With the Ahsoka series premiere on Disney Plus already in the books, many fans wonder where was the titular character during the original Star Wars trilogy. Where was Ahsoka Tano while the Rebel Alliance defeated the Empire? Why was she not helping Luke Skywalker? Here’s what you need to know.
Where was Ahsoka during A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi?
The Star Wars canon doesn’t explain where Ahsoka was during the original trilogy.
Many details are still under wrap about Ahsoka’s life, and her whereabouts during the original Star Wars trilogy is one of them. The character didn’t appear in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi because she wasn’t conceived when those movies came out between 1977 and 1983. Lucasfilm explored Ahsoka’s story in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series that first premiered in 2008.
Introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan, Ahsoka departed from the Jedi order mostly because she didn’t feel aligned with their policy. Still, she never followed the Dark Side path. Years after the Jedi order’s fall, she opted to side with the Rebel Alliance and actively opposed the Empire. It’s also clear that she was alive during Luke Skywalker and his friends’ quest to take down Palpatine. Actually, she outlived those events as well since the Disney Plus series takes place some years after Luke defeated the Empire. It isn’t clear when she dies, but the new trilogy heavily implied she was dead during Rey’s clash with Palpatine.
Where was Ahsoka, though? She might have gone into hiding to avoid detection by the Empire’s Inquisitors, who were tasked with hunting down and eliminating the remaining Jedi. Or she could have been working behind the scenes to support the Rebellion’s efforts, given Ahsoka’s affiliation with the Rebel Alliance, as seen in Star Wars Rebels.
The Disney Plus series might answer some pending questions about Ahsoka’s past. New episodes of Ahsoka are premiering on Tuesdays.
For more Ahsoka-related content, check out the meaning of that tribute paid to Ray Stevenson in episode 1. Also, here are the viewership numbers of the Disney Plus series.
