Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Ahsoka episode "Time To Fly." Read at your own risk!
I'm enjoying watching Ahsoka (streaming with a Disney+ subscription) so far, but one common story element in these first three episodes has me pulling out my tin foil Jedi robe and spinning conspiracy theories. For this is yet another Star Wars project to fall back on a using a recurring plot point, and I'm beginning to wonder whether the frequency is all a bizarre coincidence, or if there is some deeper meaning and purpose behind it.
In "Time to Fly," Ahsoka reminded us once again that Sabine Wren did not complete her training, making her another potential Jedi maestro whose ascension did not come to be in the Star Wars universe. I'm not sure if these truncated educations are something that all fans are keeping track of at home, but for those who aren't, the list of dropouts is growing quite a bit as of late. But is this story element something that is important to the greater story of the franchise, or just some hilariously coincidental instinct for creative teams in this universe?
Sabine Is The Latest Jedi Who Didn't Finish Their Training In A Long Line
Granted, we knew before the latest episode that Sabine Wren never finished her training with Ahsoka Tano, but the Episode 3 scene drilling down on that fact once more really had me reflecting on just how many Jedi we've met lately who boast little to no extensive training. Ahsoka, of course, never actually finished her Jedi training with Anakin Skywalker either, and here's a list of other Jedi besides Ahsoka and Sabine who failed to complete their training that we've seen:
- Grogu
- Cal Kestis
- Kylo Ren
- Rey Skywalker
- Leia Organa
To be clear, there were multiple, valid reasons why all of these characters walked away from their training, and they all walked vastly different paths. It does seem weird, however, in the same way that blasters and lightsabers just don't kill things like they used to, that we have so many front-and-center Jedi who just aren't completing their training. It's strange, but also a little hilarious that in this new era of Star Wars, no one can emerge as a successful Jedi with a full array of preperatory education.
Is Star Wars Doing This On Purpose?
Star Wars keeps giving us quasi-Jedi, but I'm struggling to figure out if this is just a tried and true method of franchise storytelling, or if there's any connective tissue of value to it all. When Jedi are restricted to certain attachments, I wonder if it's just easier to create tension between Master and Padawan by creating the tension of a "will they or won't they" in terms of that particular relationship. For example, will Ahsoka show Sabine complete her training or come out of it with some blend of Jedi and Mandalorian fighting style?
I also wonder if, much like CinemaBlend's Laura Hurley speculated, if there are plans to tell the story of a reformed Jedi order. It's possible Jacen Syndulla could represent the next wave of Jedi, though it seemed like the end of the sequel trilogy set up Rey to be the teacher of the next generation of Jedi knights. There is a Rey movie being developed, so I could see some long-term storytelling being laid out.
At the same time, there's a part of me that just wonders if this is all unintentional, and I've stumbled upon a common crutch in Star Wars' storytelling. It's similar to the trope of how the villains connected to the Dark Side can seemingly survive if they just hate enough and refuse to die. And yet, Qui-Gon Jinn, one of the most powerful Jedi Masters, was taken out after a simple stabbing. Some things just don't make sense in Star Wars, so this may be all just one big coincidence. I guess like most things tied to the future of this universe, we'll just have to wait and see.
Ahsoka premieres new episodes on Disney+ on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Tune in and eagerly await the return of Ezra Bridger, assuming we haven't secretly seen him already.
