Weapons have become a significant part ofStar Wars, though these violent accessories are given a greater significance than being a tool of destruction. While the job of a blaster may be more random or clumsy, even such an ordinary projectile shooter has become an earmark accessory in the saga. While there are 16types of lightsabersand seven forms of combat, each is given its own meaning rooted deep within theStar Warslore. A lightsaber is a personal statement to whomever wields it, and each is given a story of their own to tell. The Darksaber, in particular, is a prime example of how sabers are considered to be cultural and societal indications of power.
Raised with his brothers in the Nightbrother Village, Darth Maul was born to Mother Talzin and previously believed that Maul was not truly his birth name. His early life required that he tended to his siblings as Talzin was often found among the Nightsisters. Throughout his youth, Maul grappled with controlling his anger and was consumed by rage. Such unrestrained animosity presented the struggling Dathomirian as a prime candidate to be molded by Darth Sidious. Sidious shaped his Force-sensitive student into acunning Sith Lord. His apprentice was fine-tuned to be transformed into a Sith weapon, who was conditioned into taking brutal measures against anyone he believed to be an enemy. As such, Maul was quick to rise through the galaxy’s crime scene, which presented itself as a more prominent threat. The Sith Lord was drawn to the Dark Side of the Force and was determined to dismantle the Jedi Order. Maul was driven by his contempt for the Light Side and those who wound their lifestyle around it.AfterThe Phantom Menace, he bore witness to momentous events that shook the galaxy and impacted socio-political turmoil: the execution of Order 66, the conclusion of the Clone Wars, and Sidious’ shift into power as he assumed the role of Galactic Emporer.
From his slaying of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn to his exile on the Outer Rim, Maul created a sense of fear that submerged him. His ongoing reign of terror throughout the stars was once able to allow him to wield the Darksaber as his own in exchange for his trademark dual-bladed saber. Maul’s bout with the Darksaber exalted his status and presented him as one of the cosmos' most all-powerful beings. For as autocratic as he once was, Maul’s reign with the Darksaber was as ruthless as his namesake implies. His time spent with the Darksaber only added him to an ongoing history of owners. Here is why Darth Maul stopped using the Darksaber.
What is the Darksaber?
The Darksaber deviated away from the orthodox presentation of what lightsabers were assumed to be. Tarre Vizsla crafted the broad-bladed black lance that was retrieved from the Jedi during the Old Republic’s downfall. Those who were worthy of bearing the Darksaber — a weapon that was required to be won over in combat — were viewed as the rightful ruler of Mandalore. A unique trait permits the Darksaber to decide who may be worthy enough to bear it. Kyber crystals are necessary nuclei in lightsabers; the black Kyber crystal, which generates a curious obsidian glow from the blade, categorizes the Darksaber as such.Star Wars: Rebelsdedicated an episode in Season 3, “Trial of the Darksaber,” to enlarging the intricateorigin of the DarksaberinStar Warslore. The Darksaber feeds off of Force Energy, but the actions and thoughts of those who covet the ancient token for themselves are subject to its strength. Kanan Jarrus made it known that he didn’t always know that “Mandalorians developed a type of lightsaber” before Mandalorian Fenn Rau enlightens the misconception around the Darksaber’s origins.
“[The Mandalorians] didn’t, this was one of a kind,” Rau said in Trial of the Darksaberwhen explaining the truth behind the relic. “Legend tells that it was created over a thousand years ago by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi order. After his passing, the Jedi kept the saber in their temple. That was, until members of House Vizsla snuck in and liberated it. They used the saber to unify the people and strike down those who would oppose them. At one time, they ruled all of Mandalore, wielding this blade.”
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Darth Maul’s Darksaber History
Darth Maul defeated Pre Vizsla in battle and claimed the Darksaber as his own. In his execution, Maul decapitated Vizsla without hesitation as it only took a single stroke of his saber to do so. After the execution of the Darksaber’s former owner, Maul was presented with a new set of challenges associated with the notion of bearing the blade for himself. He accepted his fate and publicly declared that he would stand in as the new ruler of Mandalore. At one point, Maul was at the disposal of both his double-bladed red saber and the Darksaber, presenting himself as an even more daunting threat when faced in combat.
The Darksaber was Darth Maul’s weapon of choice for some of his most memorable battles; both the death of Duchess Satine and his defeat by Darth Sidious featured the black lightsaber. The Darksaber was similarly drawn when Maul confronted General Grevious during the time of tension on Ord Mantell. He threatened Count Dooku that he would use the Darksaber to slay him prior to the ambush on Dathomir that had caused him to flee the planet. Sabine Wren was designated as a descendant of Clan Wren from the House Vizsla, and this discovery was imperative to her birthright of reclaiming the Darksaber as her own. Wren happened upon the Darksaber that was among Maul’s belongings that were left behind on Dathomir. Though she had trained with the Darksaber, Sabine could not authentically profess herself as the new leader of Mandalore as it had not been a trophy taken from a won battle. Maul’s abandonment of the saber left it to be collected by Sabineafter conquering Gar Saxon.
Related:Star Wars: Why Darth Maul Was One of the Best Characters Ever Created
Why Did Maul Stop Using the Darksaber?
The Darksaber’s moral scales of judgment rejected Maul from being considered worthy. Though Maul was able to handle the blade with ease after he claimed it as his own in combat, the Darksaber did not feel as if he was worthy of being its successor due to the nature of his obsessive lust for power. Greedy, hateful, and destructive attitudes caused the Darksaber to immobilize itself when used by Darth Maul. Its gained weight was not tangible, but metaphorical. Those who use the Darksaber are asked that they generate a connection with the light sword that is offered by the weapon itself. Maul did not desire a true connection with the Darksaber, which resulted in a resistance against him. The disapproval from the deeply respected Mandalorian icon resulted in an unwieldy state. Maul had previously planned to abandon Mandalore completely, which the Darksaber was well aware of, and, perCBR, thus disabled him from being able to act on his betrayal. Maul’s decision to shift away from seeking out the greater good of Mandalore and the planet’s people resulted in the Darksaber’s denouncement of Maul.
