10 most important events in Ahsoka Tano’s life (before the Ahsoka series)

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the Star Wars content being covered here wouldn’t exist.

The Ahsoka series is about to have its premiere, but it’s hardly the first time Ahsoka Tano has been in Star Wars.

After being introduced in The Clone Wars movie, Ahsoka played a prominent role in The Clone Wars series, the Ahsoka novel by E.K. Johnston, and Star Wars Rebels. She has also played an important role in stories including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Tales of the Jedi.

With such an extensive history, it is the perfect time to look back at the 10 most important events in Ahsoka’s life prior to the debut of her live-action series.

1. Ahsoka connects with a raxshir through the Force

The Tales of the Jedi episode “Life and Death” shows Ahsoka as an infant using her deep connection with the Force for the first time. A creature known a raxshir attacks Ahsoka’s mother Pav-ti. When the raxshir flees, it’s with Ahsoka dangling from its jaws.

Instead of falling prey to the creature, young Ahsoka uses the Force to fearlessly form a connection with the raxshir. To everyone’s surprise, Ahsoka returns to her village riding atop the creature.

It is because of this that the elder Togruta Gantika realized that Ahsoka is Force-sensitive and will become a Jedi. Without this event occurring, Ahsoka would not have gone to be discovered by Plo Koon and become part of the Jedi Order, and become integral to the future of the galaxy and the Force itself.

This event also demonstrates that even as an infant, Ahsoka would first try to find a peaceful solution to problems, along with showing her ability to form profound connections with other living beings.

2. Ahsoka becomes Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Padawan

Ahsoka is first introduced in The Clone Wars movie where she is assigned to become Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Padawan. Anakin is initially doubtful of Ahsoka and her abilities, but he quickly grows to trust and believe in her.

Anakin and Ahsoka form a powerful bond, one that arguably runs even deeper than the usual bond between Jedi Knight and Padawan. Their relationship is one of the most important in all of Star Wars and continues to have far-reaching effects across many different eras.

3. The Daughter saves Ahsoka

During the Mortis arc in The Clone Wars season 3, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi encounter three powerful Force gods known as the Father, the Son, and the Daughter. The Son embodies the dark side of the Force, the Daughter embodies the light side of the Force, and the Father keeps them in balance.

The Son poisons Ahsoka with the dark side as part of his scheme to destroy the Father. When the Son deems Ahsoka no longer useful, he kills her. He tries to kill the Father as well, but the Daughter sacrifices herself to save the Father, and uses her final moments to channel her life into Ahsoka and to rid Ahsoka of the darkness within her.

Not only does this ensure Ahsoka’s survival, but it gives her a guardian angel as a convor known Morai, who is connected to the Daughter, has followed Ahsoka throughout her life, appearing at pivotal moments in The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and The Mandalorian. The Daughter’s sacrifice speaks to how important Ahsoka is and continues to be for the galaxy and for the Force.

4. Ahsoka chooses to leave the Jedi Order

In The Clone Wars season 5, Ahsoka is framed for a bombing at the Jedi Temple and is expelled from the Jedi Order. Even though she is ultimately proven innocent and welcomed back into the Jedi Order, Ahsoka chooses to leave the Jedi behind and forge her own path.

The events in this Clone Wars arc were the final straw in Ahsoka’s growing frustrations and disconnect with the Jedi and the Republic. Ahsoka’s decision forced her to figure out who she is without being a Jedi, a journey that would affect all of her future choices, even after Order 66.

Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order is also one of the most important dominoes that fall in Anakin’s gradual descent into the dark side. Ahsoka certainly isn’t to blame for what happened, but the Jedi quickly turning their back on Ahsoka only made Anakin more resentful and distrustful of them. Ahsoka was the best and brightest of the Jedi and her decision to leave further proved to Anakin how the Jedi had lost their way.

5. Ahsoka survives Order 66 and removes Rex’s inhibitor chip

Despite leaving the Jedi Order and the Republic behind, Ahsoka ends up fighting beside Captain Rex and other members of the 501st Legion during the Siege of Mandalore. She defeats Maul in combat and helps liberate Mandalore from his rule.

However, as Ahsoka and the clones are on their way to deliver the captive Maul to Coruscant, Emperor Palpatine enacts Order 66. Unlike most Jedi, Ahsoka manages to survive Order 66. She even removes Rex’s inhibitor chip.

Ahsoka and Rex work together to survive and become integral figures in the Rebellion against the Empire. They prove that even Order 66 couldn’t destroy all of the meaningful relationships between the Jedi and the clones they fought beside for years. Successfully removing the inhibitor chip was also a game changer that showed the clones could still survive and maintain their autonomy, even in a post-Order 66 galaxy, which has been more thoroughly explored in The Bad Batch.

6. Ahsoka defeats the Sixth Brother and gets her white lightsabers

The Ahsoka novel by E.K. Johnston reveals what happened to Ahsoka in the year after Order 66. For a while, Ahsoka just tries to keep a low profile and off the Empire’s radar. Of course, when the people around her are in trouble, Ahsoka must stand up and help them, and teaches them how to stand up for themselves.

This catches the attention of the Empire and leads to the Inquisitor known as the Sixth Brother coming after her. Despite being out of practice and facing such a formidable opponent, Ahsoka defeats the Sixth Brother, who dies during their fight.

She takes the kyber crystals from the Sixth Brother’s double-sided lightsaber and purifies them of the dark side. This is how Ahsoka gets her white lightsabers that she is seen using in Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and that she will use in the Ahsoka series. Ahsoka’s lightsabers aren’t just unique, but show her ability to literally create light out of dark.

7. Ahsoka joins the early rebellion

After defeating the Sixth Brother, getting her white lightsabers, and helping the people of the planet Raada survive and escape the Empire, Ahsoka joins Senator Bail Organa’s early rebellion. She took on the code name Fulcrum and began running the early rebellion’s intelligence networks.

Ahsoka helped build the foundation of what would become the Rebel Alliance . Without her contributions, the Rebel Alliance would not have become the organized movement that eventually topples the Empire.

Many of the actions taken by the Ghost crew and Phoenix Squadron against the Empire in Star Wars Rebels specifically wouldn’t have been possible without Ahsoka’s intel.

8. Ahsoka confronts Darth Vader

In Star Wars Rebels season 2, Ahsoka discovers that Anakin survived Order 66 and became the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader. This leads to Ahsoka confronting Vader in the Rebels season 2 finale “Twilight of the Apprentice.”

By confronting Vader, Ahsoka saves Ezra Bridger’s life and prevents Vader from acquiring a Sith holocron that can activate a superweapon. The planet Lothal wouldn’t have been liberated from the Empire and the galaxy would’ve suffered much more at the hands of the Sith and the Empire if not for Ahsoka’s actions here.

On a more personal level, Ahsoka refuses to leave Vader as she wrestles with guilt concerning his fall to the dark side. Even when cutting his mask open and seeing remnants of Anakin’s face and hearing remnants of his voice, Ahsoka sees that Anakin is dead and beyond saving, and that even she can’t bring him back from the dark side.

It is one of the most emotional lightsaber duels in all of Star Wars and one of the most heartbreaking moments in Ahsoka’s life.

9. The World Between Worlds

Ahsoka’s fate following her duel with Vader was left ambiguous until the Rebels season 4 episode “A World Between Worlds.” In this episode, Ezra enters the World Between Worlds, a mystical plane within the Force that exists outside of time and space. It is through the World Between Worlds that Ezra saves Ahsoka’s life.

Once again, Ahsoka’s life is saved through the Force in a mystical and unusual way, proving that her story isn’t finished, and that she has a larger role left to play in the future of the galaxy and the Force. The lesson she helps Ezra learn there influence his selfless decision-making when saving Lothal in the Rebels series finale.

While Ezra and Ahsoka are there, Palpatine tries to gain access to the World Between Worlds, but they manage to stop him.  Palpatine controlling the World Between Worlds could’ve given him control over all time and space, making him invincible, preventing the Sith and the Empire from ever being defeated, and dooming the galaxy forever.

The World Between Worlds has also been teased to be an important part of the Ahsoka series, as is Ahsoka’s promise that she will find Ezra again.

10. Liberating Calodan

The Mandalorian season 2 episode “The Jedi” features Ahsoka’s live-action debut. In this episode, Ahsoka liberates the people of Calodan from the oppressive rule of Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth. She meets Din Djarin and Grogu, is the one to first reveal Grogu’s name, and works with Din.

Ahsoka’s refusal to train Grogu puts him on the path to become Luke Skywalker’s first student, but also underscores the strength of Din and Grogu’s bond, hinting that they are meant to be together instead of Grogu just training to become a Jedi. Ahsoka was arguably able to see what Luke couldn’t see.

While working with Din to liberate Caladon, Ahsoka defeats Elsbeth in combat and demands information about the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawn. With Thrawn disappearing into hyperspace alongside Ezra in the Rebels series finale, this made it clear that Ahsoka’s search for Ezra is still ongoing, and will be a focal point of the Ahsoka series, as is stopping Thrawn and the resurgence of the Empire.

The two-episode premiere of Ahsoka debuts on August 23, only on Disney+.