Ahsoka Tano was first introduced not in the movie, but in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie from 2008. Though not essential viewing, this marks the first appearance of the character and starts building her relationship with her Jedi Master: Anakin Skywalker. Both characters would then go on to the animated series of the same name, where they would play essential roles. Their relationship would go on to become one of the main dynamics of the series, where Tano’s desire to prove herself often clashed with Anakin’s recklessness.
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Tano remains the main character for the entirety of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which follows not just her relationship with her own Jedi Master, Anakin, but also her interactions with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other familiar characters. Obi-Wan originally believes she has been sent to be his Padawan, after Anakin rose to the ranks of Jedi Master himself. Yoda, however, specifically assigns Ahsoka to Anakin, believing that taking a student would help Anakin see that it was possible to care for someone, and then let them go. As fans well know, the best plans of Yoda don’t exactly go according to plan in this regard, but that doesn’t mean Star Wars: The Clone Wars isn’t an enjoyable ride, as it develops the relationship between Tano and the people around her.
Particularly important is that Star Wars: The Clone Wars is, in many ways, irrevocably Ahsoka’s story. She grows from her time as Padawan, her relationship with Anakin goes through ups and downs and evolves into something based on mutual respect and affection. She grows as a leader, learning from her mistakes and gaining the respect of those around her with the Clone Wars in the background. Later on, her story takes a turn for the worse, as she’s framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar, and barred from the Jedi Order. Anakin would go on to discover the true culprit, and save Ahsoka from being convicted, but this is the storyline that leads directly to the version of the character that appears in live-action in The Mandalorian.
Because Ahsoka Tano was trained by the Jedi, yes. Anakin Skywalker was her master, and he turned to the Dark Side. She, however, didn’t. But she did lose her faith in the Jedi Order, which would ultimately lead her to fake her death and go into hiding. This makes her a very different figure from most of the Jedi the franchise has brought to the forefront. A more interesting character, stepped in grey, instead of the usual black or whites.
Later, Tano would go on to also feature in Star Wars: Rebels, where she proves to be instrumental in the birth of the Rebellion featured in the original Star Wars trilogy. She also gets an epic confrontation with her former master, because Star Wars isn’t the type of franchise to avoid a possible emotional clash, and she’s left for the dead at the end of this battle. The Ahsoka Tano fans meet in season 2 of The Mandalorian has been through all of this and more, something that will surely come up in her own series. And she still gets to do more, as hers was one of the voices Rey hears at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Casual fans might not have been familiar with the character till she appeared in The Mandalorian, but Tano has been an important part of Disney lore for a while. Disney+ is now the home to the entire Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. The series also released a season 7 in 2020, providing closure and a true ending to the story. This means that fans can now consume the animated show in its entirety before the already announced Ahsoka live-action series. Considering that the character fans saw in The Mandalorian is just a live-action version of the same Ahsoka we last saw in Star Wars: Rebels, this is a very good strategy on the part of Disney.
It is likely fans don’t need to consume the entirety of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to enjoy Ahsoka Tano. Many people appreciated her appearance in The Mandalorian without any background. But, with no new Star Wars movies in the immediate future, Star Wars: The Clone Wars readily available, and the franchise betting on Disney+ as a medium, it’s likely a lot of people will give the animated series a try anyway. If they do, they will discover in Ahsoka Tano the kind of female character that does credit to the Star Wars franchise. And perhaps, then, they will be more inclined to tune in to her own series, or anything else that comes in the future.
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