Even though Ahsoka Tano’s was contrived after the Star Wars movies were released, she has become one of the franchise’s most popular characters. Many younger fans grew up with her character during The Clone Wars. Then they saw her development come to fruition in Star Wars Rebels. After her live-action debut alongside Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian, everyone is eagerly anticipating the release of Ahsoka on Disney Plus, which may finally clear up her standing with the Jedi.
Even with Ahsoka’s popularity, there is an odd fact about her character that is almost being ignored. Even though Ahsoka was Anakin’s Padawan learner, in the closing arc of The Clone Wars Season 5, Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order. Since then, she has been adamant that she “is no Jedi.” In a franchise where Jedi are typically touted as the heroes, Ahsoka’s extended noncommitment to that title is unprecedented. However, Disney may have already hinted that Ahsoka will return to the Jedi.
Ahsoka is not the first character to shun themselves from the Jedi Order in Disney’s Star Wars canon. Luke Skywalker cut himself off from the Force and walked away. Rey briefly tried to do the same thing in The Rise of Skywalker before Luke could convince her otherwise. Count Dooku, Anakin and numerous Inquisitors all left the Jedi Order as well. Ahsoka's situation is different from all of these other characters, though. Luke and Rey tried to excommunicate themselves from the Force altogether, whereas Dooku, Anakin and the Inquisitors joined the dark side of the Force. On the other hand, Ahsoka is essentially doing the same thing she would have done as a Jedi: going around and trying to make the galaxy a better place for the weak and downtrodden. The only difference is her obvious disdain for the Jedi title.
Her disapproval of the Jedi Order is understandable. It nearly dismissed her for false charges during the Clone Wars. During that process, she started to see the Order’s hypocrisy. So, she left. While she was gone, everything collapsed as Darth Sidious carried out his grand plan. When the Jedi Order fell, it had failed the Republic, the galaxy and, most importantly, her Master, Anakin Skywalker. It’s also clear that when she appeared in The Mandalorian nearly thirty years later, Ahsoka still felt the same way about the Jedi.
While it makes sense from Ahsoka’s perspective, the whole situation is kind of odd. With Ahsoka still in no man’s land and distancing herself from the Jedi, Disney has seemingly placed itself in a position that makes people question whether Jedi are still the heroes of the Star Wars franchise. However, Disney may have already hinted that it will solve this problem by having Ahsoka return to the Jedi Order.
The Rise of Skywalker's climactic scene shows Rey calling upon the Jedi of the Past to help her defeat Darth Sidious. As she hears them speak and uses their combined power, Rey tells the Emperor that she is “all the Jedi.” Of note is the fact that Ahsoka was one of the voices Rey heard, meaning that Ahsoka became a Jedi before that point in galactic history. It would be awfully odd to have Rey say that she is “all the Jedi” after hearing from a bunch of Jedi and one random light-side user. Therefore, it seems Ahsoka accepted her status as a Jedi once again.
Maybe she’ll come back after learning that Anakin was redeemed, or maybe it’ll have something to do with Kannan’s sacrifice or the search for Ezra. Regardless of how it ends up happening, she will not be returning to the Jedi Order as she left it. There is no hypocritical Jedi Council anymore, and she can, essentially, do things her way. Maybe Disney will confirm her as some version of a Grey Jedi in canon, or perhaps she will become like a Jedi Wayseeker from the High Republic era. Exactly how or why she might return is anyone’s guess at this point. But, hopefully, the coming Disney +'s Ahsoka series will answer whether Ahsoka definitively returns to the Jedi.