It’s about time Star Wars shows and films explored more Jedi stories outside of the Skywalker family tree. With the Ahsoka series just around the corner, fans of the most iconic and uptight space warrior monks will finally get to see more Jedi variations in action.
But Ahsoka isn’t exactly well-known outside of the Star Wars cartoon shows. She hasn’t even appeared in a live-action Star Wars film; a lot of not-so-hardcore Star Wars fans might find a show mainly about Ahsoka confusing, to say the least.
The good news is that Star Wars media is now more available than ever. If you have a Disney+ subscription, you can take a peek at some of the shows leading up to the Ahsoka series before its eventual release on August 23, 2023.
But First, Who is Ahsoka?
Before we start throwing in some show recommendations left and right, perhaps introducing Ahsoka is mandatory.
For starters (particularly for those who want to venture out of the Star Wars films), Ahsoka Tano was Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi apprentice during the Clone Wars. This was back before Anakin fell to the Dark Side and began his descent into Darth Vader.
But due to some unfortunate circumstances, Ahsoka had to leave the Jedi Order before the end of the Clone Wars though she still upheld their values in her exile. Now, she’s what you can consider a wandering ex-Jedi. This explains her absence in mainline films.
To understand her story better and all the events leading up to the Ahsoka series, here’s what you can binge.
The Clone Wars (2008 Pilot Film & Series)
The Clone Wars was one of the first few shows for Star Wars and it’s an animated film that acted as a pilot episode for a series of the same name.
The Clone Wars naturally bridged the gap between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
During this period in the Star Wars timeline, Ahsoka was a 14-year-old Jedi Padawan or apprentice whom Yoda assigned to Anakin Skywalker.
This pilot film and the series are what you’ll want to watch if you need to familiarize yourself with Ahsoka the most, as it’s a show mainly about her, Anakin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Characters like Darth Maul also make recurring appearances here, along with General Grievous, two of the least utilized villains in the Star Wars films.
There are a lot of episodes here to watch but if you feel daunted by it, we could just explain in the next section how Ahsoka came to be as a wandering Jedi.
The Clone Wars Explains Ahsoka’s Absence (Spoilers)
During the series’ long run, a lot of sub-stories and lore bridges transpired, and some of those explained what happened to the Mandalorians and how Anakin became more powerful– powerful enough to defeat Count Dooku in fair combat during Revenge of the Sith.
Of course, it also highlighted how Ahsoka Tano became an exile.
She was initially accused of a bombing incident that damaged the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The Jedi council eventually exiled her.
The truth came out eventually, and Ahsoka was vindicated from her alleged involvement in the bombing incident, and the Jedi Council promptly welcomed her back. However, she was already disillusioned by the time and thus decided to operate outside of the Jedi Order as an independent Force user and Jedi, practically making herself an outcast.
Star Wars Rebels (2014 Series)
Star Wars Rebels is sadly not a story about Ahsoka Tano, though she also makes a crucial appearance here.
Instead, Rebels follows the plight of the survivors of the Jedi Order after the Darth Sidious’ Order 66 purge, which happened by the end of Revenge of the Sith.
Its main characters are Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger and Kana Jarrus. Rebels sees the two Padawans as they collect the youngling survivors of the Order 66 purge and the rise of the Galactic Empire in an attempt to rebuild what’s left of the Jedi Order.
Surely enough, a bunch of kids and teenagers mostly didn’t know what to do or where to go, so they needed help. Along the way, Ahsoka, being a legendary Jedi outcast, helps them as she recurs throughout the series.
At one point, Ahsoka even saved all of the survivors by defeating several Sith Inquisitors.
Ahsoka is notably different and more mature here as several years have passed since the Clone Wars, and she has grown powerful even without the Jedi Order’s guidance. Constant exposure to the Sith and other dangers has made her quite an efficient fighter and hunter, perhaps even more so than the Jedi as she’s not bound by certain codes.
The Mandalorian (2020 Series)
Again, The Mandalorian is a show that doesn’t prominently feature Ahsoka, but here, she had her first debut appearance in live-action (played by Rosario Dawson nonetheless) in Chapter 13 (season 2 of the series).
Din Djarin, the main hero of the series, sought out any remaining Jedi in order to return Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) to his kind. It just so happens that Ahsoka was one of the few remaining active “Jedi” during The Mandalorian’s timeline– it takes place five years after Return of the Jedi, a few years following the Galactic Empire’s collapse.
Fans can consider this an officiation for Ahsoka as she finally has a live-action version, possibly signifying exciting new ventures into the future of Star Wars films.
The Book of Boba Fett (2022 Series)
The Book of Boba Fett is a spinoff to The Mandalorian and likewise, it features another Mandalorian, Boba Fett. He’s a bounty-hunter-turned-do-gooder.
The Mandalorian, however, hijacked a few episodes from The Book of Boba Fett to bring an update to Baby Yoda’s state, and this led to another brief appearance from Ahsoka, specifically in Chapter 6 so there’s no need to watch the whole show.
She was seen in the company of Luke Skywalker in his newly-established Jedi Academy.
Tales of the Jedi (2022 Miniseries)
Last but not least, we have Tales of the Jedi. It’s Ahsoka’s latest appearance before her own Ahsoka series.
Tales of the Jedi is a miniseries about an anthology that explores different characters from the Prequel Trilogy roster.
Ahsoka appears in three episodes here out of six and once again demonstrates her skill, taking out a powerful Sith Inquisitor in a matter of seconds.
It’s worth noting that this series takes Ahsoka back prior to her appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, meaning she’s younger here.
Regardless, we’re about to see Ahsoka in her best version yet once the Ahsoka series drops on Disney+ on August 23, 2023.