Summary
- Ahsoka's recent portrayal of Sabine Wren's aptitude for the Force has sparked criticism from fans, who believed she hadn't "earned" her abilities.
- Creator Dave Filoni explains that the Force isn't limited to birthright and that effort and perseverance play a significant role in acquiring Force abilities.
- This isn't the first time fans have been critical of how the Force is depicted, as evidenced by past criticisms of characters like Rey and the Skywalker family.
There are fewer duos as iconic as Star Wars and complaining fans, and that phenomenon did not waver despite the overall positive reception of the Disney Plus series Ahsoka. Some viewers had a particular issue with how the Force was portrayed in the show. But creator Dave Filoni has his explanation to offer.
Despite the show's name, Ahsoka devoted significant time and focus on Natasha Liu Bordizzo's Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren alongside Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano. After Sabine debuted in the animated series Star Wars Rebels, fans thought they had a good handle on her character. However, upon the new series' release, many were shocked when Sabine eventually showed real aptitude for the Force despite having no prior history or lineage that would suggest such a connection. That inspired some comments that the show was retconning how the Force works and that Sabine didn't "earn" her abilities.
Aside from the fact that Sabine worked herself to exhaustion training as a Force-user, Filoni had another explanation for why things worked out this way. During an appearance on Entertainment Weekly's Dagobah Dispatch podcast (via That Park Place), the Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm spoke about how he portrayed the character and how she fits into previously established notions about the Force. "The idea that she's not incredibly adept at wielding the Force, I think, is a strong thing," he explained. "It's amazing how fans and the Star Wars franchise has evolved. There are all these thoughts, and opinions, and groups. You can find different camps on how they think everything works."
Filoni explained that the Force isn't just bestowed upon specific individuals by birthright. Even though several non-Force users have made a difference in Star Wars, that doesn't mean they can't wield it. Of course, there will always be characters with a more natural affinity for such things. People like Rey and Anakin Skywalker come to mind. But, as Filoni pointed out, it's a matter of effort and perseverance.
"Part of the problem is, it's like anything in life that you want to do, you have to train hard to acquire the skills. … Everyone can become a Jedi and everybody can not become a Jedi because we know there are things in our life, take martial arts skills or even something like yoga and say that if I did that, that’s better for me, that's healthier, that’s empowering. So why don't we all do it? It takes time, it takes commitment, and even people that do it don't all turn out to be great at it."
This isn't the first time fans have gotten in a huff over how the Force is shown. Daisy Ridley's Rey continues to be targeted by some subsets for her natural Force-wielding gifts. However, much of those complaints arguably stem more from sexism and aversion to change than legitimate canon concerns. If the latter were true, then more people would be complaining about Anakin and Luke Skywalker, who both showed Force abilities with a similar lack of training. That's not even to mention the idea of Force-wielding droids, a whole new can of worms that frankly sounds exciting.
The concept of the Force being open to everyone who would accept it isn't new in Star Wars. Notably, it saw a particular push in Rian Johnson's excellent The Last Jedi before J.J. Abrams pummelled the idea into submission in The Rise of Skywalker. But it's still there, and based on Filoni's words, it looks like stories like Sabine's will finally start becoming more common in a galaxy far, far away.
Ahsoka is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Ahsoka
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- August 22, 2023
WHERE TO WATCH
Rosario Dawson stars as Ahsoka Tano in this Disney Plus Star Wars series that brings some of the franchise's most beloved characters from the animated world into live-action. The series, created by Dave Filoni, also stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll.
Source: Dagobah Dispatch (via That Park Place)