Why Is The Darksaber So Heavy For Din Djarin During Combat?
Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett treated us to the return of the Mandalorian when the entire episode was all about Din Djarin. In this episode, we see Djarin wielding the Darksaber that he won from Moff Gideon in battle. But, he struggled to use it, as he wounded himself with the Darksaber and even went on to complain about how heavy it is. So, why is the Darksaber so heavy for Din Djarin during combat?
The Darksaber is heavy for Din Djarin because of how lightsaber crystals feed off the energy and emotions of the wielder. Din Djarin was bothered about living life without Grogu. The fact that he broke his Mandalorian oath also had an effect on him emotionally. All of his emotions weighed the Darksaber down.
A lot of people don’t realize that lightsabers in Star Wars are more than just tools. These are actually mystical weapons that have their own level of autonomy in the sense that they rely on the user’s energy as well. This is why Jedi need to train to handle their emotions. And that also leads to the fact that the Darksaber is not an easy weapon to wield for Din Djarin.
Why The Darksaber Gets So Much Heavier during the Combat?
It was revealed as early as season 1 of The Mandalorian that the Darksaber was going to be featured in the series. Those who don’t follow the different Star Wars shows might be wondering what the Darksaber is and how it plays a role in the entire lore. However, those who have seen all of the other Star Wars shows, especially the animated ones, were excited when they saw the Darksaber.
Basically speaking, the Darksaber was a weapon wielded by the Tarre Vizsla, the first and only Mandalorian Jedi. Upon his death, Vizsla’s weapon was kept by the Jedi in one of their temples until the members of House Vizsla stole it in one of the conflicts between the Jedi and the Mandalorian.
The Darksaber was prominent during the events surrounding Mandalore in Star Wars: Clone Wars. It was a weapon used by Pre Vizla, who overthrew the New Mandalorians and used the Darksaber as a symbol of power. Vizla was so good at using the Darksaber that he was able to stand his ground against Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and even Darth Maul.
Going back, the Darksaber made its return in The Mandalorian as Moff Gideon’s weapon of choice. Gideon used the Darksaber against Din Djarin in the events of season 2 of The Mandalorian. But, being the superior warrior, Djarin defeated the Moff and claimed the Darskaber as his own. As tradition dictates, the Darksaber can only be claimed by someone who won it in single combat.
In The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin was the focus of the entire fifth episode, as we saw him wielding the Darksaber early on against a crime syndicate. Djarin used the Darksaber in one of his bounties but ended up wounding himself due to how he couldn’t wield it properly. Still, he was able to triumph against his opponents and ended up slaughtering his bounty using the Darksaber.
After Din Djarin found the secret base of the two other Mandalorians left from his sect, The Armorer told him the history of the Darksaber. She also trained Din Djarin to learn how to wield it properly, as the titular Mandalorian complained about how heavy the weapon was for him to wield in combat.
This may come as a surprise to those who believe that lightsabers are generally light to wield in combat. When you look at a lightsaber, it seems like it is no heavier than a flashlight, regardless of whether it is on or off. But, in The Book of Boba Fett, Djarin said that the Darksaber was getting heavier as he used it. So, why is the Darksaber heavy?
Generally speaking, the Darksaber isn’t supposed to be a heavy weapon, as it is similar to any other lightsaber. This can be seen in how a lot of different characters in the various Star Wars shows have been able to wield it properly.
As mentioned, Pre Vizsla was able to show a level of mastery over the Darksaber, but not at the same level as a Jedi or a Sith. Still, he didn’t seem to struggle with the weapon, despite his apparent lack of mastery as a swordsman.
When Darth Maul defeated Pre Vizsla and earned the right to wield the weapon and lead Mandalore, he used the Darksaber in a manner that is similar to how he wielded his own lightsaber. He even dual-wielded using the Darksaber and his red lightsaber in his battle against Darth Sidious.
So, with that said, the Darksaber isn’t generally heavy. However, there is a good reason why it becomes heavy for other characters. And we have to look at the events of Star Wars: Rebels to understand why.
In Star Wars: Rebels, a teenage Mandalorian named Sabine Wren, one of the main characters of the animated series, found the Darksaber and used it as her own weapon. However, when she was training with Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, she said that the Darksaber was heavier than she thought.
Kanan told Sabine that the Darksaber was not your regular lightsaber. Lightsabers are powered by something called a Kyber crystal, which is what produces the blade of light coming out of the weapon. However, energy constantly flows through the Darksaber’s Kyber crystal.
In a way, Kanan was telling Sabine that the Darksaber fed off the energy of the user, such that any negative emotions weighing the user down were going to flow to the weapon’s blade through the Kyber crystal. As such, the user’s own emotions are weighing the blade down as well.
This is why Jedi are taught to know how to control their own emotions, as their emotions might end up weighing them down in combat as well. Meanwhile, the Sith rely on the mastery of their emotions and use it as a weapon, and that is why they probably don’t feel the weight of their lightsabers in battle.
But a person who doesn’t know how to control or properly channel their emotions will end up feeling heavy deep inside. The same negative emotions weighing the person down will flow through the saber’s crystal and weigh the blade down as well.
Why Is The Darksaber So Heavy For Djin Djarin?
If the Darksaber is weighed down by the person’s emotions, what does that mean for Din Djarin? Why was it so difficult for Djarin to use the Darksaber, such that he actually complained that it was getting heavier (similar to how Sabine Wren struggled to use it)?
In Star Wars: Rebels, Sabine was able to use the Darksaber effectively when she confronted the demons of her past and was able to reconcile with them. It was the fact that she had issues with her past that weighed the Darksaber down. But Sabine eventually gave away the weapon to Bo-Katan Kryze so that she could use it as a symbol to unite the Houses of Mandalore against the Empire.
Meanwhile, during the entirety of episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin was vocal about wanting to see Grogu again, as he felt lonely without the little guy accompanying him in his travels. On top of that, he might have also felt guilty about removing his helmet in front of other people during the events of season 2 of The Mandalorian. Remember that Mandalorians are prohibited from removing their helmets in front of other living creatures.
It was plain and obvious to The Armorer that something was weighing Din Djarin down. In his duel with Paz Vizsla for the right to wield the Darksaber, he couldn’t use the weapon properly and ended up getting disarmed. Meanwhile, Vizsla was able to momentarily take the Darksaber from him and, despite his apparent lack of lightsaber training, he didn’t seem to struggle with the weight of the weapon.
Even though Djarin won the duel through other means, The Armorer was quick to ask the two Mandalorians about whether or not they had removed their helmet in front of other people. Vizsla was adamant about not breaking his oat. On the other hand, Djarin admitted that he removed his helmet, and that caused his expulsion from his Mandalorian sect.
In that regard, The Armorer must have sensed that something was bothering Din Djarin when she observed his duel with Paz Vizla. Djarin struggled with the weight of the weapon while Vizla was wielding it without any problems. It was most likely Djarin’s guilt that weighed the weapon down.
Why Was The Darksaber So Easy To Wield For Moff Gideon?
While Din Djarin may have struggled to use the Darksaber, why is it that Moff Gideon was able to wield it without a lot of problems?
Going back to our point about the Darksaber and how it fed off the emotions of a person, Moff Gideon seemed like someone who didn’t have anything weighing him down. He was almost always calm and collected, and that could be due to his mastery over his emotions.
In that regard, the Moff also had several years to master the weapon. He obtained the Darksaber when he took part in the Siege of Mandalore at least five years ago during the Rebellion. As such, he had been using the weapon for quite a long time prior to his defeat at the hands of the Mandalorian.
Will The Darksaber Become Easier To Use For Mandalorian?
When The Armorer expelled Din Djarin from their Mandalorian sect, the titular Mandalorian quickly asked how he could redeem himself. The Armorer told him that he could do so in the mines of Mandalore, which no longer exists.
In that regard, Din Djarin’s next journey might be related to self-redemption as a Mandalorian. The fact that he broke his Mandalorian oath is weighing him down heavily, and that is probably the reason why he struggles to use the Darksaber.
So, if Din Djarin is able to redeem himself one way or another, that might be the time when he masters the use of the Darksaber. The manner in which he redeems himself should be an interesting plot to follow, as that might be the focus of Din Djarin’s next journey.
