The Mandalorian show has been making some really interesting headway that is starting to tie it in with the animated shows. We recently saw Mandalorians from the Clone Wars and Rebels animated shows, portrayed in live action. And we’ve got an even bigger one coming up.
Ahsoka Tano!
If you don’t know who that is, you need to know.
Ahsoka Tano was first introduced in The Clone Wars animated series. George Lucas conceptualized the character as a way to show how Anakin Skywalker evolved from Episode II — Attack of the Clone to Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. Dave Filoni the supervising director and writer for the Clone Wars show wrote a fable about Ahsoka’s early childhood and helped to develop the character.
Filoni has stated that he is protective of her.
Fun Fact: Her name is derived from Ashoka, Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty in the ancient Indian subcontinent.
History
Born in 36 BBY (before the battle of Yavin) on the planet Shili. Ahsoka Tano was the padawan learner of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Yes, you read that right. Before he became known for killing young padawan, Anankin trained them too.
Since it was the era of the Clone Wars, Tano was thrown into battle at a young age. She learnt the ways of the Force while knee deep in war.
She survived battles with Seperatist foces, saved Jabba the Hutt’s son, and dueled with the dark acolyte Asajj Ventress among her many many adventures that could fill holocron after holocron.
Ahsoka was a major character in the Clone Wars series, and transitioned much later into Star Wars Rebels. Post Anakin’s descent into the Dark Side, Ahsoka joins the Resistance and becomes a key player in bringing it together. Under the codename Fulcrum, Tano facilitated the flow of intelligence and communication between the Rebel cells spread across the galaxy, including that of The Spectre. I don’t want to divulge too many details about the show for those who haven’t seen it, but Ahsoka has an important role in the character development of the young Jedi Ezra Bridger, not to mention the Rebellion as a whole.
Fighting style
Ahsoka Tano utilizes an unorthodox reverse grip on her lightsaber. She uses the Force to duel in an acrobatic fashion, with jumps and backflips to attack and dodge.
During the Clone Wars, she went on to become a practitioner of the Jar’Kai style that uses duel wielding. Her skills over the years have made her one of the best fighters, having been seen in her ability to go up against Inquisitors with ease, and even Darth Maul.
She’s owned two different pairs of lightsabers. Her original with a green blade which she used as a padawan. Later she constructed a smaller shoto lightsaber with a yellow-green blade. When she left the Jedi Order, Anakin Skywalker kept charge of these weapons, often tinkering with them, which gave them the blue colour she used on her return. She would later abandon these lightsabers as she escaped Order 66.
Later she constructed new hilts using scraps and parts which would be with a white blade.
Tano is especially strong with the Force, having been gifted with the ability from a young age. So strong his her connection to the Force, that she once shattered the hilt of the Sixth Brother’s lightsaber using her power alone.
Of course it’s not just the Force or Lightsabers she’s good with, Ahsoka is also a skilled pilot and hand-to-hand combatant. Not to mention a seasoned strategist. She’s single handedly held of a group of Mandalorian Secret Service operatives using just her martial prowess.
In Media
Ahsoka Tano has been voiced by the talented Ashley Eckstein in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.
Rosario Dawson is set to play the live action version of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian. My speculation is that she’ll be coming in the fifth episode of season 2, as that is the one Dave Filoni is directing. It seems right that that would be her introduction into the live action universe.
She’s also appeared in Star Wars Forces of Destiny, the comic Touching Darkness, and in the Disney Infinity video game. You can also read Ahsoka, a young-adult novel by E K Johnston that is set between the events of Clone Wars and Rebels.
Ahsoka Tano is one of those characters from the Star Wars universe that has has a resounding impact on fans. From being initially panned, to becoming a fan favourite. Her reel life and real life journey has been nothing short of fantastic.
Watch Star Wars The Clone Wars on Disney+ and dive into her character. Then hit up Star Wars Rebels to see her all grown up.
Words : Anant Sagar
