This week's episode of The Mandalorian, "The Jedi," introduces Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano, probably the most popular Star Wars character never to appear in any of the Skywalker Saga films. Including Ahsoka in The Mandalorian was always going to be a high wire act for Disney because her many prior appearances, both in canon and legends, meant that the story group had to decide upon not just a definitive storyline that worked with the series, but also a characterization that rang true to those devoted fans. Fortunately, so far, in its depiction and use of Ashoka Tano, The Mandalorian is bringing balance to the Force.
After a recap in which the audience is reminded that Mando has spent half a season doing odd jobs in exchange for information, the episode proper begins. It begins on Corvus, the planet Bo Katan told Din Djarin to visit after he helped her reclaim some Mandalorian weapons in "The Heiress." Corvus is a dark, foggy, mysterious-looking wasteland, but "The Jedi" doesn't bother with creating dramatic tension or building up to a surprise reveal. The unmistakable Togruta Jedi shows up within seconds, armed with her equally recognizable white lightsabers.
This version of Ahsoka Tano would be around 40 years old, and she exhibits all the calm, steely maturity of a Jedi who's been through a franchise-worth of adversity, and come out the other side enlightened. Early on, fans get the sense that Ahsoka is still trying her best to live according to the spirit of the Jedi teachings, and her motivations come even more into focus once Mando and the Child arrive on the scene. Conveniently for Mando, after he arrives on Corvus, a high-ranking guard takes him straight to the Magistrate, who even more conveniently provides him with the coordinates to track down the Jedi he seeks, so long as he assassinates her in exchange for a beskar spear. Din doesn't explicitly accept the deal but uses Ahsoka's whereabouts to try and fulfill his true mission.
After a brief altercation, the bounty hunter explains his situation with the Child, and Ahsoka tells him that his real name is "Grogu." He was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, but someone made off with him around the time the Empire rose to power. She even explains the Force to the Mandalorian and tests Grogu's power. However, what she observes is troubling. While she remarks to Mando that she's only ever seen one other of his species, Master Yoda, it's clear Grogu reminds her of her old Master, Anakin. The Child is full of fear, clouded memories and a dangerous attachment to Din, who has become a father figure to him. She regrets that she cannot train him, but offers Mando a possible solution that would enable him to complete his quest. He must take Grogu to the seeing stone on Tython, where the Child can choose his own path.
In her refusal to take responsibility for Grogu, Ahsoka is protecting herself against her own fears -- a weakness she hopes won't compromise her mission to track Admiral Thrawn. Her complicated history with the Jedi means she's neither overly zealous nor completely jaded. Like Din, she's a warrior stuck between a strict code and her own sense of morality. She's seen the Jedi decimated by the Empire, due in part to their own hubris. She learned personal lessons about Jedi wisdom the hard way, through broken friendships and painful betrayals. She's also witnessed the entire galaxy pay the price for all of it, as has happened on Corvus. It's as if Ahsoka believes if she does right by the Force, she can not only redeem the Jedi but correct the past.
The refusal to help, though, likely wasn't as easy for Ahsoka as it appeared. As she assesses the Child's power, she speaks of the importance of connection. She was quite taken with Grogu, and though she sensed a loneliness in him, she's been cut off from other Force users, too. It's just as plain she feels deep sadness for the suffering souls of Corvus. The fact that she wants to save them, even at the potential cost of her own life and her larger goal, means she still has that same compassion she displayed in her youth.