Who is Ahsoka Tano?

There are a number of great characters in the Star Wars extended universe. Some characters have a one-off appearance where they leave their mark and we never hear from them again. Others, seem to show up over and over again. One the greatest characters from Legends and current Canon is the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano.

Who is Ahsoka Tano?

Ahsoka Tano is a Togruta female who first appeared in the Star Wars animated series Clone Wars. Originally from the planet Shili, Jedi Master Plo Koon brought Ahsoka to the temple on Coruscant.  After her initial training, Grandmaster Yoda assigned her to apprentice under none other than Anakin Skywalker. The hope was that having an apprentice would temper Skywalker’s reckless behavior. The opposite happened.

Ahsoka became just another attachment that drove Anakin to forsake the Jedi Order. When she was accused of treason, Anakin had to make the difficult choice between siding with what he felt to be right and defending the one he loved. Anakin sided with the Order, a betrayal that would permanently shake his confidence in the Order.

This doubt led to decisions that ended with him donning the black armor and red saber.

You could easily make the argument that his betrayal of Ahsoka solidified in him a desire to never let his friends down again.

Why is Ahsoka’s Character Important to the Series?

The Clone Wars allowed the viewers to see the intricacies of the Jedi way of life. The bond formed between Anakin and Ahsoka allowed fans to see a side of Anakin that was not effectively portrayed in the films.

One of the biggest complaints about the prequel trilogy, aside from the existence of Jar Jar Binks, is that Anakin Skywalker is a flat character. In each episode, the character conveyed one singular emotion. In The Phantom Menace, he was annoying, in Attack of the Clones, he was broody, and in Revenge of the Sith, he was angry. I think part of the reason fans of the show loved Ahsoka so much is that she gave depth to Anakin Skywalker.

We didn’t get to see the true depth of his character, and therefore we don’t really care that he falls to the dark side. This makes the prequels seem more like a cheesy made-for-tv movie than the epic tragedy they really are.

But when they are combined with the six seasons of Star Wars: Clone Wars, we get the necessary character development missing in the prequels. And with that development, we begin to see what a tragedy the fall of Anakin Skywalker really is.

What is the Future of Ahsoka? (Spoiler and Speculation)

There have been a few times when Ahsoka’s future in the canon has become murky. She’s died and disappeared more times than fans would like to see.  After the series finale of Clone Wars, many fans asked what had become of the fallen padawan, asking, “What happened to Ahsoka?”

In the season 2 finale of Rebels, Ahsoka battles her old master at the top of a Sith temple. It was one of the most epic lightsaber duels in Star Wars history. At the end of the episode, Vader limps away to his starship while Ahsoka finds her way deep inside the temple.

We don’t know what happened to Ahsoka after the fight. We don’t know what happened to her after she left the Jedi Order. Many of our questions gol unanswered.

We don’t find out where she went after she left the Order or what she did after. All we know is she became Fulcrum, but not the events that led to how she became Fulcrum.  We’ll find out more about what happens between the events of Clone Wars and Rebels later this week when the novel Ahsoka launches.

As for what happened to her after her duel with the Dark Lord of the Sith, we will have to wait and see if she makes an appearance in Star Wars Rebels season 3. What do you think happened to Ahsoka? Leave a comment in the section below.