What Is Star Wars' Disaster Lineage? Ahsoka's Sneaky Reference, Explained

The third episode of Ahsoka featured a subtle nod to a group of Jedi whom Star Wars fans have dubbed Yoda's "Disaster Lineage." So, who are they?

With its third episode, Ahsoka has given audiences a first look at Sabine Wren's Jedi training. The latest Star Wars series to come to Disney+ revealed that at some point after the end of Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka Tano reunited with Sabine and took her on as a Padawan learner. Sabine has yet to demonstrate any capability in using the Force. Although Ahsoka has told her that the Force resides in all living things and that with adequate training and focus, anyone can wield it, Sabine is still struggling to master any Jedi abilities, owing in part to her more headstrong Mandalorian background.

While Ahsoka remains committed to Sabine's Jedi training, the lightsaber architect droid Professor Huyang has shown less confidence in Ahsoka's new student. Ahsoka, Episode 3, "Time to Fly," saw Ahsoka disappointed to learn that Huyang had told Sabine she was ill-suited for Jedi training. When Ahsoka talks to Huyang about the comments he made to Sabine, the droid does at least acknowledge that Ahsoka comes from "a long line of non-traditional Jedi," suggesting this might make her well-suited for training the young Mandalorian. Star Wars fans are all too aware of the "non-traditional" views of the lineage of Jedi masters and apprentices from which Ahsoka hails, having dubbed this collection of characters "the Disaster Lineage."

The Jedi of Star Wars' Disaster Lineage

Star Wars' Disaster Lineage is so-called due to the unconventional, often chaotic, disaster-prone nature of the Jedi it encompasses. Surprisingly, this unorthodox line of Jedi masters and apprentices actually begins with Master Yoda, the wisest of all Jedi and Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Whether Yoda himself should be considered part of the Disaster Lineage is debatable. He is obviously a stricter and more conventional Jedi than any of those who trained under him, but there is no denying he has a mischievous side and is willing to bend the rules when the greater good demands it.

The undisputed members of Star Wars' Disaster Lineage begin with Count Dooku, Yoda's Padawan, who allowed his vengeful mission against the rise of the dark side and the corruption of the Jedi Order to lead him, ironically, to the dark side himself. Before he turned, though, Dooku trained Qui-Gon Jinn, the free-thinking Jedi Master who refused a seat on the Council and often defied their orders so that he could better abide by the will of the Force. Qui-Gon's apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was a more traditional and straight-laced Jedi. But in some regards, he was undeniably influenced by his unconventional master and even more unruly apprentice.

Anakin Skywalker learned much from Obi-Wan Kenobi and saved his life on multiple occasions. But he also left his master exasperated with his constant defiance of direct orders, the Jedi Code and any rules that were laid down for him. Before he fell to the dark side, Anakin trained Ahsoka, who picked up some of her master's wayward tendencies and who ultimately made the decision to walk away from the Jedi Order. Also included in the Disaster Lineage is Luke Skywalker, who trained under Obi-Wan and Yoda and often resisted the rules of the old Jedi Order in favor of a more compassionate approach.

Ahsoka Is a Non-Traditional Jedi

As the apprentice of the Jedi who would become Darth Vader and a Padawan who chose to leave the Jedi Order, Ahsoka is unsurprisingly something of a maverick by the standards of the Jedi Order. Throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the influence of Anakin's more reckless and emotional outlook on Ahsoka was evident. She showed more compassion for her fellow Jedi, the Clone Troopers in her command and the ordinary citizens she encountered than most Jedi and was a fearsome lightsaber duelist.

When Ahsoka was framed for an attack on the Jedi Temple during Season 5 of The Clone Wars, she found herself expelled from the Jedi Order and on trial for treason. Faced with suspicion and distrust from just about everyone but Anakin, Ahsoka went on the run in a doomed attempt to clear her own name. Ultimately, it was Anakin who was able to prove his Padawan's innocence, but by that point, Ahsoka's faith in the Jedi Order had been shaken. When the Jedi Council offered her the opportunity to return to the Order's ranks, she refused and walked away for good to forge her own path.

The ramifications of that decision are still evident in Ahsoka. Repeatedly, she has been seen reminding Huyang that the Jedi Order has fallen while also pushing back against his efforts to adhere to standard Jedi protocol. Ahsoka's choice of apprentice also speaks to her defiance of the Jedi Order's ways. As a Mandalorian, Sabine Wren is an unconventional candidate for Jedi training -- Huyang tells Ahsoka that historically, very few Mandalorians have ever become Jedi. Ahsoka is evidently and stubbornly set upon forging her own path, perfectly embodying the spirit of the Disaster Lineage.

Sabine Wren Is the Latest Addition to Yoda's Disaster Lineage

Of all the Jedi in what fans have dubbed the Disaster Lineage, Sabine Wren is certainly the most unconventional. Not only is her Mandalorian heritage infamously at odds with the Jedi Order, but she has yet to display any ability to use the Force. Huyang has pointed out that Sabine would not have been accepted by the Jedi as an initiate, but clearly, Ahsoka wants to try things her own way. With the Jedi Order gone, this new master and apprentice duo are free to pursue the unconventional line of teaching that produced Ahsoka's own Jedi training.

Sabine fits right in with her forebears in the Disaster Lineage. Like so many of the other Jedi of this line, she is stubborn in her approach to problems, hotheaded and quick to argue and is often spoiling for a battle. Sabine's high-speed escape from a ceremony she was supposed to be attending as a guest of honor on Ahsoka's first episode shows her defiance of expectations and maverick attitude. Sabine may not have seemed like an obvious Jedi Padawan when Ahsoka began, but that makes her all the more suitable an apprentice for a Jedi of Yoda's Disaster Lineage.