D23 2026: Ryan Gosling is Kade Auberon in Star Wars: Starfighter

At the D23 event, Disney and Lucasfilm officially introduced the upcoming motion picture titled Star Wars: Starfighter. According to coverage from Yahoo, the film centers on a protagonist described as a guy from the wrong side of the galaxy. The announcement was accompanied by the release of first-look footage and a teaser trailer that provides the initial visual introduction to Gosling's character and the specific sector of the galaxy where the story takes place. Reporting from Entertainment Weekly and Yahoo emphasizes the reveal of the first look at Starfighter, highlighting the casting of Ryan Gosling. CNET's coverage identifies this reveal as one of the most significant pieces of Star Wars news emerging from the D23 expo.

The media attention is concentrated on the nature of Gosling's role and the aesthetic of the new sector of space introduced in the footage. The coverage suggests that the presentation of this new project was a primary focus of the event's entertainment programming. Contextually, this announcement arrives alongside other major franchise updates. Yahoo reports that alongside the Starfighter reveal, a teaser trailer for the second season of Ahsoka was also released. CNET further links the biggest news from the event to not only the Starfighter trailer but also updates regarding the characters Ahsoka and Anakin.

This indicates a broader strategy of expanding the Star Wars narrative across both cinematic films and episodic streaming content simultaneously during the D23 presentations. Based on the coverage, the next developments will likely involve further footage and official release dates for both Star Wars: Starfighter and the second season of Ahsoka. The industry will be monitoring how the new sector of the galaxy far, far away integrates with established lore as more specific details are released by Disney and Lucasfilm.