One of the most impactful story arcs leading into The Mandalorian, season three, comes from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I’d actually forgotten just how pivotal this arc is to Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) reluctant stewardship of the darksaber until I re-visited it recently. (Thank you, upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show, for inspiring me to re-watch these episodes featuring Obi-Wan and Satine!)
One thing is clear to me. If Din is going to have a chance at untangling the mess the darksaber has gotten him into with Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff), he will need a better understanding than he currently has of some points of history that root back into these episodes.
RELATED: Star Wars: Most Powerful Sith Lords
Death Watch vs. The Children of the Watch (A.K.A. The Tribe)
Though the connection hasn’t been explicitly detailed yet, the name “Children of the Watch” is (likely) too close to “Death Watch” to be a coincidence of nomenclature. There’s an excellent chance that they were once one. Bo-Katan was a prominent enough figure within Death Watch to have been a confidante to leader Pre Vizsla. This being so, it stands to reason that leading members of the Children of the Watch – like the Armorer (Emily Swallow) – are not impartial in their view of her.
The Book of Boba Fett‘s Mando-centric episode 5 depicts a Din Djarin still very much concerned with his standing within the Tribe. With that, the Armorer is someone he is willing, even eager, to take guidance from. But is she fit to guide him? If the group had given Din a clear, impartial version of Mandalorian history and culture, he wouldn’t have assumed all Mandalorians did the keep-the-helmet-on thing. What else was/is being held back from him?
Bo-Katan’s History With the Darksaber
Bo-Katan’s current pursuit of the darksaber has a lot of layers to it. Many are obvious, but some are less so.
As Star Wars: Rebels details, when Sabine Wren defeated Gar Saxon, the darksaber became (by Mandalorian tradition) unequivocally hers – and with it, a claim to the leadership of Mandalore. But Sabine believed the best leader was Bo-Katan. Bo-Katan’s reluctance to accept the saber as a gift stemmed partly from the fact that she didn’t feel she was worthy of it. “I already had my chance to lead…and I failed,” she told Sabine. “I am not my sister.”
RELATED: Read up on all Star Wars: The Clone Wars Recaps!
We don’t know yet exactly how Bo-Katan lost the darksaber to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). But however it happened, there’s no way the experience was not personally devastating to her. After all, Bo-Katan was entrusted with the darksaber over her own self-doubt – and lost it. She failed as a leader again. For Bo-Katan, the imperative to re-acquire the darksaber is deeply personal. And that will undoubtedly mean any number of problematic things for Din Djarin.
What Clans Survived the Fall of Mandalore?
After the Empire’s destruction, who is left of the Mandalorian leadership that gifted the darksaber to Bo-Katan? These are allies whom she pledged to lead. Many of them (like Countess Ursa Wren or Fenn Rau) were personal friends. Who of them remains alive and how those survivors feel about Bo-Katan’s loss of the darksaber is likely quite relevant to her motivation to recover it.
But Din’s ability to gain allies of his own is at stake here as well. His affiliation with the Children of the Watch likely won’t win him many friends (if the smirking of Bo-Katan and her companions when he first met them is any indication of the general sentiment.) The fact that some Mandalorians are open-minded and willing to experiment with new leadership is evident in the fact that Satine was able to hold power and turn the culture towards pacifism. If there are many left of this ilk, it would work to Din’s advantage.
Foundlings in Mandalorian Society
Foundling adoption is a longstanding part of Mandalorian culture. But Din Djarin was adopted into a group that stands apart from the rest of society, and apart from specific clan ties. What does that mean for how surviving Mandalorians will view Din’s place amongst them? There is at least one example – in the Protectors – of adherence to a group taking precedence over clan ties. But the Protectors were an elite group with high social status.
The Children of the Watch are not that. Does that matter? Will it affect whether Din and Grogu are seen as genuinely Mandalorian? Or will Bo-Katan have the standing to argue that Din is an outsider? The answer has ramifications beyond the immediate question of Din and Bo-Katan and the darksaber – because in Grogu, there is one with the potential to become the most powerful wielder of the saber since its original Jedi creator. Whether this is seen as an asset or a threat depends on whether Din and Grogu are embraced as true Mandalorians.
Mandalorian Pacifism
There are only two ways for Din and Bo-Katan to settle the issue of the darksaber. Either one of them defeats the other in battle, or they will mutually move beyond the darksaber’s symbolism to build something new for Mandalore. Bo-Katan’s determined pursuit of the darksaber implies that she believes it to be an essential tool for leadership. But yet, Satine transcended such a need. Satine not only became Duchess of Mandalore but convinced a warrior-centric people to turn pacifist. And she did this without symbols like the darksaber to bolster her. (Pre Vizsla held the darksaber then.)
It’s true that she couldn’t hold what she built, not against the backdrop of the Clone Wars and Palpatine’s machinations. And the fact that Death Watch existed at all is proof that her goals were not universally embraced. But that doesn’t detract from what she accomplished. Her brilliance stands as a model. There’s a lesson for Din Djarin in the history of Duchess Satine and her methods if he can find it.
Article written by Maggie Plummer
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/may-the-4th-be-with-you-top-10-inspiring-star-wars-quotes/
- 10 STAR WARS Characters Who Need a Novel of Their Own - May 4, 2024
- 5 Mandalore-Inspired Questions We Need Answered in Season 3 of THE MANDALORIAN - February 21, 2023
- 5 Characters From STAR WARS: REBELS We Want To See in Live Action - November 22, 2022
