Is the Ahsoka series making Sabine Wren Force sensitive?

Trailers for the upcoming Ahsoka series on Disney+ have made it appear that perhaps Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebels is now possibly force-sensitive. We see her being trained by Ahsoka, watching Holo recordings of Ezra Bridger, and in a saber battle against a dark Jedi named Shin Hati. But here’s the thing, she might be a Jedi, but not force-sensitive.

Here’s where we use a popular Anakin Skywalker line, modified for my own purposes, “What? A Jedi without Force powers? How can you do this? This is outrageous. It’s unfair.” Truthfully, I had to do some research on this, and as it turns out, the two are not mutually exclusive of each other. Now, with that being said, it is much easier for a Jedi/Force user to wield a lightsaber and connect to the kyber crystal inside the hilt. It may, though, be easier for a Force user to commit to the ways of the Jedi than a non-force user, but not what prevents them from being a Jedi.

An example in canon is the short story written by Michael Kogge titled, “What a Jedi Makes”. The story shows Master Yoda inducting a young boy into the Jedi Order even though he is NOT Force-sensitive. Yoda shows that Force powers are not required to be a Jedi. Also in the High Republic era, we have the example of Master Sskeer who lost his connection to the force but was not removed as a Jedi.

In the show Star Wars Rebels, when Kanan Jarrus attempts to teach Sabine Wren how to wield the Darksaber, he tries to get her to connect to the Force. This is possible because the force flows through everyone and has a level of connection to all. That is unless they have lost that connection or blocked themselves off from the force. Sabine cannot connect to the force at that time because, as Kanan observes, Sabine has a very complicated past. She is a Mandalorian who became part of the Empire, and the Empire used her weapon-building to bomb Mandalore. Couple that guilt with her Mandalorian upbringing, and it would certainly give a good reason for issues connecting to the Force as we know it.

But is Sabine Wren a Force user? It is possible that the blockage she had was able to be removed. Perhaps she saw the path to bring back her friend Ezra might only be possible if she too was a Jedi. If she was able to move past her complicated history whilst training with Ahsoka, then she would be able to make the Force connection and allow the Force through her. Perhaps she had seen Ezra, Kanan, and Ahsoka sitting in meditation, reaching out through the Force to locate someone or something, and wanted to use that to try and locate Ezra out in the galaxy with Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Simply put, the answer is yes, Sabine Wren could be a Force user. The real question is, does she need to be? That answer is no.

The training we see in the trailers between Ahsoka and Sabine could be one of two things. First, Sabine could be interested in knowing how to better wield a lightsaber when the time called for it. Sabine was great with weapons and explosives during the time we got to know her on Star Wars Rebels. So logically, she might have been interested in using a lightsaber properly. And you do not have to be a Jedi or a Force user to wield a lightsaber. Secondly, Ahsoka also needed training to keep up her lightsaber skills, and Sabine would have made a quality sparring partner.

Although I am not personally against the idea of Jedi Sabine Wren, I do prefer the thought of her being just Sabine. Her character was already built so well with a complicated backstory and a big future ahead of her. She does not need to be a Jedi to complete her story.

Let’s see if this possible storyline develops!

Ahsoka comes to Disney+ on August 23rd with a two-episode premiere.