The Mandalorian
director Bryce Dallas Howard has revealed the inspiration for the Darksaber, the Mandalorian blade of leadership, and unwittingly hinted at Din Djarin’s future. Created a thousand years before the Skywalker saga by the legendary Tarre Vizsla, the Darksaber is traditionally wielded by the Man’dalor – the supreme leader of all Mandalorian clans. It was destroyed in the epic ending of The Mandalorian season 3, although Bo-Katan Kryze succeeded in unifying the clans regardless.
Bryce Dallas Howard, one of the key directors of The Mandalorian, attended a Star Wars: Skeleton Crew panel at this year’s MegaCon. Speaking there, she was impressed to see a cosplayer in the crowd with Excalibur, and she revealed the legendary sword of King Arthur is in fact the inspiration for the Darksaber. This isn’t the first time Lucasfilm has drawn from Arthurian legends for The Mandalorian; the Armorer was compared to Merlin as a kingmaker and guide. But it’s the most important comment so far, because it also serves as a major hint.
Like The Darksaber, Excalibur Was Broken
It’s easy to see why Lucasfilm looked to Excalibur for inspiration. The legendary sword was wielded by Arthur, the “One True King” who would unify the Britons of his day, in a similar way to the Man’dalor. Appropriately enough, Excalibur was one of the sources of inspiration for the lightsaber itself; in Arthurian lore, the sword glowed with light when it was drawn. Acknowledging this, George Lucas associated lightsabers with kyber crystals – sometimes referred to in his scripts as caiburr crystals, derived from the Welsh for Excalibur. Star Wars has come full circle.
Here’s where things get particularly interesting, though; in Arthurian lore, King Arthur had two swords, not just one, although they are often blended. The first was the so-called sword in the stone, the blade Arthur pulled out of a stone to prove himself worthy to be the king. The second was subsequently given to him by the Lady in the Lake, after the sword in the stone shattered in combat. Like that first blade, the Darksaber was broken in battle. Will there be another after all?
Is Bo-Katan The Lady In The Lake?
We already knew that Arthurian lore had influenced The Mandalorian; Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau compared the Armorer to Merlin ahead of season 3. There are even more parallels than that, though, with the Mandalorian city of Sundari feeling like the Star Wars version of Camelot itself. And yet, there’s something rather odd about these parallels, because they don’t quite gel with the idea of Bo-Katan as the Man’dalor. She feels rather more like the Lady of the Lake, especially given she rescued Din when he bathed in the Living Waters.
Suddenly the end of The Mandalorian season 3 feels rather like a misdirect of sorts, a way of leading viewers in a different direction for a time. Many were surprised when Din Djarin did not become Man’dalor during season 3, but is it possible that this still lies in his future? That would certainly fit with the Arthurian lore, after all.
The Mandalorian
- First Episode Air Date
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November 12, 2019
Summary
“The Mandalorian” is a live-action Star Wars television series set in the post-Empire galaxy, five years after the events of “Return of the Jedi.” The series follows the adventures of a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin, who becomes the protector of a mysterious child known as Grogu (popularly referred to as “The Child” or “Baby Yoda”). Combining elements of Westerns, samurai films, and classic Star Wars lore, “The Mandalorian” has become a cultural phenomenon, praised for its storytelling, character development, and visual effects.
