20 burning questions we need answered in The Mandalorian season 2

What is the Darksaber?

When we see Moff Gideon cut his way out of the wreckage of his Outland TIE Fighter in “Redemption (S1/E8) he uses a black-bladed lightsaber. This ancient blade, called the Darksaber, has a long and storied history. We have to be careful here because the bevy of Clone Wars-era stories are no longer part of the official Disney Star Wars canon, but showrunners Favreau and Filoni (the latter of whom worked on the Clone Wars and Rebels TV series) seem fine with cherrypicking previously established historical elements where necessary.

With that caveat, let’s look at what we know about the famous Darksaber. First of all, Moff Tarkin shouldn’t be in possession of it. The black-bladed weapon is an ancient Mandalorian artifact constructed by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order. Originally housed in the Jedi Temple, the weapon was taken by the House of Vizsla and changed hands through Mandalore’s continuing conflicts across the centuries. It once was in the possession of Darth Maul.

The Darksaber is a unique blade able to respond to its user’s emotional state and telepathic commands. Beyond the Darksaber being a powerful weapon, it further links Moff Tarkin to the fate of the Mandalorian civilization, considering he was involved in the Great Purge and the Siege of Mandalore. It opens the door for us to learn a lot more about the history of Mandalore, and that’s awesome.

Also, the show has a Mandalorian character named Paz Vizsla — any relation to Tarre? Interesting.