As with many of the characters from the Disney+ show, The Mandalorian, you may be quite confused why some people seem to know who Ahsoka Tano is. That is because she, as well as a few other characters, including Bo Katan, are from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
As one of the main characters from the show, she has had a massive character arc that even spanned into another show, Star Wars: Rebels. Her live appearance was a relief for many fans who noted her voice at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, among the rest of the dead Jedi.
Many people however have only seen the live-action content that Star Wars has produced, leaving Ahsoka completely out of their knowledge base.
So we put together a short bio to help everyone else understand what all the hype is about the character.
Background
Ahsoka Tano Explained
Ahsoka was first introduced as pictured above, in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie. She was a padawan given to Anakin to train and went on to have a massive arc and part in The Clone Wars.
She went on a massive number of adventures, many with Anakin, though there were some with other members of the Jedi council, including Plo Koon.
She went on to duel multiple Sith Apprentices, eventually being framed for a crime and removed from the Jedi Order. After this, she continued to search for the true culprit, eventually providing enough evidence that the Jedi overturned their decision.
However, Ahsoka decided to remain outside of the order, seeing their flaws and how blind they had become during their many years in power.
Her many journeys throughout The Clone Wars eventually led to surviving order 66 and helping to lead the early years of the rebellion. In Star Wars: Rebels, she is a major contact within the rebel alliance and goes on to fight Darth Vader, her former master.
There is a minor amount of convoluted time travel that would be best to skip over, but the ending result is that she survives the duel, and is currently still searching for Admiral Thrawn in the post-imperial timeline.
Powers
Ahsoka Tano Explained
The most obvious of Ahsoka’s powers would be her current two bright-white lightsabers, which are crafted from the crystals of a fallen Sith inquisitor’s dual blade. Her dueling is top-notch, being able to hold up with Darth Vader, one of the most feared Sith’s of all time.
Her force powers were noted to be raw and powerful, leading Anakin to often forget that she was still just a padawan. She is able to perform all of the basic Jedi force tricks such as high jumps, pushes, pulls, heightened senses, and even mind tricks.
On top of this, it was recently revealed that she was able to sense the thoughts and feelings of other force users, as seen with Grogu.
As with most Jedi, she was also an adept pilot and mechanic, capable of performing field repairs as needed. On top of this, she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, making her a force to be reckoned with even without lightsabers.
Known Affiliations
Ahsoka Tano Explained
As state before, Ahsoka had a rocky relationship with the Jedi order. However, this did not mean that she did not assist them once she had left, working as what could essentially be considered a civilian contractor to assist the Galactic Republic in the war.
She was a member of Bail Organa’s resistance, specifically an officer in the Phoenix Cell. The resistance looked for ways to thwart and overthrow the empire at every turn, eventually leading to the events of Rogue One and Episode IV.
The Phoenix Cell was a specific group within the rebellion that Ahsoka was affiliated with, especially helping with intelligence gathering across planets. During this time, she went under the pseudonym Fulcrum.
With the most recent episode of The Mandalorian, it is unclear if we will see Ahsoka again in live-action. However, with the casting of Rosario Dawson, it seems possible that she will appear in other media soon.
If you are looking to scratch the Star Wars itch more between episodes, try taking this quiz here to see what Star Wars character you are or look into picking up this Mandalorian mod for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Credit to Wookieepedia for the image-sourcing and fact-checking.