The Ahsoka Finale Pokes Fun At Fan Complaints About Star Wars Rebels Lightsabers
Every "Star Wars" project goes through the same cycle. At first, there is intense hatred when it comes out, with people nitpicking every single thing and criticizing it for being a betrayal of George Lucas' original intention (one that, as such, is ruining the franchise). Then, time passes (and, in the case of TV shows, new seasons arrive) and the projects are reinterpreted with greater context and some of the more criticized elements become assets (the politics of the prequels, the animation of "Clone Wars," Ahsoka as a character, the humor of "Rebels"). Then the next thing comes along and fans complain it is not like the previous thing they loved ... even if they started out hating it.
When it comes to "Rebels," every single aspect of the show was excruciatingly examined and criticized, mostly for being different from "Clone Wars" in terms of its art style, kid-friendly humor, and lack of familiar characters like Ahsoka and the clones. But one of the more common (and ridiculous) criticisms was purely an aesthetic one — the girth of the lightsabers.
You see, lightsaber blades are super thin in "Rebels," which gives them a rapier-like appearance compared to the katana-like look of lightsabers from the original trilogy. This change was largely inspired by Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the original "Star Wars," which depicted the blades as thin light beams coming out of their hilts. Again, it was just a choice. It looked different, sure, but not any worse or better.
Still, it was a point of contention for "Rebels" fans. Some disliked the design, while others either saw its potential or simply didn't care enough to cry about it online. Now, with a single cheeky line, the "Ahsoka" season 1 finale has poked fun at the whole debate in a rather funny way.
'Judge me by my size, do you?'
In the finale, we see Ezra building a new lightsaber to help Ahsoka in the fight against Thrawn and his zombie army. Rather than recreate the green lightsaber he had before leaving the main galaxy with Thrawn and the purrgil, Ezra takes to replicating the lightsaber his master Kanan Jarrus had.
But when Huyang — who, remember, has been teaching younglings how to construct lightsabers for centuries — hands him a piece, Ezra says it won't work because "the blade emitter is too narrow." This is a cheeky way to acknowledge the complaints some fans had about the lightsabers in "Rebels" looking too thin. So, what piece fits Ezra's lightsaber and its girth perfectly? Why a double of Kanan's own blade emitter, of course! It is a touching scene that pays tribute to Ezra and Kanan's relationship on "Rebels" while also poking fun at fan reactions.
While he is not the focus of the show, and he only shows up halfway through the season, Ezra is arguably the best non-Baylan Skoll part of "Ahsoka." Eman Esfandi not only captures Ezra's mannerisms and playfulness, but he successfully translates it to live-action. The moment he's on screen, he brings a sense of fun and silliness that this otherwise somber show desperately needed, but without making the change in tone jarring.
Ezra being stranded on an alien galaxy for a decade has him in a bit of an arrested development, as he is just as silly and prone to eye-rolling jokes as when he was a teenager. Yet, this Ezra is also rather wise and has learned the ways of Force-Fu, fighting without a lightsaber, but still rather powerful.
"Ahsoka" season 1 is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+.