The Only Star Wars Recap You Need Before Watching Ahsoka

The latest "Star Wars" series coming to Disney+, "Ahsoka" sends the fan-favorite Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano on brand-new adventures across the galaxy. After voice actor Ashley Eckstein originated the role in various animated projects, Rosario Dawson brought the hero to live-action, starting with "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." Though specific details remain still tightly under wraps, "Ahsoka" bridges the gap between the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy and post-original trilogy eras. And with Ahsoka playing such a big, franchise-spanning role in the action, there's a lot to keep in mind about the character ahead of the spinoff show's premiere.

For those seeking a refresher course in anticipation of Disney+ debuting "Ahsoka" on August 23, we've got you covered. From Ahsoka's early years as a Padawan in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" to her battle-hardened return in "Star Wars Rebels," Ahsoka figures prominently in the galaxy. Based on what's been teased about "Ahsoka," the Jedi stands poised to make history again — and to do so against one of the franchise's major villains in a legendary storyline. Here's everything you need to know about "Ahsoka" to prepare for the eagerly anticipated "Star Wars" television series.

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.

Just as Ahsoka continues her Jedi training through field experience during the Clone Wars with Anakin, he gains a degree of compassion and wisdom from this added responsibility. In the "Clone Wars" episode "Storm of Ryloth," Ahsoka disobeys Anakin's orders during an attack on a Separatist blockade, which results in her squadron suffering steep casualties. This traumatic incident significantly matures her, as she's no longer the relatively reckless warrior from the war's start. Throughout the conflict, Ahsoka becomes a pivotal Republic hero, befriending Jedi Master Plo Koon and Chewbacca as she battles the Separatists.

During the war, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi find themselves stranded on the planet Mortis, which possesses an especially strong connection to the Force. This incident temporarily possesses Ahsoka with the dark side and shows the lengths Anakin will go to save his apprentice. As the Clone Wars trigger turmoil across the cosmos, Ahsoka becomes embroiled in a power struggle on Mandalore involving the conniving Pre Vizsla. Ahsoka's impact on Mandalore during the Clone Wars proves how much she's grown as a competent, self-sufficient warrior, able to lead the war effort without Anakin. It also inextricably links her to the development of Mandalorian society, an association persisting for decades.

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.

Despite her obvious talents and the important role she plays in the conflict, Ahsoka isn't part of the Jedi Order for the entirety of the Clone Wars. Season 5 of "The Clone Wars" includes a terrorist bombing the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and Ahsoka accused of murdering the prime suspect. Hunted by both the Jedi and Republic authorities, Ahsoka meets with shady figures in the Coruscant underworld to clear her name, only to be apprehended. As Anakin continues his own independent investigation into the terrorist attack, the Jedi Order formally expels Ahsoka.

Anakin tracks down the true culprit, traitorous Jedi Knight Barriss Offee, and gets her to confess to the bombing and murder. Though absolved of all wrongdoing in the wake of Barriss' arrest, Ahsoka's faith in the Jedi Order remains shaken to its core from the ordeal. Offered a chance at reinstatement into the Order, Ahsoka turns it down in favor of going her own way, to Anakin's vocal chagrin. Instead, Ahsoka takes a break from the Clone Wars and tries to live quietly on Coruscant though trouble soon catches up with her once more.

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.

While en route to Coruscant, Ahsoka senses Anakin falling to the dark side moments before Palpatine enacts Order 66. This prompts latent programming within all Clone Troopers, including Rex, to activate and murderously turn on the Jedi throughout the galaxy. Ahsoka removes an inhibitor chip in Rex to bring him back to his senses, and makes the daring choice to release Maul as a distraction that allows her to escape with Rex. As their transport, the Tribunal, crashes, Ahsoka and Rex flee for their lives and go into hiding from the newly launched Galactic Empire.

The animated anthology series "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi" expands upon Ahsoka evading the lethal reach of Order 66. Recalling her training under Anakin, Ahsoka manages to survive the Jedi Purge as the Empire and resurgent Sith hunt Jedi across the cosmos. Ahsoka visits Naboo incognito for the funeral of Senator Padmé Amidala, where she reunites with Senator Bail Organa from Alderaan. With Organa secretly among the early opposition to the Empire, he helps Ahsoka remain relatively safe in hiding, relocating her to Outer Rim on the fringes of Imperial jurisdiction.

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.

The 2016 novel "Ahsoka," written by E.K Johnson from an outline by Filoni, introduces some broad story strokes that would later be incorporated into "Tales of the Jedi." The book establishes that Ahsoka survived Order 66 and went into relative seclusion as a farmer for a time, living much like Obi-Wan Kenobi did on Tatooine during the same period. 

Though the novel is considered canon within the current continuity, some of its details were tweaked for the animated series. Instead of befriending a girl, as she does in "Tales of the Jedi," Ahsoka strikes up a friendship with a woman close to her own age in the novel. The biggest deviation between the novel and the new continuity: Ahsoka's first meeting with Organa after Order 66. The novel has them meet a year after the Empire's formation, compared to the series placing this much sooner at Amidala's funeral. This streamlined canon helps enhance Ahsoka's role in "Rebels" and deepens her ties to the burgeoning Rebel Alliance.

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.

Starting approximately five years before the Battle of Yavin, as depicted in "A New Hope," "Rebels" follows a scrappy group battling the Empire from their home base of Lothal. Streetwise orphan Ezra Bridger joins the crew of the Rebel cruiser the Ghost while training under Jedi exile Kanan Jarrus. Ezra and Kanan's crewmate Hera coordinate their activities with a shadowy figure known simply as "Fulcrum," providing supplies and information to the Ghost. Appearing hooded like a Sith Lord in their hologram communications to Hera, Fulcrum gains the trust of neither Hera nor Kanan.

After taking a public stand against Grand Moff Tarkin on Lothal, the Ghost crew rescues Kanan from Sith Inquisitors when he is brought in for execution. These incidents prove the ensemble's reliability and loyalty to the Rebel Alliance's leadership and they are welcomed deeper into the fold. Greeting the Ghost crew are Bail Organa and Fulcrum, who reveals herself to be Ahsoka in disguise all along. This officially commences Ahsoka's close partnership with the Ghost, without the cloak-and-dagger subterfuge, especially her connection to Ezra and his crewmate Sabine.

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.

Ahsoka continues working with the Ghost crew, reuniting with her old friend Rex after he and a group of liberated clones are rescued by Ezra. In between her ongoing crucial role with the Rebellion, Ahsoka continues researching what exactly happened to turn Anakin into Vader. This momentarily shifts to the sidelines when Ahsoka focuses on stopping the Inquisitors from kidnaping Force-sensitive infants for Sith indoctrination around the galaxy. Though growing closer to Ezra, Ahsoka lies about Vader's identity to him, unwilling to share the painful truth about Anakin.

Master Yoda reveals himself as alive and living on Dagobah to Ahsoka and the Ghost crew, instructing them to investigate the Sith planet Malachor. This visit is derailed by Inquisitors hunting Darth Maul, who hides in the recesses of the planet's underground Sith temple. Initially working with the rebels against a common enemy in the Inquisitors, Maul inevitably turns against them and blinds Kanan prior to retreating. Before Ahsoka can pursue the runaway Sith warrior for a rematch, she finds herself face-to-face with Vader, who followed his Inquisitors to Malachor.

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.

Ahsoka's duel with Vader concludes the second season of "Rebels," with Season 3 unfolding approximately two years before the Battle of Yavin. The Ghost takes point in the Rebellion's recruitment efforts around the galaxy, adding strategic allies to their ranks. One of the most valuable gains the crew makes comes from infiltrating the Imperial Academy and encouraging disillusioned cadets, including Wedge Antilles, to defect to their cause. This activity does not go unnoticed by the Empire, who lay several traps for the Ghost throughout the season.

Not simply a recruitment tool for the Rebel Alliance, the Ghost also destroys key military targets to impede the Imperial war machine. The harshest blow the Ghost scores against the Empire is stealing top-secret plans for the experimental TIE Defenders. These formidable fighters boast the deadly speed of TIE Fighters but also come equipped with their own shields. The Ghost's mission to destroy the TIE Defenders before their wide launch puts them on a collision course with Imperial master tactician Grand Admiral Thrawn.

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.

"Rebels" Season 4 begins approximately one year before the Battle of Yavin, with the Ghost returning to their original home on Lothal. In the years since their departure, the Imperial occupation has ruined the local ecosystem and brutalized the local populace. Why the heightened Imperial presence on Lothal? The planet is being used for manufacturing TIE Defenders, making it a valuable target. Frustrated by the devastation on Lothal, Hera leads a reckless attack on the Imperial factory. Thrawn's defenses repel the initial assault but incur heavy losses.

Hera is captured and tortured for information in Lothal's capital, with Ezra and Sabine leading a rescue mission before her captors can break her and learn where the Rebellion is based. During their escape, Kanan uses the Force to protect his retreating friends while destroying a vital Imperial fuel depot, at the cost of his life. Losing the fuel depot effectively scuttles the TIE Defender production and challenges the Empire's authority on Lothal. Incensed by the Rebellion sidelining his pet project, Thrawn decides to return to Lothal and take personal charge of rooting out the rebels.

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."

Following Kanan's demise, Ezra and his friends retreat to an underground Jedi temple on Lothal with a unique connection to the Force. Ezra learns this temple offers a portal for the Force-sensitive through space and time, which Palpatine intends to take advantage of. Using this portal, dubbed the World Between Worlds, Ezra travels back in time to Ahsoka's duel with Vader on Malachor. Ezra reaches out and pulls Ahsoka into the portal with him just before Vader can strike her down, saving her life and changing her fate.

This happy reunion comes to an abrupt end when Palpatine attacks Ezra through the Force when he senses that the World Between Worlds portal is open. Separated, Ahsoka is cast back into her timeline moments after the Sith temple on Malachor crumbles and Vader departs, but alive. Ezra, thrown into his present timeline, seals the portal on Sabine's advice by collapsing the Jedi temple on Lothal. Now safe from Palpatine's clutches, the incident not only saves Ahsoka but helps Ezra come to terms with Kanan's death.

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."

After confirmation that she and Sabine survive following the original trilogy era, Ahsoka resurfaces in the second season of "The Mandalorian." Set approximately five years after the Battle of Endor, Ahsoka appears in the episode "The Jedi" scouring the galaxy for Thrawn. Traveling to the planet Corvus, Ahsoka liberates a city from Imperial occupation and meets wandering Mandalorian Din Djarin and his adopted Jedi child Grogu. Communicating with Grogu through the Force, Ahsoka learns his name – which was completely unknown to Din prior – and how he escaped the Jedi Temple during the Purge.

Sensing deep fear within Grogu, Ahsoka refuses to take him on as an apprentice and leaves him in Din's care. Driving out the Imperial forces with Din's help, Ahsoka advises him to take Grogu to the planet Tython to contact a mysterious Jedi through a temple. The adventure on Corvus is the first time Ahsoka encounters both Din and Grogu, with the group learning to trust each other and setting up future team-ups between them. Ahsoka's memorable turn on "The Mandalorian" lays the foundation for her spinoff series and current role in the galaxy.

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.

Just as Ahsoka's overarching story is divided into canonical and non-canonical Legends material, so too is Thrawn's. Author Timothy Zahn utilizes Thrawn as the principal antagonist in a series of novels, the first being 1991's "Heir to the Empire." Set five years after the Battle of Endor, Thrawn rallies the remnants of the Empire to attack the New Republic. This pits him against the classic characters from the original trilogy era as he seeks to conquer the galaxy and establish a new Empire.

Rendered non-canonical after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, the Thrawn novels continue to impact the future of the "Star Wars" franchise, most notably on television. Thrawn's appearance on "Rebels" canonizes elements of Zahn's work, from the villain's overall depiction to the inclusion of his bodyguard Rukh. The "Ahsoka" trailer name-drops "Heir to the Empire" and takes place in a similar timeframe to the initial novels. Based on past allusions," Ahsoka" likely will be strongly influenced by Zahn's work, continuing to incorporate material into this new continuity.

"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.