Darksaber

Darksaber

TheDarksaber was an ancient,black-bladedlightsaber. Unlike most other lightsabers, the Darksaber's blade was nearly flat, thin, and tapered to a point more typical of a traditional metallicsword. The black core of the blade appeared to draw in all surrounding light and color, leaving a faint white, electrical aura along its edges, it hummed with a higher-pitched whine than its more common lightsaber counterparts when the blade was active, and made a sound like a whistle when it was swung. Once held by theJedi Order, during a period of collapse in theGalactic Republic's power, the Darksaber was stolen by members of theMandalorian warrior clans. Overtime, the black lightsaber was passed down through generations of theVizsla clan, and whenTor Vizsla founded the radical Mandalorian splinter group known as theDeath Watch, he chose the Darksaber as the symbol of his authority as the sect'sSecret Mandalore.

Upon Tor Vizsla'sdeath, the ancient blade was entrusted to his clan kinsmanPre Vizsla, the current leader of Death Watch, and reigned as the Secret Mandalore well into thepan-galacticClone Wars. Early in the war, the Darksaber was brought against theJedi MasterObi-Wan Kenobi ina duel onMandalore'smoon,Concordia. Vizsla'sskill with the black blade was such that he could fight evenly with Kenobi for a time. After Death Watch was banished from theMandalore system, Vizsla led his people to the planetCarlac. There, the Death Watch leader came intoconflict with the JediPadawanAhsoka Tano whom Vizsla attempted to kill with the Darksaber. After a short but heated bout, the young Jedi fled from Vizsla, and escaped the world with her life.

In20 BBY, Vizsla led the Death Watch into an alliance with theSith LordsDarth Maul andSavage Opress, assembling acriminal army with which they were able tobring down theleaders of the pacifisticNew Mandalorians. When Vizsla betrayed theSith in the wake of their victory, Maul challenged the Mandaloriansoldier tosingle combat for leadership, and uponkilling Vizsla after a fierce struggle, Maul claimed the Darksaber as his own, and with it leadership over Death Watch. Onlyweeks later, Maul was forced to use the Darksaber in aduel against his formermaster, theDark Lord of the SithDarth Sidious, who sought to bring the renegade SithLord back under his control. Despite wielding the Darksaber alongside his own red-bladedlightsaber, Maul was defeated and subdued by Sidious.

Description[]

An ancient incarnation of thelightsaber, the Darksaber was a unique weapon that produced a flat,black blade^[1] ofplasma.^[5] Thin and curved to a point,^[1] a shape more similar to a metalsword than contemporary lightsabers,^[5] the Darksaber's black blade was ameter long and appeared to draw in the very light and color around it^[4] like ablack hole.^[6] This effect gave the Darksaber a faint aura of white light around the edges of its blade,^[1] and made looking at it for an extended period uncomfortable.^[4]

Thehilt of the Darksaber was thin and rectangular, and long enough to be grasped with twohands. It featured an angled crossguard and a serratedblade emitter.^[1] When the Darksaber's blade was activated by pressing itsactivation stud,^[4] the hum and pitch of the blade was notably higher than contemporary lightsabers,^[3] and the blade gave off a sound like a whistle when it was swung throughthe air.^[4] When the Darksaber came into contact with another object or a lightsaber blade, the Darksaber blade screeched, and the white aura that surrounded the black core of the blade crackled.^[3]

History[]

Ancient and powerful,^[4] the Darksaber had been kept in theJedi Temple^[1] on thegalacticcapitalworld ofCoruscant.^[6] When theGalactic Republic suffered a blow to its influence,Mandalorians from theVizsla clan raided the Temple and stole the Darksaber from within. Overtime, the Darksaber was passed down through the clan's generations, and became responsible for thedeaths of manyJedi over theyears.^[1] By60 BBY,^[7] the Darksaber had come into the possession ofTor Vizsla.^[2]

As Tor Vizsla assembled to him a group of malcontents^[8] who resentedJaster Mereel, the rulingMand'alor—traditional leader of the Mandalorian clans—for his attempts to rein in their lifestyles of unaccountability,^[9] and promised them the downfall of the pacifisticNew Mandalorians they so despised, he formed a splinter group known as theDeath Watch. Taking his place as their leader, aSecret Mandalore in opposition to both the traditionalMand'alor chosen by the warrior clans andthe one appointed by the peaceful New Mandalorians, Vizsla made the Darksaber a symbol of his authority as leader. Vizsla kept ownership of the Darksaber through theMandalorian Civil War between Death Watch and Jaster Mereel'sarmy ofTrue Mandalorians, as well as the subsequentGreat Clan Wars that erupted^[2] on the Mandalorians' culturalhomeworld ofMandalore.^[6] However, Vizsla waskilled byJango Fett^[10] not long after the end of the Great Clan Wars,^[2] and the Darksaber passed into the possession of Tor Vizsla's clan kinsman,Pre Vizsla.^[11]

By the time the Galactic Republic clashed with thedroid forces of the separatistConfederacy of Independent Systems in apan-galactic conflict known as theClone Wars, Pre Vizsla had taken his place as the leader of the Death Watch,^[1] succeeding Tor as the new Secret Mandalore.^[2] Publicly the benevolent New Mandaloriangovernor of Mandalore'smoon,Concordia,^[1] bequeathed to the stewardship of Clan Vizsla after the end of the Great Clan Wars,^[4] Pre Vizsla secretly kept the Darksaber in his possession while plotting against the New Mandalorians' latest leader,DuchessSatine Kryze. Vizsla took to keeping the inactive Darksaber hilt slung on his back, just behind his right shoulder.^[1]

When theJedi MasterObi-Wan Kenobi—a friend and former lover of Duchess Kryze—uncovered Death Watch'shidden base among Concordia'sbeskar mines,^[11] Vizslaengaged Kenobi in alightsaber duel as histroops evacuated^[1] aboard theirKom'rk-class transports.^[4] Vizsla'sskill with the Darksaber allowed him to battle Kenobi evenly for a time before Vizsla resorted to calling upon the aid of his Death Watch subordinates, who openedfire on Kenobi and forced the Jedi Master to retreat.^[1]

Stripped of his governance and driven from theMandalore system,^[4] Pre Vizsla led the Death Watch to settle on thesnowy world ofCarlac. The Mandalorian rogues eventually made contact with the youngsenator ofOnderon,Lux Bonteri, and agreed to an alliance in order to bring down the leader of the Confederacy of IndependentSystems,CountDooku, as retribution for the count's trespasses against both parties. Not long after Bonteri arrived on Carlac in the company of the undercover JediPadawanAhsoka Tano, Vizsla unleashed his Death Watch forces on the nativeMing Po people that had bristled under the Mandalorians' occupation. Personallykilling thegranddaughter of the Ming Pochieftain with the Darksaber, Vizsla earned the ire of Padawan Tano, who broke her cover and attempted to protect the Ming Po from Death Watch, only to be subdued andcaptured. At the Death Watch'scamp, Vizsla made to execute Tano with the Darksaber before hislieutenants, but the Jedi was able to escape her bindings with the aid ofdroid companion, and engaged Vizsla in aheated duel. The two fought evenly matched for a time, but Tano slashed Vizsla'sjetpack with her lightsaber, forcing Vizsla to discard it before the rupturedfuel cells could explode; with Vizsla temporarily distracted, Tano fled the Death Watch encampment and departed Carlac with Bonteri.^[12]

With Republicmilitary forces moving to combat the Death Watch presence on Carlac,^[13] Vizsla led the renegade sect to establish their operations onZanbar. In20 BBY, while passing over the planetFlorrum, Death Watch encountered a seemingly derelictescape pod floating inspace. Docking with the pod, Vizsla carved open the door with the Darksaber, and discovered theZabrakSith LordsDarth Maul andSavage Opress unconscious inside. Vizsla ordered the twoSith to be returned to Zanbar, where once they were conscious and their wounds healed, the three entered into an alliance of mutual benefit: the Sith would aid Death Watch's attempts to depose the New Mandalorians, while the Death Watch backedDarth Maul's plan of vengeance against Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,^[14] who had nearlykilled Maul over adecade prior.^[15] To this end, they assembledan army of criminals from thePyke Syndicate and theBlack Sun. OnNal Hutta, negotiations for an alliance with theHutt Grand Council failed, and in the resultingskirmish, Vizsla cut down numerousNikto soldiers in the Hutts' service using the Darksaber.Lord Maul and Vizsla were then able to force the cooperation of theHutt Cartels by threatening^[14] thekajidic lordaJabba Desilijic Tiure,^[16] and put their plan to bring about the downfall of the New Mandalorian government into action.^[14]

On Mandalore, the criminal collective began a chaotic assault on the New Mandalorian capitalcity ofSundari, against which the city'spolice units proved ineffective.^[4] As the people called upon their leaders for aid, Death Watch appeared to the Sundari populace with a pledge to protect them. Death Watch troops clashed with their secret criminal allies, and Pre Vizsla personally used the Darksaber in a staged battle against Savage Opress, defeating and arresting the ZabrakForce-user. Winning the support of the people for their role in defeating the criminal threat, Death Watch was lauded as heroes, the Duchess Satine Kryze was deposed, and Pre Vizsla ascended to take her place.^[3]

With his own goals met, Pre Vizsla betrayed his Sith allies and had themimprisoned. However, Maul and Opress soon escaped theirconfines, and in the process, recruited the services of their fellowprisonerAlmec—the former New MandalorianPrime Minister.^[4] Storming theRoyal Palace, Darth Maul challenged Vizsla to a deadly duel for leadership of Death Watch. Wielding the Darksaber, Vizsla battled Maul in a furious bout that left the palacethrone room scarred. Despite making use of a myriad of weapons hisMandalorian armor had equipped, Vizsla was eventually disarmed and defeated, only to be summarilyexecuted with his own Darksaber by Maul's hand. Maul then claimed the Darksaber as his own,^[3] and with it—in accordance Death Watch's own code of honor^[2]—proclaimed himself Death Watch's new leader. Several members of the Mandalorian group followed the lead of the deceased Vizsla's lieutenant,Bo-Katan, and refused to follow the command of a non-Mandalorian. Darksaber in hand, Maul ordered the dissenters killed, forcing the breakaway group to fight their way out of the palace. Almec was reinstated as the PrimeMinister of the New Mandalorians, a puppet ruler for Maul who,^[3] with the Darksaber now in his possession, was the Death Watch's new Secret Mandalore.^[2]

Soon after, Maul lured Obi-Wan Kenobi to Sundari, where he captured the Jedi Master in the act of attempting to free Duchess Kryze. Returning to the palace with both prisoners, Maul chose to take his vengeance on Kenobi by killing his former love before hiseyes, stabbing Kryze through the abdomen with the Darksaber. After allowing Kenobi to watch as she perished, Maul had him imprisoned to live with his emotional suffering, though the Jedi was able to escape with the assistance of Bo-Katan and herrebellious group.^[17]

Amid the chaos the Death Watch offshoots wrought in escorting Kenobi out of Sundari and off of Mandalore, Darth Maul's formermaster, theDark Lord of the SithDarth Sidious, arrived in Sundari to put an end to his renegade former apprentice's actions. Confronting Maul and his ownSith apprentice Savage Opress in the Sundari throne room, Lord Sidious engaged both combatants in a two-against-oneduel that soon spilled out into thepalace plaza. Initially making use of onlyhis own lightsaber, after Sidious struck down Opress on the palace steps, Maul took up the Darksaber in concert with his own blade, and dual-wielded both weapons against the Dark Lord. Even with the added boon of the Darksaber, Maul proved unable to beat his former master in combat; Sidious disarmed andviolentlysubdued Maul withthe Force, the Darksaber was cast away as he brought the defeated Maul to heel before releasing deadly amounts ofForce lightning at his defeated foe.^[17]

Darth Maul was taken prisoner by his former master and then constantly tortured by Count Dooku and his separatist forces however Maul's Mandalorian followers would free him, then Maul recovered the Darksaber and used it to fightGeneral Grievous and his droid forces, though in the end Maul was forced to order a retreat after his forces had been overwhelmed by the droid army's might. Maul would then ask for aid the his allies in the criminal underworld and also contacted withMother Talzin. Maul plan to lure Count Dooku and his forces into a trap failed after his allies abandoned him because they didn't trust in his plan and the sudden appeareance of Darth Sidious, then in an intense fight Maul used the Darksaber to fend off General Grievous while Talzin (inside Dooku's body) dueled Palpatine, they were overwhelmed and after Dooku recovered control of his body Talzin decided to sacrifice herself to protect Maul who would be pulled into a ship by his Mandalorian followers, Talzin then would be slain for good by Grievous.^[18]

Behind the scenes[]

The Darksaber first appeared in the twelfth episode of theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series'second season. Entitled "The Mandalore Plot," the episode premieredJanuary 29,2010, and featured the Darksaber being wielded by the newly introduced character of Pre Vizsla, who provided a brief backstory for the blade.^[1] Though it had originally been intended for Pre Vizsla to fight using avibroblade,^[19] a familiar weapon in theStar WarsExpanded Universe,^[5] the vibroblade was later modified at the request ofGeorge Lucas, with the creative team altering the blade into an archaic, black-bladed lightsaber they deemed the Darksaber.^[19]

The Darksaber was subsequently featured in theStar Wars: Clone Wars Adventuresonline game,^[13] as well asThe Clone Wars: Defenders of the Lost Templecomic book. It continued to appear alongside its owner Pre Vizsla in the animatedThe Clone Wars television series as well, including thefourth-season episode "A Friend in Need,"^[12] and thefifth-season episodes "Eminence,"^[14] "Shades of Reason,"^[3] and "The Lawless."^[17]

Appearances[]

• Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Mandalore Plot"(First appearance)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Voyage of Temptation"(In flashback(s))
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Duchess of Mandalore"(In flashback(s))
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "A Friend in Need"
• The Clone Wars: Defenders of the Lost Temple
• The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Eminence"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Shades of Reason"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Lawless"
• Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir 1
• Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir 2
• Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir 3
• Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir 4

Sources[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject.

• Jon Favreau on Voicing an All New Character onStarWars.com(backup link)
• "The Art of Mandalore" —Star Wars Insider 116(reprinted in Special Edition 2012)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Two("Creating Mandalore" featurette)
• Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
• "10 Amazing Moments fromStar Wars: The Clone Wars: Season Four" —Star Wars Insider 134
• LEGOStar Wars: The Clone Wars(Set:9525 Pre Vizsla's Mandalorian Fighter)
• "Classic Moment: Jedi vs. Mandalorian!" —Star Wars Insider 137
• LEGOStar Wars: The Clone Wars(Set:75022 Mandalorian Speeder)
• The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett
• Pre Vizsla in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct)

Notes and references[]