Filling the Darksaber Void: The Case For Bringing The Mask Of Mand’alor To Canon In 'The Mandalorian And Grogu'
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In recent Star Wars series like The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, so much of Mandalorian lore has centered around the significance of the Darksaber. There are several Star Wars Rebels episodes featuring the Darksaber, where it was passed from one person to the next. However, aside from giving emotional weight to Bo-Katan and Sabine, it did little to provide long-term political stability to Mandalore. Ultimately, the Darksaber was destroyed in The Mandalorian Season 3’s finale by Moff Gideon during a fight with Bo-Katan Kryze. Despite the weapon's negative recent history, it belonged to a very special Mandalorian Jedi named Tarre Vizsla. After emphasizing it so much, having it destroyed was a bold choice, but it also left many fans wondering what was next. Even though some fans believe the Darksaber could corrupt its owner, and it didn’t end up doing Mandalorians any good, having it destroyed seems like a way of erasing all the positive historical context associated with it as well.
By design, the Darksaber is one of the most stunning laser swords in Star Wars, and the amount of Din Djarin with the Darksaber merchandise sold since The Mandalorian Season 2 speaks for itself. With it now seemingly destroyed, there’s a symbolic void in Mandalorian culture. However, there’s already an ancient symbol of Mandalorian leadership and history from legends called the Mask of Mand’alor. It is a more inclusive and purely Mandalorian symbol of the Mandalorian warrior than the Darksaber, and it deserves to be brought into canon in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
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The Legend Of The Taung And The Golden Visage
Mandalore’s mask was a ceremonial mask made from Mythosaur bone and worn by the leader of Mandalorian warriors. Currently in canon, Bo-Katan Kryze is the leader of all Mandalorian warrior clans. The mask was golden in color and had a T-shaped visor that every Mandalorian’s helmet has. The first Mandalorian to wear it was Mandalore the First, a Taung Mandalorian warrior. Mandalorians originally belonged to the Taung species, and humans only replaced them later on in their history. The mask is made to fit the facial structure of Taungs, but it was passed down from one leader to the next and worn by them regardless of their species. In legends, the symbol of Mandalorian leadership was the mask, and whoever had it became the undisputed Mand’alor. It had more legitimacy than the Darksaber, which its owner needs to learn how to wield first.
Eventually, the Jedi Knight Revan defeated Mandalore the Ultimate and hid the mask on the planet of Rekkiad. After it was hidden, it led to a period of disarray for Mandalorians. Without the mask, Mandalorian clans became scattered the way we found them during Star Wars Rebels. After the Mandalorian wars ended, Revan returned to Rekkiad with a Mandalorian named Canderous Ordo and gave him the mask. Ordo incorporated the mask into his helmet, and later, he became known as Mandalore the Preserver. After his death, the mask was lost for centuries until the Imperials rediscovered it. In legends, the mask wouldn’t return for many more centuries, and eventually, the Darksaber replaced it as the symbol of Mandalorian leadership. Now that the Darksaber has been destroyed in canon, it creates an opportunity for the mask to be brought into the picture.
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Creed Over Combat
Compared to the Mask of Mandalore, the Darksaber was around for a relatively short period in Mandalorian history; however, much of that time was wasted by Mandalorians who fought over the weapon. The Darksaber led to infighting and even civil war in Mandalore, with Pre Vizsla, Darth Maul, Bo-Katan Kryze, Sabine Wren, Din Djarin, and finally, Bo-Katan Kryze being the owner of the weapon, which could be won in combat. The concept of the Darksaber being the symbol of Mandalorian leadership is flawed. It once belonged to a Mandalorian Jedi, but historically, Mandalorians and the Jedi haven’t gotten along with each other. They are fundamentally different, so a weapon that’s so closely linked to Jedi becoming central to Mandalorian leadership is a concept that needs to end. If the Darksaber returns, it should be wielded by a Mandalorian Jedi, but not the Mandalorian leader. If there’s ever to be a symbol of Mandalorian leadership, it should be Mandalore’s Mask. The mask’s history is so deeply rooted in Mandalorian culture that its legitimacy can never be questioned or denied. It is made from the bones of a Mythosaur and was worn by the first Mandalore. It can unite every clan because it represents the Mandalorian Creed over the individual, so the focus becomes more on how worthy a person is to lead than on how capable they are of wielding a Jedi weapon.
The Mask of Mandalore was worn by a Taung, who was the first Mand’alor, but this proves that Mandalorians don’t always have to belong to the human race. Grogu is a perfect candidate to lead Mandalore one day, and he can also be the one who finds the mask. At the moment, Grogu is busy learning the Mandalorian way from his father. His future already seems secure based on the events of The Mandalorian Season 3. The Armorer and all Mandalorians have welcomed him into their world with open arms, but if his father finds the mask, he can be the one to pass it down to Grogu. Djarin has already demonstrated his reluctance to lead, but his loyalty to his people and their ways makes him a candidate to be rewarded by the universe, and that reward can be the mask. If he finds it, either in the movie or in future seasons of the series, it further cements the idea that a Mandalorian is made, not born. Mandalorians aren’t a race, but a creed.
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Din Djarin As The Architect Of A New Era
Currently, Mandalorians have reclaimed their homeworld, but differences in philosophy still exist among their clans. There are extremist Mandalorians like the Children of the Watch and the more secular ones, like the Nite Owls, who have strayed from the Way of the Mandalore. Din Djarin is somewhere in the middle, even though when the show started, he seemed like a strict and rigid believer of the Way. He grew over time to accept the ideological differences of people like Bo-Katan Kryze and even embraced the views ofa person like Boba Fett, who is Mandalorian by blood but has no interest in living there. Din Djarin wasn’t born on Mandalore, and his parents weren’t Mandalorians, but he represents the best of them and their ways. If he finds the mask, Djarin will be the perfect symbol of all that’s right with Mandalorians and be deemed the inspiring figure the planet needs for a revival. He can be the man who inspires others to follow the Way, and the mask can help him in his cause.
Securing Grogu’s Place In History
Since the show is all about the love of a father for his child, it would be more meaningful for Din to find it because of what it would mean for Grogu. After he’s gone, Grogu’s future will be secure if he has the mask because it’s a Mandalorian artifact. As a non-human himself, the mask will allow him to feel a sense of belonging within the Mandalorian culture. Like Din, Grogu wasn’t born on Mandalore, and he has barely spent any time there, which could create opposition to him if he ever becomes a possible candidate to rule Mandalore. With the mask, Grogu’s claim to the throne would be difficult to deny.
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From Myth To Canon: The Mythosaur Connection
Finally, the Darksaber was always a weapon that belonged to a Mandalorian Jedi, and it wasn’t a good symbol for Mandalorians as a whole to follow. That mask is a much better representative of Mandalorian history. If it’s rediscovered in the movie, it would serve as a reminder of the past and of who Mandalorians were and where they came from. As a man who is so devoted to the Mandalorian way and as someone who respects traditions and the creed, Djarin would be the perfect man to rediscover the Mask of Mandalore, which would be the perfect way to leave the Darksaber in the past and move forward by helping all Mandalorians rediscover their ancient history. As The Mandalorian has already brought the Mythosaur to live-action, the movie and the series can serve as the perfect setting to introduce the Mask of Mandalore, which is made from its bones, to canon, since it currently only exists in legends.
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