Why doesn’t Ezra Bridger want to use his lightsaber in Ahsoka? Given the Jedi were supposed to be wiped out by Order 66, there still seems to be a lot of them kicking around the galaxy. We’re not complaining, though, as that gives us plenty of cool, saber-wielding heroes to root for in the never-ending fight between good and evil.
Star Wars fans have, of course, had plenty of Jedi on show throughout the new Star Wars series, Ahsoka. The Star Wars movies in order gave us some exciting Force-wielders, of course, but Ahsoka has added more depth to the lore, introducing the idea of ‘Bokken Jedi‘ to describe some of the best Star Wars characters. And now, fans of the best animated series in the canon have got their golden boy, Ezra Bridger, back as part of the Ahsoka cast.
But there’s something amiss. Why doesn’t Ezra Bridger want to use his lightsaber in Ahsoka? This decision actually has a lot to say about the man Ezra has become and what has changed in terms of his connection with The Force.
Why doesn’t Ezra Bridger want to use his lightsaber in Ahsoka?
Ezra Bridger opts to use Force powers instead of a lightsaber or blaster in Ahsoka, which suggests he has spent his last few years becoming closer to The Force. Either he doesn’t feel like he even needs a lightsaber, or he has some reason for not liking the weapons any more.
During Ahsoka episode 7, the reunited duo of Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger find themselves cornered by Shin Hati and a battalion of Night Troopers. As they prepare to fight, Sabine offers Ezra his lightsaber, only for her friend to refuse that weapon and her subsequent suggestion of a blaster.
Ezra declares that “the Force is my ally” and proceeds to engage the troopers in hand-to-hand combat, as well as using The Force to push them and throw them around. Of course, we’ve known about Ezra Bridger’s special Jedi powers for quite some time, but it was a surprise to see him turn down his saber completely.
This, we’d suggest, shows just how much Ezra has changed during his years of exile. He’s no longer the impulsive adolescent Jedi-in-training who loved waving his laser sword around. Instead, he’s a more mature young man who has had a long time to think about The Force and what it means. He would seem to be a more spiritual Jedi now.
Of course, there’s a tantalizing comparison to draw with Luke Skywalker, who so infamously tossed away his lightsaber at the beginning of Rian Johnson’s ultra-divisive 2017 movie The Last Jedi. In that case, Luke had lost faith with the entire existence of the Jedi, so it’s possible that Ezra has similar feelings. He greeted Ahsoka Tano warmly, but perhaps that’s entirely because, as her most famous line told us all, she’s “no Jedi”.
Ahsoka as a series has spent a lot of time grappling with the very notion of being a Jedi. We’ve got Ahsoka herself, Sabine Wren, Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati, Anakin Skywalker, and now Ezra Bridger. None of these people are conventional Jedi Knights, but they all have elements of Jedi within them despite being completely different to each other.
With just an episode to go, it’ll be fascinating to see how much room is given to spiritual wrangling and conflict. Could Ezra’s refusal to wield a lightsaber have something to do with the mystery of what’s really calling Baylan Skoll? He certainly seemed determined to slow Ahsoka down in her reunion with Ezra, so there could be a link.
Either way, we expect some answers next week when the Ahsoka release schedule comes to an end with what should be an explosive finale. Dave Filoni has us very excited indeed, both for this episode of one of the best TV series in the Star Wars canon and what the future holds.
Speaking of the future, we’ve got everything you need to know about the new Star Wars movies on the way, as well as The Acolyte release date and the Andor season 2 release date. Alternatively, switch franchises for more information on Avatar 3 and find out about what else is new on Disney Plus this month.
But if it’s Star Wars you’re after, we’ve got plenty more, so find out about the awesome Jedi power Ahsoka shares with Yoda and read why we think George Lucas was right about Star Wars.