This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episodes 1 & 2.
Sabine may not have powerful Force powers, but that clearly hasn’t stopped her training as a Jedi in Ahsoka. Many viewers were surprised when trailers for Ahsoka began to tease the possibility Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian warrior now played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo in live-action, had become Ahsoka Tano’s Padawan. From a thematic viewpoint, it made sense; the theme of Ahsoka is essentially “Master and Apprentice,” and this allows Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan the chance to become a teacher. But Sabine had never explicitly demonstrated Force-sensitivity in Star Wars Rebels, so it was still something of a shock.
Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 confirmed Ahsoka did indeed take Sabine on as her apprentice sometime after the end of Star Wars Rebels. Things didn’t turn out well, of course; the two are equally stubborn, which means they clashed a great deal and eventually parted ways. But now, at least partly because of Hera Syndulla’s prompts, they’ve agreed to try again. But just how is Sabine training as a Jedi in the first place?
Related: Ahsoka: Release Date, Trailer, Story & Everything We Know
Sabine Has A Low Level Of Force Sensitivity
All living beings have some degree of ability to interact with the Force. This was best expressed by Luke Skywalker in The Rise of Kylo Ren (by Charles Soule and Will Sliney). “The Force can be a trickle, a stream, a river, a flood,” Luke taught one student, “for anyone who can sense it. Think of yourself as a door. The wider you open, the more easily the Force flows through you. Some people just start out with their door a bit more open, but any door can open wide.“
That may have been Luke Skywalker’s view, but Sabine seems as though she would challenge it given how little she can sense the Force. The lightsaber droid Huyang has served Jedi for 25,000 years, but he considers Sabine to have a remarkably poor aptitude for the Force even in his long experience. Still, she’s attuned enough to sense disturbances in the Force, to receive dreams and visions, but that’s about it.
Being A Jedi Isn’t A Matter Of Power
But being a Jedi isn’t a matter of power. Even Yoda acknowledged Jedi don’t need the Force; the anthology book Stories of Jedi & Sith contains a tale called What A Jedi Makes by Michael Kogge, set during the High Republic Era, in which he took on a student who possessed almost no ability to call upon the Force. More importantly, Yoda compared this boy to an older Jedi named the Farseeker Lyr, who apparently wrote one of the sacred Jedi texts later collected by Luke Skywalker.
There’s a subtle contradiction at the heart of Star Wars; it tends to focus on the most powerful Jedi, who accomplish the most spectacular feats, but it also insists wars do not make one great. To be a great Jedi is not necessarily the same thing as to be a powerful Jedi; rather, it is to commit to their code and a way of life. It is true Sabine would never have been a member of the Jedi Order in the prequel era, but that is more because she did not decide to train as a Jedi until she was too old to join Yoda’s order.
Sabine Doesn’t Need The Force To Be A Jedi
All this means Sabine doesn’t need to be able to call on the Force to be a Jedi. Ahsoka clearly understands that, given she’s decided to train Sabine as her Padawan once again. Others may disagree, however; Baylan is a former Jedi who has clearly fallen to the dark side, and who has become deeply invested in the acquisition of power above all else. Given that’s the case, he and his own apprentice Shin will understandably be unimpressed with the idea of a Jedi who is so lacking in power as Sabine. They will surely learn to regret this error by the end of Ahsoka, though.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.
