In Star Wars Rebels “Trials of the Darksaber,” Sabine trains with Kanan and Ezra to wield her darksaber. But if she wants to succeed, she must confront her past.
After she discovers the Mandalorian darksaber, Sabine realizes she could unite her family with it. But before she becomes a lightsaber-wielding warrior, she must overcome her inner demons first.
In the beginning of the episode, we learn Sabine gave the darksaber she found in Maul’s lair on Dathomir to Kanan. Kanan shows the weapon to Fenn Rau, who relates its significance in Mandalorian culture. Both Fenn and Kanan believe Sabine’s possession of the lightsaber could help her recruit an army of Mandalorians’ to the rebels’ cause. Sabine reluctantly agrees to the idea and thus Kanan begins teaching her how to fight with a saber.
Below is a list of highlights from the ensuing story:
Fenn Rau explains to Kanan that the darksaber was forged by Tar Vizsla, one of the first Mandalorians to be recruited by the Jedi. After his death, the Jedi placed the darksaber in their Temple. But members of House Vizsla reclaimed the weapon and used it to fight and unite their people. That’s why whoever wields the sword has great influence among the Mandalorians.Fenn Rau gifts Sabine with Mandalorian vambraces. Equipped with gadgets like sonic waves, tiny rockets, and a laser whip, they were made to give the wearer an advantage over Jedi adversaries.This episode is all about Sabine. Which is good, because she needs a lot of work. She struggles against herself throughout the entire story. First, she is reluctant to even try taking on this monumental task of uniting her people. Second, she is angry at Kanan for making her fight with a stick at first. She calls him a “lousy teacher,” but later regrets it.We catch a glimpse of the Bendu; Sabine unwittingly kicks him as she expresses her frustrations.We learn through an exchange between Kanan and Hera that Sabine was very untrusting when they first met her.Kanan and Sabine come to a better understanding of each other. The Jedi Knight finally lets Sabine train with the darksaber instead of a stick.During Sabine and Kanan’s final intense training battle, Sabine breaks down and confesses why doesn’t think she can do what Kanan and Fenn want her to. When she was a child on Mandalore, she worked for the Empire developing explosives. Then she realized the Empire was turning around and using those same weapons on her people. She tried to stand up and fight against the injustice, but her family, Clan Wren would not back her up. They sided with the Empire and were ashamed of her.In the end, Kanan, Fenn, and Ezra assure her they always have her loyalty. They believe in her and whatever decision she makes. But for now, her victory over Kanan in their training session proves she is well on her way to becoming the darksaber warrior.That’s it for “Trials of the Darksaber”! What did you think of the episode? Were there any neat moments that we missed here? Tell us about them in the comments below.
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Star Wars Rebels returns to Disney XD on February 18th with “Legacy of Mandalore.”
