Star Wars fans are wrestling with what exactly it means to be Force Sensitive after the Ahsoka finale, and the answer could have a surprising impact on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
In Ahsoka episode 8, Sabine Wren is able to use the Force, pulling her lightsaber towards her and pushing Ezra up as he leaps for Grand Admiral Thrawn's ship. Granted, this comes at a time of heightened emotion (known to help several Star Wars characters tap into their Force abilities), but it's certainly beyond what you might expect of a character that has had their connection to the Force downplayed multiple times in their history. In Star Wars Rebels, Kanan says that Sabine's openness to the Force is "blocked", while in Ahsoka itself, Huyang says she would not have been accepted into the Jedi Order.
Yet in Ahsoka, Sabine shows that she can indeed use the Force. That's largely in keeping with the message of the entire show - that every sentient creature in the galaxy has some kind of connection to the Force. Unfortunately, some fans theorize that might undermine a very different Star Wars story - Jedi: Fallen Order.
In that game, Padawan Cal Kestis rebuilds his own damaged connection to the Force while attempting to secure a holocron featuring the names of Force-sensitive children, hoping to keep them safe from the clutches of the Empire. It's a noble goal, but the Ahsoka finale has left some players discussing its ramifications on the game: if everyone is Force sensitive, does that Holocron contain the name of every child in the galaxy?
That's the question posed on the Fallen Order subreddit, and the answer hinges on your definition of Force-sensitive. According to Fallen Order itself, that term applies to anything able to instinctively feel the power of the Force. Throughout the Star Wars saga, several characters note that everything is connected to the Force, but not everything can tap into that connection to use Force powers.
Sabine is definitely not able to tap into those powers instinctively. It takes an entire season of dedicated study for her to be able to use basic abilities, and Huyang points out that she would not have been accepted into the Order before the rise of the Empire. Ahsoka Tano herself argues that one's own Force-sensitivity is a question of "talent," but that dedicated training could overcome a lack of inherent ability.
Presumably it's the names of the former, not the latter, that ended up on the Holocron in Fallen Order - people whose connection was strong enough that they could access the Force without meaning to, but who might never unlock their abilities without the proper training. If the Holocron was intended to help secure the future of the Jedi Order, and if the Empire sought it in an attempt to bolster their own ranks, it's unlikely that it was a collection of any figure with a passing connection to the Force.
Still, Sabine's newfound skill poses a fascinating question about where the Star Wars universe might go next. As the first character to be seen to tap into the Force in this way in the history of the franchise, she does represent a fascinating new frontier. And fortunately, the amount of hard work she put into her training means she probably hasn't actually undermined Cal's mission.
Fallen Order gave way to Survivor, and now a third Cal Kestis game has been fully confirmed.
