The Mandalorian season 2 finale landed on Disney Plus today, and it gave us a heck of a lot to unpack. It featured the shock return of one of the most iconic characters in the whole Star Wars saga, a tease for a new spinoff and also delivered a surprise development in the story of the Darksaber.
The legendary blade was introduced in the season 1 finale, with Moff Gideon somehow in possession of it. A year later, though, it’s now passed into a different character’s hands. In “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” Mando and his allies attack Gideon’s light cruiser. The bounty hunter has recruited Bo-Katan Kryze to help him, and she agrees so long as she gets to best the villain in combat and retrieve the Darksaber. The plan doesn’t go quite as expected, though, and it’s Din Djarin who faces off against the Imperial officer. Thanks to his armor and beskar staff, he’s able to beat Gideon and once reunited with Bo-Katan, Mando presents her with the saber. But there’s a catch.
A gleeful Gideon explains that the Darksaber doesn’t belong to her anymore, it belongs to Djarin. According to the ancient rules of the weapon, its ownership passes to the one who bested its last owner in a duel. And that’s Mando. Djarin isn’t interested in it, though, and tries to offer it to Bo-Katan several times, saying that he yields. But she doesn’t take it. As Gideon says, “the Darksaber doesn’t have power, the story does.” Bo-Katan eventually concedes, “he’s right.”
So, Mando is the rightful owner of the Darksaber. But not only that. You see, the importance of wielding the weapon is that it makes one the rightful claimant to the throne of Mandalore. As Gideon taunts Bo-Katan, without it “she’s just a pretender to the throne.” So, as things stand, Djarin is the true ruler of his people. But it’s unlikely Bo-Katan will be happy with that and it seems the two allies may come to blows in The Mandalorian season 3.