In 2019, the Darksaber officially made the leap from Star Wars animation to live-action for the very first time. It was another early indication that The Mandalorian would be about more than just one man and his Force-sensitive baby.
By the end of Season 2, it became even clearer the series was a brilliant continuation of a long thread of tales featuring the people of Mandalore and their struggle to remain united. The Darksaber is at the heart of the conflict. Which means there may only be one way to restore order among the Mandalorians.
Darksaber history
The Darksaber first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the hands of Pre Vizsla, then the leader of the terrorist organization known as Death Watch, it was used in an attempt to overthrow the ruling duchess and restore Mandalore to its “rightful” warrior culture.
In the hands of Maul, the Darksaber caused the death of Satine and countless other beings before it was hidden away on Dathomir.
Sabine Wren was the first Mandalorian in decades to wield the Darksaber with the true good of Mandalore in mind. When she trusted Bo-Katan with it and all that came with the responsibility, she couldn’t possibly have fathomed it would fall into the wrong hands again. Now in the hands of a Mandalorian who wants nothing to do with it, one can only wonder: Will he be the one to restore the birthplace of his ancestors? Or will resulting conflict lead to its ultimate destruction?
A force for good or evil?
For generations, the Darksaber has been used as a tool to claim and maintain power. It has also been used as a weapon to persuade and control with fear. While some have used it for presumably the right reasons — Bo-Katan did, and still does, want to unite the clans of Mandalore and restore her homeworld — for the most part, the saber has resulted in more harm than help.
If The Mandalorian is, at its roots, a show about a descendent of Mandalore finding his place among the people of that system, then it’s quite possible Din Djarin’s legacy is to remove the tool that has drawn a line between Mandalorians for centuries. The Darksaber is a unique weapon — no one (especially not me) wants to see its demise. But what if destroying the darksaber is the only way for Mandalorians to finally stop fighting over who gets to be in charge and instead focus on how to build a better society, culture, and world?
That all still comes with plenty of potential friction, sure. It’s not called Star Wars for its lack of wars in the stars. But take away a society’s symbol of power, the one claim to the throne that a single person is allowed to wield, and things could be different. Things could be better. If Lord of the Rings can destroy The Ring, if Harry Potter can break the Elder Wand, Star Wars can eliminate the darksaber. And maybe it should.
Perhaps, at the end of it all, Din Djarin will come to realize the most effective and long-lasting way to restore Mandalore and reunite its people is to remove the weapon that has resulted in so many years of conflict and struggle. Destroy the Darksaber, and maybe Mandalore can live on. Forever.
