How Can One Star Wars Nickname Hurt So Much?

Ahsoka Tano’s (Rosario Dawson) new self-titled series has renewed interest in the iconic character’s Star Wars history. While viewers love the wise, intelligent, and collected Tano in Ahsoka, this was far from the first version of the character that has graced our screens. In fact, she first worked her way into viewers’ hearts as a hot-headed, impulsive teenager who was nicknamed “Snips” by her exasperated teacher, Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter). Skywalker had a few nicknames for Tano, often referring to her as “little one” or “youngling,” but Snips was the nickname that stuck. Of course, Tano has long grown out of her Snips phase and doesn’t go by the nickname anymore.

However, with Skywalker reportedly appearing in Ahsoka in some capacity, perhaps the affectionate nickname will resurface in the series. Meanwhile, viewers might be curious about why Skywalker chose the nickname for Tano. After all, her friendship with Skywalker is the foundation on which her character was built. She was first introduced as Skywalker’s padawan, whom he took on begrudgingly. Over time, though, they warmed to one another and formed what can only be described as a familial bond. The nickname Skywalker chose for Tano is just one illustration of the kind of bond that they shared.

The meaning of Ahsoka Tano’s Snips nickname

The nickname Snips was born out of Skywalker’s initial frustration with Tano. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Skywalker had no desire to have a padawan. The only reason he had one was because Master Yoda (Tom Kane) wished to teach him responsibility. When the series starts, Skywalker is only about 19 years old and is still very much the reckless, impulsive, and arrogant teen viewers saw in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Hence, it’s easy to see why he balks at having a padawan, but Tano isn’t deterred by his reluctance at all. Instead, she responds to his exasperation and sarcasm with a nice dose of sass.

Shortly after their first meeting, Tano seeks to get under his skin and get him to loosen up a bit by calling him “Skyguy.” Skywalker responds by telling her not to get “snippy” with him. Tano, though, continued to be very snippy and called him Skyguy whenever she got the chance. Eventually, he decided to give her an unflattering nickname, too, and dubbed her Snips as a reference to her snippy attitude. While the nickname stuck, it did eventually become more of an affectionate, teasing nickname than one given to admonish her attitude.

In fact, the nickname may even have grown to become a sort of compliment as time went on. While Tano rarely listened to those around her, she was usually right, and her failure to listen to orders led to her saving Skywalker’s life multiple times. Mostly, though, the nickname is a testament to how Skywalker’s and Tano’s relationship grew over time. It went from frustration to sibling-like teasing, with the pair ultimately behaving as brother and sister might. Unfortunately, the affectionate nicknames and the long history they shared only made their fates far more tragic. While the pair ended up taking starkly different paths, just the name Snips is enough to unleash a torrent of memories of the years of friendship they once shared.

(featured image: Cartoon Network)