Summary
TwoAhsokacast members are fully aware of how badly fans want to see their characters together, and it looks like they’re very much in favor of the idea themselves. This is just one of the emotional responses the latestStar Warsseries has inspired in viewers, though it’s among the more potent.
WhenAhsokabegan, audiences weren’t entirely sure what to expect. It was a series named after a character first introduced in an animated series, yet it’s also the culmination of another animated series. So, off the bat, many people were caught off guard by the unfamiliar faces and names. However, it wasn’t long before those who kept up with the series grew to love the characters, returning and otherwise. This includedthe late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll. However, some fans have gravitated toward another area of the cast.
RELATED:Ahsoka: How The Force Gods Can Change Star Wars
One pairing, in particular, has especially garnered attention from viewers, keeping with a proud fandom tradition of “shipping” two characters together (usually in a romantic sense) who share chemistry on-screen. Not only do the actors behind them seem to support the idea, but they may have created it themselves before the series even began. Speaking withStarWars.com, Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ivanna Sakhno, who play Sabine Wren and Shin Hati, respectively, detail their time filming the show and the bond created during its production. AnofficialStar WarsInstagram postfurther demonstrates the love and respect between the two. Bordizzo seems acutely aware of how well they play off each other, both on the screen and behind it.
“Our characters run parallel through this whole show together, and clearly there’s been some fan response to the intensity that our characters have for each other, and we felt it while we were filming. There’s just something really special and magnetic. These characters are such a yin and yang at times. They’re both struggling on their journeys and they’re both these apprentices who cross paths in very interesting ways.”
Despite howStar Warsavoids bringing up the pairing in a romantic sense, just as Disney sidestepsone fan-favorite ship inLoki, Bordizzo’s wording seems pretty indicative that she knows what’s up. Meanwhile, Sakhno seems a touch more diplomatic about it. OnAhsoka, Sabine and Shin find themselves often at odds as apprentices on opposite sides of the conflict. Their similar experiences seem to draw them together, albeit in a rather subtle manner on the show. But behind the scenes, this symmetry brought on a comfortable bond between the two, as Sakhno describes.
“We got to know one another through working in the training facility with Ming [Qiu], our stunt coordinator, who taught both of us focus and dedication to the craft and to lightsaber combat. The experience of working with [Natasha] was just fun. There was a lot of laughter on set, definitely, and inside jokes.”
While the fan ship between Sabine and Shin is far from anofficialStar Warsromance, it’s clear that it would be pretty well-received by fans at even the slightest indication of being canon. It seemed to come naturally thanks to the organic chemistry between Bordizzo and Sakhno. It’s one thing to create a conflict between two characters and expect a positive outcome. But when the actors behind them form a legitimate connection during the production, that’s when the real magic happens. Bordizzo explained how her friendship with Sakhno positively impacted her performance.
“I think in terms of the precision of my facial expressions, some of it was deliberate and some of it was inspired by the animation. But most of the time it was really just brought out by the writing and by other actors. We just brought out that stare in each other. Nothing I could have planned.”
Ahsokahas introduced some new ideas toStar Wars, from Shin as a Force-sensitive mercenary trained by a fallen Jedi to an occasionally controversial element amongfans regarding Sabine’s own Force-sensitivity. So why stop there? Perhaps a mainstream LGBTQ+ romance, inspired by fan reactions, could be the next big step forward. It seems that theStar Warsteam gained the actors' support.
Ahsokaseason 1 is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Ahsoka
Rosario Dawson stars as Ahsoka Tano in this Disney Plus Star Wars series that brings some of the franchise’s most beloved characters from the animated world into live-action. The series, created by Dave Filoni, also stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll.
