When one thinks of Star Wars characters, it's easy for the likes of Luke, Leia, Han, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Darth Vader, or Chewbacca to enter your mind. But with the roster having expanded in recent years with the likes of new movies and canonical shows such as The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian, characters that are considered ‘fan favorites' by many now exist outside the movies, and one of those characters is Ahsoka Tano. If you've not yet binge-watched The Clone Wars on Disney+, we highly recommended you do. But if you're simply looking for a crash course on the Togruta Jedi so that you can scrub up on your Star Wars knowledge and impress your friends, then here's everything you need to know about Ahsoka Tano.
Warning: there are many spoilers ahead for The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian.
Who is Ahsoka Tano?
Ahsoka Tano is a female Togruta, a sentient humanoid species identifiable by large white montrals instead of hair and brightly colored skin with unique pigmented facial patterns. Ahsoka fought as a Jedi during the Clone Wars; the three-year-long, galaxy-wide battle between the Republic and the Separatists, which concluded with the Great Jedi Purge, Order 66. Padawan to Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Knight, Ahsoka was a respected member of the Jedi Order and went on to lead her own company of Clone Troopers during many battles. After surviving Order 66, like many other Jedi, Ahsoka went into hiding, but eventually found purpose again, years later, when she began aiding the very same rebellion that would ultimately defeat the Empire.
Ahsoka in The Clone Wars
We first meet Ahsoka Tano in the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in which the 14-year-old Padawan becomes Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Apprentice. During her three years fighting alongside her master, with whom she grows close, Ahsoka develops into a highly skilled Jedi and powerful Force-user, and in that time also takes counsel from Jedi Masters Yoda, Plo Koon, and Obi-Wan. However, much like Anakin, she often defies direct orders while on extremely dangerous missions. In her later teenage years, Ahsoka is framed for murder by a fellow Padawan, but by the time her name is cleared, she is already disenfranchised with the Jedi after the Council fails to support her, and boldly decides to leave the Order and part ways with Anakin.
Ahsoka Vs Darth Maul
Following a hiatus after leaving the Order, Ahsoka Tano returns to the fold and does battle with fallen Sith LordDarth Maul during the Siege of Mandalore, who has at that point overthrown the planet's leadership and liberated terrorist cell Death Watch. After failing to reason with Maul, Ahsoka enters into an explosive lightsaber duel with him, in The Clone Wars Season 7's Phantom Apprentice. The fight results in Maul being apprehended by the Clone Troopers, however, while in hyperspace, Order 66 is issued, and the Clones attempt to execute Ahsoka. Consequently, Maul escapes while Ahsoka and loyal Clone Trooper Rex crash-land on a seemingly desolate planet. Aware that Palpatine is behind Order 66, Ahsoka leaves her lightsaber in the snow in the hope that the newly formed Empire will presume her dead in the crash.
Ahsoka in Rebels
Ahsoka makes her long-awaited return in the follow-up animated show Rebels, which takes place 14 years after the Clone Wars end. Alongside budding young Jedi Ezra Bridger, powerful Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, artistic Mandalorian Sabine Wren, gifted Twi'lek pilot Hera Syndulla, physically imposing Lasat rebel Zeb and erratic astromech Chopper, Ahsoka becomes first known in the show as rebel agent Fulcrum, an alias which she uses to feed the rebels information. Sadly, after the Season 2 finale, Twilight of the Apprentice Part 2, Ahsoka makes only two more appearances during the show: in Season 4's extremely revealing A World Between Worlds and in the finale's epilogue. However, her influence within the rebellion cannot be understated.
Ahsoka Vs Darth Vader
Long before Darth Vader fights his own son, Luke Skywalker, in The Empire Strikes Back, he did battle with his former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. After 14 years, Rebels Season 2 finale Twilight of the Apprentice: Part 2 sees Ahsoka finally reunited with her master at a Sith Temple, where the two engage in a lightsaber battle that rivals any from the movies. It's during this fight that Ahsoka learns the true identity of Darth Vader, having up until this moment presumed her master dead; killed during Order 66. While this duel is easily the most anticipated confrontation in the franchise, Ahsoka's fate is left somewhat ambiguous, and she isn't seen again until Season 4's mind-blowing A World Between Worlds, in which we learn what happened to her. After finding himself in a place rich with the Force and where time does not exist, Ezra Bridger ‘pulls' Ahsoka from her previous battle with Vader, saving her life via time paradox. After her showdown with Vader in the Sith Temple, we can assume Master and Padawan never cross paths again, unless the upcoming live-action Ahsoka series tells us otherwise.
Ahsoka in The Mandalorian
Our most recent encounter with Ahsoka Tano takes place in The Mandalorian in Season 2's aptly named The Jedi. Though it's the character's first time in live-action (played by Rosario Dawson), it was an almost seamless transition from her animated counterpart (voiced by Ashley Eckstein). In The Mandalorian, Ahsoka resides on the forest planet of Corvus, seemingly living in exile until she is tracked down by Din Jarin, who seeks her help in returning Grogu to the Jedi (that's ‘Baby Yoda' to all the non-diehard Star Wars fans). During the episode, Ahsoka tells Din Jarin about her time with the Jedi Order, and even hints at the fate of her Master, Anakin Skywalker, when explaining that untamed Force abilities can lead down dark paths. After aiding Din Jarin in overthrowing the bad guys, Ahsoka points him in the direction of an ancient Jedi temple, where she believes Grogu might be able to reach out to the Force and enlist the help of any surviving Jedi.
Is Ahsoka in any of the movies?
Sadly, Ahsoka Tano does not appear in any of the movies, but as The Clone Wars series is canon, we do know that she is operating ‘off-screen' in the time between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and even during and beyond the events of the latter. Though she is nowhere to be seen in the original trilogy either, we now know from The Mandalorian – which takes place 5 years after Return of the Jedi - that she is alive and likely still fighting as a rebel somewhere in the background, at least until the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi. As for the sequel trilogy, we do hear her voice among many other dead Jedi who speak to Rey in The Rise of Skywalker, which suggests that she has died somewhere between the events of The Mandalorian and Episode 9. With all that said, Ahsoka does appear in a theatrical Star Wars movie - Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which forms part of The Clone Wars animated series.
Will Ahsoka appear in The Bad Batch?
It remains to be seen whether Ahsoka Tano will appear in the new animated series The Bad Batch on Disney+. As the show picks up directly where The Clone Wars left off, though, following the events of Order 66, it is entirely possible. Ultimately, though, it depends on where Ahsoka is currently ‘placed' in the Star Wars universe at the time of the show. Canonical novel Ahsoka tells us that the former Jedi spends a year in hiding following the collapse of the Jedi Order and the Republic, so it's unlikely we will see her anytime soon in The Bad Batch. However, if the show is intended to be long-term and ends up overtaking the novel, we may meet Ahsoka during her early rebel years as Fulcrum, which would cover the period between the novel and her appearance in Rebels, which spans some 13 years.
When is the Ahsoka series coming out?
The limited live-action Ashoka series, in which Rosario Dawson will be reprising her role as the Togruta Jedi, is scheduled for release on Disney+ in 2022. While little is known about the premise, we do know that it will take place after her appearance in The Mandalorian, and will likely include her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn, which was hinted at in the show. If this is the case, then this means the show will be a follow-up of sorts to Rebels. When we last see Ahsoka in the Rebels finale, she approaches Sabine Wren after the events of Return of the Jedi, and it's suggested that the two intend to find Ezra Bridger, who sacrificed himself to take down Grand Admiral Thrawn, in an event that left the fates of both parties ambiguous.
The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Bad Batch are all now streaming on Disney+.