What you should know before watching the Ahsoka Series (Prep Guide)

This guide will help you prepare for the upcoming Ahsoka Series on Disney Plus and fully enjoy it. What you should watch before Ahsoka or, if you prefer the short version, and just get the facts and events related to the show and skip catching up with old shows, we’ve got just what you want.

The upcoming Ahsoka series is just a few weeks from premiering its first two episodes. Before continuing, here’s the schedule for all eight episodes.

I will have a full breakdown and review of the newly released episodes each week!

Update: The series has received a change in schedule and release date. As a result, the two-episode premiere has moved up to August 22nd at 6 pm PT/ 9 pm ET.

What to watch before Ahsoka

Ahsoka has been around in the Star Wars franchise for almost fifteen years and she has slowly become a fan favorite. She was created by Dave Filoni for the Clone Wars animated show. We’ve watched her grow, learn and fail throughout her life and now she’s finally getting her own show.

The only problem is that people who don’t know her full story might be a little lost. Unlike the first season of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka is the continuation of an already existing story and it could be very confusing if you don’t know its context.

I’ll list everything you should watch to properly understand the brand-new Ahsoka series. The list includes episodes from The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Tales of the Jedi, The Mandalorian, and a book trilogy.

You might notice that some of the episodes below are highlighted. These are the ones that I consider to be essential to watch, those that aren’t highlighted still provide useful context but you can skip them.

Isolated, some of these episodes might not appear to be too relevant but all of them are small pieces of a bigger puzzle.

I wrote a small phrase after each episode that gives a small hint about the plot without spoiling it.

The Clone Wars (movie and series)

This is where we meet Ahsoka for the first time. Anakin, his new Padawan, and Obi-Wan face many obstacles as the Clone Wars bring the galaxy to its knees. This is where we also learn more about the Jedi Order, the Sith, and the Mandalorians.

The Clone Wars is a long TV Series spanning seven seasons. You don’t have to watch all episodes. Just the highlights. Here’s what I consider to be the most important episodes.

–The Clone Wars Movie “Anakin Skywalker gets a new Padawan”
-Season 2: Episodes 6-8 “Ahsoka makes a new friend”, 12-14 “Introduction to Mandalore”
-Season 3: Episodes 15-16 “The Mortis arc”
-Season 4: Episode 14 “Ahsoka meets Bo-Katan”, Episodes 21-22 “Maul is back”
-Season 5: Episodes 15-16 “Mandalore is attacked by an old enemy”, Episodes 17-20 “The Jedi Order fails Ahsoka Tano”
-Season 7: Episodes 5-8 “Life as a civilian”, 9-12 “The Siege of Mandalore” (Series finale)

Star Wars Rebels

Years after the rise of the Galactic Empire, dozens of small rebel cells fight the Empire in any way they can. Stealing supplies, sabotaging assembly lines, or freeing settlements from Palpatine’s iron fist.

Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios, and Chopper make one of the best rebel teams in the Outer Rim. The Ahsoka series is the direct sequel to Star Wars Rebels, which is why not every listed episode features Ahsoka.

Here are what I consider the most important ones:

-Season 1: Episodes 1-2 “Meet the Ghost Crew”, Episode 5 “The Grand Inquisitor”, Episode 10 “Ezra walks a new path”, Episode 15 “Ahsoka returns”
-Season 2: Episodes 1-2 “The Emperor’s hand”, Episode 5 “More Inquisitors”, Episode 18 “Venture into the Jedi Temple”, Episodes 21-22 “Ahsoka vs Darth Vader”
-Season 3: Episodes 1-2 “Meet Grand Admiral Thrawn”, Episodes 15-16 “The Darksaber and Mandalore”
-Season 4: Episodes 1-2 “Mandalorians unite vs the Empire”, Episodes 9-10 “A Jedi’s sacrifice” Episodes 11-13 “Saving Ahsoka”, Episodes 14-15 “The Battle of Lothal” (Series Finale)

Tales of the Jedi

A mini-series that shows important moments in the lives of prominent Jedi. Season 1 tells the story of Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku, with three episodes for each one. This should be watched after The Clone Wars.

-Episode 1 “A baby Ahsoka shows her attunement with the Force”.
-Episode 5 “Anakin training is demanding but rewarding”.
-Episode 6 “Ahsoka’s first encounter with an Inquisitor”.

I have an in-depth review of all Tales of the Jedi episodes if you want to catch up on all the sub-plots, references, secrets and easter eggs.

The Mandalorian

Ahsoka’s debut in live-action happened during Season 2 of The Mandalorian. Not only that but it also teased the plot of the Ahsoka series when she revealed her search of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Season 2: Chapter 11 “Din Djarin crosses paths with an old friend of Ahsoka”, Chapter 13 “Grogu is evaluated for training”.
Season 3: Chapters 23-24 “Moff Gideon battles the Mandalorians, hoping to rise victorious and take Thrawn’s place as the head of the Shadow Council”.

If you follow VULKK.com’s Star Wars content, you probably have seen most of my reviews of episodes of The Mandalorian. If not, I suggest you catch up when you have the time.

The Thrawn Trilogy

Grand Admiral Thrawn is someone that I consider to be more frightening than even Darth Vader. He is incredibly cunning, patient, cold, and self-controlled. He can’t be taunted or provoked as easily as Vader and that makes him an unmatched strategist.

The “Heir to the Empire trilogy” by Timothy Zahn also known as the Thrawn trilogy is a series of books that delve deeper into the story and mind of this character. It isn’t considered canon but it’s still a great read and might give you an idea of what Ahsoka is going to face.

Things you should know if you can’t/don’t want to watch the shows mentioned above

This is a summary of Ahsoka’s life. It will help you understand who she is, where she comes from, and how she got to this point. It’s certainly not brief but it will still take a lot less time to read than watching every required show.

If you are going to watch the shows I’d recommend skipping this segment since it contains heavy spoilers.

The Clone Wars

Ahsoka was assigned to be Anakin’s Padawan during the Clone Wars, he was reluctant at first but they made a good team. Working alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan allowed her to learn the best of both Jedi, she’s a fierce warrior when it is required but her diplomacy skills are on point.

Somehow, Darth Maul managed to survive and was healed with the help of Nightsister’s magic. He would scheme a plan to gain as much power as possible and have his revenge.

Barriss Offee is a Padawan trained by Luminara Unduli. Due to the war, there’s not much time to form bonds with other Jedi but Barriss is someone that Ahsoka considered a good friend.

Ahsoka faced opponents like Asajj Ventress and General Grievous, this gave her experience that no training could. Despite being a Padawan, Ahsoka was a very skilled duelist.

Mandalore always maintained neutrality during the war, but the corruption of its politicians caused the people to suffer. Maul used this as a way to gain power and influence in Mandalore.

Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Anakin helped Duchess Satine Kryze (ruler of Mandalore and Bo-Katan’s sister) to maintain control of the planet but Maul’s power couldn’t be contained. The former Sith stabbed Satine with the Darksaber.

He proceeded to claim the throne of Mandalore. Bo-Katan refused to acknowledge him as the leader of her people and went rogue.

A bomb explodes inside the Jedi Temple, killing dozens. Ahsoka is framed for the crime and gets apprehended. The only one to believe she’s innocent is Anakin, no one on the Jedi Council vouches for her.

Anakin investigates and finds the real traitor, Barriss Offee. Ahsoka is released but the lack of faith from the Council convinces her that the Jedi Order isn’t where she must be. She decides to leave the Jedi and her former master behind.

With uncertainty about her future, Ahsoka ends up meeting two sisters. They take jobs of “suspicious legality” to survive. The trio ends up taking a job for the Pyke Syndicate, things go terribly wrong but managed to escape.

Bo-Katan happened to be on the same planet, trying to get some access codes to track Maul. She asks Ahsoka to help her recover her planet.

Both request the help of the Republic. Anakin and Ahsoka meet for the first time since she left the order. Before they decide what to do, an alarm triggers. Coruscant is under attack, and Obi-Wan and Anakin are called back to the planet. This is when Revenge of the Sith begins.

A portion of the 501st Legion is left behind with Ahsoka and Commander Rex. They head to Mandalore and after much effort, Ahsoka captures Maul and Bo-Katan recovers Mandalore.

When Ahsoka and Rex are heading to Coruscant something terrible happens. Commander Rex receives orders to execute Order 66, Ahsoka avoids death and removes the inhibitor chip in Rex’s head.

Ahsoka frees Maul so he serves as a diversion while she thinks of a plan to escape. Their Venator Cruiser crashes, Ahsoka and Rex escape death but the Republic is no more and the Jedi are gone.

Tales of the Jedi

With the Galactic Empire hunting any Jedi, Ahsoka had to go into exile. She ends up on a simple planet working on some sort of farm. One day, she uses her powers to save one of her fellow coworkers.

Another guy snitches on her and an Inquisitor destroys the place. Ahsoka confronts and defeats the Inquisitor with little effort.

Now that she’s seen what the Empire is capable of, Bail Organa convinces Ahsoka that it’s time to join the fight.

Star Wars Rebels

An orphaned Force-sensitive boy named Ezra Bridger is rescued by the Ghost Crew on Lothal. This group is formed by Hera Syndulla (expert pilot), Sabine Wren (Mandalorian Warrior), Kanan Jarrus (surviving Jedi), Zeb (the muscle of the team), and Chopper (the trustworthy droid).

This rebel group becomes a real inconvenience for the Empire. The Grand Inquisitor is sent to eliminate them but he fails. Palpatine decides that he won’t take more risks and Darth Vader himself is dispatched to deal with the rebels.

Kanan and his Padawan are no match for the Sith Lord, but they were able to escape. To make things worse, more Inquisitors are also sent to hunt down the Ghost Crew.

A secondary mission of the Inquisitors is to “retrieve” Force-sensitive children. Ahsoka intercepted some sketchy Imperial transmissions and decided to investigate one place while the Ghost Crew checked a second point.

They find and battle with the Inquisitors. This is the first time we see Ahsoka’s progress since the Clone Wars, the Inquisitors never stood a chance.

In search of answers about what to do about the Inquisitors and Vader, Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra go to the Jedi Temple on Lothal. Ezra is able to contact Master Yoda through a vision of the Force, the old Jedi Master instructs him to go to Malachor, an ancient planet with a dark and terrible history.

The two Jedi and Ahsoka go to Malachor and find a Sith temple that contains the knowledge they seek. An Inquisitor attacks them and Ezra is separated from the group, while wandering around he makes contact with the fallen Sith Maul.

He convinces Ezra to help him open the Sith temple while Ahsoka and Kanan interrogate the Inquisitor. With the help of Maul, Ezra takes the Sith Holocron that is inside the temple.

The Inquisitor calls for backup. The Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother help their fellow IInquisitor. As everything progresses, Maul tries to push Ezra into the dark side of the Force.

Maul, Kanan, and Ahsoka end up fighting the three Inquisitors in a fierce battle while Ezra heads to the top of the temple. Unlike his Jedi counterparts, Maul doesn’t hold back and all three Inquisitors are eliminated.

After their foes have been defeated, Mauls reveals his plans to make Ezra his apprentice and proceeds to strike Kanan in his eyes, blinding him forever.

Ezra uses the Holocron to activate the temple without knowing that this power is to destroy life. Kanan gets rid of Maul and Ahsoka hurries to get to Ezra.

Darth Vader arrives and almost kills Ezra but Ahsoka intervenes. Ezra and Kanan retrieve the Holocron and escape but Ahsoka stays behind to fight the Sith Lord. The former Master and apprentice have an emotive and epic duel that finishes without us knowing who wins.

Grand Admiral Thrawn makes his first appearance and shortly becomes the smartest enemy the rebels have ever faced. He manages to outmaneouver them multiple times and makes everything a lot harder.

The Darksaber ends up in the hands of Sabine Wren and with it, the possibility of uniting all Mandalorian clans. Kanan and Ezra train her to use this ancient and powerful weapon.

Sabine returns home and helps her family get rid of Gar Saxon, who was designed ruler of Mandalore by the Galactic Empire. She stays behind to help her family in this moment of uncertainty.

Grand Admiral Thrawn makes a move that puts the Ghost Crew and their allies in a very dangerous position. Without any help, they’d die. Ezra quickly goes to plead for Sabine’s help. The Wren clan sends some of his warriors and they save the rebels.

The Empire designs a weapon that can kill anyone wearing beskar armor, what begins as a small counter-offensive evolves into a big battle to destroy a device that could put an end to all Mandalorians. After victory is achieved, Sabine hands the Darksaber to Bo-Katan.

During an assault on an Imperial refinery, Kanan sacrifices himself to protect everyone. This is one of the saddest moments of the series.

The Empire seizes the Jedi Temple on Lothal. To prevent them from doing any harm Ezra and Sabine infiltrate the temple. Once inside, they see a strange mural. Ezra interacts with it and ends up in the “World between worlds”. A different dimension that connects every moment in time and space.

He watches the duel between Ahsoka and Vader. Before Vader strikes Ahsoka, Ezra reaches and physically pulls her out. A few seconds later they hear the voice of Emperor Palpatine who now also has some kind of access to this place.

They split up and Ezra exits through the mural. Before leaving the temple he closes the portal, causing the place to collapse.

Grand Admiral Thrawn launches a final attack on Lothal and this time he isn’t taking prisoners. He has a response to everything that the Ghost Crew thought. Ezra surrenders himself and, hoping to buy some time for his secret plan to work.

Out of nowhere, Purrgils appear on the atmosphere of the planet. They were “called” through a strange frequency that no one else uses, Ezra’s plan is a success. The Purrgils are special creatures that can travel through hyperspace.

With Thrawn and Ezra still aboard the Star Destroyer, the Purrgils, and the entire Imperial fleet enter hyperspace. Lothal is safe from the Galactic Empire but Ezra is out there, somewhere.

Ahsoka returns to Lothal, the time has come to find their old friend and she needs the help of Sabine Wren.

The Mandalorian

Din Djarin is trying to find a Jedi who can train Grogu. After helping Bo-Katan she tells him the location of Ahsoka. The pair proceed to free a small village from Morgan Elsbeth, a ruthless woman who serves Grand Admiral Thrawn. We don’t know if she possessed any meaningful information regarding Thrawn’s location.

Before the last battle between Mandalorians and Moff Gideon, he communicates his discomfort about Grand Admiral Thrawn not being present in the Shadow Council meeting. It seems that not even the Imperial remnants now his whereabouts, but his return is now imminent.

QandA Essentials before watching Ahsoka

In what time period does the Ahsoka series take place?

The first season of Ahsoka happens very close to the third season of The Mandalorian.

What’s an Inquisitor?

Inquisitors are fallen Jedi led by Darth Vader. Their only purpose was to hunt Jedi during the time of the Galactic Empire. The recently released book Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade explores more about the topic.

What species is Ahsoka?

Ahsoka is a Togruta.

Why are Ahsoka’s lightsabers white?

Red lightsabers are made by “bleeding” (corrupting) kyber crystals. Purifying a red crystal turns them into a white color. Ahsoka defeated an Inquisitor and purified his crystals.

Should I read the Ahsoka novel?

I don’t consider it a must-read book but it’s entertaining if you listen to the audiobook because Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka’s voice in Clone Wars and Rebels) narrates it. The most important moment of the book is already covered in Episode 6 of Tales of the Jedi.

How powerful is Ahsoka?

I can’t say exactly how powerful she is but her actions speak louder than anything I could say. Ahsoka has defeated Maul and multiple Inquisitors in lightsaber duels. During her days as a Padawan, she survived an encounter with General Grievous and years later she managed to stand her ground against Darth Vader, which is no small feat.

Why Ahsoka doesn’t appear or is mentioned during Revenge of the Sith?

Ahsoka lost her trust in the Jedi Order after she was framed for a crime and no one but Anakin believed her. After that, she decided to leave the Jedi Order.

Is Grand Admiral Thrawn human?

No, he is a Chiss.

What is the World between worlds?

A dimension within the Force that connects every moment between time and space.

Who are the lightsaber wielders that appear in the trailers?

They are Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. While there’s still much what we don’t know about them, it’s confirmed that they are master/apprentice and have been hired by Morgan Elsbeth.

Why does Ahsoka use two different-sized lightsabers?

The short lightsaber is called a Shoto, it is used for defensive purposes as an offhand weapon while the larger lightsaber serves as the main weapon.

How come Anakin had a Padawan if he never reached the Jedi Master status?

To reach the status of Jedi Master, Jedi Knights must successfully train a Padawan. Their Padawans refer to them as Masters but this isn’t indicative of their “rank” among the Jedi Order. In this context, “Master” means teacher/mentor.

I’ve watched the trailers but I’m a little lost

I have detailed trailer breakdowns for the first and second trailers of Ahsoka. Hopefully, they’ll answer some of your questions:

• Ahsoka Teaser Trailer Breakdown
• Ahsoka Official Trailer Breakdown

If you have any more questions make sure to ask them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them!