Your full briefing on one of the galaxy’s most infamous weapons.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for season 3 episode 8 of The Mandalorian.
Season 3 of The Mandalorian is finally at an end and it’s safe to say it’s been a divisive season, with the finale episode being no different.
The last episode saw Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff), Grogu and co battling Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), with the Darksaber playing an important role. But what exactly happened to it during Gideon’s fight with Bo-Katan?
The Darksaber has played an important part in The Mandalorian lore (The Manda-lore-ian, if you will) so, if it’s gone for good, this is pretty major.
Read on for all your essential information on the ancient Mandalorian weapon.
What happened to the Darksaber?
Earlier in season 3, Bo-Katan re-gained control of the Darksaber. While Din Djarin wasn’t able to gift it to her, as it has to be won in combat, he effectively found a loophole, reasoning that because she rescued him from the clutches of a creepy spider alien robot (the technical term) in episode 2, it was rightfully hers.
The Darksaber didn’t play much more of a role in season 3 – until the finale episode, which saw Moff Gideon attempting (and failing) to complete the Purge of Mandalore.
In episode 7, Gideon gleefully announced that he had created a Dark Trooper suit for himself, made of beskar. It seemed the suit was more resistant than we might have thought, as he managed to crush the Darksaber in the palm of his hand in the finale episode.
He told Bo-Katan: “The Darksaber is gone. You’ve lost everything. Mandalorians are weak once they lose their trinkets.”
Not everyone’s convinced the Darksaber is gone forever though. Djarin previously said the weapon was made from a quality of beskar he’s never seen before, so it’s surprising that Gideon was able to crush it so easily. Could we see it return in future seasons?
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Where does the Darksaber come from?
The Darksaber was created by Tarre Vizsla, a Jedi knight during the time of the Old Republic and the first Mandalorian to be inducted into the Jedi Order.
After his death, the weapon was stored in the Jedi Temple until the fall of the Old Republic, at which point the descendants of House Vizsla reclaimed it as their own. They went on to amass great power using the one-of-a-kind blade to eliminate their enemies, at one point ruling over all of the clans of Mandalore.
The weapon made its first appearance in the 12th episode of the second season of animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, titled The Mandalore Plot. It went on to become a recurring story element in the later seasons, as well as in its follow-up show Star Wars: Rebels, which recounts the Darksaber’s origin in a scene available below.
What makes the Darksaber special?
So, how has the Darksaber garnered such a legendary reputation over the years? Well, it looks cool as hell so that accounts for some of it.
Unlike other lightsabers, it has a flat blade similar to that of a traditional sword and absorbs the light around it to give it that gothic black glow.
In addition, the weapon has been known to give its user an advantage over a standard lightsaber, offering opportunities to parry attacks by how it draws in other blades (almost like magnetism).
Culturally, the Darksaber is very important to the Mandalorian people as a symbol of their esteemed Tarre Vizsla.
Are there any Darksaber toys?
Star Wars fans young and old may get a kick out of the Darksaber toy currently available for purchase from Amazon.
The electronic toy features light and sound effects, mimicking the look and feel of the ancient Mandalorian weapon from a galaxy far, far away.
The Mandalorian season 1 to 3 are available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.
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