Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Ahsoka finale.
One of the more interesting ideasAhsokabrought to Disney+’s ever-expandingStar Warstable was redefining the Jedi. What deems one worthy of the term? Is it the Force granting someone special powers? What happens to those who occupy a space outside the cleanly delineated Jedi versus Sith binary? Protagonist Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is famed for shucking off the Order’s restrictive shortcomings and exemplifying the Jedi’s purest ideals. Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) are “no Jedi,” butneither were they bound by the rules of the Sith. Then there’s Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), a Mandalorian who displayed no aptitude with the Force during her time onStar Wars Rebelsbut took up a lightsaber regardless. As an existing character not personally tied to the Jedi culture, Sabine had the most potential:was she training to be a new kind of Jedi, one lacking Force abilities but practicing altruism? Was she, like Ahsoka, a Jedi in theory but not name, something entirely new and therefore an expansion of theStar Warsmythos? The answer isn’t as simple nor as complicated as it should be.TheAhsokafinale resolved Sabine’s current storyby taking the easy, less interesting, and far less rewarding route.
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What Does ‘Ahsoka’ Get Wrong About Sabine Wren’s Story?
With her fondness for explosives and hair dye, Sabine Wren (voiced byTiya Sircarin animation) became one of the franchise’s most groundbreaking and multidimensional figures. For a saga defined by its sheer wealth of characters, that’s saying something. Sabine was an artist,a headstrong Mandalorian warrior, and a lost, frightened, guilt-written teenage girl. Her role inRebelsinvolved the Force only because she was a freedom fighter trying to restore balance to a totalitarian galaxy. The typical Jedi journey belonged to her friendsEzra Bridger (Taylor Gray/Eman Esfandi)and Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.); Sabine filled out the wider universe.
Dave Filoni’s second animated series never indicated Sabine was Force-sensitive. She learned how to properly wield the Darksaber, a demanding and ancient weapon, through Kanan’s Jedi-oriented teachings. But Kanan understood the truth that the Order had lost sight of: the Force moves through every living creature. You don’t need to be a Jedi to be aware of, listen to, and respect the Force. Sabine’s evolution — struggling with the Darksaber to proficient — was about character first, lore second.The Darksaber helped Sabine reconcile with her traumatic pastand discover emotional stability. If the Force is all about balance, then everything it touches needs balance, Jedi or not. And althoughthe Darksaber was forged by the first Mandalorian Jedi, the weapon isn’t exclusive to Force users; the saber just attunes itself to whoever’s using it.
It’s possible that Sabine had latent Force-sensitivity but didn’t realize it until later in life —something the Ahsoka finale confirmed, however indirectly. The problems arise when such a development not only doesn’t track with Sabine’s past, it’s not as interesting as the alternatives. Some of the franchise’s most fascinating characters exist outside the norm: Ahsoka,the Nightsisters, and Chirrit Îmwe (Donnie Yen) ofRogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Nightsisters channel the Force through witchcraft, while Chirrit’s reverence for the Force compensates for his lack of eyesight. Even Baylan Skoll might be an extremist villain, buthe’s compelling because he defies labels.Ahsokacould’ve furthered these concepts with Sabine. Instead, the series repeated tired trends that are incongruent with Sabine’s past, potential, and demeanor. (“Balance” doesn’t mean regurgitating the same plots.)
A Force-Sensitive Sabine Wren Isn’t as Interesting
For most of its run,Ahsokacouldn’t seem to make up its mind about Sabine’s connection to the Force. What might’ve been Dave Filoni’s attempts at mystery instead read as muddled and conflicting.Ahsoka mentoring Sabine without a clear reasonfor either woman to do so was just the start: did Sabine feel driven to follow in Ezra’s footsteps?Was she so displaced without her familythat she went searching for a new, non-Mandalorian identity? Had the Darksaber ignited an unrealized spark? Furthering the confusion are instances such as Huyang’s (David Tennant) disdainful attitude toward Sabine’s Jedi potential (his backhanded support didn’t feel like clarity but likeAhsokawas hedging its bets). ThenAhsokaseemed to resurrectThe Last Jedi’s “broom boy” concept, that anyone can hear or use the Force as long as they’re focused and receptive enough, before leaving the idea on the drawing board. Finally, during one of Episode 8’s life-or-death moments, Sabine pulls her lightsaber to herself and pushes Ezra through the air.
Does this revelation prove Sabine was always Force-sensitive, or that she became attuned enough to the Force to bend it to her will?Ahsokanever says. The only sure thing is the moment’s lack of resonance.Ahsoka isn’t the only “ronin” in the room; if Sabine were a truly unconventional warrior with a lightsaber, that would be an engrossing theme that echoes from the top down. Even thoughAhsoka’s motivations for taking an apprentice were murky to begin with, mentoring Sabine meant Ahsoka continued to challenge the flawed Jedi Order she rejected. Indeed, Ahsoka supported Sabine’s lack of traditional, superficial Jedi qualities. She wanted her apprentice to “be herself,” which suggesteda more nuanced understanding of the Forcethan regular Space Magic. Wielding the Force should be about upholding a creed that practices balance and protects the defenseless. It certainly shouldn’t be proprietary.Ahsoka wasn’t interested in reviving the Jedi, but she could healthily teach Sabine outside of the conventional structure. Isn’t that better development for both women than just “yay, Sabine can move things with her mind now”?
Sabine Wren Has Always Broken the Rules Outside of ‘Ahsoka’
Of all people, Sabine wouldn’t adhere to labels and likewise shouldn’t be defined by them. This holds especially true since there have rarely beenany Mandalorian Jedi. The Mandalorian people are as well armed as they are so they can fight Jedi on a more even footing. Just like Chirrut didn’t need Jedi powers or a lightsaber to defeat his enemies, Sabine’s intellect and the many wily advantages of being Mandalorian elevate her beyond a novice into a formidable opponent. A Sabine whose natural anger has coalesced into restraint could defeat any adversary. As early as Episode 4,she outfoxed Shin Hati into a drawafter Shin mocked Sabine for having “no power.” Sabine has power. It’s just a different kind.
Instead, we’re toldSabine fits within Ahsoka’s “non-traditional” Jedi lineageonly for the series to walk back its own best ideas. Giving Sabine a Jedi’s Force abilities slices off the series' most unique idea at the knees. It’s the same old tale and told without clear intent or proper signposting. The unearned, easy resolution and lack of emotional aftermath do it no favors; Ahsoka and Sabine don’t discuss her development. Perhaps Dave Filoni’s saving that reflection fora potential Season 2, butAhsokahas a precedent of skipping past pivotal conversations. Just like the series as a whole, Sabine having the Force might have worked with the proper planning, execution, and follow-through. Instead, it’s regular. It’s boring. As a character, Sabine is neither. Her experiences might make her a better Jedi than those of old, but it weakens her story.
