Why Ahsoka Turning Off an Inquisitor's Lightsaber is a Big Deal
"You know when Ahsoka turns off that Inquisitor's lightsaber? I don't get it. What's the big deal?"
I will explain to you what the bid deal is.
Just by the fact that you're reading this means you've probably seen the season 2 episode of Rebels called The Future of the Force. This is the EPIC showdown between Ahsoka and our two known inquisitors (at the time).
If you haven't watched it a hundred times, I recommend that you do here.
You'll notice that near the end of her duel with Seventh Sister, Ahsoka puts her sabers down, grabs the inquisitors, and shuts her blades off. This is awesome on so many levels. But, I can understand, to the casual Star Wars fan, why this doesn't seem like such a big deal. Allow me to explain.
Lightsabers seem to turn off once their owners put them down. This is because most (not all) work via pressure plate. There is an activation switch but, when the lightsaber is dropped, you release the plate, and it turns off. Seventh Sister is holding down her plate, probably firmly as she is in the process of striking. So, how does Ahsoka turn it off? With the Force, of course! In an interview, Filoni stated that Ahsoka's journey since we last saw her was more "spiritual" that physical. She has learned more about how the Force works and her own capabilities. She mentally felt out the plate inside of the lightsaber and deactivated the switch telling the pressure plate to keep the blade on. Awesome!
So, why don't more Jedi use this technique. Simply, there isn't time. You'll notice it seemed to take Ahsoka a fair bit of concentration and a moment to prepare. She deactivates her blades and drops them so she can grab Seventh Sister's. She was vulnerable. This concentration isn't practical in every situation.
I once heard someone say that your opponent could be using a Force block. My answer to that is "that's not how the Force works." The idea is to block someone from using Force techniques in an area around you. While there is a technique called Sever Force, blocking someone would take help from an animal who could block the Force. If you'd like to learn about a few of those, I recommend this article.
In the end, it all comes down to the pressure plate and the fact that Ahsoka is so awesome that she can turn it off with the Force. In her words,
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Let me know! @ForceKnowledge
