Ahsoka Tano is one of Star Wars' most experienced and most popular surviving Jedi. Her journey began in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and continues in her eponymous live-action series, Ahsoka, and has been shaped by difficult relationships and personal losses. Her live-action actress, Rosario Dawson, recently provided new insight into the trauma that has shaped her reluctance to continue the Jedi tradition.
With Ahsoka Season 2's January 2027 premiere date drawing nearer, Dawson joined her co-stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Eman Esfandi for a panel at Los Angeles Comic Con. During the panel, held on October 31, 2026, Dawson reflected on Ahsoka's relationships with her former master and subsequent apprentices, revealing how those connections inform her ongoing journey.
Prior to the events of Ahsoka, the conflicted ex-Jedi refused to train Grogu, the Yoda-like child first introduced in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Later, in her own series, Ahsoka took on Sabine Wren (Bordizzo), whom she first met in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, as her Padawan. Dawson connected both choices to Ahsoka's complicated and formative relationship with Anakin Skywalker:
"... It was very cool to see that world kind of expressed but also for you to really get just how young she was and what the dynamic of their relationship is. And I think it feeds so much then into a lot of the other storytelling around why Ahsoka refused to take Grogu on as a Padawan, about what that means for her to take on Sabine as a Padawan. And I think it just lends itself to a depth of history, which I think is so cool about Star Wars, about this continuing master-appearance relationship that continues down for generations."
Dawson continued, explaining that Ahsoka's trauma-filled history, especially her former master's transformation into Darth Vader, shaped her for a long time, but that the character goes on a healing journey in Ahsoka Season 1 that continues in Season 2:
"For Ahsoka, I think she's been very troubled for a really long time based off that past, but I think she heals it a lot in the first season and goes into Ahsoka the White ... You might heal things from your past, but that doesn't mean you still don't have challenges to face in the future. And it's just really cool to see that new grappling and the way the relationships have developed and yeah, it gets pretty hectic."
Ahsoka's History with Grogu and Sabine
In Ahsoka's live-action debut in The Mandalorian Season 2 episode, "The Jedi," Din Djarin brought Grogu to Ahsoka, hoping she would train him. Ahsoka sensed Grogu's powerful emotional connection to Din and feared this attachment could make him vulnerable to the dark side of the Force, remembering Anakin's downfall.
Grogu, who briefly trained under Luke Skywalker before reuniting with Din, had a very different Jedi training journey than Sabine, whose path was more unconventional. The former Mandalorian warrior had previously trained with Ahsoka, but their relationship deteriorated because Ahsoka feared Sabine's anger over Mandalore's destruction.
Their tentative reconciliation in Ahsoka Season 1 led to Sabine demonstrating her ability to use the Force and eventually becoming stranded on the planet Peridea while Grand Admiral Thrawn escaped to their home galaxy.
While Bordizzo declined to say much about the events of Ahsoka Season 2, she expressed excitement over fans seeing Sabine's development, suggesting that fans will be pleased with her arc:
"I think you guys would be really proud of her. I am very proud of her. And then also the interpersonal scenes and drama between the characters this season. We were on set like, [gasp face]. Like between takes like, 'Damn, this is a crazy scene.' So, it's very exciting."
Why Did Ahsoka Train Sabine but Reject Grogu?
Grogu and Sabine both possess powerful emotional attachments that could potentially hinder or derail their Jedi training. Ahsoka's initial resistance to training either character reflected her unresolved fears about Anakin and the possibility of a prospective Padawan following his path.
After declining to train Grogu, Ahsoka's transformative experience in The World Between Worlds helped her recognize that Anakin's tragic fate did not have to determine her own future or the future of any apprentices she takes on. Accepting Sabine as her Padawan demonstrates Ahsoka's growing willingness to trust herself as a mentor.
With Ahsoka and Sabine both isolated on Peridea away from their friends, at least until Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) presumably rallies their allies to embark upon a rescue mission, the pair find themselves in a unique position. Sabine continuing to develop her Force abilities under Ahsoka's tutelage gives them an opportunity to deepen their bond.
Bordizzo's comments about interpersonal drama could suggest that the characters will face difficult decisions that test their renewed trust in one another, something that will likely prove essential as the conflict with Grand Admiral Thrawn grows more imminent.
Ahsoka Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on January 20, 2027.
