Ahsoka is one of the most beloved Star Wars characters but her late insertion in the franchise’s live-action universe raises a few questions; how did Ahsoka survive Order 66 and where was she during key Star Wars events?
The Clone Wars animated tv show, and, later, Rebels, made Ahsoka a pivotal character.
But her absence in all the movies might be a bit confusing. How does Star Wars explain Ahsoka's whereabouts?
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Where Was Ahsoka During Order 66?
When the devastating Order 66 began, Ahsoka was onboard the star destroyer Tribunal, on her way to Coruscant to take Darth Maul before the Jedi Council.
Up until the events that led to Order 66, Ahsoka had spent some years away from the Jedi way of life.
When she was falsely accused of a terrorist attack, the Jedi Council's response led her to the decision to pursue her own path once her name was cleared.
But when Ahsoka is convinced that she a Bo-Katan have a common enemy in Maul, she contacts the Jedi and, eventually, follows a trail to capture the Sith lord.
On the way to Coruscant, Ahsoka senses Anakin's slip to the dark side, and, while she refuses to believe it at first, the events that follow are too devastating to deny.
How Did Ahsoka Survive Order 66?
Ahsoka survives Order 66 through her Jedi and combat skills, but also with a combination of compassion, loyalty, and luck, as she gets help from Darth Maul and manages to undo Rex's conditioning before faking her death.
Once the Emperor-to-be enforces Order 66, the Clones' conditioning forces them to turn against the Jedi indiscriminately.
Her refusal to give up on them is one of Ahsoka's best moments.
After she knocks out Rex, Ahsoka lets Maul go, in hopes that he'll cause enough chaos to distract the troopers.
This gives Ahsoka enough time to find Rex's inhibitor chip and enable the surgery that removes his conditioning.
Ahsoka and Rex escape, but not without many Clone casualties, as it would be impossible to repeat what she did for Rex for an entire army.
Eventually, Ahsoka and Rex escape to the nearby moon and bury their fallen Clone comrades.
Ahsoka leaves one of her lightsabers behind and goes into hiding since the Empire is looking for any Jedi survivors.
Sometime later, Anakin, now Darth Vader, finds Ahsoka's lightsaber and assumes she's dead.
Where Was Ahsoka During the Revenge of the Sith?
It is known that Ahsoka was too young to play a big part in Attack of the Clones. The Clone Wars animated tv series reveals that, during Revenge of the Sith, the beloved character was away fighting her own battles.
Her absence at the beginning of the movie makes sense, as she had left the Jedi order between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Ahsoka's episodes during Season 7 of the Clone Wars show unfold in parallel with Revenge of the Sith.
After her decision to leave the Jedi Order, Season 7 finally features a short-lived reunion between Ahsoka and Anakin.
This doesn't last long, as she immediately goes away to help Rex and Bo-Katan Kryze fight Darth Maul on Mandalore -- a battle the Jedi Council had decided not to prioritize right then.
Since Ahsoka was no longer part of the Jedi order, she was able to do what Anakin and Obi-Wan were not allowed to and attempt to bring Maul to justice.
She was on the way to Coruscant when Anakin's turn to the dark side was complete, but only years later were her suspicions about his fate fully confirmed.
Where Was Ahsoka During the Original Trilogy?
Clone Wars fills in the gaps about Ahsoka's whereabouts during the prequel trilogy. The Star Wars canon hasn't tackled her activities during the original trilogy in detail but insights might be found in the Rebels tv show.
The lack of information about Ahsoka during the original trilogy makes sense, as the idea for her character was probably not even conceived at the time.
But as Ahsoka gains momentum fans begin to wonder what was such an important character doing while Luke Skywalker was fighting against the Empire.
The finale of Rebels reveals that Ahsoka and Sabine went on a quest to find Ezra Bridger, who got lost in hyperspace in his attempt to keep his friends -- and the rebellion -- safe from Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ahsoka naturally cares about Ezra as a fellow Jedi and rebel but Star Wars fans might wonder why she deemed the search for him more important than helping bring her old master back to the light.
We don't have a definitive answer, but we theorize that her fateful meeting with Anakin in Rebels and her rescue by Ezra in the Jedi Temple played a catalytic role in her decision.
When Ezra pulled her back -- giving her a second chance to live -- Ahsoka prevented him from doing the same for Kanan, his own dead master.
Ashoka was wise enough to realize that although her own return didn't have a significant negative impact on anyone else, annulling Kanan's sacrifice would kill those for whom Kanan gave his life, including Ezra himself.
At that point, Ashoka tells Ezra that he can't save his master, much like she cannot save hers.
It is possible that her near death at Vader's hand and her rescue by Ezra persuaded her that she was never meant to be Anakin's savior.
Ahsoka is a strong Force user, and it's possible that she spent more time in the Jedi temple after the ordeal.
She might have even seen alternative versions of events that convinced her she would not survive another encounter with Vader or even pointed her toward a different destiny.
At any rate, it appears that Ashoka deems that looking for Ezra -- or any other task she undertook during the original trilogy -- was the right path for her.
Alternatively, her activities at that time might have prevented her from joining Luke Skywalker.
Her Book of Boba Fett appearance confirms that she and Luke knew each other so there's no indication that she didn't wish to help him.
Perhaps she even did so in her own secret way.
Hopefully, the Ahsoka show will shed some light on the beloved character's whereabouts during Luke's arc.
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