Ahsoka Killed The Best Star Wars Romance
The heart of every fandom is ‘shippers: those who put plenty of emotional energy (and internet posts) into desires to see their favorite characters get together. Early internet shipping of Mulder and Scully made The X-Files into a pop culture phenomenon, and now, the ships that have developed around various Star Wars characters are keeping that galaxy far, far away interesting even when the Disney+ shows are disappointing. However, one of those ships is now crashing like an A-Wing into a Super Star Destroyer: the Ahsoka series confirmed that Ezra Bridger sees Sabine Wren as a sister, crushing fan dreams to see them hook up.
Millions Of Fans Cried Out In Agony And Were Silenced
The passionate outcry over this Ahsoka revelation is due to the fact that fans have been shipping Ezra and Sabine for nearly a decade. When Star Wars Rebels first premiered in 2014, young Ezra developed an immediate crush on Sabine. It’s not hard to see why: from her cool Mandalorian armor to her mad artistic skills, she was the Star Wars manifestation of the cool alt girls that boys Ezra’s age often fall head over heels for.
Just Friends
For the first couple of seasons of Rebels, Ezra continued crushing on Sabine, but she always kept him at arm’s length. Mercifully, he eventually dropped his flirtatious ways, and he and Sabine developed a different kind of relationship as colleagues and dear friends. This is what Ahsoka is clearly referencing: Sabine discovers a private recording Ezra recorded for her, and in that recording, he says, “We aren’t really family, but you’re like a sister to me.”
Fans Did Not Take It Lightly
Among a certain set of Star Wars fans, this simple line ignited a fight even fiercer than the one between the Rebels and the Empire. Those who were generally happy that Ezra had dropped the awkward flirting attempts and embraced friendship with Sabine were similarly happy to see this live-action admission of their close, familiar bond. However, those who never stopped shipping these two since Rebels began believed Ahsoka was unnecessarily Force-slamming the door closed on a potential relationship.
Holding Out Hope
Just as Obi-Wan and Yoda held out hope for a rebellion against the Empire, though, some Ezra/Sabine shippers have held onto a faint hope for this coupling thanks to some other details in Ahsoka. Ezra, for example, may tell Sabine outright that he sees her as a sister, but he also went out of his way to record her a personal goodbye message. Seemingly nobody else from his old Rebels crew got such a message from him, so some fans think the fact he went out of his way to leave one for Sabine reveals the true depth of his feelings.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Another bit of circumstantial Ahsoka evidence that shippers point to is the fact that Sabine willingly led the bad guys to Thrawn because she saw it as the only possible way to get Ezra back. She succeeded in this goal, but the blunt truth is that her actions endangered the galaxy and will get many people killed once Thrawn is fully unleashed. Considering everything and everyone that Sabine put in danger in order to save Ezra, many shippers think she, at least, sees him as much more than a brother.
The Fanbase Will Not Be Denied
It’s tough to pick a side here…after watching Ahsoka and the great chemistry between Ezra and Sabine, we can buy them as either found family or would-be lovebirds. However, we’ve got a question for the shippers: does it really matter that much if Ezra sees Sabine as a sister? If Star Wars has taught us one thing, it’s that nothing–even The Force–can keep siblings from locking lips and otherwise keeping warm on those cool Hoth nights.
