Summary

• Din Djarin struggled to wield the Darksaber effectively due to never feeling true ownership over it.
• Din Djarin’s priorities shifted to Grogu in The Mandalorian.
• Despite winning the Darksaber, Din Djarin’s deeper connection with Grogu meant he wasn’t the right fit.

Although Din Djarin won the Darksaber in combat in The Mandalorian, he was unable to successfully wield it for one key reason. Introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Darksaber is the ancient blade of Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi (and, until Sabine Wren, the only), and a symbol of Mandalorian leadership. The Darksaber’s history in Star Wars has been extensive, and many characters, heroes and villains alike, have wielded the iconic blade.

In The Mandalorian season 2 ending, Din Djarin became one such character after winning the Darksaber in a battle with Moff Gideon. While he went on to wield the Darksaber in The Book of Boba Fett and part of The Mandalorian season 3, Din Djarn was never quite effective with the Darksaber. Ultimately, Bo-Katan Kryze took up the blade. However, Din Djarin was unable to wield the Darksaber effectively for one specific reason, and it has everything to do with Mandalore.

Din Djarin Never Felt True Ownership Over The Darksaber

Although Din Djarin defeated the person who currently wielded the Darksaber, making him the rightful owner, he never mastered the weapon. Throughout The Book of Boba Fett, in fact, Din Djarin clearly struggled to use the Darksaber. At one point, he even injured himself with the blade after fighting off multiple assailants with jerky, inconsistent swings. However, this isn’t a reflection of Din Djarin’s skill level in battle typically.

Indeed, Din Djarin is very skilled in battle. As a bounty hunter, it was part of his job to be able to hold his own in a fight, and he had already proven himself as a worthy adversary in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian; after all, that’s how he won the Darksaber in the first place. Instead, the disconnect between Din Djarin and the Darksaber came down to him never feeling that he truly owned it. While there are a number of reasons why this could be the case, in truth, it came down to his priorities.

The disconnect between Din Djarin and the Darksaber came down to him never feeling that he truly owned it.

He Cared More About Grogu Than The Darksaber (Or Mandalore)

Din Djarin’s priorities entirely shifted when he met Grogu. Although he was once a ruthless bounty hunter, throughout The Mandalorian, he grew into a fatherly role, officially adopting Grogu in The Mandalorian season 3 ending. This new role didn’t negate his skill set, but it did signal a major change in his story. While this was an incredible update to Din Djarin and Grogu’s bond, which remains one of the most beloved relationships in all of Star Wars, it does nod toward why Din Djarin and the Darksaber weren’t necessarily the best fit.

Critically, the Darksaber is so much more than just a weapon. It’s more, even, than the typical lightsaber because of its historical and cultural significance. The Darksaber is linked to the ruler of Mandalore, meaning that, because Din Djarin had won it in a battle against Moff Gideon, he had a legitimate claim to that position, had he wanted it. However, it was clear that wasn’t what Din Djarin wanted.

The Darksaber is so much more than just a weapon.

Din Djarin was certainly still a proud Mandalorian, and he was invested in Mandalore’s future. Even so, though, rebuilding Mandalore was an undertaking beyond what he was looking for. While being a father to Grogu and wielding the Darksaber (or even ruling Mandalore) don’t have to be mutually exclusive, that simply wasn’t the life that Din Djarin wanted. In fact, even with Din Djarin accepting a role with the New Republic, The Mandalorian season 3 finale highlighted how happy both he and Grogu were in a very domestic scene on Nevarro.

Din Djarin’s Priorities Were Never Going To Satisfy The Darksaber

Even had Din Djarin wanted to wield the Darksaber or improve his skills with it, it never would have been the right fit. In the end, Din Djarin simply wasn’t going to be the type of Mandalorian warrior the Darksaber would have connected with. That isn’t to say that Din Djarin isn’t an excellent Mandalorian in his own right (he certainly is), but the Darksaber is meant to have a much deeper connection to Mandalore—one that Din Djarin likely would not have offered even without Grogu.

The addition of Grogu to Din Djarin’s life simply threw into sharper relief that the path to ruling Mandalore was not one he was going to pursue. Interestingly, Bo-Katan Kryze was the perfect person to take up the blade, and she is also now positioned to be the next ruler of Mandalore. However, it seems the Darksaber wasn’t destined to be part of her leadership, as it was destroyed in The Mandalorian season 3. Nevertheless, it’s clear that Din Djarin’s difficulties wielding the Darksaber in The Mandalorian stemmed from a discrepancy between Din Djarin’s priorities and those of the Darksaber.

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