Why Was Ahsoka Forced To Go Into Exile & for How Long?

The storyline of Ahsoka Tano continues in the upcoming ‘Ahsoka’ series that will explore the ongoing battle between the heroes of the galaxy and the Imperial remnants that seek to destroy the peace that the Rebels worked hard to achieve. Of course, Ahsoka’s story has seen its fair share of ups and downs, especially during the Clone Wars. In fact, after the Clone Wars, Ahsoka went into exile and only resurfaced during the events of ‘Star Wars: Rebels.’ So, why was Ahsoka forced to go into exile?

Ahsoka Tano had to go into exile because she understood that the Sith had won during the events of Order 66 when she found out through Darth Maul that Darth Sidious used the clones to destroy the Jedi Order. As such, she decided to fake her death and hide from the Empire to live in peace.

While Ahsoka’s goal was to stay away from the spotlight, she also knew that she couldn’t stand idly while the Empire terrorized the entire galaxy. As such, she was only in exile for about a year before deciding to return to action as a secret operative working for Bail Organa and his small rebel factions. That said, let’s look at why Ahsoka was in exile and how long she stayed away from it all.

Is Ahsoka alive after Order 66?

No sane fan of Star Wars would ever forget the events of Order 66, which was responsible for destroying the Jedi Order and reducing the Jedi population to a few dozen. Almost all of the Jedi died due to Order 66, a secret order that Palpatine had installed into the brains of all clones to compel them to kill the Jedi upon order. And while we know that most of the Jedi died at the end of the Clone Wars, we also know that a few of the best Jedi survived.

Of course, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi are often the Jedi that people remember when it comes to the survivors of Order 66. But we also know that one more prominent character lived through the events of Order 66 and the entire Imperial era. We are talking about Ahsoka Tano, who was the Jedi Padawan that was learning under Anakin Skywalker during the events of the Clone Wars.

Unlike Yoda and Obi-Wan, Ahsoka not only survived Order 66 but lived through the entire Rebellion era as well. That is why she was able to make cameo appearances in ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ which are both set five years after the fall of the Empire. Of course, we also know that Ahsoka is set to star in her own series, ‘Ahsoka,’ which takes place right after ‘The Mandalorian’ season 3.

That means that Ahsoka is one of the greatest survivors of the Jedi Order as she lived through the Clone Wars, Order 66, and the Imperial era. And her story continues in the upcoming ‘Ahsoka’ series, which might explain her ultimate fate.

How did Ahsoka survive Order 66?

During Order 66, Ahsoka was on a ship called the Tribunal, which was on its way back to Coruscant after Tano and her clone allies defeated Darth Maul on Mandalore. They were on their way back to the capital of the Republic to surrender the captured Maul. However, Palpatine initiated Order 66 after he survived Mace Windu’s attack by completing Anakin’s fall to the dark side.

While on the Tribunal, Ahsoka reacted quickly to the clones attacking her. She also noticed how conflicted Captain Rex was as the clone told her to find Fives. That allowed Ahsoka to learn what happened to Fives, who was the first clone to discover that they had inhibitor chips that compelled them to kill the Jedi. Ahsoka discovered what happened to Fives and his best friend, Top, whose inhibitor chip malfunctioned.

As such, Ahsoka, after surviving the initial attack of the clones through her training, freed Maul from his imprisonment so that he could distract the clones. After that, she captured Rex and removed the inhibitor chip inside his brain so that he could help her escape. Through Rex, Ahsoka found out what Order 66 was all about, which was why she tried her best to save all of the other clones on the Tribunal.

However, the Tribunal was about to go down due to everything that happened to the ship while Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul were trying to survive the attack of the clones. The trio managed to escape the Tribunal, which crashed on a nearby planet. Ahsoka went to the crash site to deposit her lightsabers as a way to pay tribute to the clones that fought alongside her. 

Ahsoka knew that the Jedi Order was done

After the events that transpired in the Tribunal, Ahsoka actually returned to Coruscant to secretly attend the funeral of Padmé Amidala. She met up with Bail Organa, who wanted to recruit her into his cause because he understood that she could be a useful ally in their quest to find a way to defeat the Empire. However, Ahsoka was already done fighting because she understood they had been defeated.

Ahsoka experienced a lot of painful events during the Clone Wars. This included the deaths of all of the Tribunal clones and the fall of her master, who she believed died during Order 66. She also witnessed the pain of betrayal during the Clone Wars as her friend, Barriss Offee, framed her for the bombing of the Jedi Temple. That incident made Ahsoka understand that the Jedi Order didn’t trust her well enough.

In that regard, Ahsoka felt defeated after she survived Order 66. That was why she went into exile upon the rise of the Empire. She was no longer a Jedi at that time because she wanted to move away from that painful part of her life. And that was why Ahsoka decided to retire as a farm girl on the rural planet of Raada, which was far away from the affairs of the Empire.

How long was Ahsoka in exile?

While she was in exile, Ahsoka looked happy and contented with the kind of life she was living. However, when some of her friends were about to get hurt, Ahsoka had to use the Force to save them. While she tried to keep this a secret, the problem was that the secret got out. This allowed one of the Inquisitors to hear about the possibility of a Jedi living on Raada.

The Sixth Brother (unknown Inquisitor in ‘Tales of the Jedi’) attacked Raada and wreaked havoc there. Ahsoka saw what the Empire would do to flush any remaining Jedi out of hiding. As such, after defeating the Sixth Brother, Ahsoka decided to give Bail Organa a call so that she could join his efforts in fighting the Empire. This happened one year after Ahsoka went into hiding, meaning she was in exile for a year.

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