The Darksaber has exchanged hands several times throughout Star Wars history, but none changed its destiny quite like Sabine Wren. The ancient Mandalorian weapon first debuted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the hands of Pre Vizsla, a descendant of its original wielder and creator, Tarre Vizsla. It has since appeared in Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, all of which have added to the storied history of the blade that was brought to an end by Moff Gideon in Bo-Katan Kryze’s gloved grasp.

In the middle of that history is Sabine, who notably wielded the Darksaber in Rebels. The season 3 episode “Trials of the Darksaber” offered not only a deep dive into the Darksaber’s backstory, but also some insight into just how powerful the blade is. This, along with Sabine passing the blade off to Bo-Katan in good faith rather than in combat, greatly altered the course of the Darksaber’s future – but how did Sabine get this weapon in the first place, and why did she give it away to Bo-Katan rather than keep it for herself?

Sabine Wren Found The Darksaber After Darth Maul Abandoned It

Sabine Did Not Win The Blade In Combat

Rebels season 3, episode 11 “Visions and Voices” revealed that Maul still had the Darksaber on his homeworld of Dathomir, many years after he unjustly ruled all of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars. It was found by Sabine after she and Kanan Jarrus went after Ezra Bridger and were possessed by the spirits of Nightsisters. Upon seeing the ancient blade, Sabine took it with her, following the Mandalorian sense of honor in returning the weapon to its rightful people.

Afterward, in “Trials of the Darksaber,” Kanan trained Sabine how to use the blade, despite the fact she was hesitant to. This allowed her to overcome the overwhelming heaviness that came with it, as often seen when it was used by Din Djarin in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Sabine’s mastery of the Darksaber, however, was short-lived, as she only used it to lead her people to freedom from the Empire on Mandalore before forfeiting her claim to it.

Why Sabine Gave The Darksaber To Bo-Katan Kryze

Sabine Did Not Feel Fit For Mandalore’s Throne

With Bo-Katan at her side, Sabine freed Mandalore from the Empire’s influence, but she still did not feel she was fit to lead. As the heiress to the Mandalorian throne, following the tragic murder of her sister Satine Kryze during the Clone Wars, Sabine insisted that Bo-Katan take the blade and thus claim her place as Mandalore’s leader. This was also due to the fact that Sabine was still a part of her own rebel cell, and she had no desire to stop her fight for the Rebellion yet. Bo-Katan accepted the Darksaber, and under its blade, she ruled Mandalore for several years.

Sabine Never Truly Owned The Darksaber Under Mandalorian Rules

Because It Was Not Won In Combat, Sabine Never Truly Owned It

According to the rules that have since been established in The Mandalorian, Sabine never technically laid claim to the Darksaber at all. Moff Gideon revealed in The Mandalorian season 2 finale that the Darksaber can only be won in combat, thus it cannot be given away as a gift – not if the recipient is intended to be the rightful owner of the weapon. Seeing as Sabine never fought Maul for the weapon on Dathomir, she never truly was its owner, and neither was Bo-Katan.

Though Bo-Katan would eventually lay her claim to the weapon in The Mandalorian season 3 by defeating Din Djarin’s cyborg captor in the mines beneath Mandalore, Sabine never did. Her choice to take the Darksaber from Maul changed the entire history of the weapon as a whole. Seeing as Maul was defeated by Darth Sidious in a duel on Mandalore with the blade, Palpatine was technically its rightful owner for many years, though he never wielded the weapon. His death later on neutralized his claim, thus it was reset in the hands of Bo-Katan and Moff Gideon.

While Sabine may not have ever been the rightful owner of the Darksaber, she still wielded it with power and grace, and she certainly made her mark on its history. It’s no small feat that she was able to use it to lead her people to freedom, especially considering how young she was at the time. Her choice to give it away to Bo-Katan was also extremely noble, even if it did cause the Mandalorian heiress to shoulder some of the blame for the Great Purge. Thus, Sabine Wren‘s history with the Darksaber will always be important to Star Wars.