What to watch and Read before Ahsoka

The Ahsoka series is a part of the Star Wars universe and has been released in full on Disney+  Sometimes it takes extra viewings or readings to understand the full scale of what’s happening in a new movie or TV show. Ahsoka is no different. Ahsoka stars the former Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, her Mandalorian Padawan Sabine Wren, with their antagonists being Morgan Elsbeth, a surviving Nightsister, former Jedi Baylon Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati. Sabine and Ahsoka are trying to find Ezra Bridger, who disappeared at the end of Star Wars: Rebels with Grand Admiral Thrawn, the only non-human in the Imperial Navy, and one of the most dangerous tacticians and strategists in the known and unknown galaxy.

If you are coming to this universe fresh then this article is meant for you. I will provide a detailed and thorough list of all the episodes, movies, and books to read and watch before watching Ahsoka, going in chronological order, from earliest to most recent in the timeline. This canon is complicated, and to get the fullest understanding of the Star Wars universe before watching Ahsoka, then watching the total 101 hours and 30 minutes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (the show and the movie), Star Wars: Rebels, Tales of the Jedi season one, Rogue One, and the Original and the Prequel trilogies may be in your best interest. This is not including the time it would take to listen to the audiobooks, the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, the 2017 Thrawn Trilogy, or the Ahsoka book by E.K. Johnston, which is a total listening time of 105 hours and nine minutes. But not everyone has time for that so let’s stick with the abbreviated timeline instead. 

As a reminder these are recommendations and not rules, feel free to read or watch whatever compels you.

The timeline I will be using is Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), and After the Battle of Yavin (ABY). The Battle of Yavin, also known as the Battle of the Death Star, was the first major victory over the Empire that the Alliance to Restore the Republic had accomplished. This is where Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star, and helped kick off the open war between the Rebels and the Empire. So, for reference, Obi-wan Kenobi died and The Death Star was blown up in 0 BBY, within the same years. Darth Vader and the Emperor died in 4 ABY, four years after the first Death Star was blown up.

Ahsoka Tano was born in 36-35 Before the Battle of Yavin, kicking off the viewing order is Tales of the Jedi episode one, season one “Life and Death.” It shows Ahsoka’s birth, and shows the decision her family and community made to give her to the Jedi Order.

The next to watch is 22 years Before the Battle of Yavin, is the movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as it is when she was assigned as Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, and it shows the beginning of their friendship and close teacher-student relationship.

During the Clone Wars we get episode five of Tales of the Jedi “Practice Makes Perfect.” It shows how Anakin trained Ahsoka to help prepare her for the uncertainty of war.

The next five seasons span three years, which then leads to Star Wars: The Clone Wars season five, episodes 17, 18, 19, and 20. This is the arc that culminates in Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order for several months, nearing a year. This is where her complicated relationship with the Jedi starts, and why she doesn’t call herself a Jedi.

An optional read is Timothy Zahn’s book “Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising,” which happens in the time span of Ahsoka being gone from Anakin’s life.

The next set of episodes you should watch occur 19 years before the Battle of Yavin, Star Wars: The Clone Wars season seven, episodes 9, 10, 11, and 12. After finishing the episodes of the Clone Wars, watch Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. The Clone Wars final three episodes occur concurrently with the movie. 

Now we head back to Tales of the Jedi, 19 years Before the Battle of Yavin, with episode six “Resolve,” wherein we see Ahsoka’s life immediately after Order 66 and her life in hiding.

An optional reading would be E. K. Johnston’s, “Ahsoka” which occurs 18 years Before the Battle of Yavin, but the TV show “Tales of the Jedi” and the book conflict with each other about key events in Ahsoka’s life. So I am putting the book as an optional read.

The other two Thrawn Ascendancy books “Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good, and Lesser Evil” occur 18 years Before the Battle of Yavin and come next. They are also optional reads if you wish to understand Thrawn as a character better. 

Timothy Zahn’s book Star Wars: Thrawn, begins 14-18 years Before the Battle of Yavin, and ends two years Before the Battle of Yavin. Leading directly into his Star Wars: Rebels debut in season three episodes one and two “Steps into Shadow part one & two.” 

The major TV series you should watch, or at least watch a few episodes of, is Star Wars: Rebels. Rebels runs from five years Before the Battle of Yavin, to one year Before the Battle of Yavin. Rebels contains many of the characters who show up in Ahsoka, most importantly Ezra Bridgre, Sabine Wren, General Hera Syndulla, and C1-10P, nicknamed “Chopper.” 

The list of episodes most important to both Ahsoka herself and the crew of the Ghost in season one of Star Wars: Rebels are episodes one, two, 10, 12, 14, and 15. Ahsoka makes blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances as a code name, and her intel influences many parts of the earlier seasons of Rebels.

An optional watch for this season would be season one episode eight, as you get to learn more about Ezra and his backstory, and watch as he gets closer to his new family, Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and even Chopper.

Star Wars: Rebels season two starts off with a bang, with episodes one and two, “The Siege of Lothal.” The other episodes to watch this season are episodes three, four, 10, 15, 18, 20, and ends with 21 and 22 “Twilight of the Apprentice.” Episode 10 denotes the change in year from four years Before the Battle of Yavin to three years Before the Battle of Yavin. Ahsoka makes her first actual appearance in season two episode one, and is present for the rest of the season in some form or another.

An optional watch if you are a particular fan of the Original Trilogy would be episode 12 of season two “A Princess on Lothal,” as a young Princess Leia Organa takes a prominent role in this episode. If you find yourself intrigued by the ruthless Agent Kallus, then watch season two episode 17 “The Honorable Ones.”

Season three of Rebels kicks off two years Before the Battle of Yavin, beginning with episodes one and two “Steps Into Shadow.” The next episodes to watch are episodes three, four, five, 10, 15, 16, 17, and the two part finale episodes 21 and 22 “Zero Hour.” We get introduced to the main villain from this point on, the recently promoted Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Timothy Zahn’s book “Thrawn: Alliances” happens right after the season finale of Rebels season three. Alliances is two stories in one, one taking place 19 years Before the Battle of Yavin, with a story focusing on how Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker first met. The other half of the book is about a mission Thrawn and Darth Vader had been sent on by the Emperor.

Season four of Rebels kicks off one year Before the Battle of Yavin, in episodes one and two “Heroes of Mandalore.” The next episodes to watch are three, four, eight, 9, and 10. To take a break from the emotional train wreck that episode 10 “Jedi Night” is, then consider reading the final Thrawn book of the Thrawn trilogy “Thrawn: Treason,” as it takes place at about this exact time. You can actually pinpoint in episode ten when Thrawn leaves to defend his Tie Defender program, and thus the bridge between Rebels and Thrawn: Treason.

The next episodes after that are 11, 12, 13, 14, and the two-part finale of 15 and 16 “Family Reunion – and Farewell.” The final episodes are especially important, as they show Thrawn, the Chimaera, and Ezra’s disappearance from the known galaxy, and introduces Kanan and Hera’s son, Jacen Syndulla.

The next things to watch after the conclusion of Rebels are optional if you are already familiar with them. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope are right after another chronologically wise.

Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, takes place three years After the Battle of Yavin. The final movie of the Original trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, concludes four years After the Battle of Yavin. With that the era of the Rebellion ends, and the New Republic begins.

We begin again 9 years After the Battle of Yavin with The Mandalorian, season two chapter 13 “The Jedi.” This lets us see Ahsoka Tano again, and for the first time in live action, and introduces us to Morgan Elsbeth, who is an important antagonist in the Ahsoka show, being a major part of the reason Baylon Skoll and Shin Hati can even find Thrawn in the first place.

The Ahsoka show takes place 9-10 years After the Battle of Yavin. By this time Ahsoka has lived through two wars, technically died several times, became the leader of an intelligence ring, watched her all of her friends and family die in Order 66 and during the Rebellion Era, Been to the World Between Worlds, and she has taken a Padawan, Sabine Wren, who has her own baggage in the form of her father figure dying, her best friend disappearing, and her home planet and all of her biological family dying in The Purge of Mandalore, which occurred between 4 ABY and 5 ABY, the near total destruction of Mandalore sector of space.

To watch how they evolve and grow, watch Ahsoka on Disney+, all eight episodes of season one have been released.