This Lightsaber Battle In Ahsoka Is A First In Live Action Star Wars
This article contains spoilers for "Ahsoka."
"Ahsoka" is finally here (read /Film's review), and it marks a crucial turning point for the "Star Wars" franchise. The show functions as both a "Mandalorian" spinoff and a live-action continuation of the expertly-crafted animated series "Star Wars Rebels," which feels like a bit of a gamble. Transitioning beloved cartoon characters like Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger from animation into live-action could be a difficult sell to audiences that aren't familiar with them. The series also has to contend with continuing the storyline established in "The Mandalorian," which includes the return of "Rebels" villain Grand Admiral Thrawn. "Ahsoka" head writer and "Star Wars" stalwart Dave Filoni is betting the plot threads and character dynamics he helped create in "Rebels" will tie in to the existing canon and be just as compelling when they're witnessed in live-action, if not more so.
Filoni and Lucasfilm have reason to be hopefully based on the positive response to Rosario Dawson's debut as the live-action Ahsoka Tano in "The Mandalorian" season 2. Watching the illusive former Jedi Knight ignite her dual white lightsabers for the first time in live-action was absolutely thrilling. It also served as a promise of things to come that had been teased before, but only in animated form.
Ahsoka, along with Bo-Katan Kryze, Sabine, and many other women in "Star Wars", have been lighting up the screen in lightsaber battles for years in "Rebels" in and the animated "Clone Wars" series. However, "Ahsoka" the series just made a monumental leap forward. In the show's premiere episode, "Master and Apprentice," the fight between Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) marks, to the best of my knowledge, the first live-action lightsaber battle between two female characters in "Star Wars" history.
Sabine Wren vs Shin Hati is a major moment
When we first meet Sabine in "Ahsoka," she's not where she should be. A couple of X-wings find her racing a speeder bike by herself when she's supposed to be attending the annual ceremony celebrating the Empire's defeat. That also means remembering her dear friend Ezra Bridger, whose fate remains unknown after the finale of "Rebels." Sabine is lost and without any real direction until her old mentor Ahsoka returns and gives her the push she needs to rejoin the fight against the growing threat of Thrawn. Later in "Master and Apprentice," Sabine picks up the green lightsaber that once belonged to Ezra. She's since made modifications to the hilt, making it her own.
Just as soon as she's ready to wield the blade once again, she's immediately confronted by the dark side apprentice Shin, who is clearly more adept in the ways of the Force. Not one to back down, Sabine charges Shin, and a quick but significant battle takes place between them both. As their blades clash together, one quick blur of Shin Hati's cloak spinning seems to mirror a similar shot of Darth Maul in "The Phantom Menace." Every lightsaber fight echoes across the galaxy and, at first glance, Sabine versus Shin may not seem as epic as Luke versus Darth Vader in "Return of the Jedi" or Obi-Wan Kenobi's tragic final showdown with Maul on Tatooine in "Rebels."
This is but the first meeting between these adversaries, who will undoubtedly confront each other again in a future episode. This initial confrontation is worth singling out, though, not only for being a great moment in "Master and Apprentice," but also for being a pivotal lightsaber battle in "Star Wars" that should be championed and highlighted for its importance.
A battle worth celebrating
Being a "Star Wars" first should come with some sort of recognition, or at least a little fanfare. Admittedly, the initial battle between Sabine and Shin takes place pretty early in "Ahsoka," so it naturally lacks the impact of more legendary lightsaber duels. Not helping matters, their duel was prominently featured in the show's marketing, as opposed to being held back until "Master and Apprentice" had actually premiered. Of course, there's a very good reason for that. Indeed, teasing a dramatic lightsaber duel is a pretty a surefire way of generating interest in one of the most ambitious television shows Lucasfilm has yet to produce, especially when it comes to "Star Wars" fans who may not be interested in diving into the established lore from an animated series like "Rebels" just to be able to keep up with the latest live-action show.
And yes, "Star Wars" is making history here without making an Imperial case out of it. The fight between Sabine and Shin exists for two reasons. It starts a rivalry between both these students of the Force and it drives the story forward after Shin steals the star map that Sabine had just unlocked, revealing the location of Thrawn's whereabouts and, potentially, Ezra's as well. This lightsaber battle doesn't exist just to be the first time that two female characters have locked blades in live-action. The moment isn't sensationalized or over-dramatized at all. That's probably because the animated "Star Wars" shows have already gone down this road, and "Ahsoka" is just an extension and a continuation of a precedent that's already been set long ago. That gives this history-making moment in "Star Wars" some context without undermining how incredibly exciting it is to finally watch an all-woman live-action lightsaber battle unfold in real time.
Does Rey's shadow duel count?
No! It doesn't. In J.J. Abrams' rushed and divisive sequel trilogy capper "The Rise of Skywalker," Rey winds up confronting her own inner Sith demon when she learns her connection to Emperor Palpatine. Aboard the crashed remnants of the Death Star II, Rey comes face-to-face with her cloaked doppelganger and has a lightening quick lightsaber fight that ends on a completely unnecessary jump scare. The entire sequence plays out as a less effective reinterpretation of Luke's dark side encounter inside the cave at Dagobah.
Rey's fight with herself is the worst kind of fan service. Unlike the reveal of Sabine and Shin fighting in promotional material for "Ahsoka," Rey's vision exists solely for the final shot seen in "The Rise of Skywalker" trailer showing evil Rey wielding her double-bladed switch saber. Technically, it could be argued that this is the first time "Star Wars" has shown two women fighting with lightsabers against each other in live-action. Seeing how this is really only a Force vision with no real consequences or stakes, however, it's going to have to be tossed out. If some early theories concerning "TROS" had proven true and Rey was battling a clone of herself, then that would've been a different story.
Ahsoka is only honoring what's come before
In addition to the indelible duels from The Skywalker Saga, "Star Wars Rebels" added several unforgettable lightsaber battles to the canon. Ahsoka Tano's fight with Darth Vader in the episode "Twilight of the Apprentice" will definitely go down as one of the pinnacle moments in all of "Star Wars," and the effects of that fight will most assuredly continue to have a ripple effect in the live-action world of "Ahsoka." Seeing Sabine wield Ezra's lightsaber in the flesh was tremendous in the premiere episode of "Master and Apprentice," but she's been carrying that hilt for quite some time since "Rebels," in addition to (temporarily) claiming the ancient Mandalorian weapon known as the Darksaber.
Putting the live-action fight between Sabine and Shin in perspective adds even more significance when you realize just how rare of an occurrence it is in the animated shows as well. Ahsoka went up against Count Dooku's assassin Asajj Ventress in "Clone Wars" season 1, episode 9, "Cloak of Darkness," but outside of that, these all-women lightsaber throw-downs are few and far between. The animated "Star Wars" shows have expanded the galaxy and the stories contained within well beyond the initial generational odyssey that focused solely on fathers and sons. Now, it's time for "Ahsoka" to add to that legacy. In the first episode, history has already been made. There should be plenty more surprises as the series continues, but for now, there should be some serious consideration to include Sabine versus Shin on the list of greatest lightsaber matchups of all time.
New episodes of "Ahsoka" premiere Tuesdays at 6 pm PST/9 pm EST on Disney+.