Ahsoka Tano has been a favourite of Star Wars for almost twenty years. Since her introduction in the 2008 The Clone Wars film, she has become a staple in animation before entering the live-action domain during The Mandalorian Season 2 episode “The Jedi.” With her self-titled series about to hit Disney+ soon, we thought we would explore who she is.
Just a heads up, we will NOT be exploring the canon books, comics or legends material and will only focus on the canon screen material. Also, we will only touch on some events in Ahsoka’s life. If you wish to read her entire history leading up to her most current appearance, please consult her Wookieepedia page.
Becoming A Jedi
Born on Shili in 36BBY to Pavi-ti and Nak-il, Ahsoka Tano was found to be Force Sensitive as an infant. At age three, she was found by Plo Koon and taken to Coruscant, where she was raised as a Jedi. By the time she was fourteen, the Clone Wars was in its infancy and with the approval of Grand Master Yoda on the suggestion of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tano was given to newly minted Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as a Padawan during the Battle of Christophsis.
Skywalker had told Kenobi that he would never take a padawan, a sentiment he had shared with Captain Rex, his second-in-command. However, when Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta, is kidnapped by Dooku’s forces, Anakin is forced to swallow his pride and take Ahsoka on.
Clashing with Skywalker
Ahsoka’s first mission with Anakin didn’t start well. The pair clashed fiercely, resulting in the team giving each other the respective nicknames, Snips and Skyguy, much to Anakin’s annoyance and Rex’s amusement. Ahsoka develops a bad habit of nicknaming everything.
Eventually, the tension dies down. Anakin realises how much his actions at Ahsoka’s age weighed down Obi-Wan during their time together as master and padawan.
Ahsoka was curious about Anakin’s past, but he refused to open up about any of it, only letting her see a slither of vulnerability, yet not enough for her to raise any serious questions.
Getting Rotta Home
Upon retrieving an ailing Rotta from Teth, Ahsoka came to appreciate Anakin’s wisdom when she stopped trying to prove herself. But, unfortunately, when the pair and R2-D2 get to Skywalker’s homeworld of Tatooine, they’re forced to split up.
Ahsoka takes Rotta and R2 while Anakin holds off Dooku. Finally, Tano is forced to hold off a bunch of MagnaGuards, which she manages to destroy.
Dooku threatens Ahsoka’s life, forcing Anakin to forfeit their fight, and rushes to Jabba’s Palace to find she, Rotta and R2 haven’t arrived. Having his issues with the Hutts, having been enslaved as a child by Gardulla, he threatens Jabba only for Ahsoka to come with Rotta and R2.
While Jabba is glad to have his son back, he still wants Anakin and Ahsoka dead. The pair are only saved when Anakin’s secret wife, Padmé Amidala, gets a confession from Jabba’s uncle, Ziro, that he was in league with Dooku to kidnap Rotta and frame the Jedi.
Clone Wars Adventures
Ahsoka’s time as Anakin’s Padawan might’ve been short, but it was eventful. From posing as a slave to sneaking into enemy territory, Ahsoka saw a lot most teenagers wouldn’t dream of. However, she did strike up a few friends along the way.
She and Rex became quite close, a friendship that continued after the war. Ahsoka would also become good friends with Padmé and Senator Riyo Chuchi.
Padmé treated Ahsoka like a little sister. However, given Ahsoka’s connection to Anakin, Amidala knew that her husband was fine and that Tano would tell her if something were wrong. Moreover, about midway through the war, Obi-Want sent Ahsoka on a mission that was only supposed to contain Anakin and Padmé.
Ahsoka saw the closeness between the couple and silently concluded that something romantic was going on between them. Once the mission was over, she eluded to Padmé that she knew about her and Anakin, though she promised not to say anything. This would be bought up indirectly towards the end of the war.
Upon Ahsoka’s expulsion from the Jedi Order after Barriss frames her for terrorism, she would elude to Anakin that she understood why he would want to leave the Jedi Order. This came after she was cleared of her charges, and Offee was charged in her place.
Her departure devastated Anakin. This would assist in shaping his declining view of the Jedi Order.
Tarkin’s Role Causes Anakin To Hate Him Further
Admiral Tarkin and Anakin didn’t have a great relationship. It went downhill even further when the Republic navy officer tried to execute Ahsoka on zero evidence. Tarkin had no love for Ahsoka at all, and it prompted Anakin to search for the real culprit while Padmé, who he’d asked to be Ahsoka’s legal counsel, attempted to buy him time.
Years later, Anakin, as Darth Vader, would continue to clash with Tarkin, later a grand moff due to his treatment of Ahsoka. Tarkin would have a sneaking suspicion of who the Sith Lord had been, but he had no proof.
Ahsoka And Her Reunion With Anakin
A few months pass, and Ahsoka is forced to reunite with Anakin. At this time, she has been having adventures of her own, even befriending sisters Raffa and Trace Martez. Anakin was overjoyed to have her back, but Ahsoka wasn’t interested in niceties. She had become cold towards Obi-Wan, who had been on the panel of Jedi, who had expelled her without listening to her side of the story.
Obi-Wan hadn’t wanted her to be expelled, but the majority overruled his opinion and vote. Nevertheless, Ahsoka’s coldness towards him was upsetting, though Kenobi understood why.
Ahsoka’s affection for Anakin and Rex hadn’t changed, though. Anakin presented his former apprentice with her lightsabers but with new blue kyber crystals like his. As a bonus, he gave her a portion of the 501st, who was exceedingly loyal to her. They had painted their helmets to resemble her facial markings.
The last time Ahsoka would see Anakin as a friend was before he and Obi-Wan were assigned their mission to rescue Palpatine from General Grievous. She headed to Mandalore with her troops, but they soon turned on her.
Padmé’s Funeral
Upon learning of Padmé’s death, Ahsoka was one of the mourners at the senator’s funeral. Due to being a former Jedi, she had to keep her head down as she was technically a fugitive. However, Bail Organa spots her, and he goes after her. He questions why she was there, and Ahsoka tells him she was saying goodbye to her friend.
Bail then convinces her that if she ever wants to help bring down the Empire, she knows how. to contact him. Eventually, she does take up his offer as she becomes a Fulcrum agent, which later branched off to people such as Cassian Andor and Alexsandr Kallus.
Losing Padmé would have been a massive blow for Ahsoka as she held Padmé in high regard as her friend, ally, and mentor.
Ally To Phoenix Squadron
Ahsoka would serve as Hera Syndulla’s contact within the clusters of rebel cells. However, she wouldn’t reveal her identity until they met in person upon the death of the Grand Inquisitor. She would also develop a soft spot for young Ezra Bridger, who she saw as being similar to herself when she was the same age.
She also struck up a close friendship with Kanan Jarrus, a Padawan at the same time as her and had seen her train with Anakin. What hadn’t at this time was Ahsoka’s affection for droids, something she had always held onto since her teenage years. She never forgot R2-D2 (more on that later) and was fond of Chopper as he helped her pilot the Ghost.
Kanan often consulted Ahsoka on Jedi matters, with Tano joking once that he qualifies more as a Jedi than she does.
Learning The Truth About Anakin
For so many years, Ahsoka thought Anakin had died during Order 66. However, when Phoenix Squadron’s actions get to Darth Vader, he sets out to take out the Ghost crew himself. He senses Ahsoka for the first time in almost twenty years, discovering she hadn’t died during the Jedi Purge.
Ahsoka, upon sensing her former master, passes out into the arms of Kanan. When she regains consciousness, she is left devastated. She summons Kanan and Ezra to her, asking what they know. Both are in shock that it’s the same Sith Lord from Lothal.
Not wanting to reveal the truth to her new friends, Ahsoka lies when Ezra asks if she knows who or what the Sith Lord is. Deep down, she knows Anakin is gone, and only Vader remains. However, she is unwilling to accept this until she has enough proof. So she sets out on a mission to gather intel and occasionally returns to help where she can.
Ahsoka And The Reunion With Rex
After learning the truth about Anakin, Ahsoka recruits the Ghsot crew, specifically Ezra, Kanan, Zeb and Sabine, to look for an old friend she had lost contact with. She gives them the head of an old tactical droid and tells Kanan and Ezra to trust her friend.
The group finds this mysterious friend, quickly discovering that Ahsoka’s friend is a clone trooper. Naturally, this sets Kanan off, given his experiences of seeing his and Depa Billiba’s clones gun down his master.
Rex, Gregor and Wolfe aren’t exactly thrilled with the situation either. However, they make do and soldier on. Rex eventually agrees to join Phoenix Squadron as a favour to Ahsoka.
The reunion is happy as the old friends fall back into their patterns. They joke about the other getting old. Unfortunately, this also indicates that Ahsoka and Rex likely haven’t seen each other in person for years since probably Padmé’s funeral, where he picked her up.
Facing The Past And Return To The Present
At one point on the Ghost, Ahsoka tells Ezra about Anakin and how he was kind and one of the best Jedi. This was after the teenager found her watching old training holograms she had stored away.
Then, during a trip to Lothal with Ezra and Kanan to a Jedi Temple, she faces a spectre of Anakn, who accuses her of abandoning him. The vision shifts, and Anakin, now Darth Vader’s spectre, appears behind her. This becomes a concrete reminder that Anakin is no more.
During a trip to Malachor and being betrayed by Maul, Ahsoka is forced to protect Ezra from Darth Vader after Maul blinds Kanan. She tries to talk Vader around, but she cannot. This leads to her having to accept that her friend is gone.
Pushing Ezra out of the way, Ahsoka fights her former master. She manages to slice open Vader’s mask and helmet, revealing that it is Anakin underneath. The temple then collapses. Somehow, Vader and Tano manage to get out.
Upon Ezra and Kanan’s return to the crew, a shaken Ezra’s reaction is enough to tell Rex that Ahsoka didn’t make it back.
Three years later, Ezra ventures into the World between Worlds and finds the moment Vader almost kills Ahsoka. Before the Sith Lord can deliver the killing blow, Ezra pulls Ahsoka into the World between Worlds.
Sometime later, Ahsoka returns after Ezra and Grand Admiral Thrawn have gone missing. She and Sabine venture off to find their missing friend.
Meeting Mando And Grogu And Talking To Luke
While searching for Ezra, Ahsoka eventually separates from Sabine and ventures to Typhon. Here she meets Din Djarin, a Mandalorian and his adoptive son Grogu, a former Jedi youngling, after they were sent to the planet by a mutual contact, Bo-Katan Kryze.
Ahsoka declines to train the child and reveals his name to Djarin. They then help her fight against Morgan Elsbeth, an ally of Thrawn. Din is confused as to why she refuses to train Grogu. She refers to Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side, where she mentions “the best of us.”
Some later, Din visits where Luke Skywalker is training Grogu and bumps into Ahsoka. She explains that she is an old friend of Luke’s family and is asked to give a gift to the child from his father.
Finally, Ahsoka joins Luke as he watches Grogu nap after his training. During their conversation, she teases that Luke is like his father before she departs, leaving Din’s gift with the Jedi master.
