Between The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and the highly anticipated Ahsoka Disney+ series, the Star Wars properties are finally capitalizing on the most captivating character that the universe has produced. In the late 2000s and 2010s, Ahsoka took center stage on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a popular series that was nonetheless missed by some fans whose primary engagement was with the Star Wars films. Now that the Disney+ era has brought a legion of new and upcoming Star Wars TV series, it seems that Ahsoka will finally get the chance she deserves to appeal to a larger audience.
Despite all the exciting new content, it would be a mistake to not experience Ahsoka’s richly detailed origin and past in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Unlike other beloved main characters in Star Wars, Ahsoka had anentire series dedicated to her growth and development as a Jedi, and later, as a foundational member of the Rebellion. All of that storytelling can be streamed easily on Disney+ — here are the best episodes with Ahsoka that can’t be missed.
8 Rebels: Season 1, Episode 15 - “Fire Across the Galaxy”
Lucasfilm Animation
Although Ahsoka isn’t heavily featured in this early episode of Star Wars Rebels, her presence comes as a resounding victory for the crew of the Ghost, who had just fought tooth and nail to recover their comrades Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. The crew of the Ghost, who were operating in secret as a rebel cell after the takeover of the galaxy by Emperor Palpatine, were shocked to realize that the identity of their incognito coordinator was known other than Ahsoka Tano. The episode implies that Ahsoka has been working behind the scenes to coordinate disparate cells of rebels and keep their operation hidden from the Empire. For fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it was the first time that Ahsoka had been reintroduced to the narrative since that series had ended, and it came as a pleasant surprise that the former Jedi had been doing her part to help in secret.
7 The Clone Wars: Season 1, Episode 9 - “Cloak of Darkness”
This early, action-packed episode sees Ahsoka and Jedi Master Luminara Unduli come face to face with Asajj Ventress, the assassin and apprentice to Count Dooku. After a few fraught exchanges, their mission to protect Viceroy Nute Gunray goes awry, thanks to the assassin’s aggression and surprising defeat of Unduli. This is an episode that shows off Ahsoka’s sharp instincts when it comes to interrogating Gunray and advocating that she join the fight against Ventress. Though she isn’t listened to, she decides to act anyway, and her instincts end up saving Unduli from her own arrogance.
6 The Clone Wars: Season 2, Episode 11 - “Lightsaber Lost”
Part of the beauty of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is watching Ahsoka grow and change from a temperamental, caustic young Padawan to a patient and wise Jedi. In this episode, Ahsoka loses her lightsaber to a pickpocket in the Coruscant underworld. She embarks on a hunt for the lost lightsaber, and finds herself caught up in a criminal plot that seems too complicated for her young skills to handle. With the help of Jedi Master Tera Sinube, she recovers her lightsaber and finds the guilty party, all in time to impart her learned lessons of patience and persistence to a group of young Jedi. It’s a smaller, self-contained episode that ends with Ahsoka having learned valuable lessons. The series overall does an excellent job tracking her growth, and this episode is a perfect example.
5 The Clone Wars: Season 3, Episode 22 - “Wookie Hunt”
After being captured by Trandoshan hunters, Ahsoka and a group of young Jedi are forced to survive on the run in a dense jungle environment. This arc of episodes wastes no time establishing its gravity, as one of the Jedi survivors is killed by a fatal gunshot. The death weighs heavily on Ahsoka’s mind, and she is forced to step up as the leader of the group to address the overwhelming sense of doom that overcomes them. Through a combination of wit and rugged tenacity, Ahsoka is able to lead them to safety with the help of Chewbacca and a few other Wookie warriors. In the same manner as “Lightsaber Lost”, this episode frames Ahsoka’s journey to being a competent leader, and ends with Ahsoka and her master Anakin reaching a mutual acknowledgement of the Padawan’s capabilities.
4 Rebels: Season 2, Episodes 21-22 - “Twilight of the Apprentice”
In this one-hour special, Star Wars Rebels season 2 comes to a conclusion that includes the long-awaited rematch between Ahsoka and her fallen master, now known as Darth Vader. After Ezra, Kanan, and Ahsoka search the ruins of an old battle between the Jedi and the Sith on the planet Malachor, they encounter a group of Inquisitors and the rogue Darth Maul, all of whom have different agendas on Malachor. After the ensuing battle, a mysterious Sith weapon in the Malachor ruins is activated, and the crew, minus Ahsoka, are forced to escape. Ahsoka decides to remain on Malachor and fight off the newly arrived Vader, resulting in an emotional confrontation between former master and apprentice. The two appear evenly matched, and Ahsoka’s fate is unknown as Ezra and Kanan make their escape.
3 The Clone Wars: Season 3, Episodes 14-16 - “The Mortis Arc”
This arc of episodes focuses more on the nature of the Force than most of the rest of the Star Wars properties combined. After responding to a thousands-year-old Jedi distress call, the team of Obi Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka arrive on the planet Mortis, which defies natural laws and radiates with the energy of the Force. The trio encounter three incredibly powerful Force-users who introduce themselves as the Son, the Daughter, and the Father — three beings so powerful that they need to be kept in check to avoid upsetting the cosmic balance between the light and dark sides of the Force. Attention turns to Anakin, the Chosen One, to provide that balancing element. In the ensuing chaos, Anakin duels with a corrupted version of Ahsoka that attacks him and Obi-Wan. It’s fascinating to see a dark side version of Ahsoka, and even more fascinating when the Daughter sacrifices herself and transfers the remainder of her life force to Ahsoka, saving her and imbuing her with special properties that seem to counteract the dark forces represented by the Son and Anakin’s future.
2 The Clone Wars: Season 5, Episode 20 - “The Wrong Jedi”
One of the most celebrated and respected aspects of Ahsoka’s character is her willingness to leave behind the ideology of the Jedi Order, which had grown arrogant and egotistical in the years leading up to Order 66. In this episode, Ahsoka is put on trial for a crime she didn’t commit, and many members of the Jedi Council refuse to stand with her in solidarity. Anakin, enraged by the proceedings, leaves to find the real culprit. After it is revealed that Barris Offee, former Padawan and friend to Ahsoka, had framed her for the crime, Anakin returns with Barris in tow and introduces her to the court as the real culprit. Although she is eventually pardoned and given a former apology, Ahsoka declines to rejoin the Jedi and leaves on her own terms. The decision makes her one of the few Jedi in the era of the Republic to understand how far the Jedi had strayed from their original purpose. Though it’s unfortunate to see how cold and unkind the Jedi could be to one of their own order, Ahsoka’s decision would send her on her own path to understand the nature of the Force away from the authoritarian eyes of the Jedi.
1 The Clone Wars: Season 7, Episode 9-12 - “The Siege of Mandalore”
The conclusion of Star Wars: The Clone Wars came after a period of hiatus following seasons 5 and 6, reaching Disney+ in 2020. Despite the long wait, season 7 delivered a terrific conclusion to the series, centering Ahsoka as a competent leader and warrior that could face an enemy as powerful as Darth Maul in single combat. In this arc, the Republic intervenes in a conflict on Mandalore on the side of a rebel faction, and Ahsoka is tasked with the capture and transport of Darth Maul, who secretly controls the planet’s politics. After a fraught battle that’s uplifted by dazzling, modern animation, Ahsoka and the clones succeed in their mission — just before the Emperor executes Order 66. It’s a tragic, explosive finale that punctuates Ahsoka’s uneven journey from an insecure, brash Padawan into a decisive and virtuous warrior.
