Fans of the extended Star Wars canon are in for a treat when an animated favorite makes her live-action debut with her very own show, Ahsoka, on Disney Plus this Tuesday. The Star Wars fans who only watch the live-action films and series would be forgiven for not recognizing Ahsoka when she made her first cameo in a 2020 episode of The Mandalorian, but viewers who watched The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels immediately recognized the former Jedi.
Recommended VideosAn integral part of several animated Star Wars series, Ahsoka is one of the most well-developed characters in the franchise, and has a fascinating story to boot. Ahsoka became Anakin’s padawan shortly after he became a Jedi Knight, and their relationship is a huge part of why The Clone Wars series is so loved; after becoming disillusioned with the Jedi, she leaves the Jedi Order before Anakin turns to the dark side, and eventually becomes an important member of the Rebel Alliance.
The live-action show is intended to be both for long-time Ahsoka fans, as well as folks who aren’t familiar with the character, but if you want to do a little homework before the two-episode premiere tomorrow, here’s 10 episodes you can watch to get yourself acquainted with Anakin’s former padawan, without spending tens of hours devouring each and every animated Star Wars series.
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie
Ahsoka’s first appearance is in the 2008 animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where the 14-year-old Ahsoka first meets Anakin. Anakin, fresh off becoming an official Jedi Knight, is less than thrilled with the prospect of training this kid he just met, but the two eventually become close as they see how well they work together. It’s a feel-good film (if not a little cheesy) and lets us see how far Ahsoka has come in the time since.
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Heroes on Both Sides” (season 3 episode 10)
In this episode of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka gains a more nuanced perspective on the politics behind the war. She accompanies Padmé Amidala on a mission to discuss a peace initiative with Padmé’s friend, Mina Bonteri, a senator on the Separatist Senate. When she meets Mina and her son Lux, Ahsoka realizes the Separatists are not all war-hungry evildoers as she had believed, and some even have valid reasons for wanting to leave the Republic. The events of this episode give Ahsoka some political experience, as well as plant the seeds of her eventual disillusion with the Jedi Order.
3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars “The Wrong Jedi” (season 5 episode 20)
“The Wrong Jedi” is the culmination of a suspenseful arc where Ahsoka is wrongfully put on trial for a crime she did not commit. Despite some initial misgivings, Ahsoka believes the Jedi Council will spring to her defense, but soon realizes their priority is to manage the optics of the situation rather than to have faith in the young Padawan. The council strips her of her title and cuts off her Padawan braid before putting her on trial in the Republic court. Ultimately, Ahsoka is proven innocent, but the event colors her perception of the Jedi Order and she finds herself unable to trust her fellow Jedi again. It’s a heartbreaking conclusion to the show’s fifth season, but shows Ahsoka’s commitment to doing what she believes is right, even if it means turning her back on everything she knows.
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Shattered” (season 7 episode 11)
If you have time, you should watch this and the following episode, “Victory and Death” as both are some of the best in The Clone Wars as a whole. As the penultimate episode of the show’s final season, “Shattered” follows Ahsoka after she defeats Maul and ends the Siege of Mandalore. In the aftermath of capturing the villain, she shares a sweet moment with her friend, Captain Rex, shortly before he goes into another room and receives the debriefing that turns out to be Order 66. The episode shows how resilient Ahsoka is and how kindhearted she is; even in the face of danger, she prioritizes trying to help the clones who are now trying to kill her.
5. Star Wars Rebels “The Siege of Lothal” (season two episodes 1 and 2)
Season two of Star Wars Rebels opens with a two part TV movie which shows Ahsoka teaming up with the Ghost crew in their fight against the Empire. While three of her Ghost crewmembers will star in Ahsoka, this also merits a mention due to it being the first encounter Ahsoka has with the dreaded Lord Vader himself, as well as her realization of his true identity when she connects with him via the Force. With both Darth Vader and the Emperor now knowing Ahsoka survived Order 66, her stake in the rebellion against the Empire takes a personal turn.
6. Star Wars Rebels “Twilight of the Apprentice” (season 2 episodes 21 and 22)
Another two-part finale, “Twilight of the Apprentice” follows the reunion between Padawan and Jedi Master when Ahsoka and Darth Vader finally meet face to face. The resulting battle between the two is as grand as you’d expect, and showcases more of Ahsoka’s trademark compassion; she would rather face almost certain death against her former master than risk the people she cares about — she even does her best to try to bring Anakin back into the light. Even though it seemed like she was entering a losing battle, hearing Ahsoka tell Vader, “I am no Jedi” was still one of the most badass moments of the whole show.
7. Star Wars Rebels “An Inside Man” (season 3 episode 1)
Grand Admiral Thrawn is set to be the primary antagonist in Ahsoka, so it makes sense you might want to know about him before watching the series. Luckily, this episode of Star Wars Rebels centers entirely around the villain (although Ezra and Kanan do appear), demonstrating Thrawn’s sad*stic streak and complete disregard of others. Thrawn is shown performing an inspection of an Imperial factory where he instructs the workers test for malfunctions personally, with disastrous results. Lars Mikkelsen, who voiced Thrawn in the animated series will reprise his role in the live-action Ahsoka.
8. Star Wars Rebels “A World Between Worlds” (season 4 episode 13)
This description contains massive spoilers as to the aftermath of Ahsoka and Darth Vader’s fight, so read at your own risk!
After the fight against her former mentor, Ahsoka was presumed dead by most viewers, but this episode shows how she was able to survive the battle. Thanks to Ezra traveling through a time portal, he watches the end of the fight just as Ahsoka’s owl Morai urges Ezra to help her before she meets an untimely end. Ezra pulls her into the portal and is able to save Ahsoka by bringing her into the World between Worlds, allowing her to continue helping the rebels. Thankfully, Ezra was able to save Ahsoka this time; she’ll no doubt return the favor in her own show.
9. The Mandalorian “The Jedi” (season 2 episode 5)
This episode of The Mandalorian is the first to feature a look at live-action Ahsoka, played by Rosario Dawson. Titled “The Jedi” (despite Ahsoka no longer being a Jedi), Ahsoka meets the Mandalorian as well as the Child, who she reveals to be named Grogu after communicating with him using the Force. Despite caring for Grogu and feeling compassion for his plight, she tells them she cannot train him, but agrees to help the Mandalorian find him a suitable mentor, so long as he helps her take on Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth. Elsbeth is in cahoots with Admiral Thrawn so we can expect her to make an appearancein Ahsoka, and aside from that, this is a good look at both Ahsoka’s technique in battle as well as more of that signature urge to help those in need.
10. The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger” (season 1 episode 6)
Ahsoka’s most recent live-action appearance is in the limited series The Book of Boba Fett. The episode she appears in is generally agreed upon by fans to be the best episode in the series, what with it combining genres in a fun way (crime boss thriller meets samurai movie meets sci-fi western), but she has more to do with the other reason this episode is cool: Luke Skywalker training Grogu in the way of the force.
She found Grogu a teacher just like she promised, but when the Mandalorian shows up with a gift for his adopted child, she advises him to leave so that Grogu can overcome his attachment to him. It’s heartbreaking to watch Grogu watch Djarin’s ship departing before they can even see each other, but you have to respect the Mandalorian for doing what he thinks is best for Grogu. Since Ahsoka runs parallel to The Mandalorian in the overall Star Wars timeline, this is a good episode to watch as you’ll see what Ahsoka was up to right before her show begins. It’s also just plain adorable to watch Grogu train with a post-trilogy Luke Skywalker; the training sequence is a wholesome homage to Luke’s own training under the guidance of Yoda.
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Filiberto Hargett
Update: 2024-03-29
