Star Wars: We Already Know Who Wins Ahsoka's Clone Wars Duel vs Darth Maul
Star Wars: The Clone Wars marketing continues to hype up the one-on-one duel between Ahsoka and Darth Maul, but even before the show makes its return, we already know who emerges as the winner in the fight. Since the Clone Wars revival was announced in 2018, fans have been eagerly waiting for its release on Disney+, especially after it was unceremoniously canceled in 2014 without a proper ending. Now, The Clone Wars will be back for its final 12 episode that will officially tie narrative loose ends for a satisfying conclusion.
There had been five complete seasons of The Clone Wars before it was abruptly ended. Lucasfilm eventually released additional episodes dubbed the "Lost Missions" that made up for a sixth year and The Clone Wars' seventh and final season will pick up after that. Marketing for the upcoming year has put a great focus on Ahsoka's adventures, and one particular fight that seems to get a lot of attention is her battle with Maul during the Siege of Mandalore.
In the Ahsoka novel by E.K. Johnston, the prologue and Chapter 5 reveal additional information leading to the scene being hyped up in The Clone Wars trailers. Ahsoka discovered the whereabouts of Darth Maul, who's now the new Death Watch leader. However, timing didn't line up as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were called back to Coruscant to deal with the staged kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine. With this, she was forced to lead Captain Rex and his army of clone troopers, but not before Anakin handed Ahsoka her old lightsabers - this would be their final encounter as allies. As Darth Maul and his Shadow Collective occupied Mandalore, Ahsoka and Rex's troops attacked, with the former Sith Lord retaliating.
When Ahsoka and Maul faced each other, the latter attempted to play with Ahsoka's mind, goading her about her exit from the Jedi Order and how Anakin supposedly cast her aside when he's her master, further highlighting that he left her to herself carrying out her current mission. They briefly locked sabers, until Ahsoka finally enacted her trap and captured the former Sith Lord. Unbeknownst to her, however, Anakin has fallen into the dark side, joining Darth Sidious who implemented Order 66.
This put Captain Rex's life at risk after his comrades realized that he's unaffected by the commend. Here, Ahsoka was faced with a tough decision - end Maul or save Rex. She chose the latter, although the novel specifically said that she could have killed Maul. Years later, Ahsoka and Maul would meet again as seen in Star Wars: Rebels season 2. This time, however, their brief fight wasn't as ferocious as they both had gone through their respective journeys since they last saw each other. It's also worth noting that their reunion was totally overshadowed by Ahsoka and Anakin's - who fully assumed the persona of Darth Vader.
With Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 putting a spotlight again on Ahsoka Tano, it's curious if this is any indication of what's to come for the character. After her brief voice cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, many assumed that like her Jedi peers, Ahsoka was also dead. However, Dave Filoni debunked this, giving hope that she's still around. Regardless of her current fate, the opportunity to see more of her remains as Lucasfilm could decide to explore her adventures following the events of Rebels.