Mandalorian Fans Are Dizzying Themselves Over The Darksaber's Ownership History

First introduced in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" episode "The Mandalore Plot," the Darksaber is a lightsaber unlike any other. It is built with a unique handle of Mandalorian beskar and emits a black, saber-shaped blade through a slit in the hilt. When we are first introduced to this weapon, it's wielded by Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla (voiced by Jon Favreau), though the blade has passed through many different hands since that initial encounter.

Indeed, fans on Reddit have had a hard time puzzling out the Darksaber's history and who owned it at what time, primarily due to the specific circumstances necessary for "ownership" of the Darksaber to pass between people. As pointed out by u/deviantdeaf, the two conditions needed to claim ownership of the blade appear to be: "One, combat must happen between the wielder of the Darksaber and the one who fights ... Two, claim must be laid upon the Darksaber or given in combat."

These apparent requirements for Darksaber ownership were debated heavily in the comments of this thread due to the numerous inconsistencies in its history such as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) not being allowed to give up the Darksaber, despite Sabi​​ne Wren (Tiya Sircar) doing just that when it passed to Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff). As dizzying as this history may be, it becomes even more complex after "The Mandalorian" Season 3, Episode 2, in which several different characters acquire the Darksaber without ever "claiming" it.

As mentioned, the real complex part of this history comes in "The Mandalorian" episode "The Mines of Mandalore," in which Din Djarin (the current owner of the Darksaber) loses the blade to a mysterious cyborg below Mandalore, who then loses the blade back to Bo-Katan Kryze.

Apparently because neither Bo-Katan nor the cyborg ever "claimed" the Darksaber, it still remains in the possession of Din Djarin in the next episode –- despite the fact that, by rights, Bo-Katan could have reclaimed it after winning it in battle against the cyborg. Fans were forced to conclude that this was a conscious decision by Bo-Katan, deciding that she hadn't truly "won" the saber in the context she desired. "Even if she could claim it ... I think Bo Katan is still hung up on the Darksaber and feels like it's unearned in that context anyway," wrote u/The-MandaLokian. "There's a certain personal standard she set and she will not cut corners." As pointed out by u/thatguy11m, this decision might also be a turning point in her story, since she doesn't want a repeat of the last time she gained the Darksaber. 

In any case, it's clear that fans are having a hard time deciding what really constitutes "winning" the Darksaber, and who exactly is the rightful owner of the blade after the events in the "Mines of Mandalore" –- despite the fact that the blade remains in the possession of Din Djarin at this time.