With the release of the Book of Boba Fett Episode 5 we were given a very rich history of the Mandalorian people, as well as what happened in the time between Rebels Season 4 and Mando Season 2. We now finally know not only what really happened on the Night of a Thousand Tears, but also why Bo Katan lost the darksaber… In a way, she was doomed to fail from the Start… So, lets break down why Bo Katan lost the darksaber and how she might try to take it back from Din Djarin.
After returning to the newly relocated Mandalorian covert on the Ringworld of Glavis, Mando was confronted by the armorer about the weapon he now holds. He is given a deep lesson on what the darksaber represents and how it can grant someone the rulership of Mandalore. But not always. The armorer tells Mando that if the Darksaber is won by creed in a traditional Mandalorian battle then the winner can rule Mandalore and be united under the holder. If however it is not won in combat and simply falls into the hands of someone undeserving, something much worse will take place. She tells of an ancient prophecy that says if the Darksaber is merely handed away to someone, it will become a curse unto the nation. Mandalore will then be laid to waste and its people scattered to the four winds.
Now tragically, this is exactly the situation that has taken place by the time of the Empire’s Fall. Mandalore was completely shattered, with it’s entire surface being bombarded by Moff Gideon’s forces, and Sundari itself wiped out. The only ones who survived were the descendants of the extremist Mandalorian group called Deathwatch, as they were exiled and forced to live on Mandalore’s moon Concordia. These descendants of Deathwatch soon became known as the “Children of the Watch”, and were forced to Flee from Mandalorian space, scattering across the Galaxy, just as the prophecy predicted.
The event which sparked this prophecy into the motion in the first place stems all the way back to the Imperial Era and the events of Star Wars Rebels. During that series, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren traveled to Dathomir which was the homeworld of the holder of the Darksaber at the time, Darth Maul. Once there they came across the ancient Mandalorian blade in his lair. Because Maul pretty much lost interest in ruling Mandalore after Order 66 and his capture, Ezra and Sabine were able to take it without a fight… Sabine then became the holder of the Darksaber, coming as a shock to the Mandalorian people. This was the first cog which set the prophecy in motion, but wasn’t enough to trigger it to its full extent.
The next domino to fall came when Sabine wren fought in the Mandalorian Civil war on Mandalore, where a group of Mandalorians aligned themselves with the Empire and were given dominion over the planet. This group was led by a man named Gar Saxon and later his Brother Tiber Saxon, and they utilized a horrific Mandalorian Superweapon known the Arc Pulse Generator, which could melt Mandalorians alive inside of their Beskar armor. The weapon itself was developed by Sabine Wren during her time at the Imperial Academy, so her fighting in this civil war was a very painful reminder of her past.