This week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels, The Trials of the Dark Saber, was arguably the best we’ve seen so far this season. If not the best, it’s high up there. In fact, if you could watch this episode without experiencing goose bumps or nearly choking up, then you may need to have your soul checked out. The episode gives us a ton of information about Sabine’s life before she joined the rebellion. It also clues us into Kanan and Hera’s relationship as well as Kanan and Ezra’s.

As always, there will be some spoilers below, so if you haven’t seen it yet, turn back now. If you have, may the force be with you.

The Trials of the Dark Saber

The Trials of The Dark Saber focuses on who Sabine is as a Mandalorian. We know quite a bit about the activities in Sabine’s life. She was an imperial cadet at the Academy, she spent some time as a bounty hunter, and she has been with the Ghost crew for some time. Quite a life for someone who is probably in her early 20s.

The episode starts with Fenn Rau talking about the Dark Saber’s history and significance. He convinces Kanan to train Sabine with the saber and use her to return honor to House Vizsla and unite the Mandalorian clans. Sabine only consents to the training after Hera asks her to. Hera knows the rebellion needs an army and if Sabine can bring the Mandalorians to bear against the Empire then they might just stand a chance.

Almost as soon as the episode begins, we realize that the trials of the Dark Saber are more than just the struggle to master its usage. Sabine has kept her past hidden from her crew. Before she can wield the blade with power and purpose, she has to confront her past.

The Bendu

There’s a moment when Sabine is just fed up. She leaves the camp where they are training and walks off. Unable to cope with all that is happening and all that it can mean, she sits on a rock formation that turns out to be the Bendu. After a brief back and forth with Ezra, who makes her feel worse by playing the orphan card, Sabine kicks the rocks and starts to walk off.

As she does, the Bendu reveals himself. Now, this is mostly to the audience. Dramatic irony, and all that. But the Bendu was obviously listening. We’ve seen this force mountain help Kanan and Ezra in the past. Is it so hard to believe that he would help their friend who is suffering from an imbalance?

I believe that since it took Sabine such a long time to return to camp, it’s like that she spoke with the ancient force user. This leaves us to wonder what guidance or advice he gave her. Could he have helped her glimpse what’s to come in her life? Will she be able to lead her people and become the new Mandalore, and if she does, what will that mean for her working with the Ghost crew?

We may never see the exchange between the Bendu and Sabine, but I think it took place, and that it will be the driving force behind her becoming the new Mandalore.

Our First Glimpse of the Old Republic?

Fenn Rau’s story tells us that Tal Vizsla’s lightsaber was created over 1000 years ago, putting the first Mandalorian Jedi right in the middle of the Old Republic and potentially in the middle of the Jedi-Sith war. When he died, House Vizsla stole the Dark Saber from the Jedi temple. We know from the game The Old Republic, that the Mandalorians worked with the Sith when they attacked the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Could this be when House Vizsla stole the Dark Saber back? The clip below was a cross-promotion for the Star Wars: The Old Republic game and the novel Deceived. 

And more importantly, did we just get the connection we need to finally have a trilogy set in the Old Republic? Will we finally see Revan as part of canon? Only time will tell, but I sure as hell hope so.

What this episode showed us is that we the audience probably knew more about Sabine’s character than the crew of the Ghost and possibly even more than she herself. What’s clear is that the coming episodes are going to focus heavily on her past and her future. I think this is what Dave Filoni meant when he said that her story would no longer take a backseat to Ezra’s (I’m paraphrasing, of course).

I look forward to seeing the battle between her and Gar Saxon we saw in the mid-season trailer. What did you think of The Trials of the Dark Saber? Leave a comment below.