Ever since her first appearance in The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano has been a favorite among Star Wars fans. So when Ahsoka's first-ever starring role in her very own live-action series was announced following her cameo in The Mandalorian almost three years ago, the Star Wars fandom was thrilled. But who is Ahsoka Tano, and what makes her such a fan favorite? Here's your Ahsoka character guide with the lowdown on everything you need to know as you tune into Ahsoka each Tuesday night on Disney+.
Who is Ahsoka Tano?
Ahsoka Tano is a former Jedi who was once a young Padawan learner under Anakin Skywalker. Although Ahsoka later left the Jedi Order, she remained an important leader in the Rebel fight against the Galactic Empire.
And in true rebellious fashion, Ahsoka Tano is not afraid to speak her mind and go after what she wants. She's bold and a risk-taker. Especially as a young Padawan, Ahsoka was headstrong, stubborn, and impulsive. She has become more mature and responsible as an adult, but she still maintains her rebellious spirit. She is also incredibly loyal and willing to put her neck on the line to protect her friends and loved ones.
What species is Ahsoka Tano?
Ahsoka Tano is a Togruta—a sentient humanoid species notable for their vibrant-colored skin, montrals (horn-like sensory organs), and lekku (or headtails). Ahsoka has blue eyes, dark orange skin, white face-markings, and white and blue montrals and headtails.
When was Ahsoka first introduced in the Star Wars canon?
Ahsoka Tano was introduced to Star Wars fans in the 2008 animated epic, The Clone Wars. In the film, Ahsoka is a 14-year-old Padawan, assigned by Yoda to be Anakin Skywalker's apprentice. At first, Anakin and Ahsoka do not get along. Anakin is frustrated by Tano (perhaps due to their shared bold temperaments) and reluctant to teach her.
Such tension is evident in their constant squabbling. Ahsoka jeeringly calls her star pilot master “Skyguy,” while Anakin in turn refers to his apprentice as “Snips,” due to her snappy personality. These nicknames eventually become terms of endearment. Though they playfully butt heads through most of the film, after several missions together, which are continued through The Clone Wars animated television show, the two form a friendship built upon mutual respect.
Who are Ahsoka Tano’s parents? Where is Ahsoka from?
Ahsoka Tano was born in 36 BBY to Pav-ti and Nak-il Tano on the planet Shili. When she was about a year old, her mother took her on a hunting expedition where Ahsoka encountered a raxshir—or a sabertooth. The raxshir intended to kill and eat Ahsoka, but the young Togruta was able to subdue the vicious creature and rode it back home to her village. Seeing Ahsoka return home with the raxshir, the elder Togruta Gantika realized Ahsoka was Force-sensitive.
Is Ahsoka Tano a Jedi?
As Tano herself asserts, she is no Jedi. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. In 19.1 BBY, Tano was framed for the bombing of a hangar within the Jedi Temple and for the murders of multiple clones and Jedi Order munitions expert Letta Turmond. Ahsoka is expelled from the Jedi Order, put on trial, and nearly sentenced to death. Eventually, she is proven innocent and exonerated, but her faith in the Jedi Order has been destroyed. It is then that Ahsoka decides to renounce the Jedi for good. Her master and friend Anakin Skywalker pleads with her to stay, but Ahsoka insists she has to set out on her own.
What happened to Ahsoka after the Clone Wars?
Ahsoka's story continues in the audiobook Star Wars: Ahsoka, written by E.K. Johnston and narrated by Ashley Eckstein, the voice actor who brought Ahsoka Tano to life in both The Clone Wars and Rebels. This listen fills in the blanks on what happened to Tano after she left the Jedi Order and thus escaped the purge initiated by Order 66, and before she became an operative in the Rebellion. After leaving the Order behind, Ahsoka goes into hiding under the name Ashla and finds a new group of friends. Ahsoka's cover is blown, however, when she is forced to escape from Imperial Stormtroopers and reveals her powers.
Ahsoka’s story then picks up in the animated series Rebels, set 14 years after the conclusion of The Clone Wars. Ahsoka is now working for the Rebel Alliance under the codename "Fulcrum," providing information for the Rebel crew of The Ghost. At the end of the first season, her true identity is revealed, and Ahsoka Tano become a series regular in the second season. In a gutting, emotional episode, Ahsoka discovers that her former mentor Anakin Skywalker did not die at the end of the Clone Wars as she initially believed. Rather, Anakin has transformed into the vicious Sith Lord, Darth Vader.
To give the Ghost crew time to escape the Sith temple where she encounters her fallen master, Ahsoka duels Darth Vader as the temple crumbles around them. As Vader prepares to deliver a fatal blow, Ezra, having entered the Sith temple through a portal in the World Between Worlds, pulls Ahsoka into the gateway and saves her life. Ahsoka returns to her timeline moments before the temple collapses.
For more information on what happens in the era between The Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, leading into the Rebels animated series, listen in to Star Wars: A New Dawn, the first Star Wars novel created in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group. The book, written by John Jackson Miller, gives important context for how Captain Hera Syndulla and Jedi Kanan Jarrus first crossed paths and what went on in the galaxy during a period referred to as "the Dark Times."
Meanwhile, in the era of the New Republic, Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin has been searching for Ahsoka Tano after Bo-Katan Kryze told him that she would be able to train his foundling, a powerful, Force-sensitive creature named Grogu, in the ways of the Jedi. As Ahsoka discovers, Grogu was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant; in the Great Jedi Purge, he was rescued and hidden for his own protection. Ahsoka worries that Grogu will go down the same dark path as her former master, so she refuses to train him. But she tells the Mandalorian of an ancient temple where he can take Grogu and reach out to another Jedi through the Force. And that Jedi just so happens to be none other than Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker.
Ahsoka Tano appears in live action again in The Book of Boba Fett when she encounters Din Djarin visiting Grogu at Luke’s training grounds. The Mandalorian is there to visit Grogu and give him a gift, but Ahsoka warns him not to see Grogu during his training as personal attachments can be detrimental to the Jedi. Instead, Ahsoka offers to deliver the gift to Grogu. Luke tells Ahsoka he is uncertain of Grogu's dedication to the Jedi training, and Ahsoka advises Luke to follow his instincts. Luke offers the young learner a choice between Djarin's gift, a small tunic made of Beskar chain mail, or Master Yoda's lightsaber. Grogu chooses to forego Jedi training and instead joins Din Djarin in the way of the Mandalorian.
Where does the new Ahsoka series pick up?
Disney+‘s live action series Ahsoka is set in the early days of the New Republic. Much has happened to our heroine by the time we catch up with her and the Ghost crew anew. At this point in time, Anakin has been redeemed, turning back to the Light in the Battle of Endor and sacrificing himself to save his son, Luke, and destroy Emperor Palpatine in the process.
In the epilogue of Rebels, Ahsoka meets with Sabine Wren on Lothal to discuss plans to rescue Ezra Bridger, who had been pulled through the galaxy alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn by a Purrgil (a large, whale-like creature capable of traveling through hyperspace). Ahsoka takes off on a similar note, after an appearance in The Mandalorian season two brings her face to face with Morgan Elsbeth, who is in alliance with Grand Admiral Thrawn and has knowledge of his whereabouts.
Who are Ahsoka Tano’s major allies?
Anakin Skywalker is Ahsoka Tano's Jedi mentor. The two form a close bond during Ahsoka's training and their many missions together throughout the Clone Wars. When Ahsoka eventually leaves the Jedi, Anakin tries to get her to stay but is unsuccessful. Both master and apprentice are deeply wounded by this severed connection, and (although they briefly reconnect in the final season of The Clone Wars) the next time they cross paths, Anakin has already fallen to the dark side and risen as the indomitable Darth Vader.
Senator Padme Amidala becomes an ally when Ahsoka Tano helps her in negotiations with the Arthurian delegates and saves her life. When the negotiations are disrupted by Cato Parasitti, a bounty hunter intent on killing the senator, Ahsoka teams up with Padme to foil his plans. Ahsoka later insinuates that she is aware of Padme's clandestine, forbidden relationship with Anakin Skywalker, though she never reveals this information to anyone else.
The crew of the Ghost and Ahsoka Tano work together in the days of the Rebellion. The crew is led by Jedi Kanan Jarrus and ace pilot Hera Syndulla. Crew members also include the chaotic astromech droid Chopper; Lasat captain Garazeb Orrelios; Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren; Force-sensitive orphan Ezra Bridger; and later, Jacen Syndulla, the son of Hera and Kanan.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is another Jedi that Ahsoka forges a connection with during the Clone Wars. While Anakin is Ahsoka's Jedi master, Obi-Wan also serves as a mentor and a surrogate father figure to the young Padawan during her training. He was the sole member of the Jedi High Council who did not advocate for the revocation of Ahsoka's Jedi status following the bombing at Coruscant.
Captain Rex, a veteran Clone captain, is among Ahsoka’s closest allies. Rex commands the Grand Army of the Republic's 501st Legion of Clone troopers during the Clone Wars, and later joins the Rebellion. Captain Rex is a close friend to both Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. During the events of Order 66, Ahsoka aids Rex, removing his inhibitor chip and thus allowing him to resist the orders to execute Jedi compatriots. When the pair reunite in Rebels, they are both overjoyed. (It's no wonder fans are hoping for a similar homecoming in live action. Fingers crossed that Rex will make an appearance in Ahsoka sooner rather than later!)
Plo Koon was a Jedi Master who often worked with Ahsoka Tano. When Ahsoka was three years old, Koon brought her to the Jedi Temple to become trained as a Jedi, and they remained close throughout her time there. Plo Koon was killed during the execution of Order 66, shot down over Cato Neimoidia by a Clone trooper pilot.
Bo-Katan Kryze is a Mandalorian fighter who eventually came to liberate and unify the peoples of Mandalore wielding the Darksaber reclaimed from Din Djarin. But long before that, Kryze was a member of the freedom fighter faction, Death Watch. After some initial tensions, she forms a friendship and alliance with Ahsoka in order to reclaim and defend her home during the Siege of Mandalore.
Din Djarin, sometimes referred to as the Mandalorian or simply "Mando," searches for Ahsoka in the hopes that she will train his foundling, Grogu. On Corvus, Ahsoka and Din Djarin briefly spar in the woods outside the gated city. After they team up to take down Morgan Elsbeth and liberate the settlement, Ahsoka gives Elsbeth’s Beskar spear to Mando, demonstrating her understanding of and respect for Mandalorian history and culture.
Grogu is the Force-sensitive foundling taken in by the Mandalorian Din Djarin. Din seeks out Ahsoka Tano to train Grogu in the ways of the Force, and while Ahsoka ultimately refuses to train Grogu, she remains a part of his journey as seeks tutelage under Luke Skywalker.
Who are Ahsoka Tano’s major adversaries?
Barriss Offee was initially a friend to Ahsoka Tano during their time as Jedi Padawans—Tano under Anakin Skywalker and Offee under Luminara Unduli. But after growing dissatisfied and disillusioned with the Jedi Order and being corrupted by the Dark Side of the Force, Offee orchestrated and carried out the bombing of the Jedi Temple at Coruscant. She framed her former friend Ahsoka for the crime and was eventually revealed as the true perpetrator.
Wilhuff Tarkin began his combat career as an officer in the Galactic Republic’s military, though his open contempt for the leadership of the Jedi Order caused significant strain. From the start, Tano and Tarkin do not see eye-to-eye from the start, due to vast differences in ideology. Their relationship turns from tense to contentious when Tarkin rallies against her during the trial for the bombing on Coruscant, accusing her of treason.
Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano cross paths at the end of the Clone Wars, battling one another during the Siege of Mandalore. After Tano captures Maul and he learns of her separation from the Jedi Order, he proposes that they form an alliance. She rejects this proposition when it becomes evident that Maul intends to kill Anakin, and he later leaves her for dead. They face off again nearly two decades later on Malachor, with Tano backing up Kanan Jarrus after Maul blinds the Jedi with his saber.
Darth Vader is a particular point of anguish for Ahsoka, as he is also her former Master. She finds it difficult to accept this reality as first, but after breaking away part of Vader’s mask during their duel on Malachor, she finds herself looking into the corrupted eyes of her former mentor and friend and can no longer deny the truth. Still, she demonstrates compassion for Skywalker and is crushed by the realization that he no longer lives.
What are Ahsoka’s abilities?
Ahsoka is highly Force-sensitive and is one of the most powerful users of the Force canonically alive during the age of the New Republic. The Force allows Ahsoka to move objects, pull and push opponents, control minds, communicate telepathically, and see visions of the past, present, and future. Additionally, she is very skilled in lightsaber combat and unarmed combat, and she is also a proficient pilot. Ahsoka is highly intelligent and speaks multiple languages.
What color is Ahsoka’s lightsaber?
As a Padawan, Ahsoka used a green-bladed lightsaber. She later built a second lightsaber with a shoto blade. Anakin makes some improvements to Ahsoka's lightsabers, and the blades become blue.
Later, as established in Johnston's Ahsoka novel, Tano must rebuild her sabers using purified Kyber crystals she recovered from an Inquisitor's weapon. As with her older lightsabers, one is a standard style blade and one is a shorter shoto blade: these, however, glow bright white.
What else can we expect from the new Ahsoka Disney+ series?
Set after the fall of the Empire, the new Disney+ series Ahsoka will follow Ahsoka Tano (played by Rosario Dawson) as she investigates a new threat to the galaxy in the form of Imperial remnants and the looming threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The cast of Ahsoka also features Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren; Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla; Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll; Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati; Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth; David Tennant as Huyang; Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger; and Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn. The first two installments of the eight-episode series debuted on Disney+ on August 23, and fans can tune in every Tuesday at 9PM EST to catch up on the latest adventure.
