When Ahsoka Tano made her debut in Disney+'s The Mandalorian, fans may not have had any reason to question how it fits into the greater Star Wars timeline. Thanks to Dave Filoni, though, things no longer seem so cut and dried.
While speaking with Vanity Fair, Filoni was asked where Ahsoka's post-time jump appearance in Star Wars Rebels fits in with her appearance in The Mandalorian. "I think the thing that people will most not understand is they want to go in a linear fashion, but as I learned as a kid, nothing in Star Wars really works in a linear fashion," he explained. "You do [Episodes] Four, Five and Six and then One, Two, and Three. So in the vein of that history, when you look at the epilogue of Rebels you don't really know how much time has passed. So, it's possible that the story I'm telling in The Mandalorian actually takes place prior to that. Possible. I'm saying it's possible."
Ahsoka Tano made her debut in 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) as the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker. Initially rejected by many Star Wars fans, the character soon became a staple of the franchise, largely due to the popularity of the subsequent Clone Wars series. In Season 5 of The Clone Wars series, Ahsoka left the Jedi Order and would later reunite with Anakin for one last time in Season 7 before his fall to the dark side. In that same season, she would also escape Order 66 with the help of Captain Rex, resurfacing years later during the events of Star Wars Rebels as the mysterious Fulcrum, who aided the fledgling Rebellion. It was around this time that she encountered her former master once more, albeit as Darth Vader, and nearly died by his hands in a lightsaber duel. In actuality, though, she was transported to the World Between Worlds thanks to Ezra Bridger.
Prior to The Mandalorian, Ahsoka's last canonical appearance placed her in the aftermath of the events of Return of the Jedi, returning to Lothal with Sabine Wren to search for the missing Ezra in the finale of Rebels. However, she was also featured in The Rise of Skywalker as one of the many Jedi voices reaching out to Rey to help her defeat Palpatine, seemingly confirming she'd died by that point in the timeline.
The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. New episodes arrive Fridays on Disney+.
Source: Vanity Fair