Contrary to what's been revealed in The Mandalorian season 2, Ahsoka Tano may not actually be looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn be for Ezra Bridger instead. After primarily existing in the animated pocket of Star Wars, the fan-favorite character finally made her live-action debut in the Disney+ series. Ahsoka played by Rosario Dawson, and the Togruta is on a solo mission to locate the Chiss tactician who was first introduced in Star Wars Rebels.
Ahsoka herself was introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature film which was set after Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Since then, she appeared in other projects including The Clone Wars series where her arc was more fleshed out. She was also briefly in Rebels where she's revealed to be one of the Rebellion's anonymous informants using the codename Fulcrum. While Ahsoka wasn't originally well-received, she ultimately became a fan favorite — so much so that Lucasfilm brought her to live-action and she also has a solo series in the pipeline.
Din Djarin's (Pedro Pascal) quest to reunite Baby Yoda with the Jedi was the primary story of The Mandalorian's second season. After getting a tip from Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), the pair then traveled to Corvus to meet up with Ahsoka in season 2, episode 5, which is titled "The Jedi". However, she ultimately refused to take the Child from Din, afraid that his attachment to his foster father would make him more susceptible to the Dark Side. In the same outing, it's revealed that Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan is also on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn. She didn't reveal why she's tracking him down in this episode, but its possible she may have a different agenda in just tracking him down - she may really be looking for Ezra.
Ahsoka Is Looking For Grand Admiral Thrawn In The Mandalorian
A standout villain from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Grand Admiral Thrawn was brought into the new Disney canon through Star Wars Rebels season 3. He was hired by the Empire to deal with the Ghost Crew who was making it difficult for the Imperials to operate in and around Lothal. He remained the primary villain of the DisneyXD series until it ended after four seasons. His whereabouts are currently unknown, but Rebels creator Dave Filoni confirmed he survived the events of the show. This left the door wide open for his re-emergence, although it was uncertain where else he could pop up.
Fast forward to The Mandalorian season 2 and the Ahsoka episode revealed that the former Jedi is tracking down Thrawn. Initially, Ahsoka's stint in Corvus appeared to be as simple as freeing the community enslaved by the Magistrate (Diana Lee Inosanto). However, once the women faced off, Ahsoka pressed her adversary about the location of the Magistrate's supposed master. Unfortunately, The Mandalorian didn't reveal whether or not she got the answer she needed.
Grand Admiral Thrawn Was Last Seen With Ezra Bridger
In the Star Wars Rebels finale, the Ghost Crew made their last stand against the Empire. Jedi Knight Ezra Bridger opted to stay with Thrawn as the Purrgil took the villain's ship to hyperspace, ensuring he won't be able to pose any more threats to Lothal or its neighboring planets. Since then, the pair has not been spotted again, with their location being one of the lingering mysteries from the animated series. During Star Wars Rebels' epilogue set years after Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra's disappearance and on the heels of the Empire's defeat, the Mandalorian member of the Ghost crew, Sabine Wren, joined Ahsoka on a quest to find Ezra in the Unknown Regions.
Why Ahsoka Could Be Looking For Ezra Bridger Instead
At the end of Star Wars Rebels, Sabine and Ahsoka were originally set to look for Ezra. It's uncertain how much time has passed since they began their journey, but while they seemed to have parted ways when Mando and Grogu found Ahsoka in Corvus, she may be simply carrying out their initial mission. It's worth noting that while both characters appeared in the DisneyXD show, Ahsoka and Grand Admiral Thrawn never encountered each other — at least on screen. It's possible the only reason she knew about the Chiss villain was through the stories from Sabine.
Without a clear connection between Ahsoka and Grand Admiral Thrawn, she might actually be on the hunt for Ezra instead. Since the Jedi Knight was last seen with the villain and he's more notable given his race and prominence, it's easier to follow his trail. The Mandalorian didn't reveal how Ahsoka knew he was somehow connected to the Magistrate, but perhaps on the heels of the Empire's defeat, Thrawn is out establishing his own army, the same way Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is doing. Assuming this is the case, Ahsoka would understandably be worried for Ezra's safety. While she's not keen on recruiting a Padawan, she knows Ezra can be powerful with the Force. Given what happened to Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka wouldn't rule out anyone who can be lured to the Dark side. So, in some way, she could be concerned Grand Admiral Thrawn was able to manipulate Ezra into helping with his nefarious plans.
Saving Ezra is also personal for Ahsoka. While they didn't spend that much time together, the young Jedi Knight was the reason for her survival after her reunion fight with Darth Vader in Star Wars Rebels. Ezra reached back in time, pulling her to safety just before she was killed. So, finding Ezra now could be her way of making it up to him.
Is Grand Admiral Thrawn Still With Ezra?
If Ahsoka is indeed tracking Grand Admiral Thrawn in The Mandalorian to get to Ezra, is this a good strategy? For starters, since it's unknown what happened to them after the end of Star Wars Rebels, there's no guarantee they're still together. They may have been separated during the initial space jump or parted ways thereafter. However, given Ezra's commitment to making sure that Thrawn won't be able to terrorize anyone else, it's safe to assume that he would've stayed with him until the very end. So if the villain is roaming free, potentially building his own Empire after Darth Sidious' defeat, this further begs the question of what happened to Ezra. The Jedi Knight is not immune to being tempted by the Dark Side. Aside from Anakin being a cautionary tale, Ahsoka also saw firsthand how Maul attempted to sneakily recruit Ezra to become his apprentice in Rebels. Otherwise, it's also possible he's being coerced to cooperate with Grand Admiral Thrawn. In any case, tracking the Chiss would be Ahsoka Tano's best bet in finding out what happened to Ezra.