Ever since its first live-action appearance in The Mandalorian, the Darksaber has remained a consistent point of tension. Whether it’s bringing the wrath of fellow Mandalorians or bringing down the weight of the Empire, everyone wants a piece of the mythical artefact. But where did the Darksaber come from and why is it so important?
What is a Lightsaber?
To explain the Darksaber, we need to look at its antithesis, the Lightsaber. In Star Wars, there are few weapons as powerful as a Lightsaber. Wielded by Jedi, Sith and other force sensitives, the Lightsaber is a deadly weapon that directs power from an energy cell through sentient kyber crystals. These weapons take considerable skill to wield and have the power to cut through most metals due to their incredible heat. There are several elements found throughout the galaxy that are capable of deflecting the weapon, but none so illustrious as the Beskar Armor developed by the Mandalorians to help them defeat their long-time nemeses, the Jedi.
Why did the Mandalorian’s hate the Jedi?
The feud between the Jedi and the Mandalorians began long before the events of Star Wars. While there is no definitive proof of the starting and ending date, the war began some time during the reign of the Old Republic, when Mandalore began conquering other worlds. The Jedi intervened, and during the conflict, Mandalore was afflicted by some sort of calamity brought by the Jedi. It forced the inhabitants of Mandalore to live in bubble cities and poisoned their natural resources. It was this act that cemented the grudge, and created the notorious terrorist group known as Death Watch. Pre Vizsla, former commander of the Death Watch, mentions in Clone Wars that his family has been at war with the Jedi for generations. It was his ancestor Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi, who would create the Darksaber.
Tarre Vizsla built the Darksaber, as all padawans do, for his personal use as a Jedi. Back in the old days, Jedi didn’t have the same restriction as those that lived under the New Republic, and Vizsla used his saber to forge a dynasty. He created House Vizsla, one of the greatest noble families Mandalore would ever see. Upon his death, the Darksaber was returned to the Jedi temple, where it would rest for all time. House Viszla had other plans, however, and the family quickly liberated the sword. With the Darksaber in hand, House Viszla was able to unite all of Mandalore under one banner, something that had never happened on the violence worship planet. From then on, the Darksaber was synonymous with leadership, whoever held the sword would be acknowledge as Mand’alor, the ruler of Mandalore.
What is the Darksaber?
Having a sword determine who should be leader is unsurprisingly not the best system of government. The Mandalorian dedication to the Darksaber has many times hurt the planet. Dutchess Satine was overthrown by Pre Viszla through use of the Darksaber; Viszla in turn was murdered by Darth Maul who took control of Mandalore. His tenure as ruler sparked a dark period for the world, and after being deposed, Maul stole the weapon, preventing unification and starting a bloody civil war.
The Darksaber was eventually recovered by Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian with ties to House Viszla, who returned the blade to Mandalore. In a show of good will, Wren gave the Darksaber to Bo Katan Kryze to help unify the planet after decades of infighting. Kryze held the sword until the Great Purge of Mandalore, when it would fall into Moff Gideon’s hands.
After killing Gideon, the Darksaber fell into Din Djarin’s possession. Though Djarin has tried to gift the saber to Bo Katan, she will no longer accept the blade as a gift. She refuses to take the blade unless she can win it in battle, and she is unwilling to kill Din. Other Mandalorians have shown no such restraint, when Din reveals the blade to the Armorer, Paz Vizsla challenges Din for its ownership, claiming it’s his birthright. The injured Djarin is barely able to fend off the legacy Mandalorian. With the future of Mandalore resting on its narrow edge, the saber is sure to cause some serious issues in Din and Grogu’s future. It is the key to ruling the dying planet and, more importantly, the Mandalorians. The warriors are regarded as some of the deadliest in the galaxy, and having their firepower unified under one banner could do some serious damage.