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A Star Wars binge guide for Ahsoka Tano
With the current arc of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' final season, and rumors of a live-action appearance of the character in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka Tano is so hot right now. If you’ve never made the deep dive into The Clone Wars or Rebels, you may not know much about the little Togruta that could. From her introduction as Anakin Skywalker’s rebellious pre-teen Padawan in the Clone Wars theatrical film, Ahsoka has grown into one of the most popular characters in the extended Star Wars fandom.
We love her here at SYFY FANGRRLS, and that’s why we’ve compiled this binge guide to some essential Ahsoka stories! There are lots of great episodes that feature the character in an important role, but here are some that we consider especially pivotal.
Light Spoiler Warning: We're aware that the target audience for this guide has not seen the episodes being described, so have tried to keep the descriptions as vague as possible, but some thematic and descriptive details are contained within.
The Clone Wars film
Even die-hard fans of the Clone Wars series agree that the theatrical film wasn't perfect. Less of a movie and more a set of early episodes stitched together with some cruder animation than the series would go on to provide, it still introduces us to the blue and white non-haired Padawan. While you may grimace a few times during the film, it does provide a good initial basis for her relationship with Anakin as student and teacher.
"Storm Over Ryloth" (The Clone Wars; Season 1, Episode 19)
Ahsoka learns some pretty tough lessons about leadership and responsibility when she's given command of her own squadron during a tense space battle.
The Second Battle of Geonosis (The Clone Wars; Season 2, Episodes 5-8)
We get a pretty good glimpse of how Anakin and Ahsoka stand out from other Jedi over the course of this arc. It's a great examination of the strengths and weaknesses of all the various approaches that members of the order take.
"Lightsaber Lost" (The Clone Wars; Season 2, Episode 11)
This standalone episode is a solid example of Ahsoka learning from her mistakes and developing as a character.
"Padawan Lost" / "Wookiee Hunt" (The Clone Wars; Season 3, Episodes 21-22)
This two-parter occurs at the end of the third season, after the show makes a dramatic step forward with sophisticated storytelling as well as aging its characters to reflect the passage of time in the Clone Wars. Ahsoka’s costume has been updated, and she’s matured a lot as a character. This two-part arc shows how competent and capable she's become when she must protect herself and other Padawans without the help of any more seasoned Jedi.
If we had our druthers, this adventure would be enough for the Jedi to have granted her the rank of Knight, but that’s none of our business.
The Onderon Arc (The Clone Wars; Season 5, Episodes 2-5)
This storyline finds Ahsoka questioning whether the Jedi’s ideals are always the best course of action. Tasked with helping to train a rebellion on the planet Onderon, Ahsoka is torn between her orders not to intervene herself and her desire to help those in need around her. This arc also introduces Saw Gerrera, later played by Forest Whitaker in Rogue One, and lays the groundwork for what will eventually become the Rebel Alliance.
The Temple Bombing Arc (The Clone Wars; Season 5, Episodes 17-20)
This is perhaps the definitive arc for Ahsoka during the original run of Clone Wars. If, like us, you’ve grown attached to her at this point, be prepared to feel a little punched in the gut a few times. We’re going to abstain from describing it, because if you don't already know what happens in this storyline, we're not going to risk spoiling it for you.
Second Spoiler Warning: We're stopping to put a spoiler warning here in case you are waiting until after the final season of The Clone Wars to dive into some of the other media involving Ahsoka as a character.
Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
This novel bridges the gap between the events of the Clone Wars and Ahsoka's role on Star Wars Rebels. It was where we first learned how Ahsoka survived the Jedi Purge, something we likely will see by the end of the new Clone Wars episodes and how she eventually became part of the early Rebel Alliance. It also tells us how she came by her neat silver lightsabers. As a bonus, the audiobook is read by Ashley Eckstein, the actress (and Her Universe founder) who voices Ahsoka in the animated shows.
"Twilight of the Apprentice" (Star Wars Rebels; Season 2, Episodes 21-22)
The finale of Rebels' second season, and one of the best arcs of the series, features the long-awaited meeting between Ahsoka Tano and Darth Vader and one of the best lightsaber battles in the history of Star Wars. That’s all we’ll say about it.
"A World Between Worlds" / "Family Reunion and Farewell!" (Star Wars Rebels; Season 4, Episodes 13 and 15)
Ahsoka's unknown fate after "Twilight" is revealed. We also get a glimpse at what her future may hold during the epilogue of the show's finale.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 is now streaming on Disney+.
