Star Wars: Ahsoka Proves One Thing Can Beat Jedi Force Powers (And Lightsabers)

It is the rare "Star Wars" property that is sans Jedi. The Jedi Order began the franchise in 1977, and unless it's a devastating political drama like "Andor," Jedi will likely appear. But that doesn't mean that they are the be-all and end-all of the sci-fi franchise. While Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) continues to make moves to learn the ways of the Force in "Ahsoka," Episode 4 demonstrates one fact viewers know to be true.

Mandalorians are nothing to scoff at. Up until this point, Sabine's use of her Mandalorian heritage has sadly been lacking. This Sabine is a far cry from her grenade-throwing, jetpack-toting counterpart in "Star Wars: Rebels." Finally, in Episode 4, Sabine makes use of her Mandalorian armor in earnest when fighting Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). The Mandalorian may not be as practiced in lightsaber dueling as Baylan Skoll's (Ray Stevenson) apprentice, but she holds her own thanks to her Mandalorian legacy. 

After attempting to go one-on-one with lightsabers, Sabine stumbles and uses the technology at her disposal. In classic Mandalorian fashion, Sabine blocks Shin's lightsaber with her Beskar armor as well as implementing the Fibercord whip. This isn't the first time that the Disney+ shows have demonstrated these classic Mandalorian mechanics, but it does remind audiences why they exist in the first place.

If Sabine's ancestors could see her now, they may not be on board with her training as a Jedi. Spanning back generations, the two camps in "Star Wars" canon have had a fraught relationship, resulting in many conflicts. The wars between the two became so severe that the Mandalorians developed weapons to combat the magic of the Jedi. Beskar is used to deflect lightsabers while uses of their jetpacks imitate Jedi telekinesis and the ability to jump. Developing these weapons put Mandalorians on an equal playing field with Jedi, making them formidable adversaries. Mandalore ultimately lost these conflicts after a great cataclysm that scorched the planet's surface, but they didn't go down without a fight.

Well-known Mandalorians, such as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Sabine, prove how these practices still come in handy in the "Star Wars" timeline. Those who do not wield Force abilities should still be able to defend themselves, and Mandalorians have perfected that, to say the least. What Sabine lacks in connection to the Force she more than makes up for with the legacy of her people. A pyrotechnics expert, Sabine has always been Mandalorian first. Especially when it comes to the battle with Shin, having these weapons saves her life and calls into question why she is studying Jedi practices to begin with.