FULL SPOILERS AHEAD
The internet is a buzz with the major plot point from the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. This course being the appearance of Luke Skywalker as Gorgu’s (aka The Child, aka Baby Yoda) Jedi master he called out to on the seeing stone.
But for the deeply intrenched Star Wars fan, there is another plot point that has become a real head scratcher and many see as a plot hole.
The moment I am talking about is when Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) after winning the Darksaber in a fight with Moff Gideon tries to give it to Bo-Katan, but she won’t take it because she needs to win it in a dual to claim it.
The reason why this is so confusing is, if you watched the animated series Star Wars Rebels, you may remember Sabine Wren handing the Darksaber to Bo-Katan and she took it and raised it to the sky as the new leader of Mandalore.
So, why didn’t she just take it back this time?
When I first watched the scene in the finale, my first thought was they made a mistake and this is a plot hole. But after thinking it over, there maybe an explanation that might play into season 3.
Executive Producer Dave Filoni, who was Showrunner on The Clone Wars and Rebels, knows all about the Darksaber and its lore and its rules. So, I don’t think this plot point slipped past him. I think this moment in the show was purposeful and has reasons behind it.
Brief History of the Darksaber
Let’s go over a bit of history about the Darksaber. The Darksaber was made by Tarre Vizsla, the first and only Mandalorian to become a Jedi. After his death, Mandalorians took the Darksaber from the Jedi Temple and back to Mandalore where it became a symbol of power and leadership. It was passed down through the generations and ended up in Pre Vizsla possession. Then, as seen in The Clone Wars, Darth Maul came to Mandalore and defeated Pre Vizsla in a dual to claim the Darksaber.
At some point, Maul takes the Darksaber to his home planet of Dathomir where he keeps it until, the events in Rebels, when Jedi Kanan and Ezra, and exiled Mandalorian Sabine Wren battle Maul and he escapes. Sabine finds the Darksaber and takes it. It is important to note that she does not duel Maul for it. He just left it behind as he fled.
In the final season of Rebels, Sabine and the Rebels team up with Bo-Katan and her crew to free Sabine’s father from the Empire. At the end of that story arc (Heroes of Mandalore), Sabine gives Bo-Katan the Darksaber because Sabine sees she is the leader Mandalore needs to fight against the Empire. Bo-Katan accepts the Darksaber and rallies the houses to her side.
After this, we don’t know exactly what happens, but eventually Moff Gideon either just steals the Darksaber from Bo-Katan or he defeats her in a duel and claims it. Which then, in the Mandalorian, Din Djarin beats Gideon in a duel and claims the Darksaber, even though unwittingly.
Changing Hands
The rule goes, you truly can only claim the Darksaber if you win it in a duel, so here’s my theory.
Pre Vizsla had claim to the Darksaber because it was in his family. Maul laid claim to it because he defeated Pre Vizsla for it.
Sabine took the Darksaber from Maul but never fought him for it. So, Sabine was more of a caretaker of it. Her mother even tells her that she didn’t earn the Darksaber.
Then Sabine gives it to Bo-Katan, thus making Bo-Katan the next caretaker of it. Now this is where the point of contention is for fans. Bo-Katan accepts the Darksaber and does use it to rally troops to her side, but this is likely a necessary grey area she was willing to wade into so she could defeat the Empire.
Eventually, Moff Gideon takes the Darksaber from Bo-Katan, but we don’t know the details of that yet. I am going to assume Moff Gideon did not defeat Bo-Katan in a duel and he just took it after Bo-Katan fled Mandalore during the Great Purge, which I hope we get more about that event in season 3. But, at this point, it doesn’t matter if Gideon rightfully has claim to the Darksaber or not because…
Then we come to Din Djarin actually defeating Gideon in a duel and claiming the Darksaber. Djarin may be the first person since Maul to actually win the Darksaber in combat. It’s also important to note that Maul has been dead for years, after a final duel with Obi-Wan, so it no longer belongs to last person who won it. Having realized this, Bo-Katan knows that Djarin has rightfully claimed the Darksaber and can’t just accept it from him like she did from Sabine.
Season 3 Darksaber Drama
I am going to give Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni the benefit of the doubt and assume they know exactly what they are doing. Nothing like a little power struggle drama, am I right?
With the Gorgu plot line resolved (for now), season 3 is shaping up to be about Mandalore, the Darksaber and how Din Djarin fits into all of this political intrigue.