Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano’s Relationship Is One of the Most Vital in All of ‘Star Wars’
Despite a key rule in the Jedi Code forbidding attachment, relationships — platonic and otherwise — are a theme throughout Star Wars. It’s a motif in the original trilogy, like when Luke Skywalker found out his father was Darth Vader and Leia his sister, to the prequels showcasing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s brotherly bond. Plus, Anakin’s story proved why that rule was a tough one to follow, with his secret marriage to Padmé Amidala. But Ahsoka and Anakin, a vital relationship in the franchise, are sometimes overlooked especially by those that don’t watch The Clone Wars. They shared a strong bond that was important to Star Wars as a whole.
Ahsoka came on the show to ground Anakin and teach him how to be a teacher
Looking at why Ahsoka was created in the first place gives excellent insight into her essential role in Anakin’s life. At a press event in 2008, io9 reported that George Lucas revealed he created Ahsoka’s character to show how Anakin went from a cocky teen in Attack of the Clones to the established Jedi Knight in Revenge of the Sith.
“[With Ahsoka] I wanted to develop a character who would help Anakin settle down. He’s a wild child after [Attack of the Clones],” Lucas said. “He and Obi-Wan don’t get along. So we wanted to look at how Anakin and Ahsoka become friends, partners, a team.”
Ahsoka was also there to teach Anakin a thing or two about maturity and being a teacher. “When you become a parent, or you become a teacher, you have to become more responsible,” Lucas said. “I wanted to force Anakin into that role of responsibility, into that juxtaposition.”
However, Ahsoka was anything but a plot device that was only there to help Anakin. She served the purpose Lucas mentioned, but she also had her own story, her own arcs, and has become one of the most beloved Star Wars characters.
Ahsoka is literally Anakin, but in teenage Togruta form
Dave Filoni, executive producer and supervising director for The Clone Wars, told The Star Wars Show in 2018 why fans have such a strong bond with Ahsoka. “I think because they grow up with her too,” Filoni said. “This generation is being very vocal about her. One of her secret superpowers is that she is Anakin adjacent, and that relationship is everything.”
The “Anakin adjacent” line is a perfect description of Ahsoka. Because not only did Master Yoda give Anakin a Padawan when he didn’t want one. He gave him Ahsoka, who was just as snippy, hardheaded, and wild as Anakin was. She would easily go toe-to-toe with Anakin when it came to arguing, and she was also highly skilled for her age.
Ahsoka was immensely crucial to Anakin like Anakin was to Obi-Wan
To better understand Ahsoka and Anakin’s bond, you can easily look at Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin had a Padawan thrust on them when they weren’t expecting it. Obi-Wan had only just passed the trials to become a Jedi Kight after Qui-Gon Jinn’s death in The Phantom Menace. For Anakin, he had no desire to train a young Padawan that would just “slow him down.” Not to mention, both Anakin and Ahsoka were handfuls.
But an even better comparison is their strong bond. Obi-Wan was a model Jedi. He pushed aside any feelings of love for Satine because it’s not the Jedi way. Obi-Wan was very mindful of his thoughts and obeyed the Code to a T. When it came to Anakin, though, Obi-Wan allowed himself to be more attached. As he said in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan yelled, “You were my brother Anakin, I loved you!”
Anakin was, of course, way more apparent with his attachment to Ahsoka, which concerned Master Luminara Unduli in Season 2 on Geonosis. Also, who can forget just how hard Anakin fought to clear Ahsoka’s name, or how hurt he was to see her go after she left the Jedi Order.
Anakin succeeded in his training of Ahsoka, even if their ending wasn’t a happy one
As we see in Season 3, Ahsoka was very grateful for Anakin’s training, and it really paid off. Anakin was one of the best Jedi, and she went on to become one of the greats as well. In the finale for the third season, Ahsoka thanks Anakin for her training, which got her out of captivity. It confirms to Yoda that he made the right choice in assigning her to Anakin. And even in Star Wars Rebels, she watches Anakin’s training tapes to balance herself.
Anakin and Ahsoka had a bond that shaped Star Wars in so many ways. It helped Anakin grow into the leader and Jedi Knight he became by Revenge of the Sith, and she also played a role in opening his eyes to the Jedi when she was banned. Even though it didn’t have a happy ending, Ahsoka and Anakin’s friendship and bond are an integal part of the makeup of Star Wars.
