The Mandalorian season 1 ending explained

The biggest surprise in The Mandalorian season finale was undoubtedly Moff Gideon’s rise from the ashes, carrying the legendary Darksaber with him. Did he kill the previous owner for the artifact?

Spoilers ahead for the season finale of The Mandalorian! 

During the final moments of The Mandalorian‘s season finale, Moff Gideon shocked everyone by slashing his way out of the crashed tie-fighter. What’s surprising is that Gideon uses a black-bladed lightsaber known as the Darksaber to do it.

In the established canon, Bo-Katan Kryze was the last person to wield the Darksaber. Gideon’s possession of the artifact suggests something bad happened to her. The warlord clearly hasn’t sided with Mandalore and what remained of their clans wouldn’t allow him to wield the blade. That being said, it’s probably safe to say Gideon killed Kryze for the Darksaber, or he hired someone to retrieve the relic for him.

In either case, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) will have something to say when he finds out. Din is the last of the Mandalorians and remains loyal to his people’s creed. Seeing a war criminal wield one of their people’s most prized possessions would be intolerable. And because of that, Mando will likely seek Gideon out himself. He won’t have The Child with him when he does, but bargaining for the Darksaber once they meet is possible.

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The more intriguing question is what Mando would be willing to trade for the relic. It’s difficult to see him parting with Baby Yoda just for a weapon, but we can’t rule such a thing out. The last of Mando’s people were just wiped out and that factor could encourage him to reconsider giving The Child up. The Darksaber is a treasured Mandalorian artifact after all.

It’s worth mentioning that The Child could be taken out of the equation. Now that Gideon and Mando are set to collide over a personal dispute, there’s no need to place Baby Yoda in the middle of their fight. The Mandalorian won’t leave his ward just anywhere, but reaching a vacant planet in some far-off galaxy may change things. That way, he’s outside of Gideon’s grasp.

Or, maybe we’re wrong about how Moff Gideon attained the Darksaber. One guess is that Gideon is actually an undercover agent who only wields his weapon when no Imperial forces are around. If he’s secretly the new leader of Mandalore, that may provide an alternative explanation to how he obtained the relic from Kryze. Of course, that still leaves the matter of Kryze’s whereabouts unresolved.

Theories aside, Moff Gideon is going to wield the Darksaber again in season two. There’s no telling what his plans are, but seeking vengeance is presumably one of them. Gideon didn’t seem like the type of person to take an insult lying down and what Mando did qualifies as more than one.

What are your expectations for season 2 of The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments.