The Star Wars franchise is one of the most fluid film franchises in the past few decades due to its ability to adapt without overtly changing the source material. Ever since the series began in 1977, creators have continued to prove that there is still a treasure trove of information left to uncover. But rather than explore the narrative chronologically, the franchise made a point to jump to various periods, exploring how even the smallest stories have changed the course of its history. One example of this came with the inclusion of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which served as a prequel to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
The animated series explored her life as a Jedi Padawan to Anakin Skywalker and how she, Anakin and Obi-Wan fought for years in what felt like an endless war. This chapter of her story would eventually conclude in Season 7, where she would face Order 66, far away from her master and most of her Jedi allies. But since Ashoka was created after Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, once she debuted in The Clone Wars, many were left wondering what she was doing during that time.
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Long before the final season of The Clone Wars hit the small screen, earlier seasons of the series laid the groundwork as it focused on former Sith turned ambitious ruler, Maul. In the time since his defeat by Obi-Wan in The Phantom Menace, he sought nothing short of absolute power, which led him to Mandalore, a planet caught up in a civil war against Satine Kryze, a diplomatic ruler looking to abandon the old ways of her culture, and the Deathwatch. This splinter group used domestic terrorism to oppose her and maintain old traditions. Maul, seeing this, challenged Deathwatch's leader Pre Viszla for the Darksaber and control over Mandalore and succeeded, beheading him. Then, as ruler, he led a successful onslaught that led to the death of Satine and his rule.
At this same time, Ahsoka had since separated herself from the Jedi Council after she was wrongfully convicted for a bombing and treated like a fugitive. She lived in the lower level of Coruscant, helping out where she could until she got a call from Bo-Katan. Once Ahsoka realized what was at stake on Mandalore, she wasted no time helping those in need.
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Bo-Katan informed Ahsoka of how Maul had seized control and created major problems for the people of Mandalore, which meant she had little reason to deny them aid. Ultimately, finding him was one of the most difficult things the resistance fighters needed to accomplish, and help from a Force user with connections tipped the scale in their favor. However, in the time it took to find him, Maul had amassed a sizeable defense that Ahsoka and Bo-Katan's forces couldn't penetrate without help.
It was clear they'd need help, and from a secret channel, Ahsoka requested aid from Obi-Wan and Anakin, who quickly agreed to meet with her. Sadly, they couldn't offer a full force of Clone Troopers to aid in the battle, but Anakin could grant Ahsoka an Advisor role under the leadership of Captain Rex and her own clone battalion that wore her markings on their helmets. Anakin always wanted his old Padawan to return because he missed her, but his allegiances to the Jedi kept them apart as he was quickly called to save a kidnapped Chancellor, leading into the opening of Revenge of the Sith. Thankfully, Ahsoka's mission to aid those on Mandalore granted her one last meeting with her friend and master.
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Ahsoka's adventure ran mostly parallel to the events of Revenge of the Sith. However, she was present for crucial moments where she met with other Jedi, leading up to Order 66. For example, she's present when Anakin and Obi-Wan get called to help save Palpatine from General Grievous and was made aware of Obi-Wan's mission to Utapau and defeat of Grievous, along with Anakin's execution of Count Dooku. She expressed her misgivings about Anakin spying on the Chancellor but was also made aware of the potential plot to destroy the Jedi by Maul. Sadly, while she had the option to say something, she chose not to and instead wanted to send a message to Anakin to express her support.
Shortly after, Ahsoka was also caught up in Order 66, experiencing visions of the events in Revenge of the Sith that led to the order. She fought to survive and saved Captain Rex but lost her entire squad and was forced to live in hiding, as per Obi-Wan's instructions. While Ahsoka wasn't in Revenge of the Sith, her story served to enhance the emotional elements of the film, especially with Anakin and his personal struggles.