The Real Reason The Mandalorian Needs Ahsoka Tano
Contains spoilers for The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 2 of The Mandalorian has already proven how the show will connect to previous Star Wars properties. The first two episodes are filled with Easter eggs to the original trilogy and beyond, and the premiere episode, "Chapter 9: The Marshal," even has the return of an iconic bounty hunter. This is only the beginning, as the creators behind the Star Wars show have already announced other characters who will stop by to help Mando along his journey. The most exciting of the bunch? Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan.
On The Mandalorian season 2, Rosario Dawson will play Ahsoka — the first time she's ever appeared in a live-action capacity – and fans are already intrigued to see how she ends up as part of Mando and the Child's story. The final season of the Star Wars animate series The Clone Wars saw Ahsoka (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) and the rest of the Jedi fall at the hands of Order 66. While Ahsoka ended up making it out alive, she went into exile. We see a little bit of what she's been up to over the years when an older version of her appears in Star Wars Rebels, but considering the events of The Mandalorian take place after Return of the Jedi, it's still unknown how she'll factor into this storyline.
However, Ahsoka's eventual appearance in season 2 is bound to have major ramifications going forward. After all, Ahsoka can take one look at the Child and tell Mando precisely where she's seen a Jedi who looks exactly like the little creature before.
Ahsoka Tano could inform Mando about the Force
Ahsoka's presence on The Mandalorian is something the show truly needs. Mando obviously knows the Child — aka Baby Yoda — has certain powers. But when Mando tells Kuiil (voiced by Nick Nolte) about Baby Yoda's Force-summoning moment in season 1, Kuiil responds, "I still don't understand what happened." Mando replies, "Neither do I."
In the Star Wars universe, entire planets of people seem to forget about the Jedi and the Force, and often, the warriors are relegated to myth status. It appears as though legends of the Jedi may not have reached Mando, so seeing the Child lift up a heavy monster was understandably a shock to him. Throughout his travels, the Child kept its powers to itself for the most part, and between the people who have seen it in action, no one seems to know what exactly is going on.
That all will likely change once Mando finally meets Ahsoka. She spent a lot of time with the centuries-old Yoda as she trained to become a Jedi, and she often went to the Jedi Master for guidance. Once she sees the Child, she may be able to tell Mando about its species and where he can find others of its kind. Ahsoka could also fill him in on the Force, what it is, and why the Child can tune into it. In essence, she's the link between The Mandalorian and the rest of the Star Wars universe.
The Empire may have fallen, but there are still the forces of good and evil battling it out in the galaxy. Ahsoka Tano can become a powerful ally to Mando, and while some fans are worried about her role, we're incredibly excited to see where she takes the show next.