Who was the first Mandalorian Jedi?

Which Mandalorian was the first to become a Jedi Knight?

The Mandalorians and Jedi fought alongside one another throughout the Clone Wars, but has anyone ever held both classifications at the same time? Only one was inducted into the Jedi Order: Tarre Vizsla.

Vizsla became a Jedi as a child and like others, created his own lightsaber. Only his was a particularly unique one: the Darksaber. A familiar weapon in Star Wars lore today, it was originally wielded by Vizsla as he led his people under the title of Mand’alor. That role gave the Darksaber a reputation within Mandalore as it became a notable symbol of power within House Vizsla.

When Vizsla died, the Darksaber was stored within the Jedi Temple. However, during the Old Republic era, members of House Vizsla raided the Temple and won the weapon back in hopes of doing the same on their home planet. The saber was then used to unite Mandalore in a lasting example of Vizsla’s legacy that granted him a statue in the years following his death.

When the Empire constructed an outpost at the statue amid their occupation of Mandalore, Sabine Wren, who was offered the Darksaber herself, and her brother Tristan destroyed it to restore the statue’s respect and bring Vizsla back into focus.

Check out the full clip of Vizsla’s history right here:

The Darksaber has returned again with Moff Gideon and The Mandalorian, but its history in Star Wars television goes back even earlier than that. Just as Tarre Vizsla used the weapon to unite his planet, Pre Vizsla brandished it as part of the extremist Death Watch who opposed the new regime of peace that was arriving on Mandalore.

From there, Darth Maul had a short stint with the weapon, but it was ultimately taken back by Sabine Wren and bestowed on Bo-Katan Kryze to restore its status among the rulers of Mandalore.

Now, with Moff Gideon seemingly having stolen the dark saber, new questions over the weapon’s history have arisen. But it all started back with Tarre Vizsla.

For more, keep up with Dork Side of the Force.