Ahsoka Tano is getting her own solo Star Wars series, but did she ever attain the rank of a Jedi? Her new series, Ahsoka, is set to premiere on August 23, meaning it’s time to freshen up our knowledge of the character. In the series, Rosario Dawson will be reprising her role as Tano after previously portraying the character in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. While Disney+’s earlier Star Wars shows brought Tano over to the live-action realm, she actually has a more extensive history in the franchise’s animated projects.
Tano (Ashley Eckstein) was first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a Padawan under the mentorship of Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter). However, after Anakin turned to the Dark side, Tano forged her own path separate from her former friend and mentor. She became a very important figure in the Rebellion and had several adventures with the Ghost Crew in Star Wars Rebels. During her time as a rebel, she struck up a close friendship with Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray). In Ahsoka, she will be setting out to find Ezra after he went missing at the end of Star Wars Rebels and will also be contending with a familiar foe.
In the latest trailer from Ahsoka, there is plenty of action as she teams up with Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) to fight against Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who has risen again with nefarious plans. Tano can be seen wielding a lightsaber and looking very Jedi-like with her skills. However, there are mentions of her past that raise questions about her Jedi identity.
Ahsoka Tano’s Jedi history is complicated
Whether Tano is a Jedi is quite complicated. As mentioned above, Tano was once training to be a Jedi and was Anakin’s Padawan. Being a Padawan is similar to being an apprentice and means that the individual is learning to be a Jedi, but is not yet a full-fledged member of the Jedi Order. In the Ahsoka trailer, Tano states, “Anakin never got to finish my training. I walked away from him.” While Tano walked away from Anakin after his betrayal, she actually also walked away from the Jedi Order before he even turned to the Dark Side. In season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Tano was framed for a terrorist bombing of the Jedi Temple. Although the charges were ultimately dropped, she went through quite a traumatic experience being arrested and put on trial, causing her to leave the Jedi Order behind.
So, it wasn’t just that her training wasn’t completed, but that she personally chose to walk away from the Jedi Order. In Star Wars Rebels, her position remained the same as she staunchly denied being a Jedi. However, where things get confusing is in the live-action Star Wars shows. In The Mandalorian, Tano is referred to as a Jedi by Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and seems to be involved in Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi Temple. Then, the first Ahsoka teaser also refers to her as a Jedi, including it in a long list of labels to introduce her.
Fortunately, Dave Filoni shed some light on why Tano is called a Jedi in The Mandalorian. He told Vanity Fair, “[Fans] all focus very hard on the line, ‘I am no Jedi,’ from Star Wars: Rebels, but it’s undeniable that she’s trained by the Jedi. I think to most observers she is very Jedi to them. I would argue in some ways—by being so selfless and rejecting a lot of paths that would have given her power—she’s more Jedi-like than even some characters who claim to be Jedi.” This confirms that some individuals in the Star Wars universe do consider Tano a Jedi. However, the question that remains is, does she see herself as a Jedi?
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to know what’s going on in Tano’s head. She may be tolerant of others referring to her as a Jedi, but she has never explicitly stated what her stance is now, considering many years have gone by. It’s possible that she did change her mind over the years, but it can’t be assumed without her confirmation. Hence, unless Tano declares otherwise, it seems she’s not technically a Jedi since she did walk away from the Order all those years ago and never indicated she reversed that decision, but she can’t stop others from still seeing and labeling her as a Jedi.
(featured image: Disney+)
