage-promote-ahsoka-destination-d23-amid-hollywood-strikes