Hanna Ding was an Arkanian girl who attended the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as the Clone Wars raged throughout the galaxy. Possessing a natural acrobatic ability, Hanna supplemented this skill with the Force. She could often be found practicing leaping high into the air and gently floating back down to the ground. When she was fourteen, she participated in the Jedi Apprentice Tournament eventually won by Tallisbeth Enwandung-Esterhazy, nicknamed Scout. Hanna Ding always gave Scout a hard time at the Temple due to her lack of natural ability in the Force.

The first two rounds of the tournament were sparring matches between the participants. The duels were fought with low-powered lightsabers and the first to score three burns or force the other to submit was declared the winner. When Scout defeated Pax Chizzik in the first round, Hanna Ding argued for her disqualification. However, Scout simply outsmarted Chizzik to trick him into a situation where she could force him to submit.

In the second round, Hanna was matched against Scout herself and relished the opportunity to knock the girl out of the tournament as she felt she was an unworthy participant. Jedi Master Ilena Xan, who directed the tournament, enjoyed putting a twist on the duels, throwing in the unexpected. Hanna and Scout's match was no different. The pair's second round fight was fought in total darkness except for the illumination of the Jedis' lightsabers. The commencement of the match was signaled by the drop of a red handkerchief. Due to Scout's limited ability in the Force, she had no way of telling when the handkerchief was dropped in total darkness, which gave Hanna the advantage.