Summary
- Sabine Wren's interest in Jedi training and her possession of Ezra's lightsaber foreshadow her future as a Mandalorian Jedi in Star Wars Rebels.
- Sabine's adoption of a Jedi mindset and refusal to kill during her fight with Gar Saxon demonstrates her departure from the traditional Mandalorian way.
- The clues and foreshadowing in Star Wars Rebels strongly suggest that Sabine Wren's path will lead her to become a true Mandalorian Jedi in the upcoming Ahsoka series.
Star Wars has been setting up its true Mandalorian Jedi ever since 2014. There was a lot of speculation that the child Grogu would have become the first Mandalorian Jedi since Tarre Vizsla's induction into the Jedi Order (over a thousand years before the Skywalker saga). However, another Star Wars character during the New Republic Era stands to become the galaxy's actual new Mandalorian Jedi, especially given Grogu's decision to leave his Jedi training as seen in The Book of Boba Fett.
As seen in trailers for Star Wars' upcoming Ahsoka series, it's confirmed that Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) was formerly the apprentice of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in the interim between the series finale of Star Wars Rebels and the events of this new show. There have also been teases suggesting Sabine has unlocked latent Force abilities, though that hasn't been fully confirmed ahead of Ahsoka's premiere. However, a re-watch of Star Wars Rebels proves Sabine Wren becoming a legitimate Mandalorian Jedi (with Force abilities) is not a random narrative choice by any means.
Sabine Has Always Been Fascinated By Ezra's Jedi Training
On more than one occasion, Sabine can be seen watching Jedi survivor Kanan Jarrus training his Padawan Ezra Bridger in the Star Wars Rebels animated series. Having been raised by Mandalorians, it follows that she would have an interest in their sparring sessions given her own proficiency as a weapons and explosives expert. Likewise, her interest may have also come from the Mandalorians' history with the Jedi as rival groups who were once at war with each other during the age of the Old Republic.
On the surface, Sabine watching Kanan train Ezra doesn't seem to be all that significant. However, it's actually quite meaningful considering Sabine's future, both when she receives her own training from Kanan after recovering the Darksaber, as well as her apparent future as Ahsoka's former apprentice. After all, she did come to possess Ezra's green-bladed lightsaber following his disappearance into the Unknown Regions as seen in Star Wars Rebels' finale, and she's also seen wielding the very same weapon in the trailers for the upcoming Ahsoka show.
Sabine Chose The Jedi Way, Not The Mandalorian Way
The Jedi influence of Kanan Jarrus on Sabine Wren is felt early on in Star Wars Rebels, even before her Darksaber training in the show's third season. For example, the Star Wars Rebels season 2 episode "The Protector of Concord Dawn" is one of the first episodes that begins to explore Sabine's complicated Mandalorian past. In it, Sabine and Kanan are paired together for a mission, hoping to ally with the Mandalorian group known as the Protectors.
When things turn hostile, Sabine was encouraged by Kanan to find alternatives to killing. This was a deviation from Wren's warrior-based culture and upbringing as a Mandalorian, though she eventually adopted Kanan's viewpoint. Together, Sabine and Kanan were able to take the Protectors' leader Fenn Rau hostage, thereby motivating an alliance with the early Rebellion despite Mandalore's current ties with the Empire. Showing surprise when Sabine tells Hera Syndulla that they took Rau prisoner, Hera remarks that Wren is starting to sound more like a Jedi rather than a Mandalorian, to which Sabine answers that she was raised right, confirming her new and more Jedi-minded way of thinking.
This is a very important moment for Sabine considering her future, showing her bond and connection with Kanan. While she might not have been a full apprentice like Ezra, Sabine still followed Kanan's example and learned from him (especially once he began training her to wield the Darksaber). As such, it's no coincidence that Sabine cuts her hair while facing her helmet in the first Ahsoka trailer, a homage to Kanan who did the same thing in the final season of Star Wars Rebels just before his sacrifice to save the crew of The GhostI.
Sabine's Darksaber Training Heavily Foreshadows Her Jedi Future
Once Sabine recovers the legendary Darksaber from Dathomir in Star Wars Rebels season 3, Wren is encouraged by Kanan, Hera, and Fenn Rau to wield the blade and unite the Mandalorian clans against Gar Saxon, the Empire's Imperial Viceroy installed to keep Mandalore subjugated. Reluctant due to her traumatic past as a student at the Imperial Academy and the weapons she created being used against her own people, Sabine initially struggled to wield the Darksaber. Likewise, Kanan was very cautious with her training a the start, prompting Hera to ask if it was because Sabine didn't have the Force like Ezra.
Kanan's response to Hera is the biggest evidence that Sabine potentially has latent Force sensitivity. Replying that "The Force resides in all living things", Kanan goes on to say that Sabine is blocked due to her Mandalorian upbringing combined with her challenging past. Eventually motivating Sabine to confront all that she has been burying, Kanan was amazed by how natural Sabine was with a weapon typically reserved for Force-sensitive Jedi (unique as the Darksaber is to other lightsabers). As such, Sabine's short learning curve after only a few days could point to a greater connection to the Force, one Ahsoka's training could perhaps cultivate in the upcoming Star Wars show.
It's also worth noting the significance of the newly painted convor on Sabine's armor in Star Wars Rebels season 3, a very particular bird in Star Wars typically connected to Ahsoka and the Force itself. Likewise, Sabine unknowingly woke the Bendu during her training, a Force entity representing both the light and dark sides of the Force. Both of these potentially crucial elements could certainly point to Sabine's connection to the Force, one she had yet to discover until after the conclusion of Star Wars Rebels.
Sabine Refused To Kill When She Defeated Gar Saxon... With Ezra's Lightsaber
Upon her return to Mandalore after learning how to wield the Darksaber, Sabine got her chance to redeem herself in the eyes of Clan Wren. Facing Gar Saxon in single combat, Sabine wielded Ezra's lightsaber after the Imperial Viceroy got his hands on the Darksaber. Disarming Saxon and holding both blades to his throat, Gaxon refused to yield to Sabine, telling her that she'd have to kill him. Instead, Sabine says that while that may be the Mandalorian way, it was no longer hers. What makes this moment even more significant is that John William's iconic Force theme can be heard as Sabine chooses a more Jedi-like course of action.
Sabine wielding Ezra's lightsaber and acting more like a Jedi perfectly foreshadows her future in the Ahsoka trailers where she's wielding Ezra's lightsaber once more. It's also worth pointing out that Saxon was voiced in Star Wars Rebels by the late Ray Stevenson. This is important as Stevenson also played one of Ahsoka's primary new foes Baylan Skoll, having filmed the series before his untimely passing. In the trailers, Sabine is seen dueling Baylan's apprentice Shin Hati, and it looks as though Wren is attempting to use the Force during their duel.
Star Wars Rebels' Epilogue Set Up Sabine's Jedi Future
Overall, the clues in Star Wars Rebels certainly add up (especially after the show's Darksaber arc). A re-watch of the animated show quickly disproves the argument that Sabine Wren becoming a Jedi would somehow be random or unexpected. There's plenty of setup and foreshadowing in Star Wars Rebels. As such, the odds of Sabine Wren becoming Star Wars' true Mandalorian Jedi seems very high, though fans will undoubtedly learn more about Sabine and her new status quo when Ahsoka's two-episode premiere begins streaming August 23rd on Disney+.