Mandalore was never Sabine Wren’s fight

During The Mandalorian Season 3, a group of Mandalorians — including Bo-Katan Kryze and Din Djarin — risked their lives to return to Mandalore and take the planet back from the shattered remains of the Empire once and for all. At the time, the larger Star Wars story hadn’t yet revealed why Sabine Wren wasn’t part of the battle. Ahsoka finally explained why.

But even though it logically explained her absence from the event — she was quite literally in another galaxy and couldn’t exactly make the timing work out — reclaiming Mandalore was never really her fight to endure in the first place.

Losing her family in the Night of a Thousand Tears tragedy took an emotional toll on her, sure — and she did spend many years searching for meaning, knowing she was the last survivor of her family line. But while she was born on Mandalore and spent much of her childhood there, the planet held less meaning for her than it did for Bo-Katan, for example. In fact, the planet may have even brought up difficult memories that led to negative associations with it.

She largely considered Krownest as her homeworld, where Clan Wren resided. Attending the Imperial Academy on Mandalore also ended in disaster for her — she was estranged from her family for years after fleeing, not to mention that she created a dangerous weapon while at that academy that harmed her people later on.

Sabine believed in the strength of Mandalorians as a people, and family was always important to her — it’s the main reason she agreed to set off with Ahsoka Tano to find Ezra Bridger, because she considered him like a brother. For her, the fight for Mandalore was more about people than a specific place. She would have supported the effort to take it back on principle, and may have even joined in if she’d been around.

But it was much more meaningful that Bo-Katan led the charge in the finale. The planet brought back tough memories for her as well, but it was more than just her home — it was part of her, and where she became the warrior she was. It was her fight to lead. Sabine had other priorities, other meaningful treasures she was better off saving.

All episodes of Star Wars: Ahsoka are available to stream now exclusively on Disney+.

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