Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ltd.
An Ahsoka Tano show has been a long time coming for Star Wars fans. After making her debut as Anakin’s young Padawan in the animated series The Clone Wars, George Lucas’s last Star Wars effort, Ahsoka’s journey has been a high-climbing roller coaster with high highs (becoming one of the franchise’s most beloved and developed characters) and low lows (receiving extremely contentious fan reactions). Originally voiced by Ashley Eckstein, the character was drawn and created by artist Dave Filoni, now Lucasfilm’s executive creative director,for Clone Wars. Since her inception, the character has been shepherded from many seasons of Clone Wars to Star Wars Rebels and recently into The Mandalorian universe as he and his Ahsoka, now played by Rosario Dawson, make the leap from animation to live action. Here, everything we know about the upcoming, highly anticipated Star Wars series.
Let’s get to your most burning question first, shall we? No exact date has been announced for Filoni’s live-action series, but it will come as soon as next year alongside The Mandalorian season three. During Star Wars Celebration in May 2022, Dawson told fans she had literally just come from the Ahsoka set to be at the Anaheim convention for the Mando+ panel. So it’s probably safe to say that Ahsoka will be released on Disney+ after The Mandalorian season-three premiere in February 2023.
Aside from Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka, Dave Filoni officially announced Natasha Liu Bordizzo has joined the cast as Sabine Wren, another prominent character from Star Wars Rebels (voiced by Tiya Sircar) at Star Wars Celebration. Reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline have confirmed that Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno will be in the series. Stevenson is rumored to be playing a villain, possibly an admiral for the rising First Order, while Sakhno’s role is unknown. There are also rumors that Hayden Christensen may return as Darth Vader for Ahsoka, according to THR. Shortly after the news broke in October 2021, Dawson commented on her Instagram with the caption “Skyguy … They know!!! See you soon, Snips.” (Skyguy and Snips are their character’s nicknames for each other in The Clone Wars.) She quickly deleted the post. Dawson later told Vanity Fair for its June 2022 Star Wars cover story that she deleted the post after someone from Star Wars HQ emailed her saying, “You might want to take that down.”
But Dawson isn’t the only one who may have let things slip. Ewan McGregor pretty nonchalantly confirmed in the VF cover story that his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, would join Ahsoka. “My partner, Mary, is doing that Star Wars series with Rosario and she’s about to start,” he spilled. “Our little boy has been born into this massive Star Wars family.” Though, unfortunately, McGregor didn’t go as far as saying whom she’ll play. Oh, and how could we forget that Chopper the droid will make his live-action debut.
.@rosariodawson brought a friend. The #StarWarsCelebration crowd says hello to Chopper!
Chopper will make his live-action debut in #Ahsoka! pic.twitter.com/vxI6VUqWTv
— The Mandalorian (@themandalorian) May 28, 2022
The plot of Ahsoka has largely been kept under wraps … that is, until footage at Star Wars Celebration confirmed fan speculation. Ahsoka and Sabine are searching for Ezra Bridger, baby! In a short teaser shown exclusively for the Mando+ panel crowd, fans saw Ahsoka enter a ship, very similar to the Ghost, as she passes by an obscured character with green head tails that’s most likely Hera — a pilot from Rebels whom fans have been speculating may be played by Winstead. The footage ended with Ahsoka in front of the Rebels mural as Bordizzo’s Sabine walks in to join her. Now, what the hell does this mean if you’re unfamiliar with Rebels? Or Ezra? To keep it short, the finale of the Rebels animated series featured a huge face-off between the Ghost crew (a.k.a. the ones in the mural below) and the Empire. Protagonist-Jedi Ezra saves his planet and friends by flinging himself and Grand Admiral–blue Empire baddie Thrawn into space with the help of some Purrgil space whales. (I promise it’s more emotional in context.) Since the show’s finale way back in 2018, fans have been waiting for a continuation show with Sabine and Ahsoka on the hunt for Ezra. Now, the pieces are all coming together for Ahsoka.
A live-action recreation of the mural at the end of Star Wars Rebels is shown in the Ahsoka footage! pic.twitter.com/xxdGOOvqzx
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) May 28, 2022
While Star Wars Rebels takes place about five years before the events of A New Hope, the new Ahsoka series will presumably pick up after her appearance in The Mandalorian season two. The Mandalorian series is set five years after the events in Return of the Jedi.
What, Really, Do We Know About Ahsoka?
Warning: This story contains major spoilers for The Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett! Proceed at your own risk.
Ahsoka Tano is a big deal. The character was already beloved by the Star Wars fandom when she debuted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Now, Ahsoka has her own spin-off series coming, with Rosario Dawson playing her in live-action.
Before the series arrives, though, there's a lot to know about Ahsoka's past. If you've only seen this orange-hued woman in The Mandalorian or The Book of Boba Fett, which she also cameoed in, then you only know a minor part of her story.
So, who is Ahsoka Tano? How she is related to key characters like Anakin Skywalker? Why is she not technically a Jedi? Read on for the answers.
Who is Ahsoka Tano?
Ahsoka Tano is a Togruta female who was discovered at the age of three by Jedi Master Plo Koon amongst her people on the planet of Shili. The Force-sensitive child was nearly enslaved by a Jedi-imposter, but ends up joining the Jedi and is raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
At 14, Ahsoka was assigned to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan during The Clone Wars. Master Yoda believed that Anakin needs a Padawan to help him overcome his fear of losing loved ones, as she will inevitably go off on her own adventures after her training is complete.
Why isn't Ahsoka Tano a Jedi?
Ahsoka may wield dual lightsabers, but she isn't technically a Jedi. After becoming increasingly frustrated with the Jedi Order and the way it was handling things on Coruscant and beyond, Ahsoka’s wrongfully accused of bombing the Jedi Temple. She’s put on trial, acquitted, and offered the title of Jedi Knight, but walks away from the Jedi Order as her faith is irreparably shaken by the Order's actions. Despite Anakin's protestations, Ahsoka turns her back on the Order and goes off to make a life on her own.
While travelling with sisters from Level 1313 on Coruscant, Ahsoka is approached by Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze, who asks her to help the planet take back control from Darth Maul. She agrees, and, together with Kryze, contacts Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skyawlker for help with Maul. Anakin gives Ahsoka her dual lightsabers back, but now in a new, blue hue – these dual lightsabers are important, as Ahsoka has a pair when we last see her in Star Wars Rebels, but they certainly aren't blue.
How does Ahsoka Tano survive Order 66?
We learn how Ahsoka survives Order 66 in the final episode of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She's aboard a ship transporting a captive Maul when Order 66 begins, so she releases Maul to keep the murderous clones chasing her busy, all as she attempts to figure out a way to escape. Naturally, Maul starts destroying the ship's hyperdrive, sending it falling out of space. Eventually, she lands safely on the planet below, and Ahsoka erects graves for all of her former comrades-in-arms. She leaves her lightsabers behind so that it looks like she also perished in the crash.
Where does Ahsoka Tano go after Order 66?
We meet Ahsoka Tano again in Star Wars Rebels, but the canon novel titled "Ahsoka" fills in some of the gaps before her on-screen return. Ahsoka adopts a pseudonym, calling herself Ashla and hiding on the planet Thabeska working for a smuggling clan. She moves around quite a bit before she joins the rebellion, constantly fleeing imperial troops.
At some point, Ahsoka and Senator Leia Organa meet, and Ahsoka agrees to join the rebellion, but won't take a commander position due to her experience during The Clone Wars. Ahsoka is sent to a planet to take on an Imperial agent who’s hunting down Jedi – this turns out to be the Sixth Brother, an Inquisitor, and the two engage in a brutal battle. Ahsoka wins, takes the kyber crystals from his lightsaber, and uses the Force to heal them of the dark side, turning them white.
Ahsoka is first introduced to the Star Wars Rebels cast as "Fulcrum," which was her code name when working for Senator Organa and Senator Mon Mothma's rebel network. She works with them throughout Rebels, and at one point saves Ezra Bridger from Darth Vader by fighting him off herself. Ezra and the others assume Ahsoka died fighting Vader. However, a time-traveling Ezra pulls Ahsoka into a portal, where the two are eventually separated.
Ahsoka's final act in Rebels is to help bring Ezra home to his planet of Lothal, where he went missing as he sacrificed himself for the planet. It's this plotline that leads directly into her appearance in The Mandalorian season 2.
Come her live-action debut, Ashoka's trying to find out information about a certain General Admiral Thrawn. Yes, that's another character with deep Star Wars lore behind them – click through the link on his name for more.
After her appearance in Mando, we next see Ahsoka in The Book of Boba Fett. She's hanging out with Luke Skywalker as he trains Baby Yoda, AKA Grogu. Having long been entangled in Skywalker matters, Ahsoka says that Luke reminds her of his father. And like that, it all came full circle. Ahsoka also promises to go off on another adventure, most likely to continue her mission to find Ezra and take down Thrawn.
That story will likely be picked up in the Ahsoka series. For more on what's coming next, be sure to check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows being released over the next few years.