Although Ahsoka is technically considered a spinoff of The Mandalorian, the fact of the matter is chiefly serves as a successor to Star Wars Rebels. Characters like Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla and Grand Admiral Thrawn were brought to live action to the first time after previously being major players in the aforementioned animated series. However, that’s not to say that the people who worked on Rebels approve of every decision made on Ahsoka. Writer/executive producer Henry Gilroy specifically feels that Sabine being made into a “Jedi” is a “weak retread” of material covered in Rebels, and I agree with him.
Gilroy voiced these thoughts while appearing on Pod of Rebellion to discuss the Star Wars Rebels Season 2 episode “The Protector of Concord.” He told hosts Vanessa Marshall, Tiya Sircar, Taylor Gray and Jon Lee Brody (the first three respectively voiced Sabine, Hera and Ezra Bridger on Rebels) that there was never any intention to have Sabine also learn the ways of the Force, saying:
It was absolutely not the plan… we really felt that not only did it step on Ezra’s story, but it was a weak retread, we already did this. So yeah, the idea of Sabine training as a Jedi when she is already this fantastic warrior of her own type, we felt like, ‘Well, this is overkill.’
With Ahsoka taking place roughly a decade after Star Wars Rebels (pre-epilogue), the live-action series, which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription, revealed that during that period, Sabine was briefly trained by Ahsoka Tano in the ways of the Force. However, after Sabine endured the destruction of Mandalore and losing the rest of her family, Ahsoka decided to cease the training, saying she wasn’t ready. If Henry Gilroy had his way, though, having Sabine dip her toes in the proverbial Jedi pool wouldn’t have happened in the first place. He continued:
I had nothing to do with the Ahsoka series, so I was shocked. Our entire story team, we discussed it in Season 3. We thought it was a bad idea. We did a pros and cons list, and we were going, ‘This is just a weak retread. Why would we push that way?’
Prior to Ahsoka, the only way Sabine Wren crossed over into Jedi territory, outside of her general association with Ezra and the late Kanan Jarrus was when she briefly wielded the Darksaber. Originally an ancient lightsaber designed by Tarre Vizla, the first Mandalorian to become a Jedi, the weapon, which Sabine found in Darth Maul’s lair, became a symbol of Mandalorian authority when she gave it to Bo-Katan Kryze to support her leading their people. As Henry Gilroy added, Sabine using the Darksaber was deliberately meant to steer clear of her going down the Jedi path with Ezra:
However, what I love about the story with the Darksaber is that you don’t have to be a Jedi to have Jedi ideals and embrace the Jedi philosophy. And I think that’s what’s really the more important thing, rather than, Ok’ I’m gonna Force push Ezra a hundred feet when I’ve never used the Force before.’ It’s that kind of thing.
Technically Sabine isn’t a Jedi since she never completed her training, and the only notable way she showed her latent Force potential was when she helped Ezra get on board Thrawn’s Star Destroyer in the Season 1 finale. But I see where Gilroy is coming from; after they poured so much effort into making sure Sabine’s personal arc didn’t end up being similar to Ezra’s during Star Wars Rebels’ run, Ahsoka undid all that. I had mixed feelings about it myself when Season 1 originally aired, and it’s fitting to all this plot turn a retread.
Ahsoka Season 2 is expected to air sometime on the 2026 TV schedule, but aside from Rory McCann taking over the role of Baylan Skoll, there hasn’t been much in the way of specific updates. Depending on how long has passed between seasons, maybe Sabine has gotten a better grasp of using the Force under Ahsoka Tano’s resumed training while they’re stranded on Peridea. I still enjoy Ahsoka for the most part, but like Henry Gilroy, I’ll never fully get on board with this creative decision.
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