'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Just Revealed How Moff Gideon Got the Darksaber

Publish date: 2024-06-08

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers from Season 3 Episode 7 of The Mandalorian.Ever since the Season 1 finale of The Mandalorian, fans have been looking for answers as to how Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) obtained the Darksaber. The last time we saw the Darksaber was in the animated series Rebels in the hands of Bo-Katan (Katee Sackoff). Her appearance in Season 2 of The Mandalorian provided some more context about the history of the Darksaber and Moff Gideon’s history with Mandalore, but there were still no definitive answers. In Season 3, we finally have those answers. With the help of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Grogu, and the other Mandalorians of both the Children of the Watch and the Nite Owls, Bo-Katan seeks to unite her people in order to reclaim and resettle their homeworld. When they discover other surviving Mandalorians on the surface of Mandalore, Bo-Katan finally confesses the truth about her surrender to the Empire and how she gave up the Darksaber to Moff Gideon. Although this revelation provides us with a more specific backstory between what happened with Bo-Katan and Moff Gideon during the Great Purge, its significance spans several decades across the multiple Star Wars shows forged by Dave Filoni’s interconnected animated and now live-action universe.

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Mandalore's History of Conflict in the Star Wars Timeline

Mandalore has a history of conflict throughout the Star Wars timeline. As Bo-Katan recalls, “Our people have suffered time and again. From division and squabbling factions…. It is always our own division that destroys us.” For example, in The Clone Wars, former Sith Lord Darth Maul led a faction known as Death Watch to overthrow the ruling Kryze family, which is also Bo-Katan’s family. Her sister Duchess Satine was also executed during the conflict. Maul did so using the Darksaber, which was his claim to the throne before losing it to his former master Darth Sidious later on. Fortunately, Bo-Katan would later defeat Maul and his forces with the help of the Galactic Republic's forces — clone troopers and Jedi such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano. Though the conflict involved all Mandalorians, Bo-Katan always had a personal stake in Mandalore’s leadership and political infrastructure, and her troubles would not end there.

In Rebels, Bo-Katan and the Darksaber returned to yet another Mandalorian conflict decades after the Clone Wars. When Bo-Katan refused to give up Mandalore to the Galactic Empire, Gar Saxon was appointed Imperial Viceroy, beginning yet another civil war between Imperial loyalists like Gar Saxon and dissidents like Bo-Katan. When rebel fighter Sabine Wren returned to Mandalore with the Darksaber, she helped Bo-Katan defeat Gar Saxon and the rest of the Saxon Clan. Then, Sabine surrendered the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, who once again became the leader of the Mandalorians. But the Empire would not stop its attempts to take Mandalore, which would ultimately lead to the Night of a Thousand Tears.

Bo-Katan’s Surrender and Sacrifice

The Night of a Thousand Tears was the seminal event that led to the genocide of many Mandalorians and the dispersal of other Mandalorians throughout the galaxy. The Mandalorian’s main villain Moff Gideon was instrumental in the Empire’s final assault on Mandalore. However, even before Gideon’s arrival, different sects of Mandalorians were already separated from Bo-Katan’s side.

As the Armorer told Din Djarin in The Book of Boba Fett, “Bo-Katan Kryze was born of a mighty house, but they lost sight of the way. Her rule ended in tragedy. They lost their way, and we lost our world. Had our sect not been cloistered on the moon of Concordia, we would have not survived the Great Purge.” The Armorer and the other members of the Children of the Watch blamed Bo-Katan for the destruction of their homeworld. However, had the Armorer and her forces been on Mandalore during the attack, a more united Mandalore might have succeeded in fighting off Gideon’s Imperial advances.

Back on Mandalore, Bo-Katan’s hands were tied. When it became clear that the Mandalorians would not withstand the Empire’s forces any longer, she met with Moff Gideon to negotiate a ceasefire. “In exchange for submitting to the Empire and disarming, all remaining cities and Mandalorian lives were to be spared,” Bo-Katan explains to the surviving Mandalorians. “It was the only chance I had to save our people.” So, believing that she was making the best decision to ensure the survival of her people and home world, Bo-Katan surrendered — a choice that is contrary to the Mandalorians’ culture of combat. As she confesses, “That is how Moff Gideon came to possess the Darksaber.”

Bo-Katan Is the Leader Mandalore Deserves

Although Bo-Katan’s surrender was unexpected, the surviving Mandalorians recognize the significance of her choice. Din Djarin especially addresses her honor and sacrifice. Denouncing what he previously believed about her and her family that he learned from the Armorer, Din tells Bo-Katan, “To be honest, [the Darksaber] means nothing to me or my people. Nor does station or bloodline. What means more to me is honor. And loyalty. And character. These are the reasons I serve you, Lady Kryze.” Although he does not know the full history of Bo-Katan, he recognizes that she has always had the best intentions for all Mandalorians. Since the Clone Wars, we know that Bo-Katan is willing to do anything to protect her people and home world from foreign invaders, whether it’s Darth Maul or Moff Gideon.

Throughout Season 3, Bo-Katan’s fate as the true leader of Mandalore has been teased. From the appearance of the Mythosaur in the Living Waters to the Armorer’s belief in Bo-Katan’s ability to walk both ways of Mandalorians, it is only a matter of time before she finally proves herself. However, there remains the ever-present obstacle of Moff Gideon, who has his own plans to reclaim Mandalore. What we’ve learned about this fraught history between Bo-Katan and Moff Gideon has only enriched their other appearances throughout the show, especially their final confrontation back in the Season 2 finale. “I should have killed you when I had the chance,” she tells Gideon before retreating from his ambush. Whether Bo-Katan finally defeats him in the finale of Season 3, in the next season of The Mandalorian, or in Dave Filoni’s announced movie, she has certainly become one of Star Wars’ most compelling characters.

The finale of The Mandalorian Season 3 premieres next Wednesday on Disney+.

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