The Mandalorian S2 will explore the history of the Darksaber

Yesterday, The Mandalorian surprised all when the Disney+ live-action Star Wars show earned itself a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards. That’s not to say that the first season of the sci-fi western didn’t have its fair share of drama though. The season one finale, in particular, had fans gasping in alarm and shock when [SPOILER ALERT] Giancarlo Esposito’s villainous Moff Gideon escaped from the wreckage of his downed TIE Fighter by using the Darksaber to cut a hole in it.

To those new to the franchise, this would just have been a funny-looking lightsaber. For longterm fans though, they knew that the Darksabre was an iconic weapon that features prominently in Star Wars Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. So now that we know it factors into the future of The Mandalorian, what will those uninformed fans need to do? Go back and watch two separate animated series to catch up? Well, I would say yes based purely on the fact that those two animated series are great and deserve to be seen, but that’s me. Everybody else needn’t worry though, as Esposito told Deadline that the show will delve into the Darksaber’s deep history on its own.

You’ll see more of the Darksaber, you’ll get the explanation of this ancient weapon to the modern world, a collapsed world. Where did this saber come from and how was it revived? It’s a key in our second season, which will be back sooner than later.

We recently learned that Katee Sackhoff has been cast to play a live-action version of Bo-Katan Kryze, the Mandalorian leader who was the last wielder of the Darksaber that we know of as seen in Star Wars Rebels. So how did Moff Gideon end up with it? Well, we’ll see that too.

(The saber) is a key to Moff Gideon’s past, which possibly has a lot to do with where he comes from and his desire to build a planet and bring it back together.

Speaking further, Esposito – who was also nominated for an Emmy for his role as Moff Gideon – revealing that he took a lot of inspiration in creating the role from Peter Cushing’s classic Star Wars villain Grand Moff Tarkin. Moff Gideon is a different type of villain though, as the actor teased.

You could always read [Tarkin’s] mind through his eyes. I took a look at the imagery of this supreme chancellor, which really helped me. [Gideon] is a supreme being in a sense. He knows it, but not everyone in the universe knows it.

What we don’t know is how extra special he is yet.

Well, that sounds intriguing! We’ll get to see how that all plays out when The Mandalorian returns for a second season on Disney+ in October.

Last Updated: July 30, 2020