Star Wars Rebels Writer Calls Out Ahsoka’s Biggest Mistake
Rebels veteran Henry Gilroy is pushing back on Ahsoka’s most hotly debated twist, revealing the show revived a Sabine Jedi training storyline he and the animated team once rejected — and explaining why the choice clashes with her character’s core.
Quick context for anyone side-eyeing Ahsoka season 1: a key Star Wars Rebels alum just weighed in on Sabine Wren training as a Jedi, and he is very much not into it. Not in a cranky way, more in a 'we already had this conversation years ago and decided against it' way.
Who said what, and where
Henry Gilroy, writer and executive producer on Star Wars Rebels, talked about Sabine's Jedi track during an appearance on the Pod of Rebellion podcast. He made it clear this was never the plan in Rebels, and that the creative team actually considered it back then and binned it.
"It was absolutely not the plan. We really felt that not only did it step on Ezra's story, it was a weak retread... The idea of Sabine training as a Jedi when she is already this fantastic warrior of her own type, we felt like, 'This is overkill.'"
What Rebels intended for Sabine vs. what Ahsoka did
- Rebels setup: Gilroy says Sabine's Darksaber arc was designed to make a point — you do not have to be a Jedi to live by Jedi ideals. She trained with the blade, grew as a leader, and ultimately passed the weapon to others who led Mandalore. That was the arc, on purpose.
- Behind-the-scenes call: The writers did kick around a 'Sabine becomes a Jedi' idea in Rebels season 3, then rejected it as a bad idea that undercut Ezra Bridger's story and recycled ground they had already covered.
- Live-action switch: Gilroy had zero involvement with Ahsoka and says he was surprised to see Sabine positioned as Ahsoka Tano's Padawan. In the show, Sabine resumes incomplete training after Rebels, struggles to connect with the Force, and eventually lands a Force push in the finale that helps shove Ezra forward.
Why this matters
Gilroy's comments basically draw a line between the original Rebels philosophy for Sabine — a non-Jedi who still embodies the ethos — and the live-action choice to put her on a Jedi path. If you felt that shift was a little odd after Rebels, this is why: the people who built her arc the first time around considered that route and decided it did not fit her story.
For timing sticklers: Gilroy emphasizes he had nothing to do with Ahsoka, which is why the Padawan turn caught him off guard. But he is clear about the Rebels room verdict back then — making Sabine Force-sensitive-in-training was, in their view, unnecessary.