Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni On Whether The Mandalorian's Darksaber Is More Powerful Than A Lightsaber

August 05, 2024

Lucasfilm creative and executive Dave Filoni discusses the difference between The Mandalorian's Darksaber and a lightsaber, including its power.

Summary

Dave Filoni, a Lucasfilm creative, explains that the Darksaber is not necessarily more powerful than a typical lightsaber and its old age could make it less powerful.
The main difference between the Darksaber and lightsaber is its design, with the flat blade of energy being a unique "Mandalorian twist."
Despite its lack of inherent power, the Darksaber possesses a mystical strength that makes it difficult to wield, requiring rigorous training and causing injuries to those who struggle with it.

Dave Filoni, a Lucasfilm creative and executive, discusses the difference between the Darksaber as seen in The Mandalorian versus the classic Star Wars lightsabers. First introduced in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, the Darksaber was created by Mandalorian Jedi Tarre Vizsla, and it has since been passed down in Mandalorian history to call warriors to the Mandalorian throne. The blade was brought to live-action in The Mandalorian season 1 finale and has since taken on an important role in The Mandalorian season 3. Seeing as the Darksaber has many cultural ideas tied to it, such as its combat ritual, many viewers have wondered how its power differs from that of a Jedi's lightsaber - and Filoni himself has taken the chance to speak to this.

In an interview with Star Wars, Filoni asserts that the Darksaber actually isn't any more powerful than a typical lightsaber. Its old age actually could make it less powerful than a lightsaber, and the thing that stands out about it is simply the design that Tarre Vizsla created for it.

"It’s not that it’s necessarily more powerful than any other lightsaber -- in fact, you can make a strong argument that it’s not. It’s an old, old, old lightsaber. For all I know, it has limitations. It’s obviously not a style that’s been replicated, and you can imagine that’s because Tar Vizsla understood something and added a Mandalorian twist to it that no one’s been able to replicate since. It’s a flat blade of energy, which is bizarre."

The fact that the blade is flat compared to the three-dimensional beam of lightsabers is described by Filoni as "bizarre," but it does account for something, especially since Filoni considers it to be a "Mandalorian twist." That being said, it's the only main difference between the Darksaber and lightsaber - and power has nothing to do with it.

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Does The Strength Of The Blade Matter?

Despite this, there still is a mystical strength of the Darksaber that makes it difficult to wield. Sabine Wren had to undergo rigorous training with a Jedi Knight to master it, and Din Djarin struggled with it so badly he injured himself by trying to use it. This is something that hasn't ever been seen before with a Jedi's lightsaber, which begs the question of whether or not the strength of the blade matters in discussing the power difference between the two. There's clearly a difference in the strength it takes to wield it, but according to Filoni, it doesn't factor into the overall power of the blade itself.

This continues some of the mystery that shrouds the ancient Mandalorian weapon, though now that it's been destroyed, it may never be uncovered. The Darksaber wasn't given many chances to prove itself and its strength against a Jedi's lightsaber aside from a few battles in The Clone Wars, and that will leave the question of just how much its strength matters unanswered for now. The destruction of the blade in The Mandalorian season 3 was necessary for the sake of Mandalore's future, but it leaves many ideas undiscovered - though it's possible another variation of the blade could be seen again in the galaxy.

Source: Star Wars