The Mandalorian: Star Wars ‘Darksaber’ lightsaber and Bo-Katan, explained

Lightsabers are an iconic Star Wars visual, and behind each Jedi weapon there is a unique story or meaning. But there’s a ‘light sword’ with a stranger and more complicated story than almost any other – and it just so happens to play a central role in Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian.

[Ed. note: this post contains spoilers through The Mandalorian season 2, episode 3.]

In Season 1, in the final scene of Chapter 8, we see Imperial Security Officer Moff Gideon lighting a black-bladed lightsaber. Fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe know it well: the weapon’s name is the Dark Saber, and before it got into Gideon’s hands, it was one of the most popular weapons and artifacts precious of the Mandalorian culture.

Season 2, Chapter 11, “The Heiress,” connects the dots with the introduction of Bo-Katan Kryze, played by Katee Sackhoff.

Image: Lucasfilm

The Darksaber was created during the reign of the Old Republic by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian to join the Jedi Order. The saber itself was distinct from any other lightsaber at the time or since. The blade is angled like that of a standard sword. Its transmitter was small and thin, again imitating a sword blade. The Darksaber has a unique black blade and is significantly shorter than most lightsabers, although things like its size and intensity can change depending on its owner’s emotions.

The appointment of Tarre Vizsla as the first Mandalorian Jedi was a sign of a brief peace between the two constantly warring factions. When Tarre Vizsla finally became the Mand’alor, the ruler of Mandalore, he brought the Darksaber back with him to his home planet. The Jedi Order recovered the lightsaber upon his death and kept it in the Jedi Temple. The weapon was then stolen from the temple by the Mandalorians of the Vizsla clan, during the fall of the Old Republic.

After its return to Mandalorian possession, the Black Saber became an important status symbol in Mandalorian society. The owner of the saber was widely regarded as the rightful leader of the Vizsla clan, one of the largest clans on the planet, and the leader of the Death Watch mercenary group. According to Mandalorian cultural tradition, the only way to become the master of the black saber was to gain it from its former owner.

This rule of force ultimately led to a very specific kind of complication, in the form of Darth Maul, who became interested in the Mandalorians during the Clone Wars era. Maul challenged Pre Vizsla, owner of the Darksaber and leader of the Death Watch, to a duel. When Maul won, the Darksaber became his.

Image: Lucasfilm

Losing the Dark Saber and the accompanying leadership to a non-Mandalorian was too much for some of the proud warriors to bear, so they abandoned Maul’s Mandalorian rule and followed Bo-Katan Kryze. This threw Mandalore into a state of civil war.

Soon after, the former Sith Lord fell into the hands of General Grievous and Darth Sidious. Neither of those two cared about the Darksaber, so he was just left on Dathomir where the fight ended.

Image: Lucasfilm

Several years later, during the time of the Galactic Empire, Sabine Wren, an expert in Mandalorian weapons, found the black saber on Dathomir. Sabine trained to use the sword under the tutelage of Ezra Bridger and later Jedi Kanan Jarrus. When Sabine returned to Mandalore to help stop the Empire from killing all remaining Mandalorians, using a weapon she created herself, Sabine used the Dark Saber against the Imperial soldiers.

Image: Lucasfilm

After pushing back the Empire, Sabine gives the black saber to Bo-Katan Kryze, a Death Watch lieutenant first introduced in The clone wars, installing him as the rightful ruler of the Mandalore after Maul’s Death Watch reign ended with his death. It was the last known owner and location of the Darksaber until Gideon appeared with him in this episode of The Mandalorian.

This means that there are roughly eight years of Darksaber’s history that are not known. Fortunately, Moff Gideon himself helps fill in these gaps by explaining them to the Mandalorian. It appears that Gideon was also involved in the Purge of Mandalore and the Night of 1000 Tears, the time when the Empire devastated most of the world of Mandalorian origin. Gideon also learns Din’s name from the resistance fighters of Mandalore, the secret register of Mandalorian identities.

If Gideon collects the names of the remaining Mandalorians and is obsessed with their warrior culture, it seems likely that he would have taken the Darksaber from Mandalore during the Purge. Now, in addition to hunting down the remaining Mandalorians for the remnants of the Empire, it’s also possible that Gideon is trying to prove his own rightful ownership of the Darksaber. After all, if it’s a Mandalorian weapon that can only be earned through combat. If he kills all the Mandalorians, it could only be his.

His biggest threat? Bo-Katan, who is back in the mix and in search of his weapon of choice. We still don’t know what happened years ago when the ancient Mand’alor lost the Dark Saber, but that doesn’t stop him from launching The Mandalorian on a hunt for Gideon. In “The Heiress”, the warrior launches into action to hijack an Imperial freighter, which receives direct orders from Gideon. While the ship is full of weapons, Bo-Katan also hopes it’s full of answers – all she wants is for the Dark Saber to return.

Whatever Gideon’s plan, it seems clear that he will chase Din Djarin and Baby Yoda throughout the show’s second season, and that Bo-Katan will reappear whenever they cross paths again. The existence of the Darksaber means that Din has a powerful ancient weapon to fight, and perhaps ultimately, wield. If Bo-Katan is cool with this.