Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a 2008 animated film, marked the first appearance of Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s new padawan, voiced by Ashley Eckstein. She would go on to become a main character of The Clone Wars series, which concluded with her departure from the Jedi order over false accusations of terrorism. Her personality is remarkably similar to her master’s: Rambunctious and impatient, but ultimately a kind person.
Over the course of the series, she would prove herself to be a fast learner, taking on opponents such as Asajj Ventress and General Grievous. Her chemistry with Anakin proved to be one of the best parts of The Clone Wars; and one marked with tragedy, as most of the audience knows of Anakin’s ultimate fate (as well as the fact that Ahsoka is not mentioned in Revenge of the Sith).
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Famed actress Rosario Dawson would take up the mantle of playing Ahsoka in live action. Disney+ announced that she would be getting her own show, much in the same vein as Obi-Wan Kenobi or The Book of Boba Fett. Although the Ahsoka series hasn’t been released yet, fans still had a chance to see Dawson in action in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
Keeping this in mind, unless she were to die in her own series, how should Ahsoka go about interacting with the New Republic and the new Jedi order at the end of the sequel trilogy? And what should her role be in relation to the sequel trilogy’s cast?
A Cautious Skeptic of the New Jedi Order
Lucasfilm
The Clone Wars wasn’t shy when it came to demonstrating corruption and the effects of war on civilians. The series was entirely necessary because the sequel trilogy only shows the beginning and end of the War. What actually happened and how it primed the Republic’s transformation into the Empire was a blank period prior to The Clone Wars. Perhaps most notably, though, it shows the arrogance and incompetence of the Jedi order in the last days of the Clone Wars.
When fellow Padawan Barriss Offee bombs the Jedi temple in protest of the Clone Wars, she frames Ahsoka as the true culprit. Ahsoka is expelled from the Jedi order and is tried as a criminal. Although the Jedi and the Republic learn of Offee’s deception before Ahsoka is officially condemned, it is too late. Rightfully upset with the Jedi, she declines their offer to return and, instead, goes off on her own.
From the animated series Star Wars Rebels, we know that Ahsoka no longer considers herself a Jedi, telling Darth Vader that much during their battle. Combined with her prior tragic fallout with the Jedi, this should inform the viewer that she would be skeptical of the new Jedi order. And so, assuming that Rey ushers in a new era of Jedi (which would seem to be the implication of the sequel trilogy), Ahsoka wouldn’t want to get her hopes too high. After all, it was the Jedi who bent to the will of the corrupt Republic to continue serving as generals in a controversial war.
Not to suggest that the Jedi didn’t try their best during the Clone Wars or had bad intentions, but their expulsion of Ahsoka speaks to what they had become just before the Jedi purge. So as far as interacting with the new Jedi order, Ahsoka would definitely be an advocate for them not being as intertwined with the Republic.
A Colleague of Rey
The sequel trilogy’s protagonist, Rey Skywalker, is the last remaining Jedi left after the events of the sequels. She grew up hearing stories of the Jedi and had a chance to interact with some of the most memorable and legendary figures in Star Wars. This means that she likely is aware of just how crooked the Jedi had become towards the end of the Clone Wars.
There’s nothing to suggest that she isn’t aware; in fact, Luke hints at this in The Last Jedi. It’s likely that she managed to speak with a Jedi survivor or someone who was at least alive during that time, such as Lando Calrissian.
So once Rey starts up the process of trying to permanently re-establish the Jedi, Ahsoka (as mentioned in the section above) would want to have a say in just how the Jedi are being trained and what they’re being taught. To this end, she would link up with Rey to offer her assistance. Not only that, but it’s not far off to assume that Ahsoka would find a lifelong friend in Rey. Rey was hardly given any training by Luke and, instead, was left to learn from the ancient Jedi texts.
Ahsoka would be a prime example of a Jedi who learned formally, and thus someone who can offer to teach Rey the intricacies of what she doesn’t already know. And the reverse can be true as well. Rey is very much an instinctual fighter, and while that might be more difficult to teach, Ahsoka’s bound to pick up something from spending time with Rey.
