Why Sabine Wren's Ahsoka Storyline Is So Controversial For Star Wars Fans

As the "Star Wars" universe continues to grow within an already constrained timeline, characters from the animated series "Star Wars Rebels" and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" are making the jump to live-action. As exciting as it is to see these familiar faces in a new way, it's also caused controversy, particularly with Sabine Wren (voiced by Tiya Sircar). Though not Force-sensitive in "Rebels," her live-action debut in "Ahsoka" retcon that Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) has been training as a Jedi, seemingly making Sabine Force-sensitive. The change hasn't gone over well with fans.

When audiences meet Sabine in "Rebels," she's well on her way to becoming a Mandalorian warrior. Unlike other Mandalorians, who are still familiar with the Jedi and their ways, she is purposefully not given a storyline related to Force-sensitivity. "We really felt not only did it step on Ezra's story, but it was like a retread of... okay, we already did this," "Rebels" writer Henry Gilroy said to Pod of Rebellion. "So yeah, 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.'" 

Now left to figure out Sabine's new trajectory, the point of contention for fans has been whether being Force-sensitive is a uniquely Jedi skill or something anyone can learn, given that the Force exists inside everyone to some degree. The general consensus is that, despite the introduction of midi-chlorians in the prequel trilogy effectively making the Jedi genetically distinct, the franchise now leans into the idea that everyone is Force-sensitive, with some being more in touch than others. 

Everyone has their own thoughts, with some arguing that Sabine is not Force-sensitive in "Star Wars Rebels" because Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) would've noticed during her training, while others believe it's implied that she can't connect to the Force because she's emotionally blocked. This would mean that, between "Star Wars Rebels" and "Ahsoka," Sabine Wren opened herself up to the Force, allowing her to train with Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) as a Padwan. 

It doesn't completely fix what many believe to be a retcon, particularly when writer Henry Gilroy's words are thrown into the mix, but the thought sort of makes it work in canon. Of course, there's the argument that midi-chlorians are only required to be a Jedi, not to wield the Force, but that's a discussion for another day.