Famous Mandalorians from the Old Republic through the Clone Wars era

2. TARRE VIZSLA

Name Pronunciation: TAHR-ray VIZH-sla
Group Affiliation(s): The Jedi Order, Clan/House Vizsla, The Mandalorians
Height: 6′ 2″ (1.89 meters)
Weight: 196 lbs. (89 kilograms)
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Species: Human, light-skinned
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Concordia

Occupation: Jedi Master

Relatives: Clan Vizslal; Tor Vizsla, Pre Vizsla, and Paz Vizsla are all his kinsmen.

Lightsaber Form (s): Form II – Makashi and Form V – Shien (with leniency towards Djem So)
First Appearance: Star Wars: Rebels, Season 3/Episode 15, “Trials of the Darksaber” (2017)

Character History:

Born on the Mandalore moon of Concordia, Tarre Vizsla holds the unique distinction of being the only known Force-sensitive Mandalorian to be inducted into the Jedi Order. Besides his Mandalorian background, Tarre Vizsla also distinguished himself from other Jedi by the black-bladed lightsaber he wielded. This Darksaber —as it was called — was stolen from the Jedi temple by members of House Vizsla sometime after its owner’s death and taken back to Mandalore, where it became a symbol of power for all future Mand’alors.

Although not much is known about Tarre Vizsla’s service with the Jedi, his Darksaber became a legend unto itself as it passed from one owner to another throughout the centuries following his death. The storied history surrounding this Jedi-Mandalorian artifact made it the Star Wars equivalent of Sauron’s One Ring or King Arthur’s sword Excalibur.

From Mand’alors, to terrorists, and even a former Sith apprentice, this symbol of power was sought by many and granted to only a few. At one point it would come into the possession of an enemy of the Mandalorian people named Moff Gideon, before ending up in the ownership of the one person who had no desire for it at all: a fellow Mandalorian bounty hunter named Din Djarin. Nevertheless, he won it through trial of combat, thus making him the new ruler of his people.

It’s a conundrum that an object should overshadow the man who created it, but even so, Tarre Vizsla and his Darksaber are tied to one another no matter whoever else wields it. Beyond this, Vizsla became an example of how even centuries-long enemies like the Jedi and Mandalorians could still find unity through the Force.

Powers/Skills: As a Jedi, Tarre Vizsla was trained to use the Force. This gave him superhuman abilities such as: telekinesis, force leap, burst speed, and mental manipulation. His lightsaber style of combat was likely a hybrid of Forms 1 (the default style), 2 (because it was popular during the times of the Sith wars), and 5 (with more emphasis on this style due to his stature/strength). It is also thought that he may have had some training in the Mandalorian swordfighting style that utilized the beskad, a bladed weapon comprised of both beskar and durasteel components.

Weapon: Tarre Vizsla fought with a unique black-bladed lightsaber that had a long, slim hilt. The blade is also different from other lightsabers in that it is considered to be made of “hard light,” a denser form of energy than what the traditional weapon uses.

Dark Smithing: A rumor exists that the Darksaber may have had some Sith influences during its construction, such as utilizing alchemical and magical techniques.