Ahsoka is this summer's most anticipated Star Wars event; but what should you know about her before watching? Who Is Ahsoka Tano? Find everything you need to know about the beloved character.
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Who Is Ahsoka Tano?
Ahsoka Tano is introduced in the Clone Wars animated movie and tv show as Anakin's Padawan.
Her departure from the Jedi Order after becoming disillusioned by their failure to stand by her is retrospectively a mirror to Anakin's own disillusionment.
She's one of the few Jedi to survive Order 66, after which she goes into hiding before ultimately becoming a rebel.
Her plotline in her own show will involve her struggle to stop Grand Admiral Thrawn's return as heir to the Empire.
If you're wondering how to pronounce Ahsoka's name, note that the "h" is silent. The "s" is a soft sound, not the harsher one you would expect if there was a "sh" instead of a "hs."
Where Is Ahsoka From?
Ahsoka comes from Shili, a planet in the Ehosiq sector.
Not very much is known about the planet Shili as it doesn't come up very much in any of the main movies and tv shows.
We do, however, know that legendary Jedi other than Ahsoka also originate from there.
These include Shaak Ti, Raana Tay and Ahsla.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi -- a show your should watch before Ahsoka if you can, includes a few scenes from Ahsoka's early life on her home planet.
What Is Ahsoka's Race?
Like the aforementioned Jedi -- and most Shili natives-- Ahsoka is one of the Togruta, a humanoid species.
In terms of sentience, they're no different from regular humans.
Appearance-wise, they can have multiple skin color tones with the vast majority having rusty-colored skin with some white pigmentations.
All Togruta sport Ahsoka's characteristic head-tails.
From a cultural perspective, the species values togetherness and collectivity. As a carnivorous race, they rely on hunting.
What Are Ahsoka's Head Tails Called?
Ahsoka's head-tails are characteristic of the Togruta species. These are called Lekku.
These tentacle-like growths protrude from one's scull and their size increases as the individual approaches adulthood.
You can see similar ones in Twi'leks (think Hera Syndulla) though theirs tend to be a bit thinner.
Ahsoka, like many Togruta and unlike most Twi-leks, wears her two front lekkus pulled forward, over her shoulders.
Her live-action version has shorter head-tails than her Rebels counterpart, possibly because they're heavy and hard to replicate as well as in animation.
How Old Is Ahsoka?
When Ahsoka becomes Anakin's apprentice, she's 14 years old. By the end of the Clone Wars series, she's 17.
During Rebels, she's in her early 30s.
By the time she makes her first live-action appearance in The Mandalorian, she's around 40-45 years old. This will also be her age in her own show.
What Powers and Abilities Does Ahsoka Have?
Ahsoka is a very gifted Jedi with a presumably high midi-chlorian count.
She has extensive lightsaber training and uses two, a long one and a shorter one to fight.
She's strong with the Force, and she has evaded death twice in Force-related plotlines, meaning that she still has a very important role to play.
Her lekkus mean that her perception of space is enhanced, as these have sensors.
Ahsoka is also an experienced pilot and skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
Does Ahsoka Have An Apprentice?
Since Ahsoka left the Jedi order before she could complete her training it comes as a surprise that, according to her own show, she used to mentor Sabine Wren.
Ahsoka isn't completely clear on their shared history yet, but the fact that she did in fact take a student means that she and Sabine are now part of a long line of master-padawan pairs.
What Is Ahsoka's Arc In Her Own Show?
There was much speculation about Ahsoka before the show came out. Now it seems that Ahsoka's new arc is both about coming to terms with her past and investing in the future by mentoring Sabine.
The two plan on locating Ezra and bringing him home, although Ahsoka's main goal is to prevent Thrawn from returning as heir to the Empire.
Live-action Ahsoka is more mature and bears little resemblance to the wide-eyed padawan we knew. She's a Jedi Master now.
But this doesn't mean that her past cannot haunt her.
The series brings a long-anticipated reconciliation between herself and Anakin, her former master in the mysterious World Between Worlds, one, however, that wasn't just warm and fuzzy.
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