The mandalorian [Spoilers]

[Morrus]

Really, I feel like they've gone around and around with this plot thread a few too many times now. It's been in good guys' hands, and bad guys' hands, back and forth, united Mandalore for good and ill, it feels like it's done more harm than good at this point, and as a plot device it's seriously played out. I honestly think Din would be doing the Mandalorians a favour if he destroyed it.

I've no idea what any of that is!

 

[pukunui]

I've no idea what any of that is!

In short: We first saw the darksaber in the hands of a bad Mandalorian named Pre Vizsla, head of Death Watch and Bo-Katan's one-time boss. He led a coup against Bo-Katan's sister, Satine, who was leading a pacifist government on Mandalore during the Clone Wars. But Vizsla made the mistake of allying with Maul, who pulled off his own coup, killing Vizsla and claiming both the darksaber and Mandalore for himself.

Maul later hid the darksaber away in the old Nightsisters' lair on Dathomir, where a good Mandalorian named Sabine Wren found it during the Rebellion Era. She later gave it to Bo-Katan after they defeated the leader of the Mandalorians who had sided with the Empire. Bo-Katan was supposed to use the darksaber to unite the fractious tribes.

But then the Empire blew up Mandalore, turning its surface to glass and stealing all the beskar. The Mandalorians dispersed throughout the galaxy, some hiding away in "coverts" while others became guerrilla warriors (like Bo-Katan's Nite Owls). It would appear that Bo-Katan lost the darksaber during the Empire's destruction of Mandalore (or thereabouts). It's possible Moff Gideon bested her in combat and claimed it for himself. We don't know yet.

But apparently she now can't just accept it back from Din, even though he's offered it to her, because she hasn't earned it. She will have to defeat (but not necessarily kill) Din in combat to get it back. (And he would have to genuinely fight her for it, not just pretend and let her win.) This was Moff Gideon's one little victory.

That said, it's possible Bo-Katan may never get it back. She's lost it once already, so maybe she doesn't "deserve" to have it back. I still would not be at all surprised if they're building up to Din becoming the new leader of the Mandalorians. Bo-Katan may even end up going back to being a villain again.

 

[Morrus]

In short: we first saw the darksaber in the hands of a bad Mandalorian named Pre Vizsla, head of Death Watch and Bo-Katan's one-time boss. He led a coup against Bo-Katan's sister, Satine, who was leading a pacifist government on Mandalore during the Clone Wars. But Vizsla made the mistake of allying with Maul, who pulled off his own coup, killing Vizsla and claiming both the darksaber and Mandalore for himself.

Maul later hid the darksaber away in the old Nightsisters' lair on Dathomir, where a good Mandalorian named Sabine Wren found it during the Rebellion Era. She later gave it to Bo-Katan after they defeated the leader of the Mandalorians who had sided with the Empire. Bo-Katan was supposed to use the darksaber to unite the fractious tribes.

But then the Empire blew up Mandalore, turning its surface to glass and stealing all the beskar. The Mandalorians dispersed throughout the galaxy, some hiding away in "coverts" while others become guerrilla warriors (like Bo-Katan's Nite Owls). It would appear that Bo-Katan lost the darksaber during the Empire's destruction of Mandalore (or thereabouts). It's possible Moff Gideon bested her in combat and claimed it for himself. We don't know yet.

But now she can't just accept it back from Din, even though he's offered it to her, because she hasn't earned it. And it's possible she may never get it back. I still would not be at all surprised if they're building up to Din becoming the new leader of the Mandalorians. Bo-Katan may even end up going back to being a villain again.

I could have Googled it if I felt a burning desire for the backstory. The show hopefully won't require homework.

 

[cbwjm]

Ugh. The darksabre Mandalorian stuff is too inside baseball for me. I'm not going to research it, and it's not grabbing me with the limited (none) info I have. I hope they don't do that.

Other than what's been shown in the series and mentioned here, I'm in the same boat, except that it has grabbed me. There's just something about the wielder of the blade has the right to rule that I think is cool.

 

[pukunui]

I could have Googled it if I felt a burning desire for the backstory. The show hopefully won't require homework.

Yes, I'm sure you could have. But I felt like saving you the effort. You're welcome.

 

[Morrus]

Other than what's been shown in the series and mentioned here, I'm in the same boat, except that it has grabbed me. There's just something about the wielder of the blade has the right to rule that I think is cool.

Is that what it Is? Excalibur? I may have missed that exchange in the show.

 

[pukunui]

Is that what it Is? Excalibur? I may have missed that exchange in the show.

Yes, pretty much. I'm fairly certain Gideon let Din win their fight in order to spoil Bo-Katan's claim to the saber. He even said "Assume I know everything," so it stands to reason he would know (or be fairly certain) that Din would have no idea of the darksaber's history and thus would happily pick it up thinking he could just give it to Bo-Katan the next time he saw her.

It does run a little contrary to the fact that Bo-Katan accepted the darksaber when Sabine offered it to her in Rebels, but as others have pointed out in this very thread, the circumstances were different then and perhaps the reason she lost it is because she never actually earned it. Now that she's older and wiser, she knows she's got to earn it properly to be able to truly claim it as her own.


At least this time around, we don't seem to be experiencing any vitriol around how stupidly impossible a black katana-shaped blade with a white glow is. I recall many conversations along those lines from the old WotC SWSE forums when those original darksaber Clone Wars episodes first aired.

 

[Morrus]

Yes, I'm sure you could have. But I felt like saving you the effort. You're welcome.

Scarcasm aside, that’s not in the show and — with respect — your retelling of it is not exactly inspiring. If the show requires me to have an online acquaintance dryly relate some boring backstory to me (I’m sure it was exciting in the medium it was originally presented, if you like those cartoons) there’s a structural problem in the franchise. Which is why, as I said, I hope that going forward I don’t need that knowledge.

 

[cbwjm]

Is that what it Is? Excalibur? I may have missed that exchange in the show.

That's the vibe I'm getting from it, might be more to it but from the show, Bo Katan wanted the blade to cement her right to reclaim and rule Mandalore, I think Moff Gideon provided most of what I know about it when he was explaining why she couldn't just take the blade from the main guy.

 

[pukunui]

Scarcasm aside, that’s not in the show and — with respect — your retelling of it is not exactly inspiring. If the show requires me to have an online acquaintance dryly relate some boring backstory to me (I’m sure it was exciting in the medium it was originally presented, if you like those cartoons) there’s a structural problem in the franchise. Which is why, as I said, I hope that going forward I don’t need that knowledge.

The first paragraph is a summary of the darksaber's story from the Clone Wars cartoon. The second paragraph is from Rebels. Everything else in my post was gleaned from The Mandalorian.

If anyone really wants to know more, here's the first place to look: Darksaber