Ahsoka Tano is a fan-favorite original character from the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, who has since made continuing appearances in later series, leading to her own self-titled spinoff set to release sometime in the next few years.
As one of the Star Wars universe's most heroic characters, Ahsoka has often put the greater good over her own self-interest, which occasionally leads to hardship on her part. Like many heroes, she has seen more than her fair share of tribulation but always rises above it all to prove stronger in the long run.
Captured By Cad Bane
After stealing a Jedi Holocron from the temple on Coruscant, the villainous bounty hunter Cad Bane was pursued by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. When Tano thought she had the jump on the hunter, he stunned her and held her hostage as a bargaining chip to make his escape. In doing so, Bane took a bead from Ahsoka's Padawan training braid.
This confrontation forced Ahsoka to confront her foolhardy tendencies in battle and included a physical reminder of her failure in the loss of her training bead. It also established a firm rivalry between the Padawan and Cad Bane. In fact, Bane's history with Tano makes him a perfect villain to appear in the Ahsoka spinoff series.
The Geonosian Incident
In the Clone Wars episode "Brain Invaders," Ahsoka and Barriss Offee are on their way back from a mission on Geonosis when their crew is overtaken by a mysterious Geonosian brain worm that inhabits and controls the brains of whoever hosts it. Ahsoka is the only passenger not infected and must fight to save the lives of the other crew members.
This moment came early in Ahsoka's Jedi career and is one of the few crises from her early days when she could not rely on the expertise of her master Anakin. Not only that, but the young Padawan was unable to neutralize the threat without hurting her friends, creating quite the moral dilemma for her as she fought for her life.
Getting Overtaken On Mortis
In a season 3 arc of The Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mysterious planet called Mortis, which has a peculiarly strong connection to the Force. Along their journey, Ahsoka is overtaken by a dark energy that eventually leaves her momentarily dead, until one of the Force figures that inhabited the planet sacrifices herself for the young Jedi.
This sequence of events saw Ahsoka lose control of her own actions, becoming almost a passenger in her own body. During this time, she very nearly wounded her own master and had to experience her own death. Overall, this was undoubtedly a traumatizing event for the Padawan.
Losing Her Squad
Early in her career as a Jedi, Ahsoka was tasked with leading a squad of fighters piloted by clones in a mission over Ryloth. Thinking she could complete the mission, Ahsoka ignored orders, leading to most of her squad being wiped out. This failure severely discouraged the learning Padawan, as she felt responsible for the deaths of her soldiers.
This moment proved to be quite formative in Ahsoka's life, as she grew to appreciate the value of life, something that she would take into account on future missions. Tano managed to use this tragedy as an opportunity for growth, redeeming herself on the following mission.
Hunted By Trandoshans
In the "Padawan Lost" arc of season 4 of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka finds herself captured by a group of Trandoshans, who hunt live quarry on a forest island. She must partner up with several others among the Trandoshan's prey in order to survive the hunt.
Though Ahsoka had been through plenty in her Jedi training, nothing could ever prepare someone for being hunted like an animal by a group of unscrupulous and impulsive hunters. Ahsoka narrowly escaped this hunt with her life and lost a friend along the way.
"Dying" After Fighting Vader
The great appearances by Ahsoka in Rebels showed her character's transformation since The Clone Wars, including her greater skill with the Force, as well as with her dual-wielded lightsabers. These skills were put to the test when she came face-to-face with the terrifying Darth Vader, in a duel that supposedly left Ahsoka dead.
Though the circumstances surrounding Ahsoka's supposed "death" are unclear and it is assumed that she never actually died, this moment remains one of the most tragic moments in Ahsoka's life, as she lost her duel with the Sith Lord. The character remained dormant in Star Wars media for some time thereafter, with the exception of a self-titled book that explored her adventures in between this moment and her "resurrection" later in Rebels.
Order 66
Many fans knew when the seventh and final season of The Clone Wars was announced that an animated depiction of Order 66 was inevitable. The show's final four-episode arc indeed dealt with the event from Ahsoka's perspective as the Jedi Order fell, thanks in part to the betrayal of the clone army that they had once trusted with their lives.
Ahsoka's survival became one of the saddest parts of her character, especially considering how closely connected she was with her clones. Even Captain Rex, one of Ahsoka's closest friends, tried to kill her in cold blood. Though Ahsoka was able to free Rex's mind from the inhibitor chip that turned the clones against the Jedi, she still lost everything that day--the Jedi, the clones, and her master.
Losing Anakin Skywalker
Much of the Clone Wars animated series dealt with the Master-Padawan relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano as they grew closer and closer to one another over the course of many missions. However, after the execution of Order 66, Ahsoka completely lost track of Anakin, assuming him dead.
Knowing that Ahsoka spent years believing her master had died is tragic not only for the character but for fans that grew up with her too. Viewers had watched Ahsoka go from a bratty teen that annoyed Anakin to no end to a self-assured hero that was like a little sister to her master. While Ahsoka would eventually learn of Anakin's survival, this revelation would only make her mourning all the worse.
Framed By Barris
Before seasons 6 and 7, the original series finale of The Clone Wars dealt with Ahsoka being framed for a bombing at the Jedi Temple. After proving her innocence and finding Barriss Offee to be the true perpetrator, Ahsoka chose to leave the Jedi Order behind entirely, hurt by their distrust of her. This storyline remains one of Ahsoka's most important arcs to revisit before her spinoff series.
This was an incredibly difficult choice for Ahsoka to make, as departing the Order also meant leaving behind the only life she'd ever known, including the friendship she had formed with Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, and countless others. Nevertheless, her decision proved to be the right one, as the Jedi Order was only months from falling when she left it behind.
Learning The Truth About Anakin
Ahsoka spent much of her post-Jedi life thinking that her master, Anakin Skywalker, had been killed in Order 66. However, the truth proved to be far worse. In a duel with the villainous Darth Vader, Ahsoka learned the horrible truth about Skywalker: he had become Vader.
This moment wasn't entirely a surprise for Ahsoka, who had been sensing some familiarity in the Dark Lord for some time. This didn't change the fact that such a revelation utterly broke Ahsoka's heart. Even after her "resurrection" years later, Vader's true identity haunted the former Jedi.