When Make The Mains Goes Wrong

Before we jump into the meat of the article, I wanted to point out that, though the context of this article centers on the Ahsoka series, the #MakeTheMains campaign is not about new media. It's about legacy media, specifically the original and prequel trilogies (and adjacency such as Rogue One). This article is less about that campaign, and more about the concept of main characters.

This article was inspired by this comment from our own Captain Jack:

The figures have always been more interesting than the shows/movies.

There is a massive amount of truth to that. Main characters are important for us to tell story of Star Wars in our collections, but the characters that capture our imagination are critical to the line. What they did on-screen was completely irrelevant. It's where our imaginations take us with these characters. They may have minimal screen time, but they instantly connect with the fan base. There is no greater example of than this guy:


In fact, by capturing our imagination, Boba Fett went from secondary character to a main. More recently, I would say this guy qualifies:


When it comes to the Ahsoka series, Hasbro has actually done a good job of delivering the main characters, but that's due in part to the fact that the show has a pretty thin core. The Vintage Collection is confirmed to get Ahsoka, Sabine, Hera, Chopper, Huyang, and Morgan Elsbeth. The problem with the latter is that it's frankly a dull figure. That's not just me saying that. A months old figure should not be outselling a brand new preorder on Amazon:


Making matters worse, we got the wrong Ellsbeth figure, but the blame surely falls with the licensor in this case (as well as the character's prioritization in the line). Though they were secondary characters, these were the two that instantly sparked the community's interest from the very first trailer:


While sales of Morgan Ellsbeth appear to be lukewarm, I guarantee you that Baylan Skoll would have been another Vintage Collection #1 best seller on Amazon if he were announced as part of the recent Hasbro Pulse Con. So while I will preach the mains for the PT and OT until they're made, for Ahsoka I want those secondary characters that capture the Star Wars magic.

Incidentally, I thought Huyang would also be a slow seller too, but the community is proving me wrong. I chalk it up to the character's deep Clone Wars legacy.

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