Ahsoka turns a Star Wars underdog into an A-lister

When Ahsoka Tano made her first look in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the 2008 theatrical premiere of the animated sequence of the identical title, it was exhausting to think about that she would develop into one of the crucial fashionable and prolific characters within the franchise. Within the early years of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka might be simply dismissed as an annoying child sidekick shoehorned into the saga to interact youthful viewers, however within the decade-plus since, she has grow to be the soul of the Star Wars expanded universe, showing throughout a number of animated and live-action tv sequence. She’s arguably an important Star Wars character who doesn’t seem within the Skywalker Saga (although her voice might be heard among the many choir providing encouragement to Rey on the climax of Episode IX).

However Ahsoka has been featured fairly closely past the primary films. She was a significant character in each Clone Wars and Rebels, and made massive waves when she confirmed up in only a single episode of The Mandalorian. Tales of the Jedi on Disney Plus additionally partly facilities on her, with three animated shorts filling a couple of gaps in her journey from padawan to soldier to outcast.

Tales wasn’t meant to face by itself; it’s a sequence of vignettes that increase on the tales of each Ahsoka and the errant Rely Dooku, utilizing them as keyhole viewpoints into the turbulent years surrounding the autumn of the Jedi Order. It echoes the best way Ahsoka approaches the character within the preliminary episodes: We get glimpses of her story, and transient mentions of necessary individuals which might be a part of her hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn.

The place Dooku’s three episodes of Tales have a transparent, coherent narrative thread operating between them, documenting his disillusionment and separation from the Jedi, having fun with the Ahsoka-centered shorts relies upon extra on the viewer’s means to position them within the context of her life as documented all through a wealth of different Star Wars works.

Ahsoka the Prodigy: Tales of the Jedi episode 1

Picture: Lucasfilm/Disney

The primary chapter of Tales of the Jedi, entitled “Life and Demise,” begins on the day of Ahsoka’s beginning to hunter Pav-ti and her husband, Nak-il, on the Togruta homeworld of Shili. One yr later, Pav-ti takes her younger daughter alongside together with her on a hunt, as is custom in her village. Pav-ti is expert with a rifle, however is caught off guard by a big feline predator that steals Ahsoka away. As a substitute of changing into the beast’s subsequent meal, nonetheless, the newborn Ahsoka reaches out with the Drive and telepathically influences it to return her residence to her household. As Ahsoka rides into her village on the again of the massive cat, a village elder stands in awe and identifies the kid as a Jedi. That is the unseen starting of Ashoka’s story, but additionally establishes the Jedi as one thing wondrous, an concept that’s steadily eroded over the course of Tales of the Jedi and Ahsoka’s journey within the Star Wars canon.

“Life and Demise” is the primary Star Wars story to happen on Shili, in both the present canon or the Legends canon that preceded it. Our solely different on-screen glimpse is in a short flashback within the season 1 Clone Wars episode “Rising Malevolence,” wherein we see a 3-year-old Ahsoka get recruited into the Jedi Order. Ahsoka turns into Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice at age 14, which locations “Life and Demise” within the years 36 and 35 BBY. (BBY is brief for “Earlier than the Battle of Yavin,” inserting A New Hope as Yr 0 for the Star Wars calendar. For reference, The Phantom Menace takes place in 32 BBY.)

Ahsoka the Fugitive: The Clone Wars season 5

The next three shorts in Tales of the Jedi comply with Rely Dooku of Serenno, outlining his disillusionment with the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic within the a long time earlier than the Clone Wars. That Tales juxtaposes Dooku’s fall from grace in opposition to Ahsoka’s trials isn’t any coincidence, as she, too, ultimately separates from the Order, although below completely different circumstances. Within the closing arc of the fifth season of The Clone Wars (starting with “Sabotage”), promising padawan Ahsoka is framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple and subsequent cover-up. Regardless of her years of service to the Jedi, her superiors activate her with an ease that she finds stunning and disheartening. Reasonably than face conviction for a criminal offense she didn’t commit, Ahsoka flees within the hope of proving her innocence.

The true perpetrator is ultimately recognized, however solely after Ahsoka has been expelled from the Jedi Order. Pissed off by the ordeal, the exonerated Ahsoka refuses the Jedi’s invitation to rejoin their ranks. Ahsoka would ally herself with the Jedi solely as soon as extra, within the closing days of the Clone Wars, to guide an organization of Republic clone troopers within the Siege of Mandalore (as seen in The Clone Wars’ incredible four-part sequence finale).

Ahsoka the Warrior: Tales of the Jedi episode 5

Picture: Lucasfilm/Disney

The fifth episode of Tales of the Jedi, “Apply Makes Good,” begins with Ahsoka endeavor a tough take a look at of her fight skills, keeping off a small swarm of floating droids together with her lightsabers. (Younger padawan Caleb Dume, aka Kanan Jarrus of Star Wars Rebels, might be seen on the bleachers, marveling at her abilities.) Ahsoka’s grasp, Anakin Skywalker, just isn’t impressed. Anybody can defeat droids (as we are able to plainly see all through The Clone Wars and the Prequel Trilogy), however Anakin needs Ahsoka to be ready for something, together with preventing much less predictable, natural opponents. Anakin devises a brand new train, wherein Ahsoka is surrounded by her personal clone troops from the 501st Legion and compelled to fend off stun blasts from all instructions. Via a montage, we see Ahsoka frequently enhance her efficiency on this take a look at over a interval of years.

“Apply Makes Good” seems to happen through the third season of The Clone Wars (21 BBY), throughout what we would think about Ahsoka’s “progress spurt.” Between her appearances within the episodes “Sphere of Affect” and “Heroes on Each Sides,” Ahsoka receives a brand new, aged-up character mannequin, reflecting the yr that has handed because the begin of the struggle. Her look at first of “Apply Makes Good” might mirror some lacking hyperlink between these two appears. We additionally see her coaching with clone troopers sporting Part 1 Republic armor (with the Mandalorian-style T-shaped visors) at first of the montage, versus Part 2 armor (the extra acquainted Stormtrooper form) towards the top, indicating the time passing all through the struggle.

Although it’s not possible to exactly place a lot of the quick on the Star Wars timeline, we all know precisely when its closing moments happen: throughout “Victory and Demise,” the ultimate episode of The Clone Wars. (The finale takes place concurrent with Revenge of the Sith, in 19 BBY.) On this transient, grim scene, Ahsoka prepares to place her coaching to the take a look at and confront a complete firm of clone troopers. By now, Order 66 is at hand, and the troopers that she as soon as fought and educated alongside have grow to be brainwashed in opposition to her. She has managed to free just one — Captain Rex, the trooper holding her at gunpoint as a part of a ruse — and the remaining will cease at nothing to kill her. Jesse, the very trooper seen supervising Ahsoka’s coaching in “Apply Makes Good,” will give the order to fireside. When the battle is over, Ahsoka will bury him herself.

“Ashla” the Outcast: Tales of the Jedi episode 6

The ultimate episode of Tales of the Jedi, “Resolve,” begins with the funeral procession of Senator Padmé Amidala. Ahsoka attends her buddy’s memorial in secret, and meets briefly with Senator Bail Organa, who makes an attempt to enlist her in his efforts to undermine the nascent Galactic Empire. Ahsoka, weary from years of struggle and grieving her fallen comrades, declines. As a substitute, she goes into hiding on a distant world, working in a small farming group below the assumed title Ashla. However, after she makes use of her command of the Drive to avoid wasting a townsperson from a near-deadly accident, one in all her neighbors reviews her to the Empire, who dispatch one in all their Jedi-hunting Inquisitors to kill her. Ahsoka defeats the Inquisitor, after which she decides to lastly be a part of Bail Organa within the battle in opposition to the Empire.

Like “Apply Makes Good,” “Resolve” takes place over an prolonged time period, on this case starting in 19 BBY. Padmé’s funeral procession on Naboo will also be seen within the montage that closes Revenge of the Sith. A lot of the quick additionally adapts and condenses chapters from the 2016 novel Ahsoka by E.Ok. Johnston, which chronicles the previous Jedi’s life in exile. Ahsoka locations these occasions a yr after the top of the struggle, in 18 BBY, on the moon of Raada. The buddy she rescues from hurt appears to be analogous to Miara Larte, Ahsoka’s companion within the novel who ultimately joins the Insurgent Alliance and is the topic of the quick story “By No matter Solar” within the assortment From a Sure Level of View.

Ahsoka the Insurgent: Star Wars Rebels and past

Picture: Lucasfilm

After the occasions of “Resolve,” Ahsoka begins functioning as a secret intelligence operative for the nascent rise up, using the alias Fulcrum. She crops again up all through the second season of the animated sequence Star Wars Rebels (set in 4 and three BBY) as a buddy and ally to the resistance cell referred to as the Spectres, a task that units her on a collision course together with her fallen mentor, Darth Vader. This, in flip, crops the seeds of Ahsoka’s forthcoming live-action miniseries, which options the return of a number of most important characters from Rebels. In between, Ahsoka makes visitor appearances on The Mandalorian and The Guide of Boba Fett (set in 9 ABY, or 9 years after the Battle of Yavin), cementing her because the throughline that binds most of Star Wars tv collectively.

Ahsoka takes place after her appearances there, on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn and bringing Sabine again into the fold.