Episode 2: The Rise of Sabine
Even though I finished episode 1 knowing that Sabine would live, there were still some fonts of emotional impact lying around. My theory was that Ahsoka would need to heal Sabine with the Force to save her life, thereby temporarily draining Ahsoka’s abilities. Sabine would be fully healed, but she would see the impact had on Ahsoka and feel guilty. It could show a new angle of their dynamic, especially if they have to rely on one another to survive a new altercation.
But no, Sabine just wakes up in a hospital with no lasting damage. I guess medical technologies have come a long way since Qui-Gon was stabbed on Naboo over 40 years ago.
While there were parts of episode 1 that felt disingenuous, I’m still such a sucker for the live-action parallels of this Lothal to the one from Rebels. The establishing shot of Loth cats peeking up from the grass brought back so many memories.
And hey, we got a Hera and Sabine interaction! I love the mother-daughter relationship they have, and it’s so nice to see that they’re still close after all this time. Hera giving Sabine advice and just being there for her was wonderful.
And speaking of Hera – also loved her talk with Ahsoka about Sabine and what it means to be ready. That sentiment ties in beautifully at the end of the episode, but it’s also a nice exchange between these two. Them being friends is very important to me.
One of my notes just reads “Nightsister map magic at Stonehenge.” Because, yeah, I don’t have too much to say about that scene, but I found it neat. The giant projected map was a good special effect. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Morgan Elsbeth and her Nightsister gifts.
The best part of this episode, in my opinion, came from learning the details of Ahsoka and Sabine’s curious relationship post-Rebels and pre-Ahsoka. Huyang confirms that Sabine isn’t Force-sensitive, but both him and Hera use the term “apprentice” to refer to Sabine, and she calls Ahsoka “master.”
After episode 1, I considered how it would affect Rebels if Sabine was revealed to be Force-sensitive this late in the game. But I was pleasantly surprised that that’s not the case – she’s simply a non-traditional Padawan. She’s older and attached to her family, but she still modifies and uses Ezra’s lightsaber. Not only is this a great dynamic, but it fits Ahsoka perfectly. If she was never quite a Jedi, then neither is Sabine. But that doesn’t mean Ahsoka can’t pass on what she’s learned.
Like episode 1, there were many more Rebels tie-ins here, all of which were lovely. Live-action Chopper is such a treat, and his dialogue and exchanges with Hera were phenomenal. The more you listen to that crazy droid, the more you can actually understand his beeping. And Hera shines, too – she had more to do this episode than she did in the first one, and I loved watching her use her well-earned authority. And watching her fly!
I don’t have much to say about Ahsoka’s battle scene, as well-shot as it was, but it’s always a treat to watch her fighting style. You can tell how she uses both Anakin and Obi-Wan’s fighting stances with her lightsabers. It’s a nice way to keep them emotionally present, even if it’s not overt.
I have… so many good things to say about the ending of this episode.
Naively, I’d assumed this show would open with Ahsoka and Sabine on the hunt for Ezra together. I didn’t expect them to be on rough terms from the beginning. But starting Sabine at a low point in her journey gives her the perfect opportunity to rise up.
I can’t explain how much episode 2 truly felt like a homecoming to Rebels. It would’ve been one thing to open the show with Sabine at her best, but letting her return to herself early on makes the wait for Ahsoka feel completely worth it. Like Sabine, we’re reentering this marvelous world. Seeing Sabine take up her armor again was beautiful.
And… the haircut.
From the second I saw Sabine kneeling in front of her helmet, I knew exactly what scene was being referenced. “Jedi Night” is one of the most painful episodes not only in Rebels, but all of Star Wars. But it’s full of strong moments before the fire hits, one of those being when Kanan cuts his hair. It marks a significant change he won’t be coming back from. This is the beginning of the end.
So the parallel with Sabine’s own haircut in Ahsoka fits wonderfully as a new beginning.
(A new dawn, if you will.)
Kanan and Sabine have some interactions in Rebels, but you never see quite as much of them as Hera and Sabine, or Ezra and Kanan. Having Sabine directly mirror Kanan in this episode is an amazing tribute not only to him but the bond between them. The way she moves the knife the exact way he did – oh man, that killed me.
It’s also a great parallel in terms of their actions. Kanan cut his hair before going off to save Hera, and Sabine is cutting her hair before going off to save Ezra. (I refuse to harbor the thought that the consequence will be the same for Sabine, though. This is a new generation. We’ll get a happy ending.)
Sabine’s return to her old self is gorgeous. That “I’m ready” line to Ahsoka was a fantastic link to Ahsoka and Hera’s previous conversation. But nothing could’ve prepared me for this episode’s ending.
Rebels’ final scene is incredibly bittersweet. It still brings tears to my eyes. There’s so much loss in the last episodes of the show, but it ends on a note of fierce hope. Everything isn’t gone yet. And Sabine isn’t letting anyone else disappear. Neither is Ahsoka.
So, yeah, the final scene of Ahsoka episode 2 might’ve made me freak out. Just a tad.
Seeing so much of Rebels in live-action – Sabine at her best, the mural, Ahsoka waiting for her – was beyond incredible. It’s a great opening to their continuing journey together while pulling at the heartstrings.
But there was a question at the back of mind – what exactly was I watching?
I looked this up online shortly after finishing the episode. Was this scene from Ahsoka supposed to be a callback to Rebels? Or was it intended as the same scene, meaning that the first two Ahsoka episodes took place before the final scene of Rebels?
I thought there would be a definitive answer somewhere, but I only found several fervent debates. I’m sure we’ll get a solid answer soon, but I’m a firm believer in the former of the two possibilities – this isn’t the same scene as Rebels.
If you watch the two episodes side by side, you can recognize minor changes. The lighting is different, Sabine’s hair is longer and not buzzed, and she never dons her helmet. These can all be attributed to changes in a live-action adaptation of a previously animated scene, but there’s one that seems too large for such an explanation – Ahsoka’s cloak.
In her final appearance in The Clone Wars, Ahsoka is standing over the graves of the clones she and Rex killed. She is wearing a grey cloak. In her final appearance in Rebels, Ahsoka is ready for Sabine to join her as they find Ezra. She is wearing a white cloak.
But in the finale of Ahsoka episode 2, she is wearing grey.
Some altered details from Rebels to Ahsoka can be explained away. But the loss of “Ahsoka the White?”
Other pieces of information we learn from episode 2 seem to verify that this is true – this isn’t the ending of Rebels. Sabine says in this episode that she hasn’t seen Ahsoka in “years,” and she’s been trained by Ahsoka before this. This would make the most sense timeframe-wise:
- The ending of Rebels takes place in 4 ABY, with Ahsoka the White appearing to Sabine.
- For some period of time, Ahsoka and Sabine travel together and Ahsoka trains Sabine.
- Ahsoka leaves Sabine, and Sabine returns to Lothal.
- In 9ABY, Ahsoka fights Morgan Elsbeth on Corvus and finds the location to the map.
- Sometime after this, Ahsoka finds Sabine on Lothal and shows her the map.
- Mirroring the events of the end of Rebels, Ahsoka and Sabine join one another once more.
I just think this timeline makes the most sense. Sabine is around 29 in Ahsoka, and she certainly doesn’t look that old in the finale of Rebels. And, frankly, as Star Wars fans we’ve dealt with enough ridiculous retcons. The first episode of The Bad Batch, the sixth episode of Tales of the Jedi… can we keep Rebels off of that list? Please?
Anyhow – I liked this episode of Ahsoka a lot more than the first. The Rebels references continued, but they were many and subtle enough that they never felt like fanservice.
