Star Wars Shows the Trouble of Trying to Use a Darksaber

SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers follow for the fifth episode of The Book of Boba Fett, "Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian." This week's episode of The Book of Boba Fett featured no Boba Fett. Instead, it's an interlude catching up with Din Djarin, the hero of The Mandalorian. By the end of The Mandalorian's second season, Din Djarin came to possess the weapon called the Darksaber. The lightsaber is significant for its combat properties and its symbolic value to the Mandalorian people. However, "Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian" shows that wielding the weapon is no easy task. 

"Return of the Mandalorian" shows Din Djarin reuniting with his Mandalorian tribe. Only three of them remain, and they are interested in the Darksaber, the distinctive lightsaber created by the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla. The Armorer suggests that it is a more suitable weapon for Din than the beskar spear he also carries, which melts down into a gift for Grogu. After this, the Armorer helps Din train with the Darksaber, which feels heavy in his hands. She tells him that he is fighting the sword instead of his opponent.

The training calls back to a scene in Star Wars Rebels "Trials of the Darksaber," in which the Jedi Knight Kannan Jarrus trains Mandalorian rebel Sabine Wren to use the Darksaber. Sabine similarly comments on the weapon's weight, saying it becomes lighter in her hands as she wields it, though Kannan counters by telling her that's not enough. Ultimately, once she works through her anger and comes out the other side, she proves capable of besting even Kannan in combat, at least in training.

It seems that wielding this weapon is difficult and that its weight fluctuates based on the wielders' start of mind and emotional stability, crackling with what looks like electrical energy when tempers flare. This emotional resonance seems to be one of several traits that make the Darksaber unique among lightsabers.

The Darksaber remains in Din's hands for now, and with it, possibly, the fate of the Mandalorian people. Din now seems destined to travel to Mandalore to seek forgiveness for his transgression of taking off his helmet. 

What do you think of Din Djarin trying to wield the Darksaber? How did you feel about this week's episode of The Book of Boba Fett? Let us know what you think in the comments. The Book of Boba Fett debuts new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.