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This article contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 5
So far, The Book of Boba Fett hasn’t lived up to parent show The Mandalorian. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s first live-action Star Wars show rocketed out of the gate in 2019 to give Disney Plus a big early hit, showed us a fascinating period in galactic history, creating a bona fide pop culture icon in Baby Yoda/Grogu along the way.
All of which made it refreshing that this week’s The Book of Boba Fett was basically just an episode of The Mandalorian, with Fett not even making an appearance, but it still laid plenty of important groundwork for Din Djarin’s third season.
An encounter with the Armorer and Death Watch’s Paz Viszla reminded us of the symbolic power held by the Darksaber Din won from Moff Gideon. Whoever wields it has the right to lead the Mandalorian clans, with Bo-Katan feeling this is her destiny. The problem is that it can only truly change hands through combat, as shown by Vizsla trying (and failing) to best Din in a duel.
We also saw that the weapon needs to be handled the right way. Din complained that it got heavier the longer he used it, which seems to be true physically as well as psychologically, given how he drags it slowly across the floor. It’s possible Din may need to gain some level of attunement with the Force in order to wield a weapon forged by a Jedi to the fullest, though even without that, it’s still scarily lethal.
Star Wars Rebels‘ episode “Trial of the Darksaber” gives us an idea of why the saber is so difficult to use:
“Energy constantly flows through the crystal. You’re not fighting with a simple blade as much as you are directing a current of power. Your thoughts, your actions, they become energy. They flow through the crystal as well, and become a part of the blade. That sword is old, heavy, but powerful. Respect its strength. But you cannot rely solely on the blade. You must use all your skills together.”
His spiritual training may come with Din’s new quest to find the “living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore”. After confessing to removing his helmet, he’s now deemed an apostate and must cleanse himself, with this mystical-sounding location perhaps giving him some insight into the Force and the prehistory of the Mandalorian people.
The episode also confirmed that Grogu’s story isn’t over. Din used the beskar spear gifted to him by Ahsoka Tano to craft a suit of chainmail armor for his former charge. Throughout the episode, he repeatedly talked about checking in on Grogu, and as the episode ended, was planning to do just that in his shiny new Naboo starfighter.
The Mandalorian‘s third season has been in production since October, and is expected to last until March, so we could be waiting a while to see the end product. Pedro Pascal is also busy with HBO’s The Last of Us, though the nature of the character means he can just provide the voice, so this isn’t expected to delay production.
The Mandalorian season three will premiere on Disney Plus in 2022.