Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the season finale of The Mandalorian
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The final episode of season 1 of The Mandalorian made the shocking revelation that Moff Gideon is in possession of the Darksaber. The whole season has been full of references and callbacks to a number different Star Wars properties, but the first live-action appearance of the Darksaber is sure to excite fans of Star Wars animation.
Originally introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Darksaber was an ancient lightsaber of great importance to the people of Mandalore and was seen by some as a sign of the rightful ruler of Mandalore. The saber would become even more important in Star Wars Rebels, where get its history expanded even more in Star Wars Rebels.
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The Darksaber was the lightsaber of the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla. After his death, it was kept at the Jedi temple, until it was stolen back by members of House Viszla. After that it was a symbol that united Mandalore against their enemies. It was passed from generation to generation until the events of The Clone Wars, where it was shown to be in the possession of Pre Vizsla (conveniently voiced by Jon Favreau) until he was killed by Darth Maul, who took the saber as his own to rule Mandalore briefly.
Years later, during the events of Star Wars Rebels, Sabine Wren, a member of House Vizsla herself, recovered it from Maul’s lair on Dathomir and used it to unite Mandalore once again before passing it off to Bo Katan Kryze, the sister of the former Dutchess of Mandalore Satine Kryze.
At this time, Mandalore was pushing back against The Empire, and as we know from The Mandalorian, that seems to have initiated “the purge,” which didn’t work out so well for Mandalorians. According to Din Djarin (which we now know is the Mandalorian’s real name), Moff Gideon was an Imperial Security Bureau officer during The Purge. So, when we see him cut his way out of his TIE fighter with the Darksaber at the end of the episode, we can only assume he lay claim to it after killing its previous owner. Possibly Bo Katan herself.
The Darksaber’s presence on the show opens up a ton of opportunities for season 2 of The Mandalorian, and fans will certainly be asking a lot of questions. Could we see any of the Mandalorians we know, like Sabine Wren? Will Din end up wielding the Darksaber? In the scene of him being rescued by Mandalorians as a child, the emblem on their shoulder was that of Death Watch, which was likely run by Pre Vizsla at the time. As a foundling, Din clearly isn’t from House Vizsla, but if he’s from Clan Vizsla, he may actually have a claim to the Darksaber.
Regardless of exactly how things go, that single tease at the end of the episode opens up a whole new world of Star Wars lore for The Mandalorian season 2, which is already in production!
