Moff Gideon Is Not a Mandalorian: Here’s How He Wielded the Darksaber

One of the people we met during the events of ‘The Mandalorian’ was Moff Gideon, who acted as the primary antagonist of the series’ first three seasons. Of course, he was first introduced as the wielder of the Darksaber, an ancient Mandalorian lightsaber that symbolizes the right to rule. Then, in season 3, we saw him acting as the ruler of Mandalore when he set up an Imperial base there even though he was never a Mandalorian. So, how is it that Moff Gideon wielded the Darksaber?

Moff Gideon wielded the Darksaber because Bo-Katan Kryze willingly gave it to him when she surrendered Mandalore to him after the initial bombing of the planet. Bo-Katan realized that the Mandalorians couldn’t win, so she surrendered in exchange for the safety of her people, who were still massacred.

Bo-Katan learned the hard way that you can never trust an Imperial officer as they only want power above everything else. In that regard, Gideon decided to destroy most of Mandalore even after Bo-Katan surrendered to him. Of course, he used the Darksaber as his personal weapon and as his way of legitimizing his rule over Mandalore. So, in that regard, let’s talk more about this topic.

The Darksaber should be won by the wielder

Ever since we first saw the Darksaber, it has become one of the most interesting weapons in the entire Star Wars lore because it is a black lightsaber with a design that’s incredibly unique compared to other lightsabers.

Initially wielded by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi, over a thousand years ago, the Mandalorians stole it after Vizsla’s death and became a symbol of power within Clan Vizsla on Mandalore. Since then, the Mandalorians have used the Darksaber as a symbol of power that recognized the wielder’s strength and their right to rule, as only strong people were supposed to lead the Mandalorians.

In that regard, Pre Vizsla tried to use the Darksaber to legitimize his revolution against the New Mandalorians during the Clone Wars. The Darksaber was won by Darth Maul, who eventually ruled Mandalore for a while because this blade’s wielder was the Mandalorians’ rightful leader.

But after Maul was dethroned, the Darksaber was lost for a few years until it fell into the hands of Sabine Wren during the events of ‘Star Wars: Rebels.’ Sabine gave the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze so that she could lead the Mandalorians against the Empire.

But we learned in ‘The Mandalorian,’ which takes place five years after the fall of the Empire, that the Darksaber was no longer in Bo-Katan’s possession. Instead, it was now wielded by Moff Gideon, an officer of the Imperial remnants. Of course, Din Djarin defeated Gideon and obtained the right to use the Darksaber. After that, the Darksaber fell into Bo-Katan’s hands once more when a creature defeated Din on Mandalore, and Bo-Katan killed that very same creature.

When Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians were about to retake Mandalore, she admitted the story behind Moff Gideon and his possession of the Darksaber. During the Rebellion period, the Mandalorians were too difficult for the Empire to control, so they decided to bomb the major population centers of the planet. Realizing that she couldn’t win, Bo-Katan willingly gave the Darksaber up and surrendered Mandalore to Moff Gideon so that she could save her people from the Empire’s wrath.

In that regard, Moff Gideon never defeated Bo-Katan in a fight. Instead, he defeated her by making her lose her will to fight after he led the bombing over the entire planet of Mandalore. And that was how he became the wielder of the Darksaber even though he was never a Mandalorian.

Gideon wanted Mandalore’s resources

Of course, we all know that Moff Gideon never wanted to truly destroy Mandalore. Even after Bo-Katan decided to surrender to him, Gideon bombed the planet and destroyed most of the population centers while decimating the Mandalorian population. He and the Imperials also claimed that Mandalore was no longer inhabitable after the bombing.

Gideon wanted to do this not because he wanted to rule Mandalore and its people. He knew that he would never be able to control the Mandalorians. Instead, he simply wanted the planet’s resources because Mandalore was the only place where the strongest metal in the galaxy could be mined. We are talking about Beskar Steel, which is the foundation of the Mandalorian warrior race.

As the strongest metal in the galaxy, Beskar Steel could withstand blaster bolts without getting damaged. On top of that, pure Beskar can go toe-to-toe with a lightsaber without getting cut at all, and that’s why the Mandalorians were able to fight the Jedi on par in the past.

Gideon wanted Beskar because he planned on using it for his Dark Trooper project. We even saw him creating an army of Beskar-clad Stormtroopers. And he himself created a Dark Trooper suit that allowed him to have the defense and strength to overwhelm Din Djarin and Bo-Katan in a fight.

How did Moff Gideon know the Mandalorian?

Another thing that is notable about Moff Gideon is his ability to use every resource that was available to him. He was a cunning individual who understood how to use spies, operatives, and other people to his advantage. So, while he never ruled Mandalore and its people, he still could learn more about the Mandalorians around the galaxy.

That was why Moff Gideon was able to learn Din Djarin’s name even though Mando never really made his name public, as that was one of the things that his Mandalorian tribe kept secret. But Gideon’s network of spies and operatives allowed him to learn more about Mando. It is possible that he was able to do so using spies who were aware of the existence of the Children of the Watch, which was Din Djarin’s secret Mandalorian tribe.

Of course, this all stemmed from the fact that he used to be with the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), which specialized in obtaining information and using spies around the galaxy. As such, Gideon had the skills, resources, and people necessary to learn everything he needed about everyone in the galaxy, including the secretive Din Djarin.

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