STAR WARS: REBELS Writer Says Sabine Was Never Meant to Be a Jedi and Explains Why
Ahsoka gave fans plenty to talk about, and one of the many things that sparked some debate was the mentorship between Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren.
The show placed Sabine on a Jedi-style path, expanding the idea of who can connect with the Force. Some fans loved seeing the Force explored through a wider lens, while others felt the series fell back into old habits and repeated familiar Jedi story beats.
Now, one of the key storytellers behind Star Wars: Rebels, Henry Gilroy,, a senior writer and executive producer, on Star Wars: Rebels has chimed in, and he doesn’t believe Sabine should have become a Jedi at all.
During a recent episode of Pod of Rebellion, the Rebels rewatch podcast, Gilroy explained that Sabine’s Jedi journey was never the intention during the animated series. When the idea was brought up in the writers room years ago, they decided it would ultimately undermine the story they were already telling.
“It was absolutely not the plan… we really felt that not only did it step on Ezra’s story… it was a weak retread, we already did this.”
According to Gilroy, the potential of Sabine discovering her Force sensitivity was an idea floated during Rebels, but ultimately dismissed by the writing team.
“The idea of Sabine training as a Jedi when she is already this fantastic warrior of her own type, we felt like, ‘This is overkill.’”
In Rebels, Sabine already had her own transformative arc through the Darksaber. She trained with Kanan to master the weapon, not to become a Jedi, but to confront the trauma tied to her past and her connection to Mandalore’s suffering.
That journey mattered because it wasn’t about her becoming a Force user. It was about responsibility, identity, and healing. Her choice to pass the Darksaber on was equally important, shaping Mandalorian leadership in the years that followed.
So when Ahsoka arrived and Sabine suddenly began swinging a lightsaber again, Gilroy admitted he was caught completely off guard.
“I had nothing to do with the Ahsoka series, so I was shocked,” Gilroy continued. “What I love about the story with the Darksaber is that you don’t have to be a Jedi to have Jedi ideals… I think that’s what’s really the more important thing, rather than Force pushing Ezra a hundred feet when she’s never used the Force before.”
Gilroy’s comments hit on something Star Wars has been struggling with for years. What does it mean to be a Jedi now? There’s a difference between holding the ideals of the Jedi and belonging to the institution of the Jedi Order.
The prequels exposed the cracks in that institution, showing how rigid doctrine and political entanglements allowed Palpatine to manipulate the Order from the inside. Since then, Star Wars stories have tried to examine what a “new Jedi” should be, but the franchise often circles back to familiar structures and teachings.
Characters like Ahsoka Tano, who walked away from the Order because of its failures, still find themselves repeating old patterns. The galaxy’s heroes want to carry forward the light and wisdom of the Jedi without reinstating the systems that led to their downfall, but Star Wars hasn’t fully committed to separating those ideas.
That’s why Sabine’s arc sparks such strong reactions. Her wielding the Force challenges older Jedi norms, yet her training under Ahsoka ends up reflecting the same teaching style fans have spent years watching characters critique.
Gilroy isn’t rejecting the idea of expanding the Force. He’s pushing back on the idea that every character who engages with it needs to follow the same Jedi template.
Ahsoka Season 2 will bring Ahsoka and Sabine back together, giving them space to dig deeper into what their bond really means and how Sabine fits into the wider Force narrative. At some point, we’re still expecting a film centered on Rey attempting to build a new Jedi Order, which could finally force the franchise to define what being a Jedi means without recreating what came before.
Whatever direction the franchise moves toward, the future of the Jedi may depend on characters like Sabine who challenge outdated ideas and widen the understanding of the Force for the next generation.