By Herb Scribner
The former Jedi hero Ahsoka Tano has long captivated audiences, for better or worse.
The character debuted to little fanfare in the 2008 animated movie "Star Wars: The Clone Wars", a clever and headstrong Jedi who frustrated Star Wars fans as an annoying second fiddle to the saga’s main stars, the Jedis Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
But through seven seasons of the animated show that followed the movie, which chronicled the war between Episodes II and III of the “Star Wars” prequel saga, “Ahsoka” would become a celebrated hero in the “Star Wars” canon.
The next phase of her story begins with the live-action show "Ahsoka", which follows the former Jedi (played by Rosario Dawson) as she hunts down former Imperial general Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who threatens to bring back the Empire and wage war across the galaxy.
Here’s a cheat sheet of what you need know before watching "Ahsoka".
Ahsoka Tano is the former apprentice of Anakin Skywalker
Ahsoka was born on the planet Shili among a family of fellow Togrutas, a species known for their elegant head tails, before she was brought to Coruscant to train as a Jedi.
She learnt the Jedi way under Anakin Skywalker, who (major spoilers if you haven’t seen “Star Wars” yet) eventually turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader.
The two commanded several missions during the Clone Wars – when the Republic, the galaxy’s main government, fought the Confederacy of Independent Systems (also known as the Separatists) for control of the galaxy.
Together, Ahsoka and Anakin worked to stop the Separatists and capture some of its biggest warlords, such as General Grievous and Count Dooku, a former Jedi at the head of the Separatist droid army.
Ahsoka, nicknamed “Snips” by Anakin because of her “snippy attitude”, adopted a signature style of using two small lightsabers in combat.
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" aired between 2008 and 2020, moving from the Cartoon Network to Netflix and then Disney Plus over 12 years.
She becomes an apprentice, then leaves the Jedi Order in “The Clone Wars”
"The Clone Wars" shows Ahsoka’s journey from a stubborn and naive Jedi apprentice to a confident leader.
At the end of Season 5, she left the Jedi Order after the Jedi masters wrongly accused her of bombing the Jedi Temple and attacking clone troopers, before returning in Season 7, when Mandalorians sought her help in overtaking Darth Maul – the Sith lord introduced in the first “Star Wars” prequel movie, "The Phantom Menace".
After she defeated Maul, her clone troopers turned on her when Emperor Palpatine called for the execution of all living Jedi (Order 66).
She survived, dashing off to parts unknown as the Clone Wars ended with the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire.
She battles her former master, now Darth Vader, in “Star Wars Rebels“
The "Rebels" animated series – about a group of ragtag rebels fighting Emperor Palpatine’s grip on the galaxy – offers a glimpse into who Ahsoka became after the Clone Wars. "Ahsoka" showrunner Dave Filoni has said the show continues the story told in "Rebels", which aired four seasons from 2014 to 2018.
On "Rebels", Ahsoka teamed up with Jedi-in-training Ezra Bridger and his rebel shipmates to fight the Empire on several occasions. She would also confront Darth Vader, clashing in a ferocious lightsaber duel.
In her final appearance on the show, she and fellow rebel crew member Sabine Wren agreed to search for Thrawn and Ezra, who had disappeared together into hyperspace. Sabine will be featured in "Ahsoka".
Ahsoka has ties to the ‘Mandalorian’ universe
Ahsoka's live-action debut came in 2020 during the fifth episode of Season 2 of "The Mandalorian", in which she helped the Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) free a village controlled by Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth.
During the episode, she said that she was on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn. In February 2022, Ahsoka also made an appearance alongside Jedi Master Luke Skywalker in the Disney Plus series "The Book of Boba Fett".
The show takes place after “Return of the Jedi”
The "Ahsoka" series will pick up after the conclusion of "Rebels" and the second season of "The Mandalorian“, which places the show sometime after the Battle of Endor as seen in "Return of the Jedi".
Grand Admiral Thrawn is coming
You can’t understand the "Ahsoka" show's big villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn, without understanding his origins. That’s where "Heir to the Empire" comes in.
"Heir to the Empire" is a “Star Wars” novel from 1991 that had two sequels ("Dark Force Rising" and "The Last Command"), all of which were a part of the old expanded universe of novels (which Disney deemed no longer canon when the company purchased Lucasfilm in 2012).
In the stories, the hyper-intelligent military leader Thrawn tried to bring back the Empire to take down the New Republic.
The series is widely accepted as a sequel trilogy to the original three Star Wars movies (before the sequel movies were made).
Hayden Christensen may be returning as Anakin Skywalker in the show
Based on trailers, Hayden Christensen might be making his return as Anakin Skywalker in the new show. A recent trailer included lines of dialogue from Christensen that have not been heard in previous “Star Wars” projects.
Where to find more of Ahsoka’s backstory - “The Clone Wars”
Almost all "The Clone Wars" series will offer good details about Ahsoka’s character, morals and beliefs. But Season 7 has the most recent and essential details about her mindset on the Jedi belief system.
Episodes to watch: "Storm Over Ryloth" (Season 1, Episode 19), "Lightsaber Lost" (Season 2, Episode 11), "Heroes on Both Sides," (Season 3, Episode 10), "Altar of Mortis" (Season 3, Episode 16), "Padawan Lost" (Season 3, Episode 21), "The Wrong Jedi" (Season 5, Episode 20) and the "Siege of Mandalore" arc (Season 7, Episodes 9, 10, 11 and 12).
'Tales of the Jedi'
The short animated series "Tales of the Jedi" has additional details about Ahsoka’s life in the episodes "Life and Death" and "Resolve".
"Rebels“
The first 10 episodes of "Rebels" Season 2 include a lot of Ahsoka, as do the second and fourth season finales.
Episodes to watch: "The Siege of Lothal" (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2), "Twilight of the Apprentice" (Season 2, Episodes 21 and 22), "A World Between Worlds" (Season 4, Episode 13) and "Family Reunion - and Farewell" (Season 4, Episodes 15 and 16).
"Revenge of the Sith“, ”Obi-Wan Kenobi“
The movie "Revenge of the Sith" and the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" miniseries might be helpful viewing for adding extra layers into "Ahsoka" as it shows the downfall of Anakin Skywalker and how he became Darth Vader.