Summary

• The Darksaber's unusual design and color make it stand out from other lightsabers in Star Wars, and its origin dates back to the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla.
• The Darksaber's unique blade is a result of lightsaber modifications, specifically the use of specialized lenses and emitters to produce a broad and flattened blade, which resembles traditional metal swords.
• While the broadsaber design explains the Darksaber's appearance, it doesn't clarify its heavier weight, which makes it difficult to wield.

The famed Darksaber of the Mandalorians has always stood out from other lightsabers in Star Wars because of its unusual design, and of course its color. First seen in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series with Pre Vizsla, The Mandalorian season 3 finale.

Why the Darksaber differs so much from other lightsabers has always been a mystery. With a Mandalorian behind its crafting, it seemed reasonable that this cultural difference was the only explanation needed, especially given the blade's closer similarity to the flat blade of a sword that Mandalorians likely would have wielded in the ancient part of their history. As it turns out, there's another explanation for it, and it comes from deep Star Wars lore.

The Darksaber's Unusual Blade Is A Result Of Lightsaber Modifications

The Star Wars: Forces and Destiny sourcebook Knights of Fate describes a type of lightsaber called a broadsaber, which matches up perfectly to the design of the Darksaber. It mentions this type of blade can only be created with custom modifications, such as "specialized focusing lenses and emitters," all of which help to emit the broad and flattened blade. This type of lightsaber was uncommon in the Jedi Order because they found it to be "less elegant" than the traditional cylindrical blade, which makes it only more perfect for a Mandalorian Jedi. Not only would it help them to stand out, but it also perfectly adopted Mandalorian culture into lightsaber fighting, creating a blade that resembled traditional metal swords as well as longer versions of their vibroblades.

This Doesn't Explain ALL The Darksaber Unusual Attributes

While this description explains the design purposes of the Darksaber in greater depth, it certainly doesn't explain everything about what makes the Darksaber so different from other lightsabers - most notably, its heavier weight. First seen with Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels and then Din Djarin in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, the Darksaber can weigh so heavily for its s that it becomes nearly impossible for them to wield, to the point of them hurting themselves - as was the case for Djarin. This is quite different from any other lightsaber, and with Mandalorians traditionally being not just elusive, to but avoidant of the Force, any explanation for that phenomenon is much more complicated.

Despite the mysteries that still surround the blade, the Darksaber's design finally has more of an explanation attached to it. The broadsaber design allowed Tarre to more closely link his Mandalorian culture with that of the Jedi, and it also created a unique weapon that instantly gave him a different kind of advantage than his peers. The rarity of its design is what has always made the Darksaber stand out in Star Wars from other lightsabers, and though it may have met its end in The Mandalorian, its legacy will surely continue to live on.