Star Wars: Why & How Long Was Ahsoka in Exile?

With the upcoming Ahsoka series fast approaching its release date, many fans are becoming more interested in one of the most popular Star Wars: Clone Wars characters. One of the best parts of Ahsoka’s storyline was when she left the Jedi Order to follow a new path in life in a self-imposed exile. This contributed to her eventual survival from Order 66. So, why and how long was Ahsoka in exile?

Ahsoka Tano was in exile because she decided to leave the Jedi Order on her own accord after losing faith in the Jedi Council, which didn’t even try to hear her out when she was framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple. She was away from the Jedi Order for less than a year before returning to action to help Mandalore.

The fact that Ahsoka was in exile was one of the things that the Star Wars: Clone Wars series included to answer the question regarding her absence from the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Of course, her exile was also one of the reasons she survived not only the events of Order 66 but also the entire Imperial reign. Now, let’s examine why and how long Ahsoka Tano was in exile.

Why Was Ahsoka in Exile?

When we met Ahsoka Tano during the events of the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated movie and series, one of the things that some fans wondered was where she was the entire time when Anakin and Obi-Wan were fighting the Separatists during the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. After all, Ahsoka was introduced as Anakin’s Padawan during the events between Episodes II and III of the mainline Star Wars movies.

This was eventually answered during the latter seasons of Star Wars: Clone Wars when it was revealed that Anakin was in exile during the events of the Clone Wars. As such, she was away from the Jedi Order when things went south for them after Palpatine initiated Order 66 and killed almost all of the Jedi that were serving the Republic. But why was Ahsoka in exile?

Ahsoka’s exile all stemmed from the fact that the Jedi Council didn’t trust her when she was made a suspect in the bombing of the Jedi Temple. An unknown assailant bombed the Jedi Temple hangar, and Anakin and Ahsoka were brought in to investigate the matter because it was widely believed that it was an inside job done by a traitor. But Ahsoka was eventually made the prime suspect, as she was ousted from the Jedi Order and apprehended for trial even though she reiterated her innocence and loyalty to the Jedi.

But when Anakin proved his Padawan’s innocence, the Jedi Order apologized to her and tried to reinstate her position within the Jedi Order while offering her the rank of Jedi Knight. Still, Ahsoka’s fate in the Jedi Council had been shaken by the fact that none of the members of the council trusted her well enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. As such, she decided that being a Jedi was no longer in the books for her as she left the Jedi Order during the middle of the Clone Wars.

Was Ahsoka Tano Framed?

Of course, Ahsoka was innocent of the crime charged against her by both the Jedi Order and the Republic. That was why Anakin worked hard to find a way to prove that his Padawan was innocent. And the culprit was Barriss Offee, a Jedi Knight that became disillusioned with the Jedi Order after concluding that the Republic and the Jedi caused the Clone Wars.

That means that Barriss, who befriended Ahsoka during one of the earlier missions they undertook together, was willing enough to throw a friend under the bus for the sake of her ideals. Because she wanted to spare herself from the wrath of the law, she decided to use Ahsoka as her fall guy so she wouldn’t get caught. And the fact that Ahsoka’s faith in the Jedi had already been shaken before was one of the reasons why she became the right person for Barriss to frame.

Nevertheless, Anakin was able to prove that it was Barriss who was responsible for framing Ahsoka for the bombing of the Jedi Temple. Ahsoka was allowed to go free because she was innocent of the crime charged against her. But the Jedi Council had already made a mistake because the members didn’t even try to protect her or give her the benefit of the doubt. That was why Ahsoka left the Jedi Order on a self-imposed exile.

How Long Was Ahsoka Away from the Jedi Order?

After Ahsoka left the Jedi Order, she spent time away to find her own path. She befriended the Martez sisters and found a home with them during the events of the Clone Wars. This all happened on 19 BBY, which was also the year that Palpatine initiated Order 66.

Eventually, Ahsoka met up with Bo-Katan Kryze, who asked for her help regarding the troubles in Mandalore. Darth Maul had taken control of the entire planet. But Bo-Katan didn’t want to leave her home world in the hands of the former Sith Lord, so she tried to find a way to liberate her people. Ahsoka was the only one that she could ask for help from.

The other Jedi were more focused on winning the Clone Wars, which was in its final stages then. As such, Ahsoka took Captain Rex and a few clones with her to help Bo-Katan and the Mandalorians. They were able to liberate Mandalore from Maul, who got captured by the Republic and was about to be brought to Coruscant. But Order 66 happened, which means that Rex and the clones with Ahsoka turned on them. Ahsoka managed to help Rex and freed Maul because she knew she needed his help to escape.

This all happened in under a year, which means that Ahsoka wasn’t away from the Jedi Order for a long time before Order 66 happened. Meanwhile, after Order 66, Ahsoka hid from the Empire by working on a planet in the Outer Rim. She stayed there for a year before the Inquistiorius found her, forcing her back into action as a rebel.