Both Ezra and Luke coming out of exile share a similarity that goes deeper than you’d think
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 7.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Summary
- Like Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, Ezra Bridger rejects taking back his old lightsaber, showing his growth as a character.
- Ezra’s refusal to use a lightsaber demonstrates his reliance on the Force and his development into a more spiritual Jedi.
- Unlike Luke, who lost hope in the Jedi and everything else, Ezra still holds onto hope and eagerly wants to return as a Jedi.
Ahsoka episode 7 pulls a familiar move with Ezra Bridger, one shared with Luke Skywalker himself – but it’s proved less controversial with Star Wars viewers. Played in live-action by Eman Esfandi, Ezra Bridger has been missing for at least nine years. But when Ezra Bridger finds him living amond a race of diminutive natives known as the Noti, she learns Ezra Bridger has changed a great deal.
Many viewers paralleled Ezra with Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy; Both were popular Jedi in exile, sought after by young female potential Jedi. Ahsoka episode 6 even ended on the same cliffhanger with Sabine finding Ezra, just like Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ cliffhanger with Rey and Luke. But this is not where the similarities end; in Ahsoka episode 7, Ezra exhibits the same kind of reaction when he’s offered back his old lightsaber. Even more surprisingly, Ahsoka episode 7 built on this parallel – but made it a whole lot less controverisla.
Ezra Rejects Taking His Lightsaber Back – Like Luke Did In The Last Jedi
During their slow pilgrimage across the wastelands of Peridea, Sabine catches Ezra up on all the things he missed during his absence. But soon after, the Noti caravan is ambushed by native mercenary raiders who are led by the constant thorn of Baylan’s apprentice Shin Hati. To combat this threat, Sabine offers Ezra back his lightsaber, but he refuses. Ezra says he wants to use the Force as his ally rather than his old saber, which he officially gives to Sabine.
There’s a sense in which this parallels Luke Skywalker. When Rey gave Luke his old lightsaber back in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he didn’t want it – and showed a visceral dislike of it, tossing it aside. Both Jedi exiles have decided they don’t want to use a lightsaber, albeit for very different reasons.
Ezra’s Rejection Of The Lightsaber Shows How Much He’s Changed (Like It Did With Luke)
Ezra Bridger’s decision not to accept the lightsaber shows his character growth, because he was originally an action-oriented hero who loved to have a weapon. In Star Wars Rebels‘ finale, Ezra gave Sabine his lightsaber and chose to rely on the Force alone to defeat Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ezra now leans so far into that the Force that he chooses not to use a lightsaber at all, preferring to depend on the Force.
Related: Star Wars Confirms Where Thrawn & Ezra Are (& It Breaks Everything)
The key difference between Ezra and Luke is that Ezra held on to hope in the Jedi way. Luke, in contrast, lost all hope in everything. As seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke tossed the lightsaber away as a symbol of his rejection of the Jedi as a whole, not just as a weapon.
Why Ezra Rejecting The Lightsaber Is Far Less Controversial Than Luke Doing It
This remaining hope that Ezra holds is a key reason that his refusal of the lightsaber is much less controversial. The Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars sequel trilogy had lost hope, a nuanced and mature idea many viewers weren’t ready for – and many still aren’t, even four years after the sequels wrapped up. Luke did not want to be found, while Ezra has eagerly hoped his friends would track him down. Luke wanted the Jedi to end, but Ezra wants to come back as a Jedi, and feels his rejection of the lightsaber is a mark of his both. Both Luke and Ezra refused their lost lightsabers, but the key difference is what makes Ezra so much less controversial. Viewers will have to wait and see how Ezra’s character fares in the finale of Ahsoka, though, as he may need a lightsaber going up against the likes of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET on Disney+.
Categories: Trending
Source: SCHOOL EMC
