HOW DID AHSOKA SURVIVE ORDER 66?

Since her introduction in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Ahsoka Tano, the former Jedi Padawan who turned spy for the rebel cause, has gained a great deal of popularity among fans. The specifics of her extraordinary personal past have progressively come to light as her notoriety grows, giving admirers fresh perspectives on the personality and inspirations behind this fearless fighter.

Ahsoka's survival of Palpatine's infamous Order 66 and the following Great Jedi Purge has long been known. Still, the information about how she managed to flee this massacre has only lately come to light. Any fan of Star Wars should become familiar with this episode of lore.

WHY WAS AHSOKA TARGETED FOR DEATH?

Order 66, also known as Clone Protocol 66, was a covert directive that Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine issued to completely eradicate the Jedi Order, as you are undoubtedly fully aware of. "Inhibitor chips" were to be placed in each clone trooper connected to the Grand Army of the Republic to achieve this. Even though Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas created the chips to manage the troopers, the Sith eventually took control of them and the clone army.

The chips made it nearly impossible for the clone troopers to disobey the order to kill the Jedi "traitors" when Order 66 was implemented. Ahsoka Tano was one of the people given the death penalty. This is strange because Ahsoka was no longer a part of the Jedi Order then. After being wrongly accused of taking part in the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar, she had already departed from the group.

But if Order 66 is understood as a component of Palpatine's greater scheme to become the Galactic Emperor rather than just a means of eliminating the Jedi, then his actions make more sense. Even though Ahsoka had left the Order, she remained a possible threat to the Sith Lord's attempt to seize power because she had not turned evil. So, she had to be put to death.

Order 66 was practically a death sentence for Ahsoka. Still, she managed to escape the fate that so many Jedi suffered.

WHERE WAS AHSOKA DURING ORDER 66?

When Order 66 began, Ahsoka was en route to Coruscant on the Republic cruiser Tribunal, carrying the captured Darth Maul. She had captured Maul after a bloody battle during Mandalore's siege.

Ahsoka sensed Anakin Skywalker's conversion to the dark side when she suddenly had a Force vision. Shortly after, Order 66 came into effect, giving Clone Commander Rex and all the other clones on board immediate orders to kill Ahsoka. Luckily, Rex could withstand the order long enough for Ahsoka to retreat.

AHSOKA’S ESCAPE

As she tried to figure out what was happening and stay one step ahead of the deadly clones, Ahsoka, trapped within the spacecraft, received invaluable assistance from several droids. She desperately attempted to create a distraction and set Maul loose.

The former Jedi Padawan deduced that there was a problem with the clones' inhibitor chips despite the turmoil surrounding her. With the droids' assistance, she apprehended Rex and took out his chip. After that, Rex and Ahsoka were able to work together to try and get off the spacecraft.

As soon as Maul compromised the ship's hyperdrive and took off on the available single shuttle, their escape plan was derailed. His acts sent the Tribunal hurtling toward a fatal collision with the moon. Luckily, Ahsoka and Rex managed to flee on a Y-wing before the ship collided and executed all those still on the Tribunal.

Ahsoka and Rex ensured the dead clones were buried in a manner akin to a proper one. To appear as though she had passed away, Ahsoka also purposefully abandoned her lightsaber at the location—a gesture that may also be seen as her departure from her former existence. Darth Vader would eventually retrieve Ahsoka's lightsaber.

Ahsoka's escape from the Tribunal did not guarantee that Palpatine would not avenge her. All those spared from the First Order 66-induced carnage were still at risk because the Great Jedi Purge was still in force. As a result, Ahsoka went into hiding and assumed the name Ashla to elude discovery.

She subsequently teamed up with Senator Bail Organa and his rebel group, rising quickly to become the chief operative of his intelligence network. Her adoption of the code name Fulcrum as a pseudonym was motivated by her new persona. She was able to elude Palpatine's deadly rampage by giving up her well-established identity as Ahsoka Tano and getting ready for the day when she could face the Empire once more.