After a short winter hiatus, Star Wars Rebels Season 3 returns with their mid-season premiere this Saturday on Disney XD. The previous episode, “Trials of the Darksaber,” came out on January 22 and ended with Sabine Wren mastering the Darksaber with the help of Jarrus Kanan. The episode revealed more of Sabine, a character who tended to be silent and withdrawn about her past. Things might be coming full circle for her as the Mandalorian arc certainly puts the spotlight on Sabine.
Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 15 ended with Sabine finally revealing the truth about her past and the guilt and emotional turmoil she felt when confronted with issues about her family. It was evident during the lightsaber training with Kanan, which started off a bit off-balanced and unnerving for Sabine. With the Darksaber in her hand and being entrusted to learn how to use and fight with it in order to bring the Mandalorians into the fold of the Rebel Alliance, it was like she was battling with herself.
Kanan called her out on it and training would have stopped had Hera not played mediator via holoprojector. Sabine went back into training in earnest, where she finally admitted her past — she felt guilt about the weapons she had developed during her schooling at the Imperial Academy, as these weapons were then used against her own family and her people. This is the same family who turned their back on her because of their fear of the Empire. And it seems that viewers will be meeting Sabine’s mother in Star Wars Rebels Episode 16 .
Episode 16 is titled “The Legacy of Mandalore,” and the new trailer is now out (see below). It shows Sabine returning home with Kanan and Ezra in tow and being practically shunned by her own mother, who orders her soldiers to throw her daughter in jail. But she is given pause when Sabine calls out to her and holds out the Darksaber. Now, this specialized lightsaber is literally a legacy of Mandalore and is held in a position of reverence and power by its people, especially the group known as the Death Watch. It was originally created and forged by the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tar Vizsla. When he died, it was kept in a Jedi temple until a group of Mandalorians from House Vizsla broke in to claim what they feel is their symbol of power.
Viewers learn of this background in Star Wars Rebels Episode 15 as well when Kanan shows this to Fenn Rau. As a veteran Mandalorian warrior, he, of course, recognizes the weapon immediately when the black blade is revealed and recounts its history. With this in mind, Kanan tells Sabine that it is time to claim it as her own and proceeds with the training. If you can remember, Sabine is also the one who actually retrieves the darksaber from Darth Maul when they were in Dathomir. This was after being possessed by the spirits of the Nightsisters.
So it seems that the series is going into the full Mandalorian arc, as reported by Comicbook.com and explores more of Sabine Wren’s backstory. It seems evident that she’ll return with her family (her mother, most especially) in order to win them into the side of the rebellion, but whether she’ll be successful is something we might get an indication of in “Legacy of Mandalore.”
Star Wars Rebels Season 3 returns with Episode 16 on Disney XD this Saturday, February 18 at 8:30/7:30 p.m. central. After this midseason premiere, it plays straight through until its two-part season finale, which is set to come out on March 25. Watch the latest trailer of “Legacy of Mandalore” below.
[Feature Image by Disney/Lucasfilm ]