Star Wars: The Mandalorian’s Giancarlo Esposito Reveals the Difficulties of Wielding the Darksaber

Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon made some waves in the final frame of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and now he’s talking about that special sword he brandished in the final seconds. Near the end of that first order of episodes, Gideon stood atop that wrecked TIE fighter with the Darksaber and audiences instantly got hyped for Season 2. The Imperial figure swore his vengeance and that sword is probably going to have something to do to that. He talked about the experience of wielding the blade at FAN Expo Vancouver. It turns out that it is a lot harder to swing around than people think.

“It feels wonderful to have that iconic weapon in my hand. It takes some getting used to, as it is longer than a normal sword or saber,” Esposito began. “And of course, it is shorter when you turn it off. So you have to figure out how to work the handle. And when you’re using a saber like that, you have to think of — you can’t really hit, because it’ll bend. It has that [humming], it vibrates with that light and that energy … so you have to strike as if you’re trying to hit someone with the heel of your hand, as opposed to letting the saber go out. So you keep your wrist straight. It feels powerful, it feels wonderful. I broke three of them last week [laughs].”

That won’t be the only change in Season 2 for the actor. He also told the reporters present at the TCA winter press tour that his role would be expanding in the upcoming batch of episodes.

“It’s growing. Yes, I do. I most certainly do. It’s been exciting to be a part of that project because of the iconic nature of it, but even more so, because it has returned me to the Star Wars that I loved,” Esposito said. “I saw the first few movies and dropped away because it became more and more in a different vein than what I wanted to be in, but this is the true space western. It gives you room and space and each one is a little bit of a film. So you’re able to tell a story visually and it returns to the original guts of mythology based deeply rooted in Joe Campbell’s mythology which George Lucas was so fond of and which is why he was inclusive of that mythology in Star Wars so I’m pleased to be a part of that.”

Esposito has been very busy in the last couple of years with parts on The Godfather of Harlem, The Mandalorian, and Better Call Saul. It seems as though he will be an antagonist in Season 2 of The Boys on Amazon as well. Looks like this fall will be just as busy with the space adventures beginning anew.

Season 2 of The Mandalorian premieres exclusively on Disney+ this October.