Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Mandalorian season 1 finale.
The season finale of The Mandalorian introduced the legendary Darksaber, but what exactly is this weapon, and what makes it so important to the Star Wars universe? The Darksaber, which never appeared in the Skywalker saga or the spin-off films, played a key role in storylines related to Mandalore in two cartoons, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.
In episode 7 of The Mandalorian, the villain of the series, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) was finally introduced. After killing the Client (Werner Herzog) and sending his men to retrieve Baby Yoda, Gideon engaged the titular Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), and Cara Dune (Gina Carano) in a tense standoff. In the following episode, more was revealed about Moff Gideon and his personal connection to Mando. As it turns out, Moff Gideon was directly involved in the Great Purge of Mandalore. He even knows Mando’s real name.
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After refusing to surrender, Mando and his allies, who are joined by IG-11 (Taika Waititi), make a stand against Moff Gideon, who uses flametroopers to burn them out. After traveling underground and meeting a Mandalorian Armorer, Mando receives a jetpack, which he uses to fight Moff Gideon in the final battle. When Mando crashes Gideon’s Outland TIE Fighter, it appears that the villain is dead. Mando and his friends go their separate ways, and just when it looks like the conflict is over, Gideon emerges from the rubble and produces a black lightsaber recognized by fans as the Darksaber. The reveal is easily one of the show’s biggest twists, but why? Here’s what you need to know about the Darksaber.
The Origin Of The Darksaber
The Star Wars universe is full of lightsabers of different colors, but only one has a black blade: the Darksaber. The one-of-a-kind weapon, which made its debut in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was created by a Mandalorian named Tarre Vizsla over a thousand years ago. Since he was Force-sensitive, he was inducted into the Jedi Order as a child, and became the first Mandalorian Jedi in history. It was during his time with the Jedi that he created the unique black-bladed lightsaber. Armed with the Darksaber, Tarre Vizsla eventually returned to his home and became the ruler of Mandalore. He remained the weapon’s owner until his death, and as Star Wars Rebels has revealed, instead of it being passed down to other members of his family, it was kept in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
The Darksaber was returned to Mandalore after Clan Vizsla attacked the Jedi Temple in an attempt to steal what it believed rightly belonged to them. After that, it was treated as a family heirloom of Clan Vizsla. For centuries, it remained within the clan, being passed down from generation to generation. The lightsaber changed hands multiple times over the centuries, but was kept within the clan until the Clone Wars, when it was acquired by Darth Maul, who claimed ownership of the blade and took command of Death Watch, a large group of Mandalorian warriors who stood against the planet’s pacifist government.
In Star Wars Rebels, a conflict with Darth Maul led to it being restored to the Mandalorians. Sabine Wren, a main character on the show and a member of the Mandalorians, recovered the weapon and gave it to Bo-Katan, who became the planet’s new ruler. Prior to The Mandalorian season finale, Bo-Katan was the Darksaber’s last known owner.
Why The Darksaber Matters
The Darksaber holds a great deal of cultural and historical significance to the Mandalorians, and this is due largely to how it was utilized by members of Clan Vizsla in ancient times, Darth Maul during the Clone Wars, and Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels. Leaders of Clan Vizsla took the Darksaber into battle with them when they defeated their enemies and unified Mandalore. As a weapon that was wielded by the planet’s rulers, it became a symbol of leadership and power for the Mandalorians. That’s why it was such a huge moment when Darth Maul got his hands on the Darksaber. Just having it in his possession made him a powerful figure to the people of Mandalore.
Sabine Wren understood its importance when she entrusted it with Bo-Katan. Well aware of what the blade represented to the Mandalorians, Sabine knew that a Mandalorian who wielded the Darksaber could earn the trust and respect of their people. The Darksaber is without question the most important artifact in Mandalorian history, so how did it wind up with Moff Gideon? Thanks to the Great Purge — which happened at some point after Rebels — most of the Mandalorians were slaughtered and their civilization collapsed. Moff Gideon owning the weapon symbolizes the fall of Mandalore.
What The Darksaber Means For The Mandalorian Season 2
The last scene of season finale clearly sets up The Mandalorian season 2 by revealing that not only is Moff Gideon still alive, but he currently possesses the Mandalorians’ most treasured artifact. The inclusion of the Darksaber indicates that season 2 will dive into Mandalorian culture and the history of their world. Their history and what happened to them during and after the original trilogy has been teased in certain conversations, but The Mandalorian could go a step further by making it a focal point of season 2, which would be an interesting direction for the series. If so, the series could introduce other surviving members of the Great Purge.
The group that Mando encountered in episode 3 was killed off-screen, but it was noted that some may have gotten away. Also, there may be other Mandalorian sanctuaries set up all over the galaxy, which could be visited in the show’s second season. This could lead to appearances from established Mandalorians in the Star Wars universe, specifically Sabine Wren. Reportedly, season 2 will incorporate original trilogy characters, but heroes and villains from the cartoons could be utilized as well.
What will become of the Darksaber? That could be one of the biggest questions going into The Mandalorian season 2. What happens to the lightsaber could determine the fate of the Mandalorians. If it falls into the hands of Mando, it would add a new weapon to his arsenal — and provide hope for what’s left of his people.
