Her Universe just launched some of their Star Wars shirts online with retailer Hot Topic, and Ashley begins her job as co-host for Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World this Friday, and taking place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through June 10th.

I spoke with the always friendly Ashley about Her Universe, Star Wars, and Disney.

Doc: It’s been about two years since you started Her Universe?

Ashley: It will actually be two years in June…it’s been an exciting two years. Action packed!

Doc: How has the experience been, from a business and a fandom standpoint?

Ashley: It’s definitely been a major learning experience, but it’s been amazing. I’ve always been into fashion design. I designed my first dress when I was a little girl when I was 10. Acting was always my first love though, so when I went into acting I pushed fashion design to the side, and now, to be able to do both – fashion design and incorporate it with my acting has really just been a dream come true. I’ve learned SO much, I’ve learned about running a business, I’ve learned about the realities of how to bring a concept to fruition and make it happen it’s truly been an amazing experience.

Doc: About a month or so ago I forwarded to you a Target ad, basically showing the Star Wars toys being boys’ toys (my 7 year old daughter saw it, and replied, “Don’t they know girls like Star Wars too?”) Have you seen any real shift in the marketing mentality yet where girls and women are more into science fiction?

Ashley: Definitely. I would say there’s been a shift, but I’d say it’s been in baby steps. I don’t think we’re going to see major steps, like the Target ad that you showed us, right away. That would be great if we did, but I would say all of these baby steps are leading us up eventually seeing a Target ad where it is for both genders, where Star Wars toys are not just delegated to the boys’ section.

And I’ve definitely seen that that with some of our retailers. We just had a really exciting launch with Hot Topic, and we’re now in Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Orlando, so we’re now in Disney Parks year round, and to have some major retailers such as Disney and Hot Topic recognize the female fans is just really a big step for us. Because a couple years ago, people practically laughed at me when I had this idea to start Her Universe. They said, “Oh no, there’s not enough girls that would buy merchandise,” and I had the statistics to say that they were wrong. Close to half of all fans are girls and women, and we’re not trying to say that science fiction is just for girls, and we’re not trying to say that science fiction is just for boys. We’re trying to say that it is for everyone, and it’s universal. So we’ve definitely seen a shift with companies that are willing to think outside of the box, like Hot Topic and Disney, and say, “No, we recognize the fan base and we want to give something to this fan base,” and I’m so grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me.

Also Think Geek is another one. Think Geek is really on the cutting edge of companies out there that are really paying attention to the kind of “geeky” fan base, hence the name, and they really approached us from the beginning and recognized the power of the fan base. And so between Think Geek, Hot Topic and Disney I just really have to applaud them for stepping up first and saying, “We recognize the fan girls!”

Doc: Think Geek is definitely an interesting company where based on fan response of even some of their jokes, they’ve turned them into actual products.

Ashley: Exactly, and I think the difference there is that fans actually work for the company. And so, that makes it a lot easier. I’m a fan myself and I know what I want as a fan, but I’m also constantly interacting with the fans, so I’m getting direct feedback from the consumer. And Think Geek does that as well, not only are they a bunch of fans over there, but they are listening to their consumers.

Doc: You’re kind of unique I think in a lot of respects, in working as an actress on a show, but also being a fan of it.

Keep warm and still be a Princess

Doc: What has been your most successful product so far?

Ashley: We just launched a brand new Princess Leia hoodie with Hot Topic, and it’s also going to be available at Disney’s Star Wars Weekends and on our web site, but I’m really excited about it, because a lot of the guys, they’ve had costume hoodies for a while – Marc Ecko did the Boba Fett hoodie, then Mad Engine did some great hoodies – a Chewbacca one, a Storm Trooper one, a Darth Vader one. And as a female fan, I said, “Wait a minute, what about the girls? Why can’t we get in on the fun?” And so we’ve been developing this Princess Leia hoodie for a while now, and it did really well at Hot Topic, and I just found out…I’m really excited to say that it’s in August going to be in stores in Hot Topic nationwide. It just launched online with them, and so now to take that giant step to go from online sales to actually in stores, again, it’s just a dream come true that I’ll be able to walk in to the mall and walk in to a Hot Topic and see a Her Universe design.

Padme Nouveau

Doc: That’s going to be an interesting experience – to be able to walk in to pretty much every mall, and see something that you developed…
Ashley: Hot Topic’s not going to know what hit them. I’m going to be walking in to the mall, standing next to the hoodie, taking a picture, probably crying…

Doc: “Why does she just keep coming in and just stare at it?”

Ashley: It’s really just been a dream come true. Like I said, I’ve been designing ever since I was a little girl, so to actually have one of my designs accessible in the mall will just be amazing, so I’m looking forward to it!

Doc: Any new products we should be on the watch for?

Ashley: Absolutely. Unfortunately I don’t have them to show now, but we met at a Syfy event, and we definitely have several new Syfy products, some new Battlestar Galactica products, some new Warehouse 13 products coming out. I’m really excited about those. Those will probably come out at the end of June. And then also at the end of June we have two major, MAJOR announcements of two new franchises that we’ve signed on. We’re already working on designs and sampling right now for these new franchises and I’m so excited because these are two top franchises that the girls have been asking for and it’s something that I’ve been working on now for over a year and these things just take so long…unfortunately, I can’t talk about it just yet because we have to get the product made before we can make the announcement. But end of June, we’ll have a lot of big announcements coming from Her Universe. Definitely look for some cool Syfy products and some new franchises as well.

Doc: Was Star Wars your first introduction to science fiction and the fans that go with it?

Ashley: Definitely. I mean, I’ve always been a Star Wars and fantasy fan, ever since I was a little girl. But to actually be immersed in the sci-fi culture, it definitely started when I was cast as Ahsoka, and I started going to all the events. It really introduced me from being a casual fan to more of a hardcore fan and it’s something I enjoy – I’ve always been interested, I’ve always enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy, so to actually meet more girls and more people that have similar interests – I’ve just made so many friends. It’s really been amazing. Unfortunately at a lot of these events I have to go and work them, I can’t go around as a fan, and that’s actually a bummer for me, because I’d definitely be there as a fan as well.

Doc: It’s kind of like how I am at the Syfy events. I’m such a fan, and seeing everybody. But I’m trying to work, I’m trying to write the articles, it’s like, “Argh! I didn’t have time to talk to that person…”

Ashley: Exactly, exactly. I’m right there with you.

Doc: What was it like to get the call that you were going to be part of Star Wars?

Ashley: Frankly, when I got the call that I was cast as Ahsoka in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I didn’t believe it, because I didn’t think my audition was very good. My first audition, I didn’t think I did a great job, because they wanted me to do an accent. They actually asked for an Icelandic accent, kind of like Bjork! I just couldn’t nail the accent. But somehow I got a callback, and even at the callback I remember walking out and my husband was there with me, and I looked at him and said, “Well, I tried my hardest, but I don’t think I got it.” I just couldn’t give them what they wanted, ‘cause they still asking for an accent. And then I got the part, and my mind was just boggled! Of all of the things, it’s usually the jobs that you think you aren’t going to get you do get, and the auditions where you think you hit a home run on you don’t get. And so, I was kind of surprised. I asked my agent, “Well, how did I get this part? I couldn’t really do the accent they wanted me to do…”, and luckily my agent said, “Well, they heard you talking in between takes, and they just like your regular voice. So they want you to use your own voice.” And I was jumping up and down because it was a lot easier than doing a bad Icelandic accent. But it was definitely a surreal moment once it sunk in, and it was like, “Wait a minute, Star Wars is a really big deal! How did I get this?”

Doc: Did you know when you started how much of a role model Ahsoka was going to be?

Ashley: No, I didn’t know what type of impact Ahsoka would make with young girls. I had hopes she would be a truly positive character for girls, but I didn’t really know until it came out. We worked on the show for two years before it actually came out. At first the reaction was actually pretty negative towards her. A lot of the classic fans didn’t care for her, so it was a little bit jarring at first, wondering is this going to last, is she going to go down as one of the hated character in Star Wars. But then once I was able to get out among the young fans and the girls and see that she was truly was making an impact in such a positive character and the girls were really looking up to her it was just so exciting. It’s something I take very seriously, I see even though I’m just the voice of Ahsoka, I’m not actually Ahsoka, but I feel that I have a huge responsibility to Lucasfilm, and George Lucas and Dave Filoni who created this amazing character, and for these young fans. As the voice I want to do this character justice, and I want to do these girls justice who look up to her, and be a great role model as well.

Doc: Ahsoka certainly has matured herself over the past four seasons, from a young brash Padawan she was, to almost a peer of Anakin now. Do you know where Ahsoka is going to be taken in this fifth season?

Ashley: Oh, yes I do! We’re done with the season, and it’s going to be a really, really big season, not just for Ahsoka but so many characters. Just a lot of action, a lot of drama, you’ll probably be left with more questions than answers, but it’s just really, really exciting and I think the fans are going to have a lot of surprises and just really Dave Filoni and his crew continue to raise the bar – they really do.

Doc: Recently you posted a picture where you got the full makeup treatment and really became Ahsoka for a day. What was that like, becoming the actual character you portray?

Ashley: That was definitely surreal to dress up as Ahsoka for the day. It was just me as a fan. It was actually kind of a present that some friends made happen for me – it wasn’t an official Lucasfilm photoshoot or anything. It was truly me as a fan, and some friends letting me try on the costume and do the makeup for a day. It was very, very cool. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the opportunity to do it again, but it was very empowering, and I go to all of these conventions and events and get to see the fans dressed up, and I’m a fan too, and I want to dress up in the costume, and I want to try it on. So it was really cool to get do that for a day, and learn some of the moves, and I just enjoy cosplay and that was a really neat experience.

Doc: It was an incredible job…it was so lifelike, it wasn’t just a simple outfit, but down to everything, much like the characters at Star Wars Weekends, they’re fully enrobed so to say as the character. The detail was amazing.

Ashley: Absolutely. It was a very nice costume to try on. I was just lucky to have great friends that made my wish come true.

Doc: This is your fourth year doing Star Wars Weekends, what’s it like dealing with the massive amounts of fans that turn out over those four weekends, do you still get to enjoy those weekends, given that you host them, you do the talks, you do the signings and so forth?

Ashley: Absolutely I get to enjoy them. After I’m done for the day, Disney just really treats you right. They treat you first class all the way. I definitely get to go play in the parks, and stay at the Disney hotels, and eat at the amazing Disney restaurants, so I jam pack the month full of everything I could possibly want to do Disney. And it makes it even more exciting because my husband (2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein) got to be with me last year and gets to be with me again this year as well. The two of us are like two kids in the candy store. Our wedding reception took place at Disney World at one of the Disney hotels. We’re both big Disney fans, and we absolutely take advantage of it.

The Lost Ship: In this exciting action/adventure project based on the popular novel by William Brinkley, the crew of a naval destroyer is forced to confront the reality of a new existence when a pandemic decimates most of the earth’s population. Michael Bay (Transformers) intends to direct the pilot if it is green lit. Executive Producers: Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Hank Steinberg (showrunner and writer) and Steve Kane (writer). Production Company: Platinum Dunes.

Legends: This suspenseful, action-packed drama is being developed by Howard Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Mark Bomback from the novel Legends by Robert Littell. The story follows a deep-cover operative named Martin Odum, who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is. Executive Producers: Howard Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Alexander Cary and Jonathan Levin. Studio: Fox 21.

The Neighbors: A comedy about a family that moves to a suburb with very unusual neighbors and starring Jami Gertz (Still Standing, Twister))and Lenny Venito (War of the Worlds)

The Last Resort: The U.S. Navy’s most powerful nuclear missile sub goes on the run after refusing orders and takes refuge at an exotic island after being fired upon and declared rogue, starring Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age), Scott Speedman (Underworld), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, The Unit), and Bruce Davison (X-Men). And watch got Dollhouse and Being Human star Dichen Lachman…

Zero Hour: When a woman buy an unusual clock, she is kidnapped and her husband (Anthony Edwards, ER) finds a conspiracy regarding the Nazis in trying to find her and the 11 other clocks that could hold the key to evil…

The Neighbors:

The Last Resort:

Zero Hour:

INSANE OR INSPIRED? (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)
Premieres Friday, May 25 at 10PM
This new series features the most exciting videos from the Internet that celebrate the world of imagination, invention, and extreme experiences. Actors Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks), Brooke Hogan, Ralph Garman, as well as television personality Josh Gates, host of Syfy’s Destination Truth, join comedians Ben Gleib, Owen Benjamin, Jodi Miller, Elliot Chang, Jermaine Fowler, Adam Ray, Christiana Pazistky, KT Tatara and Janet Varney to provide their unique commentary on each of the clips. The result is a fast-paced hour-long countdown of hilarious viral videos. Insane or Inspired? is produced by Comcast Studios with Jay James, Betsy Rott, and Sean Olsen serving as executive producers.

JUNE

HAUNTED COLLECTOR (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Premieres Wednesday, June 6 at 9PM
Haunted Collector features eminent paranormal collector John Zaffis, who searches for objects that have become home to paranormal spirits and/or energy. Each week Zaffis and his family help someone who’s terrorized by something strange in their own home, using the latest technology to identify the source of the paranormal activity. On the season 2 premiere of Haunted Collector, the team heads to Warsaw, Kentucky, where a woman’s home is suffering hauntings, possibly from two steamboats which crashed in a fiery collision, killing more than 60 people in 1868. Next, they travel to Huron, Ohio, in a race against the clock to remove the dangerous energy from an abandoned silo, scheduled to be destroyed in 48 hours. Haunted Collector is produced by Gurney Productions. Executive producers are Scott Gurney and Deirdre Gurney.

SCHOOL SPIRITS (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)
Premieres Wednesday, June 20 at 10PM
From executive producer Mark Burnett, School Spirits travels to schools and universities all across the country to recount the true ghost stories experienced on these academic campuses. The stories will be told in first person narratives through the testimonials of real students, teachers, parents and staff that have encountered the paranormal activity, blended with bone-chilling cinematic reenactments to further bring the haunting experiences to life. Executive producers: Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice) and Seth Jarrett & Julie Insogna Jarrett (Celebrity Ghost Stories).

SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIES (ALL-NEW MOVIES)
Jersey Shore Shark Attack – Saturday, June 9 at 9PM – Led by an all-star cast of Tony Sirico (The Sopranos), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Jack Scalia (Dallas), Joey Fatone (‘N Sync), William Atherton (Die Hard) and Vinny Guadagnino (Jersey Shore) the movie unfolds during the July Fourth weekend at the Jersey Shore, where angry sharks are on a rampage, devouring residents, leaving it to the local Guidos to save the day. The movie also stars Jeremy Luke as The Complication, Melissa Molinaro as Nooki, Joey Russo as Donnie, Daniel Booko as Balzac, Audi Resendez as B.J., and Alex Mauriello as J-Moni. Jersey Shore Shark Attack is a production of Hybrid Entertainment. The director is John Shepphird. Jeffrey Schenck, Barry Barnholtz and Peter Sullivan are the producers.
Piranhaconda – Saturday, June 16 at 9PM – Part fish! Part snake! All killer! In B-movie icon Roger Corman’s latest, a hybrid creature – half piranha and half anaconda — attacks a movie crew on location near her nest when her egg is stolen. Now they must outrun and kill the deadly piranhaconda as well as stop the mad scientist who stole the egg – before they all become dinner. Stars Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: I & II) and Rachel Hunter (The Benchwarmers). Piranhaconda is a production of New Horizons, directed by Jim Wynorski.
Arachnoquake – Saturday, June 23 at 9PM – In Arachnoquake, starring Tracey Gold (Growing Pains), massive earthquakes unleash giant albino spiders. Freed from their ancient subterranean prison, the spiders go on a murderous rampage through New Orleans. Joining Gold will be Bug Hall (The Little Rascals), Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager) and Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day). The movie is a production of Active Entertainment. Arachnoquake is directed by Griff Furst.
Bigfoot – Saturday, June 30 at 9PM – Television legends Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) and Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch) star as life-long rivals battling over Bigfoot. Howard Hesseman (Head of the Class), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Andre Royo (The Wire) and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper (School’s Out) co-star in the movie, which is directed by Oscar and Emmy nominee Bruce Davison (X-Men). Bigfoot is a production of The Asylum.

JULY

DESTINATION TRUTH (SEASON 5 PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, July 10 at 8PM
Season 5 opens with two special back-to-back episodes, as Josh Gates and his team lead viewers on a chase into one of the world’s biggest caves in the jungles of Vietnam to search for Bigfoot. Then, at the overwhelming request of fans, they’ll travel to Romania for a return visit to the haunted Hoia Bachu Forest, the site of their most terrifying investigation to date, and then explore the reportedly haunted Mayan ruins of Tikal in pursuit of a monster known as the Belize Goblin. They’ll also lead viewers into a remote Transylvanian village on a hunt for vampires and journey to Kazakhstan (a Destination Truth first) to search for the legendary Kazakh monster. Destination Truth is executive produced by Brad Kuhlman for Ping Pong Productions (1000 Places to See Before You Die, Celebrity Rehab, FM Nation). Josh Gates and Erin Ryder serve as co-executive producers.

PARANORMAL HIGHWAY (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)
Premieres Tuesday, July 10 at 10PM
Paranormal Highway puts the pedal to the metal as Jack Osbourne and his friend Dana Workman do their own first-person investigations of the most frightening claims of paranormal activity along America’s remote back roads. Fueled by eyewitness interviews and evidence collected by Jack’s state-of-the-art equipment, he and Dana will travel alone, self-documenting their harrowing face-to-face encounters with the paranormal. Production company: BASE Productions. Executive producers: John Brenkus, Mickey Stern, Ron Ziskin.

EUREKA (SERIES FINALE)
Airs Monday, July 16 at 9PM
After five seasons, Syfy’s long-running original series comes to an end and the remarkable residents of Eureka say their goodbyes. During the thrilling final season, the town is reeling after the Astraeus and her crew mysteriously vanished just before their planned launch to Titan. As the town copes with the shocking personal changes caused by the Astraeus ordeal, they continue to uncover the truth about the forces behind the crew’s bizarre disappearance — with shocking results. Eureka stars Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Jack Carter) Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Joe Morton (Henry Deacon), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo) and Niall Matter (Zane Donovan). Co-creator Jaime Paglia and Bruce Miller are executive producers. The series is produced and distributed by Universal Cable Productions.

WAREHOUSE 13 (SEASON 4 PREMIERE)
Premieres Monday, July 23 at 9PM
Season 4 kicks off with the Warehouse Team still reeling from the shocking events of the climactic season three finale – the loss of Agent Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore), Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder), H.G. Wells (Jaime Murray) and the destruction of the Warehouse itself. Their only hope lies in racing to the other side of the Earth to hunt down an obscure artifact, which may or may not even exist – and if it does exist, what consequences will they face for using it? The most successful series in Syfy history, Warehouse 13 follows a team of government agents who work at a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and preternatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock), Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself. Sam Huntington (Being Human) will be among the star-studded array of season 4 guest stars. Warehouse 13 is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions. Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel) is executive producer and showrunner.

ALPHAS (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Premieres Monday, July 23 at 10PM
In Syfy’s action-packed hit drama series, an unlikely team of ordinary people with superhuman physical and mental abilities – known as Alphas – takes on mysterious cases the CIA, FBI and Pentagon are unable to solve and go head-to-head with criminal Alphas.

Season 2 picks up eight months after last year’s finale with the stage set for an explosive turn of events at the Binghamton facility (the Guantanamo of the Alpha world) that could have devastating, far-reaching consequences. Dr. Lee Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn), having exposed the existence of Alphas to the unsuspecting public, finds himself discredited and imprisoned by a government desperate to cover up his revelation. The rest of the core team has disbanded and some, without Rosen’s guidance and care, have regressed to their old, destructive ways. They must now battle their individual demons in order to reunite and try to save their own.

Alphas also stars Malik Yoba, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Ryan Cartwright and Laura Mennell. Erin Way (Detroit 187, Private Practice) joins the cast this season as “Kat” a mysterious young loner whose Alpha ability allows her to pick up any skill at a glance. But while her skills are permanent, her personal memories are short-lived. The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television with executive producers Bruce Miller, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun, Gene Stein and Zak Penn. Penn and co-executive producer Michael Karnow are series creators.

AUGUST

PARANORMAL WITNESS (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Premieres Wednesday, August 8 at 10PM
Using a mixture of intimate first-hand testimony, actual home video and gritty realistic drama, the hit series Paranormal Witness returns to transport viewers into a world turned upside-down by extraordinary, terrifying and sometimes life-threatening paranormal events. Paranormal Witness is produced by Raw TV (Locked Up Abroad and Gold Rush Alaska). Executive producers are Dimitri Doganis and Bart Layton.

FACE OFF (SEASON 3 PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, August 21 at 9PM
Syfy’s hit competition reality series returns for season 3 with 12 aspiring special effects make-up artists and their unlimited imaginations, competing to create amazing works of living art. The eleven-episode season will feature some of the most difficult challenges ever attempted and high power special guest judges. It all culminates in one winner and one $100,000 grand prize that will launch a career. McKenzie Westmore returns as host. The second season finale became the most watched unscripted telecast in the channel’s nearly 20-year history, transforming 3.58 million total viewers, based on Live+7 data. This also established a Syfy original series record – for scripted and unscripted programs – for most Adults 18-34 viewers with 1.01 million. Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Derek Atherton serving as executive producers.

Check out this preview, plus several bonus videos where the cast thanks the fans and more!

“Woman in Black”: The search for the mysterious gold coins intensifies as the body count in Portland rises.

Thanks from Russell!

Russell Hornsby thanks the fans in this exclusive preview!

Thanks from Reggie Lee!

It’s been a Wu-tastic year! Don’t miss this preview clip with a special message from Sgt. Wu!

Thanks from Sasha Roiz!

Captain Renard gives the fans a shout-out in this exclusive preview!

Thanks from Silas Weir Mitchell!

Monroe gives the fans a shout-out in this exclusive preview!

Recap clip: Close Encounters of the Wesen Kind

Hank’s first run-in with a Wesen creature literally knocks him off his feet.

It remains to be seen if the homeowners association tries to come up with an objection to the new plan that doesn’t make them look bad.

Also, the previously mentioned ABC Beauty & The Beast pilot appears unlikely to get a pickup. This is different that the CW version starring Smallville‘s Kristin Kreuk, which is more of a remake of the 1980s series, which is still in contention.

We will be talking to Ashley next week – if you have any questions you’d like us to ask, tweet them to us at @scifistorm and we’ll try and squeeze it in!