Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 5.
Summary
- Ahsoka Tano has died three times in Star Wars, but was resurrected thanks to the power of the Force and the influence of the Daughter.
- In Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka faced her former master, Darth Vader, and appeared to die, but was saved by Ezra Bridger using the World Between Worlds.
- While it is unclear if Ahsoka is still alive during the sequels, hints suggest she may have ascended to another plane of existence and can outlive the events of the New Republic Era.
Ahsoka Tano, voiced by Ashley Eckstein and now played in live-action by Rosario Dawson, is the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker - and has died three times in Star Wars so far, along with an implied fourth death. A strong-willed Togruta, Ahsoka was introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and evolved into a seasoned warrior over the course of the show's seven seasons. She went from an inexperienced new Padawan to an independent and strong leader, confident in her abilities and morals. That, however, didn’t stop Ahsoka from getting into trouble.
Ahsoka learned a great deal from Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the trio did continually find themselves in tricky situations requiring a degree of creativity to escape. Ahsoka technically died three times, and on all occasions Anakin was directly involved - and even responsible for one of these deaths. Still, Anakin's Padawan ultimately outlived him, and has returned in Ahsoka to journey to a new galaxy. Here's how her story almost came to an end thrice - and how Star Wars has hinted at her final fate.
Ahsoka Tano Died In The Clone Wars On Mortis
Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episodes 15-18 saw the Jedi discover a mysterious planet rich in the Force. This vergence appeared to symbolically represent the nature of the Force itself, with the light and dark sides manifesting in the form of the Daughter and the Son, and a Father representing balance. The Daughter's death signified that dark times were ahead for the galaxy. During the arc, Anakin and Ahsoka both allowed the dark side to corrupt them - even if this was short-lived.
The Son's rampage saw him kill Ahsoka, who no longer served his purpose, and he dealt a fatal blow to his sister, as well. The Daughter used Force Heal to transfer some of her life essence through Anakin into Ahsoka, resurrecting her. This was the first time such a resurrection had been seen in Star Wars, a demonstration of the Daughter's power. Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 16 used this to focus on Ahsoka's importance to Anakin and Obi-Wan, who were delighted to see her alive, but more importantly, Ahsoka now has a tie to the nature of the Force itself. She has subsequently been associated with Morai, an owl connected with the Daughter.
Ahsoka Died At Darth Vader's Blade, But Was Saved By Ezra Bridger
Ahsoka died a second time, in the Star Wars Rebels season 2 finale. There, Ahsoka Tano faced her former master, Anakin Skywalker, learning of his transformation into Darth Vader. The duel between Ahsoka and Darth Vader was brutal, with Anakin's former Padawan managing to strike the Sith Lord's helmet open, but Vader still had the clear upper hand. Viewers never saw the conclusion to the duel in "Twilight of the Apprentice," but it was strongly implied that Vader killed Ahsoka, who sacrificed herself to allow Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger to escape.
All this changed in Star Wars Rebels season 4, episode 13, in which Ezra entered a mysterious realm called the World Between Worlds. This void controls the flow of time itself, and Ezra was able to see and hear different moments in Star Wars history - including events that hadn't happened yet. Ezra was surprised to encounter Morai in the World Between Worlds, who led him to a portal where he saw the conclusion of Ahsoka's duel with Darth Vader. Right before Vader was about to strike down Ahsoka with his lightsaber, Ezra reached through the portal and pulled Ahsoka to safety.
There's intense debate over whether Ezra changed history with the World Between Worlds, or if Ahsoka was always supposed to survive. Regardless, it's critical to note that Ahsoka's survival is once again tied to another plane in the Force, and to the owl Morai. While Ahsoka was done with the World Between Worlds, the ancient netherworld wasn't finished with her.
Ahsoka Dies In A Duel With Baylan Skoll & Learns A Final Lesson From Anakin
In Ahsoka episode 4, Ahsoka engages former Jedi Baylan Skoll in a lightsaber duel to acquire a Nightsister star map on Seatos. Though she successfully manages to remove the map from its altar, it burns her left hand significantly. Ahsoka is left with just one hand to fight, struggling against the much larger opponent in Baylan. Unbalanced by the belief that her Padawan Sabine Wren had perished, Ahsoka was driven to edge of the henge. Sabine reappears and Ahsoka orders her to destroy the map, but Baylan drives her over the edge, tumbling to her presumed third demise in the violent sea.
Ahsoka awakens in the World Between Worlds, once again in the ancient realm following certain doom. It's there that Anakin Skywalker greets her in Ahsoka episode 5, informing the confused Ahsoka that she lost the fight. Stating his intention to complete Ahsoka's training, Anakin ignites his lightsaber and insists she choose between life or death. The strange reunion leads to flashbacks of young Ahsoka during the Clone Wars, where she admits her disdain for being a warrior. Believing she hasn't understood the lesson, dark side Anakin takes over, attacking Ahsoka with a red lightsaber until she disarms him.
Valuing life above all else, Ahsoka declares "I choose to live" and discards Anakin's weapon. The apparition of Anakin slowly reverts to the Jedi Knight he once was, smiling proudly as his student has grasped the lesson. Ahsoka exits the World Between Worlds - if she was ever truly there at all - and floats in the Seatos ocean, allowed to live thanks to a save by Jacen Syndulla and New Republic pilots. Revitalized by her experience with Anakin and confident in her path, she becomes Ahsoka the White, saved by the will of the Force.
The Rise Of Skywalker Hinted Ahsoka May Be Dead By The Sequels
The final act of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, set two decades after Ahsoka, ended with Rey confronting her grandfather, Emperor Palpatine. Predecessors supported her, with Rey hearing the voices of Jedi past speak to her in encouragement. There were many vocal cameos, ranging from Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker to Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn. Ashley Eckstein likewise reprised the voice of Ahsoka.
Ahsoka's voice cameo in The Rise of Skywalker has led many to believe she died sometime between the end of Ahsoka and the beginning of the sequel trilogy. That may not be the case, however; Rae Carson's novelization suggested some of these Jedi were “still anchored to the living in a strange way." Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni has refused to concede Ahsoka is dead, instead hinting there are other ways for her to influence the living. It's possible that, because of her connection to the World Between Worlds and the Daughter, Ahsoka has ascended to another plane. This would mean Ahsoka can actually outlive the New Republic Era.
While there’s no confirmation Ahsoka Tano is still alive, audiences can remain hopeful. Her vocal cameo in The Rise of Skywalker seemed to indicate that Ahsoka had died, but it wouldn’t be the first time she cheated death, either. It’s possible that Ahsoka will give some context, or at least more hints about Ahsoka’s final fate. Even if it does not, there is still roughly a 20-year gap between the Ahsoka and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, offering ample opportunity to tell more stories. Those do include death - but this is Star Wars, so far more exotic options exist that could allow Ahsoka to survive her fourth assumed demise. If so, that would cement just how important Ahsoka Tano has become to the entire franchise - and would presumably set up her future, as well.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.