Summary
- Sabine Wren’s live-action debut in Ahsoka is highly anticipated, as she brings color and spunk to the Star Wars universe as one of the most vibrant Mandalorians.
- Sabine’s history as an Imperial cadet turned rebel is filled with guilt and redemption, and her return in Ahsoka marks a personal journey as she faces the threat of the resurrected Empire.
- Sabine’s role in Ahsoka is significant, as she joins forces with Ahsoka and plays a crucial part in hunting down Grand Admiral Thrawn and finding Ezra Bridger, while potentially exploring her own Force-sensitive abilities and Jedi training.
Star Wars has extensively revealed Sabine Wren’s live-action debut in promotion for Ahsoka. With her vividly-dyed hair, Sabine is one of the most colorful Mandalorians in the Star Wars universe. She was first introduced in Disney’s Star Wars Rebels animated series as a member of the Ghost crew. Unlike many of the more stoic Mandalorians who appear in The Mandalorian, Sabine is a spunky character who enjoys graffiti art. During the Empire’s reign, she often used her Baobab EZ3 airbrushes to brighten up dull Imperial equipment, much to the regime’s annoyance. She typically signed her artwork with a starbird, which later inspired the symbol used to represent the Rebellion.
Sabine’s return in Ahsoka is big news for her character, who has barely been seen since the Rebels series finale. Grand Admiral Thrawn’s threat of resurrecting the Empire is personal for Sabine. Before ever becoming a rebel, she actually joined the Imperial Academy on Mandalore as a cadet and aided the Empire in building weapons she believed would be used for good. When those weapons turned out to be crafted for destroying Mandalorians, she abandoned the Empire. Like many Mandalorians, she spent a brief time as a bounty hunter, but eventually her hatred for the Empire drove her to devote herself to aiding the Rebellion.
Sabine Wren’s Ghost Crew Role & Star Wars Rebels Story
By the age of 16, Sabine Wren became a key member of Hera Syndulla’s Ghost crew, which also included Jedi Kanan Jarrus and Zeb Orrelios. The Ghost crew was pivotal in uniting the Rebellion in the darkest days of the Empire. Known as “The Artist” among the Imperials, Sabine’s flair for colorful explosions and fireworks allowed the Ghost crew to fight the Empire’s bleakness with panache. Later, Ezra Bridger would join the crew and befriend Sabine in their fight against the regime.
Not only was Sabine gifted in flashy combat, but she was also a skilled mechanic. On several occasions, Sabine was able to assist Hera in repairing the Ghost. However, her history as an Imperial cadet often came back to haunt her, as the Empire used her skills to create a weapon designed to superheat Beskar armor. She accidentally helped design a weapon built specifically for killing her own people, and her guilt further drove her to fight the Empire.
Sabine Wren’s Mandalorian Family & Darksaber History
Sabine belongs to Clan Wren, which is a subclan of Clan Vizsla. During the Clone Wars, her family aligned with the terrorist group known as Death Watch, the same entity that saved Din Djarin as a child. Later, Clan Wren sided with the Empire. However, by running away from the Imperial Academy, Sabine single-handedly managed to disgrace her family in the eyes of the other Mandalorians. Sabine was also seen as a traitor for inadvertently assisting the Empire in subjugating the Mandalorians, but was able to redeem herself in the eyes of her Clan and the Mandalorians after destroying the weapon of her making.
One of the most interesting parts of Sabine’s history is that she is among the few Mandalorians who have wielded the Darksaber. Like Din Djarin, Sabine wanted nothing to do with the Darksaber at first and had difficulty wielding the blade properly. She knew that the Darksaber controlled the Mandalorians, as well as its violent history in Clan Vizsla. Despite not wanting the responsibility that came with wielding the blade, she ended up training with it alongside Kanan Jarrus. Using the Darksaber, Sabine was able to defeat Gar Saxon, freeing her family and many other Mandalorian Clans from the Empire’s jurisdiction.
Natasha Liu Bordizzo Plays Sabine Wren In Ahsoka
Sabine Wren will be played by Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo in the Ahsoka series, who made her acting debut as Snow Vase in Netflix’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Bordizzo takes over the role from Tiya Sircar, who voiced Sabine in Rebels and other Star Wars projects. Not only has Sabine met and fought alongside Ahsoka before, but she also has ties to Katie Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze. After Sabine won the Darksaber from Saxon, she made the unfortunate error of bequeathing the blade to Bo-Katan without knowing that it needed to be won in combat.
Sabine Wren Plays A Big Role In The Star Wars Ahsoka TV Show
Not only does Sabine Wren have experience fighting Grand Admiral Thrawn, but she also has a complicated and affectionate tie to Ezra Bridger. After Bridger disappeared with Thrawn at the end of the Rebels series finale, Sabine took it upon herself to defend Lothal—Ezra’s home—in his honor. The Ahsoka series picks up where Rebels left off, with Ahsoka recruiting Sabine to help hunt down Thrawn and Ezra. Ahsoka knows that there are few people who know Ezra better than Sabine Wren, which is why Sabine will be a crucial character in Ahsoka.
Sabine May Become A Jedi
Marketing for Ahsoka hasn’t shied away from the possibility that Sabine could become a Jedi. Addressing Ahsoka as her “master,” evidence points to Star Wars giving Sabine Force powers. Having trained under Ahsoka for at least lightsaber combat in the years between Rebels and Ahsoka, it was revealed that Tano severed the relationship, just as she did with her own mentor. The Ahsoka trailer might by lying about Sabine’s training, as she was never previously shown to be Force-sensitive. With natural skills as a warrior and engineer, however, Sabine would be far from the first person to develop their Force abilities later in life. She’ll duel mysterious villain Shin Hati in Ahsoka at some point, where Sabine’s Jedi training will be put to the test.
Episodes 1 and 2 of Ahsoka premiere Wednesday, August 23 on Disney+.