The history of Star Wars is a long and complex one. When the movies first came out, it was a simple space opera, but since then, the franchise has expanded to become one of the most lucrative ones in history. Now, we could talk about a lot of things from the Star Wars franchise, but the topic of this article are going to be the series’ most popular weapons – lightsabers. In this article, we are going to tell you about the Darksaber and the lightsabers so that we can determine which saber is more powerful.
Since the Darksaber is simply a regular lightsaber but with a differently colored kyber crystal and a slightly different design, there is absolutely no difference in power between these two weapons. The skills of each saber depend on the wielder, but on a general level, the Darksaber is equally powerful as any other lightsaber.
The rest of this article will further elaborate on the above-given answer, as we are going to compare the Darksaber and a regular lightsaber in more detail. We are going to tell you a bit about the Darksaber and its history, as well as the mechanics behind the construction of a lightsaber. In the end, we are going to give you a final verdict on why we’re certain that the two are equally powerful.
What is the Darksaber?
The Darksaber was an ancient and unique black lightsaber created by Tarre Vizsla before 1019 BBY. The weapon was kept in the Jedi Temple after Vizsla’s demise, but members of House Vizsla stole the lightsaber in a conflict with the Jedi during the fall of the Old Republic. The Darksaber was passed down from generation to generation by the ancestors of Pre Vizsla, who kept the weapon even after the pacifist New Mandalorians replaced Mandalore’s warrior tradition.
In 21 BBY, the Darksaber was in the possession of Pre Vizsla, the leader of the Death Watch and House Vizsla during the Clone Wars. He used the Darksaber during his conflicts with the New Mandalorians, including the successful Subjugation of Mandalore. Following the coup, Darth Maul killed Vizsla and took the Darksaber as his own, becoming leader of the Death Watch.
Maul’s former master, Darth Sidious, soon arrived on Mandalore to confront his old apprentice, and Maul used the Darksaber against him. Maul was outmatched but was soon rescued. After being freed, Maul returned to Zanbar, where he again received the Darksaber, which had been retrieved from the royal palace of Sundari, the site of his duel with Sidious.
Maul continued to use the Darksaber in subsequent battles, such as the one at Ord Mantell, the assault on Fortress Vizsla 09, and the Second Battle of Dathomir. During the Age of the Empire, Mandalorian weapons expert and rebel Sabine Wren retrieved the Darksaber from the Nightsisters’ lair on Dathomir in 2 BBY. Urged on by Fenn Rau and the Wraith, Sabine agreed to train with the Darksaber under the guidance of Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus.
Later, she Sabine took the Darksaber with her to seek her family’s support for the rebellion. Sabine became the rightful wielder of the Darksaber after defeating Viceroy Gar Saxon in a duel. After rescuing her father from Imperial custody and destroying the superweapon he had built as an Imperial cadet, Sabine offered the Darksaber to Lady Bo-Katan Kryze.
Bo-Katan was reluctant to accept the mantle of leader, but with the support of the other clans, she agreed and accepted the Darksaber. Following the Great Purge of Mandalore, the Empire desecrated Mandalore and Bo-Katan lost possession of the Darksaber. She fled the planet, but continued to lead the Night Owls and intended to eventually reclaim the Darksaber and Mandalore.
Around 9 ABY, the weapon had fallen into the hands of Moff Gideon, leader of an Imperial remnant. During his rescue from Grogu, a Force-sensitive foundling, the Mandalorian Din Djarin won the Moff’s Darksaber in combat.
How is a lightsaber made?
The ritual of building a lightsaber was an integral part of Jedi training, and involved not only technological prowess but an affinity with the Force. In the days of the Old Republic, the ice caverns of Ilum were used as a ceremonial site where Padawans went to build their first lightsabers. It was there and in similar places that the Jedi chose the best kyber crystals for them through meditation and communion with the Force, and then completed the assembly of their lightsaber.
Traditionally, building a lightsaber took about a month. This included putting the pieces together, by hand and with the Force, and meditating to infuse the crystals. A Jedi would often spend weeks assembling it, making sure that each part came together perfectly, and that it met his preferences in length, color, frequency of blade, and so on; however, at the height of the Clone Wars, it was reported that they could be built in just two days.
The hilt of a lightsaber consisted of an alloy cylinder 25 to 30 centimeters long, although the design and dimensions of the hilt varied greatly according to the preferences and needs of each Jedi. The hilt contained the intricate components that created and shaped the blade. High-powered energy was unleashed through a series of positively charged focusing lenses and energizers, creating a beam of energy that extended outward for about a meter, then arced back to a negatively charged fissure around the emitter.
A superconductor completed the power loop by funneling the transformed power back to the internal battery, where the power cycle began again. By adding up to three variable attribute focusing crystals, the length and power of the blade could be adjusted using control mechanisms built into the hilt.
The construction of a lightsaber, whether by a new Padawan, an experienced Master, or a Jedi craftsman, began with the acquisition of the components necessary to build the weapon. All lightsabers contained the same basic components:
- a hilt
- an activation plate
- a safety switch
- an emitting array
- a lens assembly
- a power cell
- a conduit of energy a
- charging socket
- a belt loop
- one focusing glass (up to three)
Darksaber vs lightsaber: Which weapon is more powerful?
And now for the most important and interesting section of our article – the analysis. Here, we are going to use what we have found out about these two weapons and analyze how all these facts would (or would not) help us in our quest for the answer. Let us continue.
Everything we have said so far leads up to one simple answer – there is absolutely no difference in power between a lightsaber and the Darksaber. The Darksaber is completely unique and has a rich history, but it’s essentially just a “fancy lightsaber” and nothing else. From what we could gather, it wasn’t even tweaked, making it completely regular in comparison to other lightsabers.
The mechanics behind them are the same, they work in the same way and have the same abilities. The only difference is that they look different and have different colors. So, in a duel between two equally skilled swordsmen, the user of the Darksaber would have absolutely no advantage over the user of a regular lightsaber.
The powers of the blades depend on the wielder and not the saber itself. This is why there is essentially no difference between the lightsaber and the Darksaber in terms of powers, as we could deduce from our article.
