A forgotten piece of lightsaber lore from Star Wars canon may reveal how Sabine Wren survived her injury in Ahsoka episode 1. Across Star Wars‘ long history, lightsabers have shone through as one of the more iconic aspects of the franchise. From the popularity of the weapon leading to rankings of Star Wars‘ best lightsabers or the endless merchandising surrounding the Jedi’s most-trusted gadget, the iconicity of the lightsaber is clear to see. This has even extended into the exploration of the different lightsaber types in Star Wars canon and what each variation of the weapon means for its wielder.
Another aspect of the weapon that has often intrigued audiences concerns Star Wars‘ lightsaber colors and their meaning, a topic that was raised surrounding the characters of Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati in Ahsoka. The two characters wielded orange lightsabers, an unusual color in Star Wars canon. Furthermore, the design choices centering on the construction of Baylan and Shin’s lightsabers also raised many queries, with some lore about Star Wars‘ legendary weapon providing some insight into this while also seemingly confirming how Sabine Wren survived a grievous wound from Shin’s laser sword in Ahsoka episode 1.
Shin’s Lightsaber Does Less Damage Than A Normal Lightsaber
At the end of Ahsoka episode 1, Sabine was stabbed in the stomach by Shin, prompting many to wonder how the former survived the wound. Lightsabers have often had an issue in Disney Star Wars properties in that they are presented as much less fatal than in earlier projects in a galaxy far, far away. That said, the sourcebook named Knights of Fate for the Star Wars: Force & Destiny roleplaying game – both of which are considered canon – may have provided some insight into this situation, proving that Shin Hati’s lightsaber is canonically less deadly than usual versions of the weapon.
The reason for this comes from Shin’s lightsaber being listed as a Lightfoil variant. A Lightfoil lightsaber is comparable in size to a Shoto saber, the smaller version that Ahsoka Tano uses. The smaller, narrower blade of the Lightfoil version of a lightsaber was confirmed to do less damage to opponents than regular Kyber-powered swords in the aforementioned sourcebook, adequately explaining why Sabine was able to survive her stab wound in Ahsoka.
Shin Must Have Avoided Sabine’s Internal Organs (Deliberately?)
Aside from this canonical reasoning, it is also apparent that Shin avoided Sabine’s internal organs during the duel. It was made clear that the weapon went through the side of Sabine’s stomach as opposed to straight through the middle. This, combined with the Lightfoil’s thinner blade than usual lightsabers, likely led to Sabine being able to live, especially given the speed at which she received medical attention.
Another argument after Ahsoka‘s ending could be that Shin avoided killing Sabine intentionally. The rest of Ahsoka‘s story after the premiere made it clear that Shin was in turmoil due to not knowing where she belonged in the universe. Baylan had not trained her to be a Sith or a Jedi meaning she did not fall on the dark or light side. This balance could have meant she was unable to directly kill Sabine in Ahsoka combined with the new lightsaber lore surrounding her weapon.
