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Sabine Wren's Darksaber Story: How She Got It & Why She Gave It Away

After Darth Maul abandoned the Darksaber, Sabine Wren Found It.

Many years after Maul unfairly dominated all of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars, rebels season 3, episode 11 "Visions and Voices" showed that Maul still retained the Darksaber on his homeworld of Dathomir. Sabine discovered it after she and Kanan Jarrus pursued Ezra Bridger and were engulfed in the spirits of Nightsisters. Sabine grabbed the ancient blade and returned it to its proper people in line with Mandalorian sense of respect.

Later on in "Trials of the Darksaber," Kanan taught Sabine blade technique even though she was reluctant. This helped her to handle the extreme weight that accompanied it, as often observed when Din Djarin employed it in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Sabine only used the Darksaber to lead her people to liberation from the Empire on Mandalore before renouncing her claim to it, so her mastery of it was fleeting.

Why did Sabine gift Bo-Katan Kryze the Darksaber?

Sabine released Mandalore from the Empire's hold with Bo-Katan at her side, but she still felt she was not suited to rule. Following the terrible murder of her sister Satine Kryze during the Clone Wars, Sabine insisted that Bo-Katan take the sword and therefore claim her place as Mandalore's heir. Sabine was still a member of her own rebel cell, hence she had no intention to abandon her battle for the Rebellion yet. Bo-Katan adopted the Darksaber, and governed Mandalore under its blade for several years.

Sabine still belonged to her own rebel cell, hence this also resulted from that.

The Darksaber: A Legacy

Although the Darksaber has passed hands countless times during Star Wars history, none altered its fate quite like Sabine Wren. First seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars under the hands of Pre Vizsla, an ancestor of its original owner and maker, the ancient Mandalorian weapon first made appearance Since then, it has surfaced in Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, all of which add to the legendary legacy of the blade Moff Gideon removed from Bo-Katan Kryze's gloved hold.

Amid that history comes Sabine, who most famously carried the Darksaber in Rebels. Along with delving further into the Darksaber's past, the season 3 episode "Trials of the Darksaber" also provided some understanding of just how strong the sword is. This, combined with Sabine turning the blade off to Bo-Katan in good faith rather than in battle, drastically changed the path of the Darksaber's future; but, why would Sabine offer this weapon to Bo-Katan instead of keep it for herself?

Under Mandalorian Rules, Sabine Never Truly Owned The Darksaber

Based on the guidelines that The Mandalorian has now developed, Sabine never formally claimed the Darksaber at all. Not if the recipient is meant to be the true owner of the weapon; Moff Gideon explained in The Mandalorian season 2 finale that the Darksaber can only be won in combat, so it cannot be presented as a gift. Sabine never really owned the weapon on Dathomir, nor did Bo-Katan; she never battled Maul for it either.

Though Sabine never did, Bo-Katan would finally claim the weapon in The Mandalorian season 3 by slaying Din Djarin's cyborg captor in the mines under Mandalore. Her decision to grab the Darksaber from Maul altered the whole history of the sword. Though he never carried the weapon, Palpatine was legally its rightful owner for many years since Maul was beaten by Darth Sidious in a combat on Mandalore with the sword. His death later on nullified his claim, so Bo-Katan and Moff Gideon reclaimed it.

Mandalorians: Their Order in the Galaxy

Mandalorians, the best fighters in the Star Wars galaxy, have a rich and growing history; this is their whole chronology in canon explained.

Sabine may not have ever been the Darksaber's legitimate owner, but she still used it with grace and force and she most surely left her stamp on its history. Given her youth at the time, it is no minor accomplishment that she could use it to guide her people into freedom. Though it did force the Mandalorian heiress to share some of the guilt for the Great Purge, her decision to donate it to Bo-Katan was also rather moral. Therefore, Star Wars will always benefit much from Sabine Wren's past with the Darksaber.

A Rebel from Mandaloria

Sabine is a technological genius turned against her own people by the Empire; she is a Mandalorian rebel. For years, she was a valued member of the Lothal cell; only sometimes returned to her own people with the information and abilities she had developed. More recently, Sabine became Ahsoka Tano's Padawan after discovering her developing ability to access the Force.

Having a background spanning numerous eras of the Star Wars canon, Bo-katan Kryze is a significant Mandalorian warrior seen across several major episodes.

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