THE MYSTERIOUS DARKSABER

may have made its live action debut on The Mandalorian television series, but it has a long and chequered history, with many dark and violent patches of bloodshed that would make even Lady Macbeth blush. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Darksaber is not just its aesthetic appeal when activated in Moff Gideon’s hands, but his assertion that the narrative behind it is what gives the weapon its true power.

It was created by Tarre Vizsla, the first of the Mandalorians ever inducted into the Jedi Order around 1050 BBY. Following Vizsla’s death, it was kept in the Jedi Temple for a spell until it was stolen by members of the Vizsla household during a large conflict with the Jedi in the final days of the Old Republic. From there, the mysterious Darksaber became an honored symbol of the house passed down from generation to generation by ancestors of Pre Vizsla who managed to possess the weapon long after the pacifist regime of the New Mandalorians surpassed the warrior ways of old.

Fast forward approximately a thousand years later and the Darksaber ends up in the hands of Pre Vizsla, leader of Death Watch, a notorious militia of Mandalore that fought in The Clone Wars to restore rather than in restoring its warrior status. Fans of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels would be privy to this back story. Vizsla used the Darksaber as one of his key weapons during the civil war to take over from the New Mandalorians. His violent coup was successful, and he quickly became the ruler of Mandalore. Unfortunately, his reign was brief and unceremoniously cut short by the infamous Darth Maul who challenged Vizsla in open combat. Maul killed Vizsla during the battle and claimed the Darksaber as his own, making Maul the new leader of the Death Watch.

This greatly angered Maul’s master, dark lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, who confronted his apprentice about this aggressive strategy. Maul attempted to kill Sidious in hand-to-hand combat using the Darksaber but was ultimately defeated and locked away in the Spire, a remote separatist prison on Sturgeon Prime where the Darksaber stayed for a period of time.

Maul was eventually rescued by order of Prime Minister Almec and soon united with the Death Watch, resuming command of the Darksaber. He used the weapon in several campaigns including the Battle on Ord Mandell, Vizsla

Keep 09 and the second great battle on Dathomir.

It’s not completely clear why Darth Maul stopped using the Darksaber, though many believe the blade itself did not think of him as a worthy wielder, becoming heavy and difficult to use as a result. This makes sense for those who watched the Mandalorian episodes in The Book of Boba Fett. The Armorer explains this feature to Mando as he attempts to fight Paz Vizsla in an exhilarating sequence of events.

Fans of the show Rebels will know that it is eventually discovered by Sabine Wren, who retrieved the blade from the Night Sister lair on Dathomir. After some prompting and insistence by Fenn Arau and fellow Spectres, Sabine eventually agrees to undergo training with the Darksaber under the instruction of the wise and mystical Jedi Knight, Kanan Jarrus. She quickly learns to master the weapon and is finally put to the test when she goes up against Viceroy, ultimately defeating him in hand-to-hand combat thus making her the rightful owner of the Darksaber. Fans of Harry Potter could liken this to the ownership of the Elder wand and the connection such a weapon can have with its rightful owner.

She quickly puts the Darksaber to work, rescuing her father from the clutches of the empire and destroying the superweapon she had helped construct when she was an Imperial cadet. Sabine eventually offers the weapon to Bo-Katan, sister to the former Duchess whom she judged to be the right person to lead the Mandalorians in their rebellion against the Empire. Bo-Katan was reluctant to accept but with support from rather than with the support of agreed and accepted the Darksaber. She used it as a symbol to unite the often maligned Mandalorian clans.

Despite this growing resistance, the Empire soon vanquished The Mandalorians in the Night of a Thousand Tears. This is a key moment in The Mandalorian timeline as Bo-Katan, desperate and defeated, is given an ultimatum and swiftly surrenders the Darksaber to Moff Gideon. She’s hopeful that the Empire will put an end to the Great Purge of Mandalore. We soon learn, however, in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, the Empire ignored the surrender and continued with the Purge. The Empire was fearful that if the Mandalorians were not decimated, they would return as very powerful agents of vengeance. Bo-Katan eventually fled the planet but continued to lead the Nite Owls, a group of fearless female warriors formed from a remnant of the Death Watch. We see part of this union in Season 2 of The Mandalorian as a formidable force that helps rescue Grogu.

Despite the horror of this defeat, Bo-Katan was intent on eventually reclaiming the Darksaber and Mandalore. By approximately 9 ABY, after the final defeat of the Empire, Gideon went into exile but was still in possession of the Darksaber. He’d bide his time as the leader of an Imperial remnant on the planet of Nevarro, continuing his greater plan. The Darksaber is finally revealed during the Season 1 finale of The Mandalorian. Din Djarin uses his jet pack to engage Moff Gideon in aerial combat, forcing the TIE fighter to crash. In the aftermath of this event, we watch as an eager Jawa tries to salvage parts from the destroyed TIE fighter only to be disturbed by the alien sound of the Darksaber cutting through the metal. Moff Gideon pushes through the neatly cut hole and stands on top of the wreckage, holding the Darksaber with a fierce determination and leaving fans with a sense of curiosity about this mysterious weapon.

Mandalorian fans had to wait almost an entire season before the Darksaber is revealed once again. It was at the peak of his rescue of the beloved Grogu. Din Djarin is greeted by Moff Gideon holding Grogu prisoner in his cell and brandishing the Darksaber. Din Djarin produces the beskar spear, his payment for helping Ahsoka Tano, and uses it to win the Darksaber from Gideon in combat. Towards the end of the episode, he attempted to hand the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, but she declines, as Gideon explains, because she needs to win it in combat. She does not want to taint the legitimacy of her claim to the Mandalorian throne. The Mandalorian keeps the Darksaber and continues to wield it in the cameo episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. He is later challenged by Paz Vizsla, a Mandalorian descendant of Tarre Vizsla, on the Glavis Ringworld. Djarin may have won the fight but was formally expelled from the Children of the Watch following the duel when he confessed to removing his helmet. Despite this setback, Djarin continues to wield the Darksaber as his own. It becomes a necessary aid in his next quest to earn his place back in the clan by bathing in the Living Waters in the Mines of Mandalore. During this quest, Djarin was ambushed, rendered unconscious and captured. He is saved when Grogu seeks the assistance of Bo-Katan, during which she engaged and killed his attacker using the Darksaber while Djarin was restrained. Despite having potentially earned the Darksaber, Bo-Katan continues to allow Din Djarin to keep it. Its importance is finally restated again during BoKatan’s push to unite the Mandalorian clans following a mutiny by Axe Woves and his followers. After Bo-Katan’s defeat of Axe

Woves, Axe opposed her claim to leadership of all Mandalorians on the basis that only the wielder of the Darksaber could fulfill that role. Djarin presented the Darksaber again to Bo-Katan who initially rejected it. After Djarin recounts the events in the Mines of Mandalore to the newly united Mandalorians, they accept Bo-Katan as the rightful owner of the Darksaber since she defeated the opponent who had defeated Djarin. Djarin reminds everyone that he is merely returning it to its rightful owner, and Bo-Katan finally accepts her destiny, igniting the blade and her Mandalorian leadership at the same time.

The Darksaber’s final moment is shown in the season three finale of The Mandalorian. Moff Gideon destroys it by using the power of his reinforced Dark Trooper armor. Will the nefarious blade be restored to its former glory much like the shards of Narsil in Lord of the Rings? Or, will this be its swan song? Only time will tell.