What the return of the darksaber means for the future of Star Wars TV
By Meg Dowell
The return of an ancient Mandalorian weapon in The Mandalorian brings up a thousand questions about the future.
This post contains spoilers for the Season1 finale of The Mandalorian.
There are many unknowns in the Star Wars universe right now, both in the galaxy far, far away and behind the scenes among those responsible for bringing that galaxy to life.
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With the end of the Skywalker saga, all we really know about the future of theatrical releases is that we won’t be getting another movie for at least three years. At this point, everyone is mostly in agreement that this is for the best.
Slowing down movie production, however, does leave plenty of room for the expanded universe to grow more than canon has allowed it to in recent years. We already know a handful of book titles scheduled for release in 2020. Marvel comics aren’t taking a break, either.
And then you have the Star Wars Disney+ universe — what is likely soon to be the thing that many hungry fans flock to for entertainment as well as a gateway for new and curious fans to begin exploring the Star Wars story from a much smaller screen.
Even though The Mandalorian is only the first of many more shows to come, it has managed to far exceed the expectations of its viewers in more ways than one. As the first live-action series to come out of the Star Wars universe, there was a lot of pressure going into making it work. Favreau and his team of producers, directors, writers, and more took that pressure and created magic.
What most fans hoped for — and didn’t get in great detail for most of the first season — was more callback to the animated Star Wars shows. With Dave Filoni directing two episodes and writing one, many were disappointed in the lack of Clone Wars and Rebels cameos.
All can now be forgiven though, thanks to the final minute or so of the Season 1 finale. As soon as the camera panned to that crashed ship, we knew Gideon was alive. What a bummer. But wait … what is he cutting through the metal with? Wait, is that? —
YEP. That was, in fact, the darksaber. The same darksaber that Jon Favreau’s Clone Wars character wielded on Mandalore. The same darksaber that Sabine Wren claimed and then gave up so that her people could thrive.
And it’s BACK. In LIVE-ACTION. Except it’s not in the hands of a Mandalorian as it rightfully should be. Which can only mean several things: bad news for Bo-Katan, the possibility that our main character is going to use it as a weapon at some point, and possibly the most important observation of them all: The return of Sabine.
This is a long shot, admittedly. When we last heard from her, she was about to go on a mission to no one knew where with Ahsoka to find Ezra. Five years after the Battle of Endor, it’s likely no one knows where she is. We haven’t learned anything in any canon material. It’s not very likely that we will see a live-action version of her character in this show specifically.
But we could.
And who doesn’t want to see Sabine forcing Ahsoka to take a brief detour so she can come help The Mandalorian take back what is rightfully theirs? (I do.)
The darksaber does not belong to Sabine — she gave it to Bo-Katan to unite the clans of Mandalore and become its leader. But with Dave Filoni so heavily involved in this project, we have to at least hope for a quick name drop. It belongs to her people. Someone needs to reclaim it.
At some point, those who aren’t familiar with the darksaber’s origins (you know there are plenty viewers just along for the Baby Yoda ride, and we welcome them with open arms) are going to need even a brief explanation of its history. Sabine is a big part of its history.
Come on, Dave. At least give us that much.
If anything, this finale proves that less familiar parts of canon from the expanded universe can seamlessly interconnect. It’s great storytelling, it’s the right kind of fan service, and it might even encourage new fans to check out the animated shows and other material.
Just this cliffhanger alone has opened up so many more possibilities for future Disney+ stories even beyond The Mandalorian. What happened to Bo-Katan? Have Sabine and Ahsoka found Ezra and Thrawn yet? What happened to Mandalore while the original trilogy was taking place across the galaxy?
Answers! We need answers! And now is the perfect time for asking questions and hoping for more irresistible Disney+ content. Plenty is on the way. But we will never say no to so much more.
Related Story. The Mandalorian might’ve just revealed Bo-Katan’s fate. light
How do you think Moff Gideon got the darksaber? Is it time to prepare ourselves for a Sabine Wren return?