When she made her debut in The Clone Wars movie, Ahsoka was one of the most hated characters in the Star Wars galaxy. Now, she's one of the most beloved and even made appearances on another show, The Mandalorian.
Why is this character so beloved nowadays? Look no further than the episode "Jedi Crash", where her character rerailment from "reckless brat" to "brave, yet flawed padawan hero" began.
During a first half involving a botched evacuation of a Venator-class vessel during a losing fleet battle, Anakin Skywalker is critically injured after preventing an explosion from killing his padawan Ahsoka and fellow Jedi Aayla Secura. After they crash land on a forest planet populated by lemur-like aliens, Ahsoka reluctantly agrees to find someone who can heal their wounded friend.
The episode is very much a survival-based story, with the characters crashing on a foreign planet and having to band together to survive. It's also a story about Ahsoka learning that over-attachment leads to the dark side, letting go of her urge to stay with Anakin for the greater good, and this is the moment when Ahsoka began her journey to being a better character. Through Aayla telling a story about her old master, Ahsoka learns that greed and fear of loss are the roots that lead to the tree of evil, and that ignoring such fears will ultimately lead to things becoming better in the end.
Of course, the Lemur-like race turn out to be pacifists and mostly want nothing to do with the Jedi, setting in motion the next episode "Defenders of Peace" where the Clone War arrives at the colonists' doorstep and the now-healed Anakin alongside Ahsoka and Aayla must defend them from a horrifying new weapon. "Defenders of Peace" is a much better episode in my opinion, but "Jedi Crash", the first of this story arc, is no slouch either for beginning the road to Ahsoka's vindication..
Why is this character so beloved nowadays? Look no further than the episode "Jedi Crash", where her character rerailment from "reckless brat" to "brave, yet flawed padawan hero" began.
During a first half involving a botched evacuation of a Venator-class vessel during a losing fleet battle, Anakin Skywalker is critically injured after preventing an explosion from killing his padawan Ahsoka and fellow Jedi Aayla Secura. After they crash land on a forest planet populated by lemur-like aliens, Ahsoka reluctantly agrees to find someone who can heal their wounded friend.
The episode is very much a survival-based story, with the characters crashing on a foreign planet and having to band together to survive. It's also a story about Ahsoka learning that over-attachment leads to the dark side, letting go of her urge to stay with Anakin for the greater good, and this is the moment when Ahsoka began her journey to being a better character. Through Aayla telling a story about her old master, Ahsoka learns that greed and fear of loss are the roots that lead to the tree of evil, and that ignoring such fears will ultimately lead to things becoming better in the end.
Of course, the Lemur-like race turn out to be pacifists and mostly want nothing to do with the Jedi, setting in motion the next episode "Defenders of Peace" where the Clone War arrives at the colonists' doorstep and the now-healed Anakin alongside Ahsoka and Aayla must defend them from a horrifying new weapon. "Defenders of Peace" is a much better episode in my opinion, but "Jedi Crash", the first of this story arc, is no slouch either for beginning the road to Ahsoka's vindication..