Star Wars: Black Lightsaber Meaning & Most Famous Users
While we know that the lightsaber is a weapon that comes in different colors, there is one color that has always been considered the rarest and most unique out of all the different lightsaber colors. We are talking about the black lightsaber color, which has only been seen onscreen in one lightsaber due to how unique of a color it is and how it is seemingly too rare to get a black Kyber crystal. So, what does the black lightsaber mean in Star Wars?
The most prominent black lightsaber was the Darksaber, which represented power, leadership, and authority among the Mandalorians. It was the weapon of the leader of Mandalore and could only be wielded by anyone who defeated the previous owner in combat. This lightsaber color stands for power and elegance.
Of course, the Darksaber was one of the most iconic weapons in the Star Wars canon storyline before its destruction at the hands of Moff Gideon in season 3 of ‘The Mandalorian.’ Nevertheless, due to its overall design, this weapon was always one of the most unique weapons in the entire Star Wars continuity. Now, let’s talk more about the meaning of the color of the Darksaber and any other black lightsaber.
What does the black lightsaber color mean?
The world of Star Wars has always been a colorful one, especially when it comes to the weapons that our favorite characters wield. There is no doubt that the weapon of choice of any Jedi is the lightsaber due to how powerful it is and how it can complement the Force abilities of a Jedi. And the only way for a lightsaber to be constructed is by allowing the Jedi to use their Force abilities to attune with a Kyber crystal.
After that, the crystal turns into a color corresponding to the nature of the Jedi that is attuned to it. In that regard, the color of the Kyber crystal determines the color of the lightsaber. That is why there have been quite a number of different lightsaber colors in the world of Star Wars. But out of all those colors, the color black seems to be the rarest of all of them because we’ve only seen one onscreen black lightsaber, which is the Darksaber.
Forged by Tarre Vizsla over a thousand years before the events of the Skywalker Saga, the Darksaber became the weapon of the first Mandalorian Jedi to ever exist. The Darksaber is unique because it has a black blade and a single-edged blade shorter than the standard lightsaber but more like a katana. It also makes a screeching sound instead of a lightsaber’s usual buzzing sound.
But after Tarre’s death, House Vizsla stole the Darksaber from the Jedi Order. Since then, the sword has become a symbol of power passed down from generation to generation in House Vizsla. And during the Clone Wars, Pre Vizsla tried to rally the Mandalorian forces to his side using the Darksaber as he was trying to topple the New Mandalorian government that had already moved on from the warrior era of the Mandalorian people.
The Darksaber became a symbol of power among the Mandalorians. That is why the only person that could lead the Mandalorians was the person that was the rightful wielder of the Darksaber. And the only way that the Darksaber can pass ownership from one person to another is if the previous owner is defeated in single combat.
The Darksaber, or probably any other black lightsaber, stands for power and authority. The Mandalorians see this black lightsaber as a symbol of leadership and power within the Mandalorian culture. And the Mandalorians, a warrior race of people, respect a person’s power above everything else.
That is why the Darksaber held a special place in the culture of the Mandalorian people, as it was the legitimate symbol of leadership among them. This is consistent with one of the meanings of black in color theory, which states that black stands for power and elegance.
As such, it is consistent with the fact that the Darksaber, which is a black lightsaber, basically stands for power and elegance among the Mandalorian people, as only their leader, the most powerful and sophisticated among the Mandalorians, should be able to wield it.
Sadly, the Darksaber was destroyed in the season 3 finale of ‘The Mandalorian’ when Moff Gideon crushed it with his bare hands while wearing his new strength-enhancing Dark Trooper armor. We aren’t sure whether or not the broken Darksaber was salvaged before the destruction of the Imperial base on Mandalore.
Most famous black lightsaber users
As mentioned, only one black lightsaber is ever shown onscreen in the storyline of Star Wars. That’s why the most famous users of the black lightsaber used to be rightful wielders of the Darksaber.
Din Djarin
Probably the most prominent user of the Darksaber was Din Djarin. He is the main protagonist of ‘The Mandalorian’ and is a Mandalorian that grew up as a foundling when a group of Mandalorians belonging to the Children of the Watch found him and raised him as one of their own. In that regard, he grew up believing in the culture of the Mandalorians and became one of the strongest Mandalorians among his people.
Din Djarin once wielded the Darksaber when he defeated Moff Gideon, who wielded the blade as its rightful user. However, Din didn’t know the symbolism of the Darksaber, so he didn’t even know that he had to be the rightful owner of the blade after he defeated Moff Gideon. Djarin never tried to assert his leadership over the Mandalorian people despite wielding the Darksaber, which he never actually got used to.
Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze was a member of House Kryze, which was of the royal lineage of Mandalore. She eventually joined Pre Vizsla’s Death Watch during the events of the Clone Wars because she never believed in the pacifistic way of the New Mandalorians. And after the Imperials took over Mandalore during the reign of the Empire, she led her people in a rebellion.
Eventually, Bo-Katan acquired the Darksaber when Sabine Wren gave it to her. She eventually lost the blade to Moff Gideon when she surrendered Mandalore to him to spare her people. In that regard, many people believed that the doom of Mandalore was because Bo-Katan never legitimately acquired the Darksaber and was never the rightful leader of the Mandalorians. She eventually legitimately acquired the blade when she defeated a creature that defeated Din Djarin, as she eventually used it to unite her people and take Mandalore back from the Imperial remnants.
Darth Maul
During the Clone Wars, Darth Maul once wielded the Darksaber as its rightful owner. Pre Vizsla employed his help to take over Mandalore from the New Mandalorians. However, after they had successfully taken over Mandalore, Darth Maul challenged Vizsla to single combat to determine the rightful leader of the Mandalorians.
Of course, Maul defeated Vizsla because he was the stronger warrior. He acquired the blade from him and led Mandalore before Darth Sidious arrived to chase him away from the planet. That was the last time we saw Maul wielding the Darksaber before it fell into the hands of the next character on this list.
Sabine Wren
Sabine Wren is a character that appeared in ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ and is set to make her live-action debut in the upcoming ‘Ahsoka’ series. She was a member of the crew of the Ghost during the events of ‘Rebels.’ During that time, she also found the Darksaber in a lair of the Nightsisters. And at the urging of Fenn Rau and the other Spectres, she started using the Darksaber and learned how to wield it under the supervision of Kanan Jarrus.
However, during the Mandalore arc of ‘Rebels,’ Sabine had to give the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze so that she could lead the Mandalorians against the Empire. Sadly, Bo-Katan was never the rightful owner of the blade because she didn’t win it from Sabine in single combat.
High Republic Jedi
Of course, the High Republic era was full of different colorful lightsabers with unique designs that made them stand out. While we only have one series that is set in the High Republic, there are a lot of books that are set during this era of the galaxy. And there were a lot of Jedi with rare lightsabers during this era.
In the concept art above, you could clearly see one High Republic Jedi wielding a black lightsaber. That means that, at one point in time, there was probably at least one Jedi during the era of the High Republic that wielded a black lightsaber. It is also possible that more of these Jedi existed in the past.
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