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Credit: LucasfilmWarning! Spoilers ahead for Ahsoka “Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord.”
Now that Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka show has officially reached its conclusion on Disney+, it looks like Star Wars already has its sights set on the future — a future that could very well be led by the newest Jedi, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo).
Related: Ahsoka May Be Alive During Sequel Trilogy, ‘Star Wars’ Suggests
‘Ahsoka’ Finale Recap: Nightsisters, Zombies, and Thrawn’s Return
It’s hard to believe that Ahsoka has completed its eight-episode run on Disney+, marking the end of one of the best-received live-action Star Wars projects since the George Lucas era. “Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord,” which acts as the Season 1 finale, is already earning rave reviews after premiering Tuesday evening, laying the foundation for Grand Admiral Thrawn’s (Lars Mikkelsen) return to the known galaxy as Heir to the Empire.
Picking up on the graveyard planet of Peridia, the final episode (directed by The Mandalorian‘s Rick Famuyiwa) of Ahsoka‘s first season leaves audiences with perhaps more questions than answers, all while intentionally leaving loose story threads for upcoming entries like a yet-unconfirmed Season 2 or, more likely, Filoni’s “Mando-Verse” crossover movie, which is projected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2026.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ May Finally Recast Princess Leia Next Year
The episode opens aboard Thrawn’s Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, The Chimaera, hot on the heels of Ahsoka Tano’s (Rosario Dawson) arrival on the distant planet, now aided by her two would-be Jedi sidekicks, Sabine and Star Wars Rebels’ Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfani).
With impending victory looming over them, thanks to Thrawn’s almost Machiavellian air of confidence, The Great Sisters give Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) a promotion of sorts, transforming her appearance to look just as they do and gifting her with the blade of Talzin, once used by the Nightsister matriarch in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.
Meanwhile, Ezra sets out to build a new lightsaber with a bit of help from Huyang (David Tennant), who pays a sweet tribute to Ezra’s late master, Kanan Jarrus (Freddize Prince Jr.), by giving his former Padawan the matching piece of equipment to one he’d previously handed over to Kanan while he was constructing his weapon.
Still, things are tense between Ahsoka and Sabine, with the master-apprentice duo still working through Sabine’s betrayal in “Part Four: Fallen Jedi,” in which she followed mysterious Darksider Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) onto Morgan Elsbeth’s Eye of Sion with the hopes of finding Ezra after he went missing in the Unknown Regions following the events of Rebels.
In the spirit of forgiveness, Ahsoka gives her Jedi trainee a little grace and tells Sabine to look to the Force for guidance — something the Mandalorian warrior has been struggling with all season. We also get new insights into the tragedies that have occurred since the Empire’s fall, including the death of Sabine’s family, Clan Wren.
However, with Thrawn and his army hot on Ahsoka’s tail, it’s time for our heroes to confront Thrawn after a TIE fighter leaves her shuttle out of commission. Sabine, Ezra, and Ahsoka decide to “try the front door,” marching onto The Chimaera to stop the Grand Admiral from blasting off into hyperspace with his mystical cargo in tow.
Here, we finally get confirmation that Thrawn’s Night Troopers are actually undead soldiers who appear to be controlled by the Dathomiri witches’ Magick. But more importantly, we also see Sabine finally tapping into the Force, using her abilities to pull her lightsaber into her hand and stab a Zombie-Trooper through his head in an incredibly crowd-pleasing moment.
Ultimately, Ahsoka defeats Morgan Elsbeth using her own flaming green ichor sword. Still, she and Sabine miss their chance to hop aboard The Chimaera before it jumps into hyperspace, leaving them stranded on Peridia in some sort of Uno reverse card as Ezra returns to the known Star Wars galaxy disguised as a Storm Trooper — a clever nod to his many undercover Rebels antics.
Sabine and Ahsoka, when reflecting on their confrontation with Thrawn, look out at the horizon towards the end of the episode. Here, Sabine senses a presence in the Force but can’t quite see it. Ahsoka, on the other hand, seems to know exactly who’s watching her from the Great Beyond: her old master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), appearing in full Force Ghost glory one more time, just like he did in the 2004 DVD edition of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983).
Is Sabine Wren a Jedi? According to ‘Star Wars,’ Yes
While the Ahsoka finale has many fans in their feels, with the future of Disney Star Wars finally looking up for the first time in years (save for stellar installations like Rogue One (2016) and the Disney+ Andor series), it also left some viewers divided on a topic that’s been at the center of endless discourse since the first episode premiered back in August: is Sabine Force-sensitive? And if so, should she be a Jedi?
Like it or not, the official Star Wars social media team seems to think so. According to new info from StarWars.com (via @starwarstufff on X), Sabine has officially achieved “Jedi” status, with an Episode 7 recap referring to Ezra, Ahsoka, and Sabine as “our three Jedi heroes:”
Sabine Wren has now been designated as a ‘Jedi’ on the official Star Wars website!
More details: shorturl.at/dfoCH
Sabine Wren has now been designated as a 'Jedi' on the official Star Wars website!
More details: https://t.co/fd2n5JZJGf pic.twitter.com/HImfgBtLu5
— Star Wars Stuff (@starwarstufff) October 3, 2023
Lucasfilm’s official confirmation that Sabine is, indeed, a Jedi comes as no coincidence, with the timing of the Ahsoka finale’s release seeming very intentional. And unsurprisingly, people have a lot to say about Sabine’s newfound Force abilities.
With Sabine using Force Pull and Push in the latest episode, even using her powers to propel Ezra several feet in the air onto the Chimaera, it looks like the Mandalorian has officially proved Huyang wrong. Earlier on in Episode 2, the droid tells Sabine that her “aptitude for the Force would fall far short” of every other Jedi Padawan he ever knew during his many years training younglings at the Jedi Temple.
Should Sabine Wren Be Force-Sensitive? Fans Debate
Over Ahsoka‘s eight-episode run, we’ve observed as Sabine tries and fails to tap into the Force, with her master reminding her that every living being is capable of harnessing its powers with enough time, training, and patience.
Now, Sabine’s apparent dedication to the Force seems to have paid off — even if her abilities are still a bit rough around the edges. But from the get-go, Sabine being the Jedi Padawan of Ahsoka was a bit of a contentious topic amongst Star Wars fans, who saw her budding Force sensitivity as an insult to her abilities as a warrior and, more so, to her arc in Rebels.
You see, Sabine trained in lightsaber combat with Kanan and Ezra while she was in possession of the Darksaber as a teenager, but this didn’t exactly make her a Jedi. Throughout the animated series, Sabine was never outright shown to be Force-sensitive, though many speculated, meaning this change in Ahsoka certainly ruffled some feathers:
Sabine being listed as a Jedi is exactly like my younger cousin being listed as man of the match in his football team because it was “his turn”
Just a participation badge and definitely not earned.
I don’t mind Sabine earning her way to that title but she hasn’t yet.
Sabine being listed as a Jedi is exactly like my younger cousin being listed as man of the match in his football team because it was “his turn”
Just a participation badge and definitely not earned.
I don’t mind Sabine earning her way to that title but she hasn’t yet.
— Warren Smith (@WxrrenTV) October 3, 2023
Meanwhile, this fan noted how Sabine “can train on the ways of the Force” all she wants, but if she’s not immersed in “Jedi philosophy and culture” and “doesn’t have high midichlorians,” she’ll never be a true Jedi:
Sabine is not a Jedi. She will never be a Jedi. She can train on the ways of the force. She can have Jedi training. Jedi philosophy and culture, but she is not sensitive to the force, doesn’t have high midichlorians, and is TOO old to learn. It’s not an easy to be a Jedi.
https://twitter.com/Wilko982/status/1709274080799555593
Still, others came to Sabine’s defense, citing the fact that Sabine had been Ahsoka’s Padawan for presumably, many years before the events of the TV show, “literally [putting] in the work” to become a trained Jedi:
It just crazy to me that people don’t like the fact that Sabine can use the force WHEN SHE’S BEEN TRAINING! Like how are y’all mad at this? She’s not Rey, she’s not a Mary Sue, she literally puts in the work!
It just crazy to me that people don’t like the fact that Sabine can use the force WHEN SHE’S BEEN TRAINING! Like how are y’all mad at this? She’s not Rey, she’s not a Mary Sue, she literally puts in the work! #Ahsoka #Sabine
— MalikDShawn (@MalikDShawn) October 4, 2023
And this indivdual even pointed out the paralells between Sabine’s use of Force Pull in Ahsoka and Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) discovery of her powers in the Sequel Trilogy:
Told y’all it was gonna happen.
#Sabine Dave and Rick did a call back to Rey’s force moment.
Told y’all it was gonna happen. #Sabine
Dave and Rick did a call back to Rey’s force moment. pic.twitter.com/tJ9enuue5J
— Shawn (@TitanShawny) October 4, 2023
Like it or not, it’s refreshing to see Filoni tell a story that doesn’t necessarily involve special lineages (looking at you, Skywalker family) or natural-born abilities, instead emphasizing how anyone can harness the Force with a bit of practice. Or, rather, a lot of practice.
For now, only time will tell if Sabine’s Force skills will take center stage in Ahsoka Season 2 or another Star Wars project down the line.
All episodes of Ahsoka are now streaming exclusively on Disney+.
What do you think of Sabine Wren being officially deemed a Jedi by Star Wars? Do you agree? Share your thoughts on this and the Ahsoka finale in the comments below.