Ahsoka Tano had a rocky start entering the Star Wars universe. When she was introduced as Anakin’s padawan, audiences found it hard to believe that something like that would happen in the world of the Jedi. But very quickly, throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, she became a fan favorite. Her complicated journey to free herself not just from the guidance of the man who would be Darth Vader but from the restrictive teachings of the Jedi made her character into a well-rounded, free-thinking individual that had weathered more storms than most Jedi masters. And she came out wielding dual lightsabers to boot.
In 2023, Ahsoka will have her own series. Currently in production, Disney released some footage for Ahsoka at Star Wars Celebration 2022. But like most of the other franchise series, the company has been very tight-lipped when it comes to the plot. Dave Filoni, the creator of Star Wars Rebels, is back to help tell her story. And when Ahsoka recently appeared in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, she dropped a few hints to the bounty hunters about the path she was walking. While Star Wars Rebels wrapped up relatively well, it left Ahsoka with some unresolved problems. In her own series, she’ll continue her quest and perhaps run into some surprises along the way.
Ahsoka’s Search for Grand Admiral Thrawn
Lucasfilm
An arc with Grand Admiral Thrawn is the most expected storyline we can hope to see. In Ahsoka’s episode in The Mandalorian, she explicitly told our titular character that she was searching for him and believed that the Magistrate had information about his location. He was the main villain in Star Wars Rebels and arguably the greatest enemy that started the Star Wars Extended Universe in the series of novels by Timothy Zahn. Not only an evil, controlling leader of one of the Empire’s most deadly fleets, but he is a strategic genius, capable of out maneuvering his enemies with his perfect tactical knowledge of whatever conflict he enters.
A member of the Chiss race, Thrawn was renowned in the years before the Empire came to power. Even when he joined the Empire, he did so as a covert agent for the Chiss Ascendency, an independent power in the galaxy attempting to assess the threat the Empire would be to them. The three trilogies of novels that follow Thrawn in greater detail through his rise to power in the years before his conflict with Skywalker are accepted as part of the Disney canon and will likely have details revealed in Ahsoka.
Considering that the Grand Admiral has an enemy in Skywalker and Ahsoka, it’s likely that he will appear in the series as well. However, it will likely be a limited, A.I.-generated appearance if he has any lines at all. But as the series is expected to occur around the time of The Mandalorian (between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens), it will happen during the Heir to the Empire storyline, or the original trilogy of Thrawn books by Timothy Zahn. We’ll likely get a good picture of that story as told by Dave Filoni but centered on Ahsoka, who may start her search for Thrawn, but look for Ezra Bridger.
Reuniting With Old Friends (And Enemies)
When the Crew of the Ghost finally conquered Thrawn, he and Ezra were taken into a mysterious form of hyperspace by Force-sensitive space whales. Ahsoka was left on her own to remain doubtful of Thrawn’s defeat. During Luke Skywalker’s war on the Empire, she journeyed throughout the galaxy, convinced that Thrawn was still out there somewhere, and when she found him, he could lead her to Ezra.
We will likely see more of the Rebels characters in Ahsoka. Some of them have already been announced, as Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla were both seen in the Star Wars Celebration footage. And strangely enough, Hayden Christensen was reported as part of the series. This should be quite an interesting story development, considering the series is meant to take place after Vader’s death on the Death Star. It’s possible we could see some of Ahsoka’s life in a flashback. Or, more likely, we’ll see Christensen appear as a Force ghost, as we saw him in the retconned version of Return of the Jedi, where he appears with Yoda and Obi-Wan.
There is a chance Christensen could positively influence Ahsoka in the form of her old master. It could be argued that his spirit was cleansed by the events of Return of the Jedi. Perhaps Darth Vader finally acknowledged his weakness and was reunited with his son as a human being. Whatever the case may be, there are certainly some surprises in store for the plot of Ahsoka, but audiences can trust the show is in good hands.
