How Mandalorian Just Changed the Rules of the Darksaber
After solving a droid mystery for Plazir-15, Din and Bo-Katan shake up the power dynamics of the Mandalorians with a surprising tactical move.
From the moment Bo-Katan Kryze appeared in The Mandalorian, two things were certain. First, she wanted to rule Mandalore again. She tracked down a fleet, introduced herself to Din Djarin as the former ruler of the planet, and even the very episode she made her live-action debut in was titled “The Heiress.”
But secondly, she needed the Darksaber. To her, the Darksaber was her birthright, and when Din Djarin won it in ritualistic combat, there was an air of unresolved tension even throughout the first half of Season 3. But in Episode 6, that was finally resolved, just not in the way you think.
Warning! Major spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6 ahead.
After rooting out the Christopher Lloyd-shaped bad apple in Plazir-15’s ranks, Din and Bo are offered an audience with the planet’s security force — a group of mercenary Mandalorians that are honorable for “a few credits,” as Koska Reeves puts it in the episode’s aquatic star-crossed lover prologue.
The group is led by Axe Woves, Bo-Katan’s onetime ally back on the Trask. She presents her case for a united Mandalore, but Axe remains unconvinced. They tussle, and it looks like Bo-Katan is about to win, but when she asks Axe if he yields, he responds with a statement that speaks to Bo-Katan’s Season 2 prejudices and priorities.
Axe Woves, leader of the Mandalorian mercenaries and former Bo-Katan ally.
“You'll never be the true leader of our people,” he says. “You won't even take the Darksaber from him. He's the one you should be challenging.”
He’s not wrong — the Darksaber is part and parcel of ruling Mandalore. It was a necessity back then and it’s a necessity now. As much as Bo-Katan can believe that just saying “Mandalorians are stronger together” is enough to unite the planet, Mandalorian culture puts great importance on symbol, and there’s no more powerful symbol than the Darksaber.
Din offers to give it to Bo-Katan, but she reminds him that’s not how it works — it needs to be won in conflict. Just then, Din brings back an old Episode 2 scene: when he was captured by the bionic alien in the Mines of Mandalore, it was Bo-Katan who killed the creature with the Darksaber and freed him.
Bo-Katan, the rightful bearer of the Darksaber (technically) and the true leader of Mandalore.
Because she defeated a creature who technically defeated him, she won the Darksaber. It’s probably one of the strangest uses of the transitive property, but it’s enough of an excuse for Bo to accept the weapon — and for Axe and his mercs to accept Bo-Katan as leader.
From the start, there’s always been some unresolved tension between Din and Bo, especially after he reluctantly bore the Darksaber. In Episode 6, the story finally found a way to resolve it without putting the two at odds with one another. Now, Bo-Katan can be the true leader she’s wanted to be for so long.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6 is now streaming on Disney+.
