Who had the Darksaber before Din Djarin? The short answer is obviously Moff Gideon, but the long answer has the potential to be much more interesting...
Which Mandalorian legitimately won and held the Darksaber before Din? The answer isn’t Bo-Katan, but rather a different — and fan favorite — Mandalorian. And, if one rumor is true, the return of that character could change everything about Season 3 of The Mandalorian. Speculation ahead.
The (early) return of Sabine?
When Ahsoka eventually debuts sometime in 2023, the titular Jedi will be joined by her Rebels BFF, Sabine Wren. Natasha Liu Bordizzo has confirmed she will play Mandalorian/Rebel Sabine in the upcoming Star Wars: Ahsoka series. But, there’s also some indication she could show up even earlier, in Mandalorian Season 3.
According to some dot-connecting over on StarWarsNews.net, it seems likely that Bordizzo was cast as Sabine way before Ahsoka began filming. Basically, as Miguel Fernandez speculates: “There’s also a matter of scheduling that supports the theory ... The Mandalorian season 3 reportedly started shooting on the week of September 20, 2021. Deadline learned about it in the middle of production, posting the news two months after cameras started rolling, on November 20, but there is evidence to support that the actress [Bordizzo] had been cast as Sabine for a few months by then.”
Now, some of these casting confirmations may not indicate what StarWarsNews.net thinks, but in the big picture, there’s a compelling reason to think that Bordizzo’s Sabine could appear in Mandalorian Season 3 before she appears in Ahsoka. Fans and journalists didn’t know that Mando, Luke, Grogu, and Ahsoka would appear in The Book of Boba Fett, so these kinds of crossovers can easily happen, even when there’s not a trail of casting breadcrumbs.
How Sabine could change Mandolorian Season 3
The in-universe reason for why an early appearance from Sabine Mandalorian Season 3 makes sense is that, outside of Bo-Katan, she has the most experience with the Darksaber. In fact, one of the reasons Bo-Katan refused to take the Darksaber when Mando offered it to her at the end of Season 2 was because she’d already been gifted the Darksaber by Sabine during the events of Rebels.
Basically, even though Bo-Katan is the heir to the throne of Mandalore (because her sister was the Duchess Satine), she has never — not once — obtained the Darksaber through direct combat. Sabine gave it to her in the Rebels two-parter “Heroes of Mandalore.” That episode took place one year before A New Hope, which puts it about 10 years before the events of The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2. Somewhere in those ten years, the Darksaber was obtained by Moff Gideon and, presumably, no other legit Mandalorian had won the saber until Din got it in Mando Season 2.
If Sabine appears in Mando Season 3, she could shed new light on Darksaber rules. Why was it okay for Sabine to give Bo-Katan the saber in Rebels, but not OK for Bo-Katan to accept the saber from Mando? Just like Din, Sabine had the Darksaber and was iffy about if she actually wanted it or not. And, just a decade before the events of Mando, she was able to get rid of the Darksaber to the very same person who refused to take it from Din Djarin.
If Mando is looking for some loopholes that can prevent him from becoming the permanent king of all Mandalorians everywhere, Sabine could have answers. At the very least, Sabine can provide some perspective. We tend to think of Din Djarin as the first Mandalorian to get caught between various traditions and sects of other Mandalorians. But, before Din, there was Sabine. If she does crash Mandalorian Season 3, here’s hoping she can teach Din a thing or two.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is expected sometime in February 2023.
