Ahsoka Tano Has a Lot of Experience Dealing With Mandalorians, Working With Them and Killing Them
Ahsoka Tano is a Star Wars character that has been around longer than most, in terms of chronological years. She’s appeared in more series than most, as well, starting in 2008 with her debut in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which went on for seven seasons. She also had a little over a season arc in Star Wars Rebels. She had such an impact on Star Wars, as a whole, that Ashley Eckstein’s voice appears in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker when Rey is calling on the Force and important Jedi of the past to guide her.
So it’s no wonder that a live-action of Ahsoka Tano would show up eventually, and that seems to be happening sometime in the next week or so. But this is not the first time Ahsoka has dealt with Mandalorians by any means. [Spoiler alert: Spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 3, “The Heiress”].
It looks like Ahsoka Tano will show up next ‘The Mandalorian’ episode
Din Djarin is out to find the Jedi after realizing The Child has Force capabilities last season of The Mandalorian. After finding Bo-Katan this last episode — which was a huge surprise and delight for fans of the animated series — he finally has his biggest key yet to the Jedi: Ahsoka Tano.
Since rumors circulated earlier this year that Ahsoka would make her live-action debut in The Mandalorian, nothing has been confirmed. And even this isn’t necessarily a confirmation. Star Wars could troll fans with another episode or two of mini-missions or obstacles. Bo-Katan does know Ahsoka, but it’s been a long time since viewers last saw them together. So who knows what’s gone down since then.
But still, it’s bound to happen any episode, now. Odds are Ahsoka will show up at the end of Episode 4 and have the bulk of her impact in Episode 5. And if the rest of the rumors also hold up, she’ll be portrayed by Rosario Dawson. This is different from the Bo-Katan casting, which went with the original voice actor, Katee Sackhoff. Eckstein, who originated the role, voiced Tano in every variation of the character thus far.
With that said, though, the arrival of a masked Mando wouldn’t be the first time Ahsoka’s come in contact with a Mandalorian.
Ahsoka spent most of her time with the Jedi as a Commander in the Clone Wars and faced off against Death Watch
As expansive as Ahsoka’s story is, this shouldn’t be a surprise, especially with how the Clone Wars ended. But still, here’s a little backstory.
Ahsoka Tano joined the Jedi Order at the age of three and trained until she was 14. That’s when she became Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan and was thrown on the frontlines of the war. It’s not necessarily normal for young Jedi to be fighting and in a war so young. But she was raised in the Order during wartime, so that’s just what happened.
Ahsoka Tano was young, of course, but a quick learner and a really skilled Jedi. She was ranked a Commander because she was a Jedi, but quickly earned that title with her experience on the battlefield. She suffered major losses with her Clones and elsewhere, but did generally improve over time.
In Season 4, she came in contact — against her will — with Death Watch, thanks to Lux Bonteri. His mother, who was a Separatist senator and friend of Padmé Amidala’s, was murdered, and he was going to hire them to avenge her. That, of course, doesn’t go over well since they’re not the most trustworthy of people. And because they found out Ahsoka was a Jedi. This leads to Ahsoka killing four Mandalorians at once, saving the people in the village Death Watch is holding hostage, and escaping with Lux.
Death Watch did play a big role in the series in other arcs, but the next big moment where Ahsoka interacted with Mandalorians was in Season 7, which just came out this year. The Clone Wars ended in 2013, but before the planned stories were able to finish.
She led the Siege of Mandalore, fighting to save the planet from Maul’s rule
So, after Disney+ was established, and thanks to the fans, Season 7 came back to finish out the final moments of the war. It really bridged the gap between the series and Revenge of the Sith in a way that didn’t exist before on screen.
At this point, Ahsoka had left the Jedi Order. She was framed for bombing the Jedi Temple, and then when it was proven that she didn’t actually do it — a big “duh” moment — she didn’t trust herself or the Order enough to rejoin. However, Bo-Katan finds her and asks for her help to overthrow Maul’s hold on Mandalore. He gained control of Death Watch and the planet, and Bo-Katan needed the Jedi and the Republic’s resources to gain it back.
It took some debating, since Mandalore wasn’t a part of the Republic due to Duchess Satine’s (Bo-Katan’s sister) pacifist and neutral stance, but Ahsoka and a squadron of Clone troopers went in. They did defeat Maul in the Siege of Mandalore and the remaining Death Watch members, but Order 66 was right around the corner.
So, Ahsoka Tano is very familiar with the ways of the Mandalorian, however, she’s really only had good experiences with Bo-Katan’s kind, the Nite Owl kind, and Sabine Wren later on in Star Wars Rebels. Plus, the last time fans saw Ahsoka, she was off with Sabine. Only time will tell how she’ll react to a product of Death Watch’s cult, but since Mando seems to know that there are different Mandalorians out there now, maybe he’ll be ready to explain. And maybe Ahsoka knows about the Children of the Watch, too.
