Summary
- Dave Filoni, a Lucasfilm creative, explains that the Darksaber is not necessarily more powerful than a typical lightsaber and its old age could make it less powerful.
- The main difference between the Darksaber and lightsaber is its design, with the flat blade of energy being a unique "Mandalorian twist."
- Despite its lack of inherent power, the Darksaber possesses a mystical strength that makes it difficult to wield, requiring rigorous training and causing injuries to those who struggle with it.
Dave Filoni, a Lucasfilm creative and executive, discusses the difference between the Darksaber as seen in The Mandalorian versus the classic Star Wars lightsabers. First introduced in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, the Darksaber was created by Mandalorian Jedi Tarre Vizsla, and it has since been passed down in Mandalorian history to call warriors to the Mandalorian throne. The blade was brought to live-action in The Mandalorian season 1 finale and has since taken on an important role in The Mandalorian season 3. Seeing as the Darksaber has many cultural ideas tied to it, such as its combat ritual, many viewers have wondered how its power differs from that of a Jedi's lightsaber – and Filoni himself has taken the chance to speak to this.
Your browser does not support the video tag. In an interview with Star Wars, Filoni asserts that the Darksaber actually isn't any more powerful than a typical lightsaber. Its old age actually could make it less powerful than a lightsaber, and the thing that stands out about it is simply the design that Tarre Vizsla created for it.
"It’s not that it’s necessarily more powerful than any other lightsaber — in fact, you can make a strong argument that it’s not. It’s an old, old, old lightsaber. For all I know, it has limitations. It’s obviously not a style that’s been replicated, and you can imagine that’s because Tar Vizsla understood something and added a Mandalorian twist to it that no one’s been able to replicate since. It’s a flat blade of energy, which is bizarre."
The fact that the blade is flat compared to the three-dimensional beam of lightsabers is described by Filoni as "bizarre," but it does account for something, especially since Filoni considers it to be a "Mandalorian twist." That being said, it's the only main difference between the Darksaber and lightsaber – and power has nothing to do with it.
