.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5)
The Darksaber is a unique and powerful weapon in the Star Wars universe. The beskar hilt emits a black lightsaber blade blending the highest technological achievements of both the Jedi and the Mandalorians. It has also come to bear legendary significance, giving a worthy wielder the ability to lead the Mandalorians and dooming an unworthy wielder to bring destruction to Mandalore.
So far, seven people have wielded the Darksaber, some more worthy than others. All wielders have been talented warriors, but that hasn’t always translated to using the Darksaber to the best of its ability.
7. Din Djarin
Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) is the seventh and most recent wielder of the Darksaber. A life of flying under the radar amongst a people the Empire tried to wipe out coupled with a career in bounty hunting has forged Din into a dangerous man. He is proficient with a wide variety of armaments and has battled everything from lowly fugitives to gargantuan krayt dragons. He even obtained the Darksaber by defeating its previous owner, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), in combat.
Din may be a skilled warrior, but he has a long way to go before he masters the legendary blade. His own emotional baggage and misalignment with the purpose of the blade make it heavy and unwieldy. He has used the saber in battle to destroy droids and to behead an aggressive bounty. Unfortunately, he is also the only person to have sliced a chunk out of his own body with it. This failure puts him at the bottom of the list of capable wielders.
6. Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), sister of former Mandalorian Duchess Satine Kryze, was the fifth wielder of the Darksaber. Bo-Katan is a capable warrior. She leads a combat unit called the Nite Owls who once fought to reestablish Mandalore’s warrior ways until she saw the error in that path. When she realized her mistake, she stood up to Maul himself before dedicating the rest of her life to fighting for Mandalore’s good.
Bo-Katan’s standing among Darksaber wielders is diminished by how little is known about her time with the Darksaber. She was given the blade for its symbolic purposes, and it’s unclear how much she ever actually used it in combat. Whether it was a matter of talent or whether she truly triggered a curse by taking the blade without fighting for it, her time as its wielder ended in the fall of her world in the Great Purge of Mandalore.
5. Moff Gideon
Moff Gideon was a violent man with a deep dedication to the Empire. He became the sixth wielder of the Darksaber when he oversaw the genocide of Mandalore. At one time, he was believed to have been executed for his war crimes, but he survived among an Imperial remnant. Gideon was a crafty strategist, and although Din Djarin managed to defeat him, Gideon completed his mission first.
Gideon used the Darksaber to duel Din Djarin, who was equipped with a beskar spear. He was defeated, but he gave the Mandalorian quite a fight. Throughout the duel, he wielded the Darksaber with ease. He may have lost, but he knew how to bond with the blade and used it to the best of his ability.
4. Pre Vizsla
A direct descendant of the Jedi who constructed the Darksaber, Pre Vizsla (Jon Favreau) was the second person to wield it. The Vizslas took the weapon during the fall of the Old Republic and passed it down through the generations as Mandalore moved into an era of pacifism. Pre Vizsla took up the weapon as he led Death Watch, seeking to revert Mandalore to their warrior ways. Pre used the Darksaber extensively and effectively in combat. He did, however, struggle to overcome Force users.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) bested him in combat, even managing to hold him off while disarmed. When Pre saw his imminent defeat, his honor evaporated. He had his soldiers interfere with the duel by blasting rockets at Obi-Wan, pushing him to retreat. Pre partnered with Maul (Sam Witwer) to overthrow Mandalore’s established government. Once the coup was complete, the two disagreed on who should lead and agreed to a duel. Maul defeated Pre and beheaded him in front of his men, assuming control of Death Watch and the Darksaber.
3. Maul
After defeating Pre Vizsla in a duel for leadership of Death Watch, Maul became the Darksaber’s third wielder. As one of the most formidable dark Force users in the galaxy, Maul had no difficulty wielding the blade. With both Death Watch and his criminal empire, the Shadow Collective, under his command, Maul ruled over Mandalore briefly.
Maul had grown so powerful that he posed a legitimate threat to the plans of Darth Sidious (Ian Abercrombie). This prompted a rare in-person confrontation with the Sith Lord, who traveled to Mandalore and confronted Darth Maul. In spite of how much power Maul had amassed, Sidious demonstrated his overwhelming power by easily defeating him. He imprisoned Maul and killed his brother. Maul escaped and recovered the Darksaber, wielding it through a number of conflicts until the Second Battle of Dathomir, when he was forced to flee Darth Sidious, leaving the weapon behind.
2. Sabine Wren
Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) was a Mandalorian who discovered the lost Darksaber in Maul’s former hideout on Dathomir. Sabine learned the history of the blade and initially rejected the responsibility that it represented, but eventually became the fourth wielder. She had a unique advantage over other wielders who lacked Force sensitivity: She received training to wield the blade directly from a Jedi. Initially, she struggled with the Darksaber much like Din Djarin, but Jedi Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) helped her work through her feelings and learn to work with the blade.
After her training, she wielded the Darksaber with great skill, in spite of her lack of Force sensitivity. She used it to defeat Gar Saxon (Ray Stevenson), a former commander under Maul who had been installed as Mandalore’s Viceroy by the Empire, establishing herself as a legitimate wielder of the blade. She was never defeated while wielding the Darksaber, but she believed Bo-Katan Kryze would lead Mandalore best, so she gave the blade to Kryze.
1. Tarre Vizsla
Little is known about Tarre Vizsla, the constructor and first wielder of the Darksaber. His story was passed down through the ages by the Mandalorians who enshrined his legend in a statue. Tarre was the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi order. The weapon he left behind reflected the man who built it, an amalgamation of the two great cultures.
Although little is known about Tarre, it is likely that he was the strongest wielder of the Darksaber. With his knowledge of both the Force and forging beskar, only he could create this weapon. Furthermore, he did not die during his tenure as a Jedi, indicating a successful career as one of the peacekeepers, which likely included many battles. After his journeys as a Jedi, he returned to Mandalore and created House Vizsla. Eventually, he even served as the planet’s ruler, the Mand’alor. With one person accomplishing so much, it’s no surprise that his weapon became enshrouded in legend.