The Mandalorian: Why the Darksaber is too heavy for Din, but not for Bo-Katan, explained
The Mandalorian season 3 continues to raise several questions about Din Djarin and his creed. One of them is regarding his glowing black sword, the Darksaber. Over the last three seasons, viewers have seen Mando use several cool weapons, but the Darksaber is his greatest weapon to date.
While other users of the Darksaber seem very skilled with the sword, Mando hasn't been able to use it as effectively as he uses his spear and blaster pistol. Needless to say, fans have been curious about why Mando struggles with the Darksaber while others don't.
Why the Mandalorian can’t use the Darksaber perfectly
In The Mandalorian season 2, Din accidentally won the Darksaber by besting Moff Gideon in a duel. With that, he also gained a claim to Mandalore’s throne. Ever since they saw him with the saber, fans were excited to see him use it in battle.
However, when he showed up in The Book of Boba Fett, he struggled to use the weapon and even hurt himself with it. He also complained that the Darksaber kept getting heavier for him.
The Armorer revealed the answer to why that was happening with Mando. Well, part of the answer was revealed by the Armorer when Mando was training with her. She said that he was fighting against the saber, and while he may be strong, his mind was too distracted.
Initially, it was presumed that Mando was distracted because he missed Grogu. After sending Grogu away with Luke, Mando had no sense of who he was in the Galaxy, and what his true goal was.
However, with that logic, his skills with the Darksaber should have improved after Grogu returned to him. After all, his union with Grogu should put him in a happy place. That didn't happen and he still struggles with his black sword. Mando's mind isn't whole or even at peace.
It is possible that he is confused about his identity and what he stands for in the Galaxy. He may be conflicted about the burden of ruling Mandalore, which lies upon him since he won the Darksaber in battle. For now, he doesn’t have a certain goal for what he wants to do, and that’s why his mind could be distracted.
His struggle with the Lightsaber might possibly end now that he has redeemed himself and rejoined the creed. However, there’s also a chance that his struggle will only end once he starts to believe that he is meant to rule over Mandalore. He’d start to swing the sword better when he accepts the responsibility of ruling over his people, and that's the glorious moment season 3 could be building up to.
Why Bo-Katan uses the Darksaber effortlessly
Bo-Katan Kryse can use the sword perfectly for two reasons. First, she has had practice with it. She got it as a gift in the past and learned to use it well. That’s why, she is near unbeatable with the Darksaber. However, the second and most important reason is that Bo-Katan possesses much greater confidence in her identity.
Her mission to restore Mandalore may not be as clear as it used to be because she no longer has any followers left, but she still knows who she is. She is totally sure of herself, which is why it is easy for her to use the sword.
Even after saving Mando, she simply gave the saber back. It’s in her code of honor that she won’t fight an ally. So, Din Djarin gets the sword back.
It’ll be interesting to see whether these two allies will become enemies in the latter half of the season.
The Mandalorian returns with episode 5 on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
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Madhur Dave