Ahsoka: Hero or Heroine?

By Jennifer Iacobino

Any Star Wars fan worth their Crait salt knows that George Lucas famously modeled A New Hope and then the following sequels, after Joseph Campbell’s A Hero’s Journey. He created this now common storytelling tactic by comparing the myths of our ancient history and found commonality within the texts and their meaning. But when asked, “what about the heroine’s journey?” he reportedly replied that the heroine doesn’t need a journey, she is already there and the rest of the world is trying to get to her.

Now taking the conversation into the 21st century, I prescribe to the notion that a hero’s journey is that of the masculine, not necessarily male, and the heroine’s journey is that of the feminine, therefore not exclusively female. Often the most critically approved female lead action stories are ones where they follow the hero’s journey, ie. Wonder Woman, Hunger Games, and Westworld. These are stories of hero isolation, revenge, and return to a world they no longer belong in.

So after my most recent summer read, Gail Carriger’s A Heroine's Journey, I couldn’t help myself but compare every step to my favorite female lead, Ahsoka Tano. Was George Lucas’ final creative gift to his fans by adding a new one to the Hero with a Thousand Faces, or was it a new journey for Star Wars?

As to little surprise, one can easily find a clean and easy graph of the hero’s journey, but the heroine, however, Google simply asks if you spelled hero wrong… so here are the fundamental differences between the two:

A hero’s journey is one of self-sufficiency. That is why they refuse the initial call to action and must leave the known world for the unknown because they must recognize that though their life is currently comfortable, it is their duty to go forth on this adventure and solve the problem that plagues their community. Their trials separate them from friends, lovers, and allies as they slowly descend into despair, where, in their darkest hour, they discover the truth, defeat the big baddie and return home with their prize. But the trauma and isolation make it impossible to truly go home and they end their story bittersweet on the outside looking in, having helped the world at the cost of themselves.

A heroine’s journey is one of connection. That is why when trouble arises, they do not refuse the call, because their connection is in danger and it's their duty to save them. They do not fear the unknown because they go on this journey with trusted friends and/or found families and learn to work together highlighting each individual's strengths throughout the obstacles of the adventure. The darkest hour for them is when their antagonist takes away their connections, or they believe they have lost everyone. But within that dark hour, they reach out for help and find strength in others to overcome the darkness and return home with new connections, knowledge, and understanding for their world to benefit from.

So is Ahsoka Tano on a Hero’s Journey or a Heroine’s? Let’s find out.

We can see easily how Luke Skywalker fulfills these molds. Luke, though heavily connected to his friends, always confronts the dark side on his own, whether it’s the last X-Wing vs the Death Star, a generator room in Cloud City or the Throne room. Luke goes it alone. He leaves his friends to protect them, save them, meet his destiny as he pushes away his connections, so when the war is done he finds himself somewhat alone. He watches from the side as his friend's embrace on Endor, his old masters, force ghosts collected together and he belongs to neither as the last known Jedi in the world, burdened with responsibility.

But what about Ahsoka? Her entrance into the saga is as a young Padawan and a third wheel to the boys' club adventures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. She never works alone, never seeks separation from her friends and allies, and never refuses a call to help. All markers of a heroine’s journey. But her inclination to brash improvised plans, lone wolf samurai path with the force and refutation of the Jedi also imply a hero’s journey.

In her final arc of the original series, Ahsoka is betrayed by the Jedi council and is forcibly separated from her community and allies, isolating her in her darkest hour. But at the conclusion of the arc, when her community invites her back, her connections reach out, she declines and goes on her own path away from her friends and master.

The premise question at the start of Clone Wars was above all: Where is Ahsoka during Revenge of the Sith? Or more grimly, Does Ahsoka survive Order 66?

At the abrupt conclusion of the series, the question is somewhat satisfyingly answered ...yes? She was not a Jedi at the time of Order 66 and therefore survived. But that rhetorical answer was not enough for hungry fans. 

The final season of Clone Wars picks up where it left off. Ashoka on her own. But is she? She makes new connections in Raffa and Tris, aiding them in whatever way she can, regardless of her safety. When Bo-Katan asks for help on Mandalore, Ahsoka agrees, and does she go it alone? No. She calls in her friends and allies, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, and the 501st Clone Squad. When Anakin leaves her once again, he gives her blue light sabers as a symbol of their connection. The clones paint their helmets with her markings in an emotional scene to fortify their loyalty to her. She jumps first, delegates, and trusts her allies in the battle of Mandalore, and in her last moments against Maul relies on the 501st to capture and secure him after she’s disarmed him.

During Order 66, she does not go it alone, abandoning her clones and escaping at all costs. She seeks community with droids and eventually Rex. She does not exact revenge on the Clones that turned on her because they had no choice. Rather, she buries their bodies after the battle is done, recognizing that their bond was not broken.

In her stand-alone book, she purposely isolates herself to protect her identity from those who are hunting Jedi. Even to go so far as removing herself from the Force after feeling so much pain and death from her fallen fellow Jedi. But it does not stop her from helping force sensitive children, and the farmers on an outer rim planet being occupied by Imperial forces. In the end, she joins the fight against the Empire under the code name Fulcrum. 

During her ultimate confrontation with Vader in Star Wars: Rebels, she pushes Ezra and Kanan away for their protection as the Sith temple collapses and her unwillingness to abandon Anakin, still within Darth Vader. That connection with Ezra ultimately saves her life in the World Between Worlds and in return she joins Sabine in finding him at the conclusion of Rebels.

When we meet Ashoka again in the Mandalorian, she is a lone wolf nomad helping anyone she encounters on her travels. This could be argued, therefore she is on a hero’s journey, too damaged to return to the Jedi Luke is building, moving constantly in the galaxy, never having a home or a people to return to.

But amongst the much criticism of the Rise of Skywalker gets, I’ve never heard a chirp about Rey reaching out to all those in the Netherworld of the force asking for their presence and guidance during her ultimate confrontation with Palpatine. Amongst those voices is Ahsoka Tano.

She may not have found her place amongst the Jedi, but did amongst the Force and came to aid when called.

I think there is an argument to be made that Ahsoka was George’s gift to the next generation of Star Wars as our Luke and therefore on a hero’s journey. But I believe in setting up her character for six seasons, George really wanted to show that a true, pure Jedi’s journey, the one Qui Gon preached about, is one of a Heroine’s Journey.

Jedi seek community and connection amongst each other and all things through the living Force. This connection creates unconditional compassion which is a cornerstone for a Jedi. Ahsoka has a Swiftie level of dedication from her fans and I believe part of that is because she breeds community, acceptance, loyalty, and compassion that people in the Star Wars fandom crave. It’s not shocking that she was not popular in the beginning. In a world trained on seeking heroes who do everything on their own, it’s hard to find strength in a young girl who constantly asks and needs help.  

So as I am not an authority on Ahsoka or the Heroine’s Journey I can not say whether she was designed as one or the other but I will leave you with this quote of hers that encapsulates her, her story, and the path we must all take female, male and everyone in between on our journeys:

“When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lead others to survive as well.”

And she did. #AhsokaLives in all of us.