The Only Star Wars Recap You Need Before Watching Ahsoka

George Lucas and Dave Filoni created Ahsoka as the previously unrevealed apprentice Anakin Skywalker takes on during the Clone Wars. Debuting in 2008's animated movie "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Ahsoka is 14 years old upon her introduction and of the Togruta species from the planet Shili, not to be confused with the physically similar Twi'leks. As a toddler, Ahsoka evinces a strong connection to the Force, leading her recruitment into the Jedi Order.

In contrast to many of her fellow Jedi, Ahsoka prefers wielding dual lightsabers instead of one, often holding her weapons with a reverse grip. Like Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka sports a variety of lightsaber colors, starting with green before switching to blue and, ultimately, white in "Rebels." Forming a close bond with Anakin and Clone Trooper Captain Rex, Ahsoka later becomes a mentor to Force-sensitive hero Ezra Bridger and Mandalorian Sabine Wren. Ahsoka's greatest enemies include her own fallen mentor, Anakin, after he takes on the Sith mantle of Darth Vader and the Imperial military's Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Among the most pivotal adventures Ahsoka experiences during the Clone Wars is a visit to the ethereal planet of Mortis. A dream-like realm within the Force itself, Mortis is populated by personifications of the Force, the Father and his Son and Daughter. The hot-headed Son represents the dark side and the Daughter the light, with their Father keeping them both in balance. After her arrival on Mortis, Ahsoka is kidnaped by the Son and corrupted by the dark side to steal the Dagger of Mortis, a weapon capable of murdering the Father. Before facing the Father and Daughter, the Son drains Ahsoka of her life force, killing her and living a grief-stricken Anakin to mourn for his apprentice.

Mortally wounded by the Son, the Daughter uses the last of her energy to revive Ahsoka and purge the dark side influence from her. Distraught at how far the Son has fallen and at death of the Daughter, the Father kills himself with the Dagger while Anakin slays the Son. The Jedi emerge from Mortis learning that they had only been gone momentarily in the outside world. Befriending Ahsoka from the ordeal is Morai, an owl who has spiritual ties to the Daughter. Morai becomes a constant companion to Ahsoka, with the two sharing a special bond that endures for decades, including the years after the Galactic Civil War.

Falling in with a group of low-level criminals on Coruscant, Ahsoka crosses paths with the Pyke Syndicate, a nefarious organization linked to Darth Maul. In the chaos of the Clone Wars, Maul seizes control of Mandalore, displacing its rightful ruler Bo-Katan Kryze. Allying herself with Bo-Katan, Ahsoka receives help from Rex to overthrow Maul while Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue Chancellor Palpatine from Separatists attacking Coruscant. After a fierce duel, Ahsoka defeats Maul and takes him into custody, escorting him with a detachment of Clone Troopers back to Coruscant.

Bo-Katan resurfaces in "The Mandalorian," with actor Katee Sackhoff reprising her role in live-action for the series. Given their past cooperation, a renewed partnership of sorts between Ahsoka and Bo-Katan in "Ahsoka" might not be out of the question. After all, the two women worked well together against a common threat during the Clone Wars and it stands to reason they could again. And though Ahsoka is welcomed back into the fold to help liberate Mandalore, this happy return quickly proves to be short-lived.

For several years after meeting Organa on Naboo, Ahsoka lives on the remote planet Raada as part of an unassuming farming community. Ahsoka uses the alias "Ashla" and keeps her Force sensitivity a secret from the others, for fear of attracting unwanted attention. This precaution proves more than justified. When Ahsoka instinctively uses the Force to save a girl during a farming accident, the girl's brother notices her telekinesis. Believing he will earn a reward, the boy betrays Ahsoka to the Empire by informing the authorities that a Jedi lives in hiding among them.

Instead of paying the boy, a Sith Inquisitor completely razes his community and kills anyone in his path. Ahsoka returns to the community in time to defend a handful of survivors and kill the Inquisitor but realizes this confirms her existence to the Empire. After evacuating the survivors, Ahsoka flees from her agricultural refuge herself, a fugitive of the Empire and Sith yet again. While living as a farmer, Ahsoka barely concerned herself with the wider affairs of the galaxy, including the injustices committed by the Empire. With her survival exposed to the Sith, Ahsoka unwillingly finds herself back in the fight.

When Ahsoka and Organa reunite at Amidala's funeral, he gives her a commlink to contact him if she ever needs his help. Following her harrowing encounter with a Sith Inquisitor, Ahsoka makes good on that offer and finally uses the commlink. Surprised to hear from her after all this time, Organa informs Ahsoka about his own role in a growing insurrection against Palpatine and the Galactic Empire. Ahsoka agrees to work with Organa as an informant for the fledgling Rebel Alliance, emerging from her self-imposed exile.

Upon her escape from Order 66, Ahsoka discarded one of her lightsabers as part of faking her death when the Empire investigated the Tribunal's crash site. Ahsoka constructs a replacement lightsaber to dual wield blades again but decides to change the lightsabers' colors. No longer seeing herself as a Jedi and certainly not one of the Sith, Ahsoka opts for twin white lightsabers to highlight this change. Ahsoka's renewed partnership with Bail Organa also makes her an important figure in the Rebel Alliance as the resistance movement secretly grows throughout the galaxy.

Frustrated by his subordinates' inability to hunt down Kanan and Ezra, Darth Vader decides to personally lead the hunt for the fugitive Jedi. Deducing the rebels' connection to Lothal, Vader oversees an increase in Imperial brutality against the local populace in an effort to draw the rebels out. With Lothal turned against the Rebel Alliance, the Ghost flees the planet, only to be pursued by Vader. Vader wipes out much of Ahsoka's detachment of rebels, discovering his old apprentice survived Order 66 and lived in hiding for well over a decade.

Through their brief Force connection during the skirmish, Ahsoka similarly learns that Vader, the galaxy's most infamous Sith Lord, is the converted Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka is privately devastated by the revelation that her mentor and close friend now belongs among the Rebel Alliance's most sadistic enemies. Vader, undeterred in his evil mission following his unhappy reunion with Ahsoka, immediately reports her survival and role in the Rebellion to Palpatine. As Ahsoka moves to investigate more about Vader, the Sith mobilize additional Inquisitors to wipe out the Jedi.

Saving Ezra from Vader, Ahsoka finally acknowledges her old friend and mentor's status as a dark Lord of the Sith and engages him in a duel. While Ezra and Kanan flee with a Sith holocron they recover from the temple, Ahsoka buys them as much time as possible fighting Vader. The intense showdown continues as the Sith temple crumbles around Ahsoka and Vader, both unfazed by its destruction. Vader emerges from the collapsed temple, with Ahsoka's fate left ambiguous at that time, but the Ghost crew presumes her dead.

Though shaken by Ahsoka's apparent demise, the Ghost crew hardens their resolve to continue the fight and follow her example. Ezra trains diligently for the subsequent six months, significantly improving his lightsaber handling and mastery of the Force. Among the more mysterious figures Ahsoka leaves behind is Morai, an owl companion with the life force of a Force being she met on Mortis during the Clone Wars. Morai appears to the Ghost crew throughout "Rebels," often at pivotal points in the show, reminding them of their connection to Ahsoka.

Thrawn makes his debut in the "Rebels" third-season premiere, recently promoted to Grand Admiral for decisively crushing an insurgency against the Empire on Batonn. One of the Chiss species, Thrawn is well-regarded within the Empire for his keen tactical mind and superior intelligence. Based on his experience on Batonn, Thrawn is summoned to Lothal to similarly root out the growing rebel presence on the planet. Following his reassignment, Thrawn staunchly advocates for the mass production of TIE Defenders, feeling the new fighters will be instrumental in eliminating any opposition.

During his occupation of Lothal, Thrawn is called away on several occasions to deal with more pressing threats to the Empire. These missions include rescuing Force-sensitive Chiss from hostile forces, defending supply lines vital to the construction of the Death Star, and identifying traitors within Imperial command. However, Thrawn is hamstrung by the obstinance of the rebels on Lothal, with even his most cunning plans unable to completely and swiftly eradicate them. This makes his mission on Lothal an increasingly personal one, especially in hunting down Hera, Sabine, and Ezra.

There are major connections between "Rebels" and the original trilogy era throughout the animated tale's entire run. Prominent figures in the Rebellion, including General Dodonna, Princess Leia Organa, and Mon Motha, appear, working with the Ghost crew. The rebels are based out of Yavin IV for the duration of the series, the same location as their headquarters in "A New Hope." One of the more notable links to the movies is the Season 4 appearance of Saw Gerrera, who leads a rebel splinter faction in "Rogue One."

Gerrera suspects the Empire of constructing a superweapon and convinces Ezra and Sabine to join his investigation. This brief detour takes them to Jedha, an important setting in "Rogue One," where they confirm the Empire's construction of an advanced weapon powered by kyber crystals. "Rebels" also resolves a huge plot thread from "The Clone Wars," with Sabine giving Bo-Katan the mythical darksaber, legitimizing her claim to the Mandalorian throne. "Rebels" largely ends near the events of "Rogue One," which in turn leads directly into "A New Hope."

Through the Force, Ezra learns Thrawn is en route to Lothal and quickly moves to defeat the Imperial garrison before his arrival. Thrawn counters this by threatening to bombard Lothal's capital unless the rebels surrender, with Ezra agreeing to his demands and turning himself in. Ezra's allies activate Lothal's planetary shields, defending it from orbital bombardment, while Ezra summons purrgil, a powerful spacefaring species, to attack Thrawn's armada. The purrgil yank Thrawn's ship into hyperspace with them for parts unknown, with Ezra getting pulled along as well.

Ezra remains missing after the Battle of Endor, five years later, with his friends continuing to battle the Empire through the end of the Galactic Civil War. Though the Ghost crew separates in the final days of the war, Ahsoka and Sabine reunite to search for Ezra. After the battle of Lothal, Hera gives birth to a son, Jacen Syndulla, conceived with Kanan shortly before his death. The liberation of Lothal costs the rebels Kanan and Ezra but represents a significant victory for the Rebellion and one sure to inform the surviving characters resurfacing in "Ahsoka."

Following the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker establishes a Jedi academy on the planet Ossus to train a new generation of Jedi and restart the Jedi Order. Ahsoka visits this planet in "The Book of Boba Fett," with her appearance revealing she has been working with Luke for some time. When Din visits Grogu as the young Jedi trains under Luke, Ahsoka intercepts him and recommends he not see Grogu to avoid emotionally compromising his training. Din agrees to this, with Ahsoka offering to gift Grogu a custom-made Beskar chainmail vest on his behalf.

Upon Din's departure, Luke confides in Ahsoka that he is unsure about Grogu's commitment to completing his training and devoting his life to the Jedi Code. Ahsoka compares this uncertainty to her own memories of Anakin's loyalties and turbulent personal feelings during the Clone Wars before advising Luke to follow his instincts. This relatively brief appearance showcases not only how much Luke values Ahsoka's presence but the growing trust between her and Din since their first meeting. It also places Ahsoka in a prominent role amidst the Jedi Order's attempt to rebuild itself, with Luke at the helm of this revival.

"Ahsoka" takes place sometime after the "Rebels" epilogue, with Ahsoka and Sabine having since parted ways. Though the separation seems to be acrimonious, with Ahsoka leaving her student before Sabine could complete her Jedi training, they agree to work together again to stop Thrawn. Sabine and Ahsoka both visibly still miss Ezra, reminded of their old friend's disappearance as Thrawn resurfaces with a formidable fleet and Force-sensitive allies. With the Galactic Empire replaced by the New Republic, Thrawn determines to create a new empire with himself at its head, with war inevitable.

The presence of Morgan Elsbeth provides the most important clue that "Ahsoka" takes place after her recent appearances in "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." Defeated on Corvus by Ahsoka in the second season of "The Mandalorian," Morgan is an associate of Thrawn's whom Ahsoka confronts for information. With Morgan returning in "Ahsoka," she stands ready not only to aid in Thrawn's resurgence but seek revenge on Ahsoka. An older Mon Mothma similarly appears in "Ahsoka," now the Chancellor of the New Republic and facing the first significant challenge to its existence.