How Ahsoka Tano's Storied Star Wars Past Could Inform Her Mandalorian Future

Warning: this blog post contains major spoilers for the season finale of The Mandalorian.


The Mandalorian brought viewers a litany of memorable characters any time it made its debut on Disney+ in November 2019. First, we met bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal). Then, we fell in love with the cutest infant in the known universe: the Child, affectionately referred to as Baby Yoda. We also met Gina Carano's former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune, who'd no qualms about going toe-to-toe with Mando in battle. As soon as the Jon Favreau-helmed Star Wars spinoff returns in October, it's slated to introduce another quintessentially Star Wars personality: Ahsoka Tano, who would be joining the popular series with a most crucial purpose in mind.


Ahsoka became well-loved by fans as they watched her evolve into a powerful independent warrior. She was first introduced as Anakin Skywalker's Padawan apprentice in 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars and later appeared in its animated TV adaptation, followed by the series Star Wars Rebels. Originally appointed to Anakin by Yoda himself in a bid to instill a greater sense of responsibility in his student, the Togruta speedily grew from a scrappy young recruit to a formidable fighter.


Her path to Jedi knighthood took Ahsoka to some dark places. In the Clone Wars animated series, she was framed for murder and treason by traitorous Jedi Barriss Offee, then cast out from the Categorize for the better piece of a Clone Wars season. Her name was eventually cleared, soon after Anakin Skywalker conducted his own investigation into the matter, yet the process abandoned her disillusioned with the council to which she had dedicated her life. Feeling the Sort could no longer act as a force for good, she left the Jedi entirely.


The last time Star Wars fans ever saw Ahsoka was in the epilogue of Star Wars Rebels, which takes place before the events of the film A New Hope. Meanwhile, The Mandalorian is set right following the events of Return of the Jedi. Considering that Ahsoka’s last onscreen appearance sees her embark on a quest with a Mandalorian (an individual hailing from the planet Mandalore), it's feasible that Ahsoka’s appearance in the Disney+ show will address what the character has been doing since the conclusion of Rebels.


As originally announced by Slash Film, Rosario Dawson is offered to portray Ahsoka’s first live-action role in The Mandalorian. (Dawson has nevertheless to officially confirm her involvement.) The character was innovated by The Mandalorian producer, writer, and director Dave Filoni in group effort with Star Wars creator George Lucas, so it seems only organic that the series should bring her closer to reality. Although it remains unclear what Ahsoka could be doing in Mando and Baby Yoda’s neck of the woods. Where, exactly, could she fit into the narrative as it stands?


Here’s where we left off: By the end of the Season 1, the Mandalorian and the Child had escaped quite a number of chills and thrills immediately after nearly every bad guy in the galaxy had set their sights on the tiny creature. Soon after Mando’s clever use of a jetpack halted Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) TIE fighter assault, it’s revealed that Moff narrowly survived. Gideon, the show’s main antagonist, is a shadowy personality and conspirator in the first Good Purge operation to cleanse the universe of the Mandalorians. In one harrowing scene he cuts himself out of the ship's wreckage using the storied Darksaber.


there really are a number of ways to connect the dots, and Baby Yoda could come into the scene here. We've glimpsed the Child's burgeoning Force powers, and have come up with even more fan theories on the story in back of his adorable little face. The second season of The Mandalorian will almost definitely explore the creature's origins and full potential at least in some capacity. It seems written in the stars that Mando himself may have to help the Child harness his skills before an accident happens; perhaps Ahsoka will harness the powers of her developments from an aggressive, rash Padawan to the confident, mature hero she is today to nurture the Child, keeping him safe and teaching him the ways of the Jedi.


Throughout her growth, Ahsoka became a beacon of hope for the innocent, even in the darkest of times. Taking care of and guiding the Child is in line with her caring nature. We can definitely expect to learn more about the infant’s true identity and place inside of the overarching Star Wars lore, and Ahsoka would be piece of that journey.


There could also be a much more action-packed explanation for Ahsoka’s introduction to The Mandalorian. At the conclusion of the opening season, we know Moff Gideon was in possession of the formidable, ancient Darksaber. Ahsoka has an intimate history with the Jedi artifact, so this twist opens up a couple of opportunities for potential plot threads.


To recognize those threads, we need to back up to the Rebels saga, where Ashoka made a reappearance. The Darksaber was originally in the care of Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels, however she ultimately surrendered the powerful weapon to lieutenant Bo-Katan Kryze. Kryze used the Darksaber as a tool to rally the Mandalorians while in Rebels. In the series finale, we saw Sabine link up with Ahsoka as they set off on a mission to find the Force-sensitive freedom fighter Ezra Bridger.


It’s not known if Kryze or Sabine will make an appearance in The Mandalorian, and none of those events have been referenced in the opening season of the Disney+ series, yet this bit of history could arise with Ahsoka's arrival. A Star Wars Rebels spinoff series featuring a partnership between Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren is rumored to be in the works at Disney+, with Dave Filoni at the helm once more.


Should Ahsoka's appearance spell the starting of a new chapter for the Darksaber, we might would be looking at a chaotic season. It's unclear how Moff Gideon came into possession of the blade in the initial place, as one must conquer the sword’s previous owner in a duel to wield it. Canonically, it was crafted by the opening Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Categorize, Tarre Vizsla, and it's been mostly in Mandalorian hands while in Star Wars' extended universe. In Moff Gideon's grasp, the dangerous weapon is a ticking time bomb. What will Gideon do with this power, and is Ahsoka the one who could stop him from wreaking havoc?


At this point, it's hard to nail any one explanation down. There really are several uncertainties that will surely be cleared up as we inch ever closer to the premiere of The Mandalorian Season 2. So far, get to know Ahsoka by revisiting The Clone Wars and Rebels. There’s a lot of lore to sift through, nevertheless there’s still a large amount of time left before new episodes arrive, too.