Sabine Wren, a beloved character we first met in Star Wars Rebels returns in Ahsoka as the titular character's padawan; so, is Sabine Force-sensitive?
Table of Contents
- Sabine's Past With Ahsoka: An Unexpected Trailer
- Here's What Ahsoka Confirmed About Sabine and Ahsoka's History:
- Is Sabine Force-Sensitive?
- Can a Non-Force-Sensitive Individual Become a Jedi?
- Are There Any Signs That Sabine is Force-sensitive?
- Why Would Ahsoka Train Sabine If She Isn't Force Sensitive?
- Does Sabine Learn to Use the Force?
- Did Ahsoka Episode 6 Confirm Sabine Is a Jedi?
- Ezra's Reaction to Sabine's Apprenticeship
- How Does Sabine Learn to Use The Force?
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Sabine's Past With Ahsoka: An Unexpected Trailer
Before the show even aired, the second trailer for the Ahsoka TV show implied that Ahsoka and Sabine's relationship had been a bit rocky lately.
The trailer featured Ahsoka mentioning her and Anakin's history in a discussion with Hera Syndulla.
When told that her master must have found her difficult at times, Ahsoka replied that she walked away from Anakin before he could finish her training... just like she walked away from Sabine.
Many fans correctly interpreted Sabine and Ahsoka's bond as that of a Jedi Master and a Padawan, even though Sabine's role in Rebels wasn't that of a Jedi.
We did know that Sabine and Ahsoka had a pre-existing bond by Ahsoka's timeline.
Rebels concluded with Ahsoka and Sabine going on a quest to find Ezra Bridger; a quest we finally saw in the tv show.
Here's What Ahsoka Confirmed About Sabine and Ahsoka's History:
Ahsoka's premiere confirmed that the titular character took Sabine on as an apprentice some years past.
Their exact history isn't elaborated upon but Ahsoka mentions that, indeed, she walked away from Sabine.
While her exact reasons are left unsaid, it's strongly implied that Ahsoka found Sabine to be too stubborn and immature.
Of course, given that Ahsoka used to be much the same as Anakin's padawan, it's possible that something bigger happened that caused a rift between them.
The destruction of Mandalore, which resulted in the death of Sabine's family, seems to have played a big role in the rift between Ahsoka and Sabine.
Is Sabine Force-Sensitive?
In the Rebels tv show, Sabine doesn't come across as Force-sensitive, and Ahsoka seems to reinforce this, up until the very last episode, which flips most of what we knew.
The two-episode premiere features Sabine's discussion with Huyang, the droid who accompanies Ahsoka.
Huyang tries to encourage Sabine to continue her Jedi training but when she asks his honest opinion about her powers, Huyang admits that she's much less powerful than any Jedi he has met.
This indicates that Sabine isn't Force-sensitive, at least not enough for her to have been recruited during the order's glory days.
Can a Non-Force-Sensitive Individual Become a Jedi?
Someone who isn't Force-sensitive can't become a Jedi knight. However, all sentient beings in the Galaxy have at least some minimal connection to the Force, so some can learn to use a lightsaber.
In Season 3 of Rebels, most main characters agree that, as a Mandalorian rebel, Sabine should learn how to yield the darksaber and become a symbol for Mandalore's fight against the Empire.
She was resistant to Kanan's training, and while an understanding was reached, she eventually gave up the darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze.
Her lessons with Kanan must have taught her some basics in saber fighting, which would have made it easier to pick up skills from Ahsoka.
Are There Any Signs That Sabine is Force-sensitive?
Just by watching Rebels, it's easier to assume that Sabine isn't strong in the Force; she lived with Kanan and Ezra for a long time but didn't display any similar aptitude. By the end of Ahsoka, however, she learns to use the Force.
Early on, some fans suggested that Sabine could be somewhat Force-sensitive even if she weren't meant to be the strongest Jedi.
For instance, she was able to figure out how to open the Jedi temple (though this was most likely due to her knowledge of art and lore) and she did learn how to yield the darksaber, if briefly.
So far, we don't have stronger signs of Sabine's aptitude for the Force other than a last-minute manifestation which suggests a hidden talent there was no time to cultivate.
Why Would Ahsoka Train Sabine If She Isn't Force Sensitive?
Episode 3 of Ahsoka strongly suggests that Ahsoka decided to train Sabine because she shows potential in terms of her personality and strength.
As Ahsoka mentions, every living being has the Force in them. Therefore, she finds teaching Sabine worthwhile.
When Huyang mentions that the Jedi Order would never train someone like Sabine, Ahsoka points out that theirs was an outdated way of life.
Having left the Order freely when she was young, Ahsoka Tano is an unconventional Jedi. She doesn't consider Force-sensitive people as inherently superior.
As Ahsoka tells Huyang, she only needs Sabine to be herself in order to teach her.
Does Sabine Learn to Use the Force?
Ahsoka ends with a last-minute manifestation of Force powers in Sabine.
Sabine was always capable of training with a lightsaber. However, it took her the entire first season of Ahsoka to learn telekinesis.
Despite Sabine's improved attitude, though, she's no Jedi and others are noticing.
Episode 4 involves a conflict between Sabine and Shin Hati in which the latter is surprised to find out that Sabine has no Force-related powers.
After really putting her mind to it, Sabine finally learned, in a somewhat cliche way that involves her suddenly developing powers in a key moment.
Did Ahsoka Episode 6 Confirm Sabine Is a Jedi?
In Episode 6 of Ahsoka, Sabine lands on Peridea as the prisoner of Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati, and Morgan Elsbeth.
The planet is inhabited by Nightsisters who are surprised as they did not foresee Sabine's presence.
Despite Sabine's lack of Jedi skill (at the time), the Nightsisters declare that they can smell a Jedi, looking at her (and not Skoll or Hati), suggesting that they know something more.
Sabine tries to use the Force once again to escape the prison where they keep her, but Thrawn's arrival interrupts her.
Sabine is later left to her own devices to locate Ezra Bridger in the new galaxy where the bad guys have taken her.
She's almost immediately attacked by bandits, whom she defeats using several weapons including Ezra's lightsaber.
This alone doesn't equal the use of the Force, causing some viewers to wonder why her potential Force sensitivity was hyped in the first place.
Ezra's Reaction to Sabine's Apprenticeship
When Sabine and Ezra finally reunite, the latter is surprised that his old friend is now Ahsoka's apprentice.
He hides his bafflement as tactfully as possible and tells Sabine he's glad for her.
Later, when they find themselves fighting against Thrawn's forces, Ezra urges Sabine to keep his lightsaber. He asks her to continue fighting with it, showing trust despite her lack of aptitude.
How Does Sabine Learn to Use The Force?
In Ahsoka's episode 8, Sabine finally learns how to use the Force during a key moment, confirming she's at least somewhat Force-sensitive.
Her powers manifest during a fight with the reanimated stormtroopers.
She's later able to propel Ezra into Thrawn's starship, allowing him to escape and go home.
Developing powers in the last possible moment is a big trope in fantasy and science fiction.
Perhaps a realization that she doesn't need to use the Force to do what she must could have been a more original resolution.
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