Sabine Wren in the Ahsoka show holding her helmetCredit: MovieStillsDB
By
Liz Declan
Published 19 minutes ago
Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering Star Wars. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera
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The Ahsoka show's Sabine Wren storyline caused extensive controversy, which represents a larger problem that Disney Star Wars has long faced (and continues to face). Star Wars movies and TV shows have undergone countless changes over the last two decades, from the introduction of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2008 to the many changes since Disney bought Star Wars.
Ahsoka was no exception. In fact, the Ahsoka show introduced a whole host of new controversies, from myriad casting choices (as Ahsoka meant a transition to live-action for several Star Wars Rebels characters) to the handling of certain story details. Perhaps the most significant controversy in the entire show, however, was the decision to make Sabine Wren Force-sensitive.
Sabine Wren Being Force Sensitive Is A Huge Point Of Controversy
Sabine uses the Force to push Ezra in the Ahsoka finale.
When she was introduced in Rebels, Sabine was a spunky Mandalorian who rivaled Ezra Bridger in terms of her sarcastic nature but also her skill set. She was a skilled warrior, and she didn't back down in her fight against the Empire—even as she was grappling on a personal level with a separation from her family.
Yet, one thing seemed clear: she wasn't Force-sensitive. In fact, Ezra and Sabine were directly contrasted, particularly during a scene in which Kanan Jarrus was attempting to train Sabine to use the Mandalorian Darksaber. While the Darksaber doesn't require Force abilities—Din Djarin and Moff Gideon also wield it, after all—Sabine's powers did not include the Force.
It actually felt as though Rebels made it a point to clarify that Sabine wasn't Force-sensitive, only for the Ahsoka show to reveal that, in the years between the shows, Ahsoka Tano trained Sabine as her Padawan. That may indeed be the case, given that Rebels' original Sabine plans included an intentional avoidance of her being Force-sensitive.
It therefore, unsurprisingly, sparked massive controversy for Ahsoka to make this major character change, not only because it altered Sabine's story so drastically, but also because it came completely out of left field. There really was no indication whatsoever that Sabine possessed any strength in the Force. Yes, Ahsoka confirmed she struggled with it, but this was still a (confusing) shock.
Star Wars' Animated Characters Making The Jump To Live-Action Has Been Problematic
Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels season 1, episode 7 Out of Darkness
In addition to the controversy about Sabine's Force-sensitivity, Ahsoka had an uphill battle when it came to the characters. Star Wars has a long history of facing backlash when it takes characters from animation to live-action, and really vice versa as well. This absolutely proved true for the Ahsoka cast.
Sabine, Ezra, Hera Syndulla, and Thrawn were all characters who made that transition, having first (and at that point, only) appeared in Rebels. What's more, while Ahsoka had already appeared in live-action in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, audiences still weren't entirely on board with Rosario Dawson as the live-action version.
While I feel that Dawson has done a great job, that's still not universally agreed upon within the fanbase, and everyone seemed to need time to accept that it was Dawson, not original Ahsoka voice actress Ashley Eckstein, who would be playing the character in live-action Star Wars projects. This only added to the divisiveness surrounding the Ahsoka cast.
Star Wars Has To Be Careful When Bringing Elements From The Animated Shows
Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars season 7 looking serious
It isn't only the cast and characters that create division when it comes to live-action versus animated Star Wars projects. In addition to those choices, Star Wars also has to tread carefully when bringing story ideas and concepts from animation to live-action or the other way around.
This is especially true because of how Star Wars viewership works. With animated shows, there's no denying they aren't as widely watched as the live-action shows, let alone the movies, are. While I think The Clone Wars is easily one of Star Wars' best TV shows, simply by nature of it being animation, some believe it's 'for kids' only.
This creates tension within the fanbase because The Clone Wars is more or less essential viewing to really understand the Ahsoka show. Given that Ahsoka has also often been called Rebels season 5, the same is definitely true of Rebels as well. Because this live-action show thus requires some animated show prerequisites, some viewers are frustrated.
That's only going to become truer as more animated and/or live-action characters become critical in upcoming Star Wars movies, which is certainly the case for new projects like The Mandalorian and Grogu. The inverse is also true, only complicating matters for Star Wars. That is, fans of the animated shows want those stories honored.
This is in part why Dawson being cast as Ahsoka created so much tension; some found her portrayal of Ahsoka (more reserved) to be incongruent with the Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars and even Rebels. These many complex factors could mean more trouble for Ahsoka season 2, although there are ways for Star Wars to improve matters.
How Ahsoka Season 2 Can Improve Sabine's Jedi Training Arc
Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren trapped on Peridea in Ahsoka episode 8
Ahsoka season 2 has wrapped filming, and the show is expected to release in the summer of 2026 or later. While story details for the show remain tightly under wraps, the Ahsoka finale set up additional training for Sabine, as Ahsoka and Sabine are now trapped on Peridea, and Sabine's latest Force feat suggests a renewed interest in such training.
There are ways for Star Wars to utilize this next chapter of Sabine's story to address the issues many still have with her Force-sensitivity. For one, Ahsoka season 1 already revealed that Sabine wasn't naturally gifted in the Force and had to work considerably harder than the Jedi we've seen in other shows and movies.
Season 2 could build upon this idea and reveal exactly when and how (and why) Sabine's Jedi training began and how that could align with what we saw of her lack of Force-sensitivity in Rebels. Whether Ahsoka will pull that off is, of course, currently unknown, but hopefully Star Wars can still correct this Sabine Wren issue.
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