Since its debut more than 16 years ago, Ahsoka Tano gradually became one of the most important Star Wars characters with many essential stories. Initially a young and reckless Padawan apprentice, Ahsoka quickly became a skilled Jedi, questioning the galaxy around her and gaining wisdom remarkable for her age. Ahsoka has appeared in several Star Wars TV shows, and she even had a brief cameo as the voice of Jedi Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
With so many fantastic stories chronicling Ahsoka’s journey, it can be difficult to keep track of the ones that defined her most. Certain episodes, story arcs, books and cameos stand out for their quality and contribution to Ahsoka’s development. From the early days of the Clone Wars to the rise of the New Republic, 10 Star Wars the stories are the most essential to understanding Ahsoka Tano’s character.
10
Ahsoka’s first appearance
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Film)
The first essential Ahsoka Tano story is the 2008 theatrical film Star Wars: The Clone Warsin which she made her debut. When a new Padawan student arrives at the Battle of Chistophsis, Obi-Wan Kenobi believes he will be his new master, but Anakin Skywalker is shocked to realize that Ahsoka has been assigned to him. Although Anakin is initially reluctant, he grows closer to Ahsoka after she proves her worth, realizing that she has a better chance of becoming his Padawan. The two are then tasked with locating Jabba the Hutt’s son, who has been kidnapped by the Separatists.
Many Star Wars fans were surprised that Anakin had a Padawan when The Clone Wars debuted, as Darth Vader said “he was just the student” the last time he saw Obi-Wan. The original plan was to keep Ahsoka as Obi-Wan’s Padawan, but George Lucas insisted that she should train with Anakin. This decision ended up paying off, leading Anakin to become a teacher and launching Ahsoka’s career. Star Wars journey.
9
Ahsoka accused of murder
Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5, episodes 17-20
Although Ahsoka has had several notable story arcs throughout Star Wars: The Clone Warsone of the most notable came in season 5, episodes 17–20. After an explosion at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Anakin and Ahsoka are tasked with finding the culprit and manage to bring the perpetrator to justice. However, just as the suspect is about to reveal the identity of the Jedi behind the bombing, she is choked to death by the Force, and Ahsoka is accused of the crime.
Ahsoka must flee to clear her name, and although she is tried and exonerated, the damage is already done. She loses faith in the Jedi Order, choosing to leave when offered the chance to return. Despite Anakin begging her to stay, Ahsoka commits to her decision and walks off into the sunset. The Clone Wars was canceled shortly after Season 5 ended, leaving Ahsoka’s fate a mystery for two years until she returned in Star Wars Rebels.
8
Ahsoka and the Siege of Mandalore
Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, episodes 9 – 12
One canceled Clone Wars arc was the Siege of Mandalore, which would have ended the series with Ahsoka joining the Mandalorians to free their world from Darth Maul. Dave Filoni shared details about the planned ending at Star Wars Celebration Europe in July 2016, and most fans assumed it would be the closest they would get to seeing it. However, The Clone Wars returned for a seventh and final season in 2020, fittingly bringing Ahsoka’s Clone Wars story to a close.
The episodes show Anakin and Ahsoka’s final scene together before he turns to the dark side, returning his old lightsabers with new blue kyber crystals. Ahsoka and Darth Maul have one of the most impressive lightsaber duels in the entire franchise, and Ray Park once again performed Maul’s motion capture as a reference for the animators. Most importantly, this arc shows how Ahsoka survived Order 66 and how having to fight her own men affected her in the future.
7
Crucial moments throughout Ahsoka’s life
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, episode 1; episodes 5 – 6
Boasting the same animation style as The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi includes three episodes about Ahsoka at various points in her journey. Episode 1 “Life and Death” shows Ahsoka using the Force for the first time as a baby, while episode 5 “Practice Makes Perfect” reveals how Anakin trained her to deflect a barrage of laser beams while surrounded. Episode 6 “Resolve” ends the season with Ahsoka trying to live a peaceful life after Order 66 before she is inevitably discovered by an Imperial Inquisitor.
Tales of the Jedi manages to show Ahsoka’s progression as a Jedi while expanding on key aspects of her development. One canceled Clone Wars The episode would have featured a flashback to young Ahsoka being taken to the Jedi Temple, and now there’s an episode about her first connection to the Force. It explains how she could have survived Order 66 when many Jedi couldn’t, and reveals her actions immediately afterward. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
6
Ahsoka’s life after order 66
Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
Star Wars: Ahsoka by EK Johnston became a fascinating example of the same story being told in two different ways. The plot is essentially the same as Tales of the Jedi episode 6, with Ahsoka leaving her life as a Jedi to live a quiet life on a farm. However, there are some key differences, other than one story being a 17-minute episode and the other a 356-page young adult novel. The Inquisitor who comes after Ahsoka in the book is the Sixth Brother, unlike the unnamed Inquisitor who she quickly defeats in Tales of the Jedi.
The book reveals that Ahsoka took the red kyber crystals from the Sixth Brother’s lightsaber and purified them into the white crystals that powered her twin blades. It also features flashbacks to Ahsoka’s duel with Maul on Mandalore, which are very different from the Siege of Mandalore arc that would eventually debut on Disney+. Regardless of how this contradicts the animated shows, it’s interesting to see two different accounts of the same basic narrative.
5
Ahsoka confronts her past
Star Wars Rebels Season 2, Episodes 21-22 “Twilight of the Apprentice”
Ahsoka also played an important role throughout Star Wars Rebels Season 2, culminating in the two-part finale “Twilight of the Apprentice”. Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus and Ahsoka head to the forbidden world of Malachor, where Jedi and Sith died in an ancient battle. Along the way, they reluctantly team up with Maul, who has come to Malachor in search of the same Sith knowledge as him. Unfortunately, they are pursued by Imperial Inquisitors, who summon Darth Vader to the planet’s Sith Temple.
Since Ahsoka was first introduced, Star Wars fans speculated about what it would be like if she fought Vader. The lightsaber duel atop the Sith Temple is beyond what any fan could have dreamed of, executed with breathtaking animation and full of emotion. Ahsoka seeing beneath Anakin’s mask was a heartfelt and devastating resolution to her story as master and apprentice, and the episode left Ahsoka’s fate ambiguous for another two years.
4
Ahsoka arrives in the future
Star Wars Rebels season 4, episode 13 “A World Between Worlds”
Viewers expected Ahsoka to eventually return, but no one could predict how she would return. Star Wars Rebels season 4. Aptly titled “A World Between Worlds,” Ezra Bridger finds himself in a mysterious realm where pivotal moments of Star Wars saga are mysteriously connected through the Force. To his disbelief, he is taken to a portal that connects to Ahsoka’s duel with Vader, and the Sith Lord prepares to kill his former Padawan, Ezra pulls her into the World Between Worlds.
In addition to introducing an entirely new aspect of the Force that drastically recontextualizes the Star Wars universe, this episode is crucial to Ahsoka’s journey. It explains how she survived her duel with Vader, forces her to accept that she couldn’t save him, and gives her a new purpose. She promises Ezra that she will find him when she returns to her time, setting up her quest in subsequent stories.
3
Ahsoka’s live-action debut
The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5 “Chapter 13: The Jedi”
Having been set as an animated film Star Wars character, Ahsoka finally made her first live-action appearance in The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5 “Chapter 13: The Jedi.” Continuing your search later Star Wars RebelsAhsoka seeks to free a city from Morgan Elsbeth, a servant of Grand Admiral Thrawn. She is tracked by Mandalorian Din Djarin, who is looking for a Jedi who can train young Grogu in the ways of the Force. The two team up to take down Elsbeth, and although Ahsoka doesn’t become Grogu’s teacher, she guides them to their next destination.
While this episode successfully brings Ahsoka’s design and combat style to live action, it also shows how she has changed in the decade since the events of Star Wars Rebels. She has become a bit more reserved than before, and her experience with Anakin makes her afraid of training a student whose emotional attachments could turn him to the dark side. This episode defined who Ahsoka would be going forward and set the stage for her journey into Mandalorian was.
2
Ahsoka Finally Meets Luke Skywalker
The Book of Boba Fett season 1, episode 6 “Chapter 6: From the desert comes a stranger”
Another interaction Star Wars fans have been waiting a long time to see if Ahsoka would meet Luke Skywalker, which finally happened in The Book of Boba Fett. Din Djarin visits Grogu at Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple on Ossus, only to discover Ahsoka waiting for him. Although Din Djarin is eager to see Grogu, Ahsoka makes him question whether he is doing this for Grogu or for himself. Ahsoka then talks to Luke as they observe Grogu training, confirming that they have already met.
Although only a brief appearance compared to his standout episode in The Mandalorian Season 2, seeing Ahsoka talking to her master’s son is incredibly satisfying for longtime fans. It’s also interesting how Ahsoka wouldn’t train Grogu herself, but accepts Luke’s decision to do so because it was her choice. Hopefully future Star Wars the stories will have more interactions between them, possibly a flashback to when they first met.
1
Ahsoka starring in her own live-action series
Ahsoka season 1
After years of development across various TV shows, Ahsoka has finally received her own live-action spinoff. Picking up where The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5 ended, Ahsoka races to track down Grand Admiral Thrawn before Morgan Elsbeth, hoping to find Ezra Bridger as well. She teams up with her former Padawan, Mandalorian Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebelsand the two began their mission. They face opposition from villains such as ex-Jedi turned mercenary Baylan Skoll, his apprentice Shin Hati, and Marrok the Inquisitor.
Ahsoka season one is the long-awaited resolution to the cliffhanger ending of Star Wars Rebels and is based on Ahsoka’s story from the animated shows. Works on elements of each other Mandalorian shows of the era, brings together multiple characters and storylines and sets the stage for several upcoming Star Wars projects. Ahsoka season two is expected to premiere in 2025, adding another essential chapter to the story of Ahsoka Tano.