'Star Wars' Actress Addresses "Disrespectful" Attitude on Series

It’s been a few months since the shocking ending of Star Wars: Ahsoka, the most recent installment in the Star Wars franchise, and Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s “Mando-Verse.” Now, one Ahsoka actress has addressed her character’s disrespectful attitude in the series.

Bringing Sabin Wren to the live-action universe for the first time, Natasha Liu Bordizzo made her Star Wars debut in the first episode of Star Wars: Ahsoka. Replacing Tiya Sircar — who voices Sabine in Dave Filoni’s popular Star Wars Rebels series — as the Mandalorian character, Bordizzo brought an angsty and frustrated Sabine Wren to the show, where she frequently came to blows with Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson).

Speaking to StarWars.com, Bordizzo outlined that playing the disrespectful role was tough. “Being disrespectful to [Ahsoka] in the scenes is so hard,” Bordizzo told the outlet. “It was challenging to remember that they have come from a period of a lot of pain and heaviness that has to be worked out and that their Master-apprentice relationship is being tested.”

Bordizzo went on to add: “I just respect Rosario so much, and there are times where Sabine can be a little disrespectful. But I think it’s all part of the journey. It’s beautiful to watch that arc happen over the show and where they end up.”

Sabine being trained as a Jedi when she is not naturally gifted with the Force proved to be a divisive component of the Ahsoka series, with show creator and newly-appointed Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni shutting down the criticism with his own explanation on Entertainment Weekly‘s Dagobah Dispatch podcast. The executive explained that the Force isn’t just a birthright, but there are many ways, namely through effort and perseverance, that one can unlock the powers of the Force.

The shocking season finale found Sabine and Ahsoka trapped on the planet Peridea while Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) hitched a ride on Grand Admiral Thrawn’s (Lars Mikkelsen) star destroyer back home, where he reunited with a surprised Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

Related: The ‘Star Wars’ Franchise Just Received a Glorious Update

Set in the era of the New Republic, that is, around five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), Ahsoka joins the likes of The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal, The Book of Boba Fett, and the forthcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, as part of Favreau and Filoni’s “Mando-Verse.” The characters featured throughout the many TV shows can be expected to join forces against Grand Admiral Thrawn in the recently announced “Mando-Verse” movie, directed by Dave Filoni.

At the same announcement, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy also revealed that two more movie projects have been added to the roster. One from James Mangold exploring the origins of the Force and set in the Dawn of the Jedi era, and another from filmmaker and documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will star Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker in the time of the New Jedi Order.

All episodes of Star Wars: Ahsoka can be watched on The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service, Disney+. Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hery Syndulla, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger, Ray Stevenson as Baylon Skoll, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, David Tennant as Huyang and Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Related: 19-Year-Old ‘Star Wars’ Debate to Be Finally Put to Rest

Hayden Christensen reprised his role as Clone Wars era Anakin Skywalker in the series, almost 20 years after starring in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The actor was last seen in 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show, reuniting with Ewan McGregor to explore the moments following Anakin’s fall from grace and the birth of Darth Vader.

What did you think of Ahsoka and Sabine’s relationship in the Ahsoka series? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!