Ahsoka Tano is by far one of the most recognizable characters in the Star Wars franchise. She first appeared in Clone Wars and became a part of other popular projects, including Star Wars: Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett.
From the canon, we know that Togruta was trained to be a Jedi and the Commander by none other than the Chosen One himself, a.k.a. Anakin Skywalker.
Ahsoka adopted aggressive negotiations from Anakin and patience from General Kenobi. Now, she is widely recognised for her unique features, including two lightsabers.
Obi-Wan was also known to be ‘The Negotiator’, and you can find out more about it here.
It seems like every time the audience sees Ahsoka, she either acquires a new weapon or changes the colour of the former…
Are her new lightsabers significant to the plot and Ahsoka’s character development?
Today we will track the history of Ahsoka’s lightsabers and see whether they progress with the character herself.
Contents
- 1 Why and How Did Ahsoka Get 2 Lightsabers?
- 2 Why Does Ahsoka Have One Green and One Yellow-Green One?
- 3 Why Does Ahsoka Hold Her Lightsaber Backwards?
- 4 Why Did Ahsoka’s Lightsabers Turn Blue?
- 5 Why Did Ahsoka Leave Only One Lightsaber Behind?
- 6 How Did She Get Them Back in Rebels and The Mandalorian?
- 7 What’s the Back Story, and Why Did Ahsoka Choose White as a Colour?
- 8 Conclusion
Why and How Did Ahsoka Get 2 Lightsabers?
The first time we met Ahsoka Tano was in The Clone Wars. In the animated film, she was assigned to be Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan and wielded traditional green lightsaber.
It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before.
Only towards season three of Clone Wars, Ahsoka finally gets her signature second lightsaber and adopts Jar’Kai.
Jar’Kai is known to be a form of lightsaber combat where one wields two blades, not one.
We saw the effectiveness of Jar’Kai from Asajj Ventress and partially from cyborg General Grievous. Even Anakin tried his hand at Jar’Kai when fighting against Count Dooku on Geonosis, only to lose his limb.
Quite ironic!
What is interesting, though, is that Jar’Kai is meant to be used with two standard lightsabers. Thus, Ahsoka’s shorter blade was more of a personal touch.
We are not given a specific reason why she decided to change her form. It happened after the Padawan assisted in rescuing Chi Eekway Papanoida.
We can only speculate that it was a natural progression for her character caused by being sent on the missions without her Master.
The second lightsaber was actually suggested by Anakin Skywalker. He saw her progression with a standard lightsaber and offered her the second one as a gift. Anakin believed two lightsabers would help Ahsoka to block blaster fire.
How the tables have turned…. Anakin was partially the one to save Ahsoka from Order 66 and the army of clones.
“Don’t forget your second blade, Ahsoka.”
“I’ll try, master.”
“You’re doing great. It takes time to learn how to wield two lightsabers.”
―Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: Forces of Destiny – “Teach You, I Will“)
We don’t get an episode with Ahsoka training to wield both lightsabers, at least in The Clone Wars. Instead, she was, in fact, taught by Master Yoda in Star Wars: Forces of Destiny – “Teach You, I Will.”
Fun fact: giving Ahsoka Tano the second lightsaber was actually a part of changing the appearances of many characters. The producers have improved outfits for almost every single protagonist. Thus, initially, it only served the purpose of reinventing and altering the looks.
Ahsoka actually received quite a bit of backlash from the fanbase at first, and you can find out why here.
Why Does Ahsoka Have One Green and One Yellow-Green One?
The differences between the two lightsabers are apparent. Ahsoka has one of the average length and traditional green colour.
However, her second blade is what we are interested in. After Ahsoka adopted the new form of fighting, she returned to Ilum to get her a second kyber crystal.
With the help of a new crystal, she built a shoto lightsaber. Shoto sabers are shorter than normal weapons and are designed explicitly for smaller wielders.
Grand Master Yoda is a prime example. He uses the same lightsaber with similar colour and length.
We also know that no kyber crystal is the same. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the second crystal the Jedi finds will be the same colour.
For example, General Pong Krell used two double-bladed lightsabers, yet one was green and another blue. Thus, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Ahsoka with a new colour.
Does this colour signify anything?
The colours of lightsabers are quick to cause controversy. Some people believe that they were created for the aesthetics of the franchise. Others see the concrete meaning behind them.
Canon doesn’t help here.
Legends state that round 4000 BBY, lightsaber crystals were used to indicate a Jedi’s position. Some were healers, others were guardians or even scholars.
As such, the green saber was meant for a Jedi Consular. They have studied the depth of the Force and fought with their Dark side (Qui-Gon Jinn). At the same time, yellow indicated a Jedi Sentinel. These Jedi balanced brutal force with knowledge (Rey).
Since Ahsoka’s blade combines yellow and green, we can speculate that she has become more balanced over the years. She used her knowledge in the battle and stopped relying only on her combat skills.
It is also possible that she learned that from Anakin and Obi-Wan.
One taught her the art of combat, and the other highlighted the importance of patience, knowledge, and negotiations.
Why Does Ahsoka Hold Her Lightsaber Backwards?
Sadly, we don’t actually get any answers from the canon. However, we can offer you a couple of suggestions.
We know that the reverse grip is significantly rare. It is usually seen amongst the Jedi who prefer form VI: Shien (Powerstaark), also known as “the way of the Acklay” or “the reverse form.” Apart from Ahsoka, Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress are amongst a few others who are skilled in the same form.
It is believed that this form is beneficial when fighting several opponents. Moreover, it is usually preferred for offence rather than defence.
As Ahsoka was fighting droids, we can assume that this form helped her to deflect bolts. Besides, Shien improved the Padawan’s aim.
Interestingly enough, Ahsoka doesn’t always use Shien. In The Mandalorian, we rarely saw her with the signature reversed grip. Quite possibly, Shien is not as effective in a duel against one opponent.
After all, Ahsoka is no longer fighting an army.
Why Did Ahsoka’s Lightsabers Turn Blue?
After leaving the Jedi Order, we see Ahsoka return in Clone Wars season 7, episode 9. Her weapons were initially confiscated. As such, Anakin was the one to return them in this episode.
You can find out who thought she was innocent during the Jedi Temple bombing here.
According to Anakin, her lightsabers were improved and repaired. Thus, when Ahsoka ignites them, the green colour disappears only to be replaced with blue.
Why was the colour changed?
We will leave this question for Dave Filoni, writer and producer behind Star Wars: Clone Wars. Here’s what he had to say about the colour change:
“Clear connection between the Master and apprentice relationship… [Anakin] tinkering with her lightsabers while she’s gone shows that he was always thinking of her… He means well but often takes things too far when trying to express how he feels. Changing the sabers, modifying them, improving them, shows his care, but also his ego – something that Ahsoka is familiar with.”
— Dave Filon
Anakin might have overdone his “improvements,” just a little bit!
Why Did Ahsoka Leave Only One Lightsaber Behind?
Ahsoka had to bury her troops and fake her death when the Republic fell. She left behind one lightsaber to make sure that her death was believable.
We have a theory why she left only one weapon.
Ahsoka was very trained and highly knowledgeable. She knew that her death had to look as authentic as possible.
We also know that the “lightsaber was her life.” Leaving one weapon would give the Empire official grounds to cross her off the list of Order 66 survivors.
Leaving two blades would be too sloppy and less believable.
Imagine them both lying on the ground side by side!
When Darth Vader found the lightsaber, he recognized the weapon. It is only natural to assume that the second blade perished in the crash of Ahsoka’s ship.
Therefore, leaving only one saber was an intelligent and premeditated move!
How Did She Get Them Back in Rebels and The Mandalorian?
Rebels and The Mandalorian bring back Ahsoka only to leave us without any leads regarding how she got her two white sabers.
On the other hand, EK Johnston’s Ahsoka novel is slightly more informative. The book reveals that during her fight with the Sixth Brother, Ahsoka stole his weapon.
Thus, she went on to purify bled kyber crystals, making them her own. As such, she had two kyber crystals from a double-bladed weapon and the metal scraps she collected and later used for the hilts.
What’s the Back Story, and Why Did Ahsoka Choose White as a Colour?
We know that all Force users can bond with their kyber crystals. This unique procedure allows them to change colour to green, purple, blue, yellow, and other variations.
Why is Ahsoka the only one with white lightsabers?
The answer here is pretty simple. Ahsoka didn’t take a trip to the ice planet to find her crystals. They didn’t call for her or bond with her. Instead, she purified bled crystals.
It was this purification process that gave them the unique white colour that later became her signature.
As for the meaning behind the colour, Dave Filoni believes that white signifies how balanced Ahsoka is. She is neither a Jedi nor a Sith.
You can find out more about why Jedi don’t usually use red lightsabers here.
White shows that Ahsoka is tethered to the Light, yet doesn’t want to preserve the old ideas of the Jedi Order. Additionally, from the basic colour theory, we also know that this colour symbolises purity and goodness.
These characteristics definitely describe Ahsoka Tano!
Ahsoka eventually fought with her former master on Malachor, and you can find out how she managed to survive here.
Conclusion
We have seen Ahsoka Tano change her weapons several times. We’ve placed them all in the table below for your convenience:
| Weapon | Visual |
|---|---|
| One green lightsaber |  (Source) |
| Two lightsabers: standart green and green-yellow shoto saber |  (Source) |
| Two blue lightsabers (changed by Anakin) |  (Source) |
| Two purified white lightsabers |  (Source) |
From her journey, it is easy to tell that each weapon symbolised a particular stage in her life. She was first a youngling and a Padawan who relied purely on strengths. As such, she later transformed into a confident warrior with a unique style.
Now we finally see that she has grown into a strong and willful force-user. Her white lightsabers will always symbolise her challenging journey and the purity of her deeds.
From a single green blade to two white lightsabers — this is a story of Ahsoka Tano and how she found balance in the Force.
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