Ahsoka Tano's reveal in The Mandalorian featured her signature bright white lightsabers, but what do her weapons look like without any CGI? As it turns out, lightsaber technology has stayed pretty constant throughout the Star Wars franchise and despite the various advances in technology since the original trilogy, the filmmakers have stuck to the script.
In season 2's Disney Gallery special, Dave Filoni and the rest of the creative team go through an in-depth rundown of how they created "Chapter 13: The Jedi." This episode marked the first live-action appearance of the beloved character from Filoni's Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano. Now a powerful fighter in her own right, Ahsoka displays her skills as a trained Jedi in a battle against mercenaries in Calodan and later a duel against the Magistrate.
While Ahsoka Tano's lightsabers look fairly impressive in the final product, they're fairly unremarkable in real life. A behind-the-scenes look in the Disney Gallery special reveals that the lightsabers are little more than long plastic rods shaped into the iconic weapon. The actual prop used for her lightsabers look fairly similar to those used in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, with one huge advancement being the prop team's ability to incorporate actual lighting in to the weapon. Since Ahsoka's lightsabers could actually produce light, the director of photography and the lighting team were able to frame and light the scene based on the real light coming from Ahsoka's weapons and the way it bounced off the actors' faces.
However, this new weapon design for the former padawan of Anakin Skywalker did not come without its challenges. According to the episode's property master, there were several issues with trying to utilize interactive lighting from the lightsabers. One of the main problems with this new lightsaber was the fact that it needed batteries to power its light, which led to designs that too large and unwieldy. Since lightsabers are heavily influenced by Japanese weapons (like the katana and shoto), an oddly thick lightsaber was not an option. As a result, the props team solved the issue by using an external battery so that Ahsoka's lightsabers could stay thin and sleek.
The whole premise of "Chapter 13" is a nod to the movies that inspired parts of the original trilogy - Japanese films like Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon and Seven Samurai. Ahsoka Tano represents a popular trope in these movies, a lone warrior who's been disillusioned by an old order, so it was crucial for the props team to get her weapon right. The result is a pair of advanced lightsabers that are both functional and aesthetically appealing.
Ahsoka Tano is set to lead her own Disney+ series, with Rosario Dawson returning to play the character, so it's likely that viewers will see those same signature lightsabers in action again. With Ahsoka officially confirmed and in the works, after her debut in The Mandalorian, the rogue Jedi is sure to grace the small screen soon enough with her upgraded weapons.