Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5, “Chapter 13: The Jedi.”
Ahsoka Tano makes her live-action Star Wars debut in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5, “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” but the title of the installment is something of a lie. Ever since Rosario Dawson’s casting as Ahsoka was reported back in March 2020, there’s been a lot of hype at the prospect of the fan-favourite Star Wars: The Clone Wars character appearing in Disney+’s flagship Star Wars show, and The Mandalorian season 2 has enjoyed teasing her arrival.
Having been mentioned by Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 3, “Chapter 11: The Heiress,” Ahsoka is finally introduced in “The Jedi” – an episode title that was revealed ahead of time, further building excitement for her imminent introduction. The live-action version doesn’t disappoint, as Ahsoka still wields her two white lightsabers, fights much like she did in The Clone Wars, and makes some major reveals about Baby Yoda’s backstory.
As is the case with most of The Mandalorian‘s episode titles, the name points to a specific individual. Much like “The Marshal” was Cobb Vanth or “The Heiress” was Bo-Katan, it’s clear that “The Jedi” is Ahsoka Tano, with the installment opening and closing on the character, who is the Jedi that Din Djarin had been searching for. The only problem is that Ahsoka left the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars season 5. Following the bombing of a Jedi Temple hangar and other attacks that caused several deaths, the finger of blame was pointed at Ahsoka, who had to go underground and was thrown out of the Order. Eventually the real culprit, Barriss Offee, one of Ahsoka’s fellow Padawans, was caught, but the damage to Ahsoka’s faith in the Jedi Order had been done, and she refused to rejoin, instead forging her own path. Because of that, Ahsoka isn’t actually a Jedi, despite what The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5’s title may suggest.
Ahsoka doesn’t directly address her leaving the Jedi Order in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5; she references the fall of Anakin Skywalker, and warmly remembers Grand Master Yoda, but aside from her refusal to train Baby Yoda there’s no overt reference to the fact that she isn’t part of the Jedi Order. What happens to Ahsoka between the end of Star Wars Rebels and her return in The Mandalorian season 2 hasn’t been fleshed out yet but, given there wasn’t much of an Order left during that time anyway, it does seem unlikely she’d rejoin. However, while telling Mando she’s not a Jedi might’ve helped explain things, it likely would’ve only raised more questions, and there wasn’t as much room to show that in the episode. Her line towards the end, though, about the fact there “aren’t many Jedi left” could be a hint that she doesn’t include herself among their numbers.
As well as Ahsoka Tano, there is another near-Jedi character in the episode, with The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5 revealing that Baby Yoda – real name Grogu – was trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. While that means he had some training, he didn’t get the chance to complete it before Order 66 was executed, killing several Jedi and forcing Baby Yoda, like his namesake, to go into hiding. Whether Baby Yoda ever becomes a Jedi remains to be seen, though it unfortunately seems a little unlikely, given he’s not mentioned in canon outside of The Mandalorian (yet, anyway).
Originally from https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-season-2-episode-5-jedi-title-ahsoka/