Rumored Rebels sequel could explain Mandalorian Season 2's biggest mystery

Hey, Star Wars heard you like that Darksaber in your Star Wars, so they decided to give that Darksaber to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and put it in The Mandalorian. But, how did the Moff get that saber in the first place? The Darksaber is a one-of-a-kind Mandalorian manufactured lightsaber, which goes back to the days of the super-old Republic. And the last time we saw it — prior to The Mandalorian — was in the hands of Mando warrior Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) in the final season of Rebels. How it changed hands from a rightful owner to an Imperial warlord is, you guessed it, a story for another time (probably Mandalorian Season 2).

But what if that story will be told very soon? If a sequel series to Rebels were to hit Disney+, the specifics of how and why the Darksaber was stolen from Bo-Katan could be specifically explained without jamming a flashback or a bunch of exposition into The Mandalorian Season 2.

Speculative spoilers for Mandalorian Season 2 ahead.

According to Star Wars podcaster named Corey Van Dyke, a "reliable source" has "confirmed" that a new Rebels spinoff show will focus on Ahsoka and will shockingly be released this year in November 2020, presumably after or concurrent with Mandalorian Season 2, which is scheduled to debut in October.

If true, this would be pretty awesome, but even if it's not true (which seriously, right now it just seems like wishful thinking) some kind of Rebels sequel would be very useful in terms of explaining exactly how the hell Moff Gideon got a hold of the Darksaber in the season finale of Mandalorian season 1. In other words, though the impending season of The Clone Wars could depict the Darksaber again, it probably won't really explain how it got into Gideon's hands.

The Clone Wars season 7 hits Disney+ next week on February 21, and the Darksaber will almost certainly make an appearance there. Why? Well, in the pre-Revenge of the Sith era of The Clone Wars, the person rocking the Darksaber was none other than Darth Maul. So, yes, there is a precedent for bad people — totally unworthy of the Darksaber — to be swinging it around.

We know we'll see Darth Maul in season 7 of The Clone Wars, and it stands to reason he'll be part of any storyline involving The Siege of Mandalore. Presumably, this means, Clone Wars season 7 will explain how and why the Darksaber found its way to Dathomir, which is where Sabine Wren eventually picked it up in Rebels. (It seems likely Maul stopped using the Darksaber after The Clone Wars since we see him holding his regular red saber in his Solo cameo, which is set about nine years after Revenge of the Sith.)

The larger point here is that Clone War season 7 could tell one missing piece of the Darksaber journey, but not the part we're most interested in: How did Moff Gideon get it?

Previously, I theorized Moff Gideon could show up during the Siege of Mandalore and try to steal it in Clone Wars, but that theory only works if there are two or more Darksabers. Everything about Darksaber canon so far has told us that there is only one. Darth Maul got ahold of it in The Clone Wars, the saber ended up on Dathomir, Sabine Wren then had it in Rebels, then gave it to about 0BBY Bo-Katan. Now, Moff Gideon has it in 9ABY. So what happened in those nine years with Darksaber?

Other than a flashback in Mandalorian season 2, the best way to answer this would be with some kind of storyline that takes place during the Rebellion era. That means, sometime between A New Hope and The Mandalorian, the Darksaber was picked-up by Moff Gideon. So, if the rumors about the Rebels sequel show are legit, it seems almost impossible that this exact storyline wouldn't take place.

Unless of course, The Clone Wars decides to reveal a hypothetical second Darksaber in the next few weeks, in which case, the answer to how Moff Gideon got it could potentially be solved, and the need for a potential Darksaber-focused Rebels spin-off, a little bit less likely.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 hits Disney+ on February 21.