The Darksaber's Complete Star Wars History & Timeline Explained

July 06, 2024

The full story of the Darksaber has now been told, but many mysteries remain surrounding the legendary Mandalorian blade of leadership.

This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3.Much of The Mandalorian has centered on the Darksaber, the ancient blade of Mandalorian leadership. Star Wars viewers are used to lightsabers that are blue and green, with occasional exceptions such as Mace Windu's purple blade. But the Darksaber is one of the most unusual blades to date, characterized by its shimmering ebony blade. It was introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, resurfaced as an important plot point in Star Wars Rebels, and has met its ultimate fate in The Mandalorian season 3.

There are still many mysteries surrounding the Darksaber. Given the Darksaber's destruction at the hands of Moff Gideon, it's actually possible Star Wars will never answer these questions. With that being said, though, it is still possible to figure out a lot of what makes the Darksaber unique - and why it has some properties unlike any other known lightsaber.

The Origin of the Darksaber

The Darksaber is the only known black lightsaber, created a thousand years ago by Tarre Vizsla - the only known Mandalorian Jedi in history. According to Jedi Kanan Jarrus, the thoughts and emotions of anyone who wields the Darksaber are drawn into its energy, with inner turmoil adding weight. No other lightsaber behaves like this; people lacking the Force have been able to use normal lightsabers with no difficulty, albeit with less precision than a Jedi or a Sith.

It's difficult to say why the Darksaber is so different to other lightsabers, both in color and properties. The most likely explanation is that it possesses an unusual kyber crystal, because variations of kyber crystals are known to have created blades with unusual characteristics. The Jedi of the prequel era had largely settled on gathering all their crystals from Ilum, explaining the relative uniformity of lightsabers in the Jedi Order of that time, but it's possible Tarre Vizsla's came from somewhere else. It could even potentially be from Mandalore itself, which would be appropriate.

Tarre Vizsla returned to Mandalore and became ruler (or Mand'alor). He remained the weapon's owner until his death, and it was taken by the Jedi Order, stored on Coruscant. The Darksaber returned to Mandalore after Clan Vizsla attacked the Jedi Temple, and it became a family heirloom. 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.

Why The Darksaber Matters

The Darksaber held a great deal of cultural and historical significance to the Mandalorians. It has become one of the most important symbols of Mandalorian leadership, and the one who wins the Darksaber through combat has a legitimate claim as ruler of Mandalore. It was held by Clan Vizsla in ancient times, but was taken by Darth Maul during the Clone Wars. Simply possessing the Darksaber made Darth Maul a powerful figure to the people of Mandalore.

Moving on to the Star Wars Rebels era, Sabine Wren understood its significance and entrusted it to Bo-Katan Kryze. She doesn't seem to have realized the Darksaber needed to be won in combat, however, and Bo-Katan's possession of the Darksaber was viewed as illegitimate. For her part, Bo-Katan chose to surrender the Darksaber to Moff Gideon in an attempt to prevent the Purge of Mandalore sometime after the events of Star Wars Rebels, but she was betrayed. The blade remained with Gideon for years, until it was accidentally reclaimed by Din Djarin. It found its way back to Bo-Katan, only to be destroyed in The Mandalorian season 3's finale.

Why Din Darin Struggled With The Darksaber, But Bo-Katan Didn't

As seen in The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin found the Darksaber very difficult indeed to use. This seems to have been a reflection of his own inner conflict, likely the fact he saw himself as unworthy. In contrast, Bo-Katan used the Darksaber much better than Din Djarin, as did Moff Gideon and Darth Maul. None of these possessed the same self-doubts that characterize Din Djarin, explaining why they could wield the Darksaber with ease. Every lightsaber bonds with its wielder through the Force to some degree, but that simply appears to work slightly differently for the Darksaber. This has never been properly explained, and it remains to be seen whether it will be addressed going forward; it may well be viewed as irrelevant by Lucasfilm, given the Darksaber has now been destroyed.

The Darksaber's Destruction Will Change Mandalore Forever

Moff Gideon understood the cultural importance of the Darksaber, and destroyed it in part to win a symbolic victory against the Mandalorians. He had previously advantage of the divisions between the different Mandalorian clans, and no doubt hoped they would be unable to cooperate without the Darksaber - a symbol giving a leader authority. It is ironic, then, that Moff Gideon was ultimately defeated by a union of Mandalorian clans who had previously been enemies, those led by Bo-Katan Kryze and the Armorer. Their victory - and, indeed, their survival - shows there is still a future for Mandalore.

There is a sense in which the Darksaber represented all that was wrong with the Mandalorians, the individualism and unceasing ambition that weakened them. The one who wielded the Darksaber could never be secure, because at any time they could be challenged. What is more, the leader was automatically the one who demonstrated the greatest combat skills, but those do not necessarily make for good leaders. Bo-Katan hopes to build a new Mandalorian culture, one where the various clans and families of Mandalore work together. The Darksaber's very existence would work against that. By destroying this ancient blade, Moff Gideon actually did Bo-Katan something of a favor. It will be exciting to see how Mandalore develops after the Darksaber's destruction in The Mandalorian season 4 and beyond.