It's a safe bet to guess that the Darksaber's guard is made out of beskar, given its ancient mandalorian origins. I mean, the guy who created it was both a mandalorian and a jedi so he most likely knew everything there is to know about how to fight with and against a lightsaber.
@@allenk8243 That's what I'm thinking it might be made out of. Beskar is easier to produce, but when the Darksaber was made the Madalorians were at the forefront of making materials to combat lightsabers so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that it was made out of that.
@@KharneSunar Beskar has huge cultural significance to the Mandalorian and making your lightsabre is a huge deal to a Jedi. Seems far more likely a Mandalorian Jedi would use Beskar. It makes the weapon a literal fusion of both Jedi and Mandalorian traditions like the wielder.
Overkill. MANDALORIANS. That ain't a thing. Fracking flamethrower, grappling hook, rockets, jetpack, and a rifle steong enough to knock a 110kg person off there feet
Theory: the dark saber’s hilt is made of Beskar. Tarre Viszla most likely had aces to Beskar and there’s no point not having it, plus Beskar is sacred to the Mandalorian people, so even just as a beliefs thing it would make sense for it to be Beskar
Just adding to this theory, Jedi often choose materials for their lightsaber hilts that fit them personally. We see this with Ezra in Rebels and with the younglings Ahsoka is with in Clone Wars. A wookie jedi even makes his hilt out of wood. So dark saber is totally made of beskar.
@@zakjones8295 Honestly my favorite lightsaber design appeared in that episode! That Wooden one that Gungi made is a thing of beauty! I'd love to see a real life make up of it!
had the same thought. There was a scene in rebels were Sabine said that the darksaber feeled heavier than she thought. I know , the point was, that she never wielded a Lighsaber before and so she was surprised that the blade actually had some weight as Kaanan explains. But she could also have meant that the hilt also was heavier than she thought. This would strongly hint to a beskar hilt, cause it was stated that beskar is quite heavy.
You're looking at it all wrong. Think of it this way, specialty lightsabers are made for specific purposes. The Darksaber was built by a Mandalorian to kill other Mandalorians and when you look at it that way it is the best ever made for that purpose. The thin blade is perfect for slipping between the plates of armor Mandalorians wear. And the flat of the blade gives a larger surface area to block blaster bolts and give more control of where the bolts go when deflected. The extra heat transfer is also great for punishing the armor of those who hold a block against the dark saber, if Din was blocking that attack with his arms instead of the spear he would have been seriously burned and reduced his ability to fight. Plus his Mandalorian upbringing meant that Tar Visla he been brought up using traditional bladed weapons so it was almost regressive to adopt the omni directional attacks of traditional lightsaber combat
Shad: "Is the Darksaber better than a lightsaber? Is it hotter, cuts through things more easily? What is it?!" Mandalorians: "It's a cultural thing. We like to have edge on our swords. And besides, the harder to use, the better. We like a little challenge, you see?"
I think we are all missing one thing: pomp and ceremony. As the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre must have wanted to incorporated his warrior culture into the blade that he would be wearing all of his life as a reminder of where he came from. He also probably would have wanted to impress other Mandalorians with his ability to symbolically combine his heritage with his future by making a weapon the represented both. *IDK guys please don’t rip me to shreds, I’m just thought of this while half asleep.*
This is a fair point. Even without the Darksaber, he would be a symbol. It may be as well, that Tarre Vizsla existed in a time where personal detachment was less of a thing for Jedi at the time. And so, he was allowed to embrace his heritage (or perhaps didn't care). His silhouette even shows him wearing Mandalorian armor.
I’m pretty sure he became a Jedi during the war between Mandalore and the Jedi, which means his saber is very utilitarian (since both sides had a chance of attacking him)
actually sticking to his mandalrian heritage would be seen by the jedi as an attachment - and attachments of any kind (ouside of jedi order or its code) were frown upon and heavily discouraged. So i get where that sentiment was coming from - but it would meet a stiff resistance from within the order. But since the balde still exists i would imagine they let that one slide ;]
And if it doesn't cut on the flat a twist of the wrist and you don't kill something in the way on accident allowing greater restraint in application of force
@@allenk8243 why? The Darksabre was made by a Mandalorian Jedi, in the images he is shown wearing Mandalorian armour, its pretty clear he embraced his Mandalorian heritage so Beskar makes a lot more sense than Cortosis.
@@allenk8243 Some versions of cortosis actually interfere with the functioning of a lightsaber rather than just being able to stop one. I don't think anyone would make a lightsaber emitter with cortosis.
There is kind of a way to give regular lightsabers a guard of sorts. I don't know if any Star Wars property ever considered this, but replica saber shops, Custom Saber Shop in particular, as a tsuba/Japanese sword guard as a pre-emitter option.
11:52 clone wars showed a creature "zillo beast" if I remember correctly that had armor completely impervious to light sabers, and that armor was supposedly reverse engineered to create better ship hull armor, so canonically there are things light sabers actually can't cut
Aside from the Zillo beast hide, there were several other materials known to resist lightsabers. Beskar is the obvious canon one, but in the EU, there was a material called Cortorsis, which was a gold color. Because of how expensive and rare the material and weave was, it was reserved for the most elite duelists in the order, as seen on Mace Windu's hilt. However, Palapatine's entire saber is made of or coated in the stuff, which is why it's gold colored.
True but the darksaber is very different to a regular lightsaber it’s only known thing that it cannot cut through is Beskar and even then with the pure beskar staff we see the darksaber begin to heat it up and it could possibly melt the beskar if it’s held long enough, the darksaber is also an ancient weapon going back centuries but it is a heavy, powerful and effective weapon. There are also various different metals that lightsabers cannot cut through such as durasteel. Xx
@@josiaharaki7310 well I think we have 2 categories here: lightsaber resistant materials and materials that are completely unmeltable for lightsabers. I would put beskar and cortosis into the category of lightsaber resistant materials. They do melt to lightsabers just much longer. Durastell and rancorskin/ terentatekskin (and I believe also Hississskin but not sure ) belong there aswell. (even though durasteel melts like 15 times as fast in comparison to beskar depending on how thick it is it can take quite some time to cut through doors of durasteel.) Vibroblades and magnaguard staffs can also be amplified by energycells who can resist lightsaberhits aswell. When it comes to completely unmeltable materials for lightsabers there are extremely few: we know of the cillo beast scales then there is the Orbalisk shell being completely invulnerable to lightsabers. We also know that darkside alchemy is capable of turning material lightsaberimmune. It is used to create sith scepters and talismans and also the traditional sith blade. I also believe that kybercrystals must be unbreakable for a lightsaber's heat since its the source of it's energy and how can it not break if it wouldnt be unmeltable for its own energy.
@@wahrerrosty5347 yes but remember, I believe the Darksaber can cut through other lightsabers due to having an edge and weight. Plus the addition to emotions effecting the blade so if it was used by a very pissed off person who knows blade work maybe could cut through beskar and those scales
@@ledocteur7701 it can it just isn't able to do so effectively as a weapon since it would require constant contact to cut through beskar with a regular lightsaber
If I remember correctly, in the extended universe (yes, I know, it's no longer canon) the darksaber was known in a few instances to destabilize other saber beams, meaning that if we go off of those few moments, a darksaber could potentially pass through another blade to attack "behind enemy lines".
In that scene where he cuts himself out of the tie fighter he clearly has to be cutting to some extent with the flat part of the blade. If you notice on the corners he's making a pretty close to 90 degree turn. Something that can't be done with a blade without removing the blade and reorienting to make the turn. Think trying to cut a square with scissors. The fact he's able to make that turn means it has some side cut ability. Otherwise with a blade only cut it would be far more efficient to just make a very rounded edge rather than that 90 degree turn.
That cutting on the flat isn't vastly inferior than with the edge because they don't slow down at the corners. The flat of the blade isn't much thicker a normal lightsaber.
@Alexsis I get you point, and I feel the edge might be equal/slightly less than a normal lightsaber (so it still can cut/remove material, just more like a rasp or sandpaper rubbed over a surface). In Lore, a lightsaber's beam/blade plasma is suppose to be cycling/swirling within a electromagnetic bubble/field (that gives it shape). What if the "white" of the Darksaber's edge is that plasma held in a pronounced high flow cycling loop (creating the higher pitched sound of & might be acting like a "chainsaw" for damage)? The "black/dark" areas are then colored like a normal lightsaber, though because of the majority of forced to brighten the "white" edge seem even more so (like how an active "black light"/purple bulb will seem "off" if surrounded by regular lights that are on).
One other element you might want to consider is that the dark saber’s creator was a mandalorian. Which means that he was probably already trained in vibrio-blade combat. Creating a lightsaber with an edge, even if it produced a disadvantage (and I’m not convinced that it does), it was probably designed as a challenge for himself so that he wouldn’t lean on the advantages of a lightsaber and get sloppy with his vibrio-blade skills. It’s kind of like how flintlock pistol handles were designed like sword handles. The only function it serves is familiarity for the user.
Keep in mind that although the darksaber was a weapon meant for the ruler of Mandalore, it was used mainly against fellow Mandalorians. almost all Mandalorians wore some form of Beskar, so the extra power was not in fact wasted, but necessary for cleaving through beskar armor and fending of claimants to your throne.
I think it might be the other way around. It was meant to be used against other mandalorians, as at the time the mandalorian who built it was just a Jedi. He ended up becoming the Mandalore though, and ever since then it's been seen as the signature weapon of the Mandalore, with anyone who has rightful claim over it being the Mandalore.
How would that be more intuitive? A round lightsaber literally just opens up the options, reducing the need for "intuitive". The only confirmable upgrade seems to be the hand guard.
@@JarieSuicune I mean, if you spent you're entire life training with a regular sword with a single cutting edge, would a light saber that you can use those skills with not be more intuitive to you?
Also, maybe when Tarre Viszla invented the Darksaber, he made it so it would look like an edged weapon. However, the ENTIRETY of the blade is still an energy/force weapon. In either case, the Darksaber is a pretty awesome weapon.....and it's quite unique. Another point to be made is that it was made approximately in 1,000 BBY....and it is not particularly in a Jedi fashion, nor is it even a Jedi weapon. Unlike essentially all other lightsabers, the Darksaber seems to have a sentientness to it. A Jedi/Sith can be given a lightsaber, but you cannot just give someone a Darksaber.....it must be won in combat or it may work against you.
@@oceankim8791 no, because you can still use those skills with a regular lightsaber. There aren't any single-edge techniques you can use with the darksaber that you can't use with a lightsaber. Plus, the mandalorian who made it didn't exactly intend for other people to use it. No Jedi intends to let someone else use their blade.
@@Bozito6 it was the culmination of Tarre Vizla's armor. The only way that canonically it's not Beskar, is if it's specifically stated as not being Beskar.
@@Elmithian No it can't as the blade is still a regular lightsaber and it is specifically shown in the show that Beskar still holds up against the sword
My thoughts on the darksaber: i think that it'd be just as effective as a lightsaber on the flat side of the blade, but possibly more effective on the edge
Agreed! And the edge alignment makes it cut faster. Also, when cutting through a tie fighter, the blade would align itself, following the path of least resistance
Actually the broad saber was an actual variation of the lightsaber and most jedi hated it because it was restricted to form 1 Shi cho and could only cut from the edge
I somehow doubt that the hilt was designed for lightsaber dueling. Jedi train in several fighting forms which i feel would be able to easily make the hilt redundant. I feel like the hilt is there simply because its creator was trained with those types of swords so it just made sense to design the darksaber with familiarity in mind.
@Morgan Huguet I think I remember some mandalorian with short white hair who has one. I think they had a couple eps that were mandalor heavy. ... saying that I think it has somthing to do with a mandalorian rebelion on a moon of their homeworld or something.
For all we know, the flat of the darksaber could kill a person but the edge can cut through things faster than lightsabers can. This could give the darksaber the advantage against armored opponents while retaining lethality vs unarmored opponents compared to lightsabers.
Physics lesson here: Plasma is matter, it has a resistance to its surrounding material. In other words, yes, lightsabers cut in all directions, but it will always feel like dragging a stick through water when cutting stuff compared to an edged plasma blade which would reduce friction while in alignment and increase friction when smacking thngs with the flat... but it could do. Also, Broadsabers were lightsabers with an edge, look them up.
Hey man, that’s cool and all, but I’m pretty sure that no matter what friction the blade is at, being slapped in the face with plasma is going to do serious damage, if not kill you outright.
Yes. In my opinion, the darksaber is basically a flattened lightsaber. So on the flat side, the darksaber would be as powerful as a lightsaber. But on the edge side, that power is concentrated into a thinner surface area, giving higher cutting ability. So you can basically fight with a darksaber just like with a lightsaber with no care of edge alignment at all, but when it comes to needing of penetration power, the edge will be a huge advantage.
Imagine a laser frying pan. Slappin' something with that kind of cross section would be hilarious. PS: i know Shad already made a video about it, but it was not about a LASER one
Although the idea is entertaining (an image of a guy with a frying pan-shaped hole is now imprinted in my brain), I hope you're not implying lightsabers blades are made of laser beams(aka concentrated light), because it's not.
My thought process is that since a Mandalorian did design it, and they're a warrior culture that he built his lightsaber around a blade design he was familiar with. Also I wouldn't be too surprised if that particular lightsaber was made of Beskar.
Thats what i thought - the flat blade is just design, it doesn't change the cutting power. we never see the darksaber unable to cut something a normal lightsaber could
I personally support theory that Darksaber is fancy foldable energy blade, what use some properties of the Kyber, but work in slightly different way then lightsaber.
@@TheRezro I can partly see that, though below is my thoughts on after a saying from Star Wars Rebels I find appropriate; "Never get between a Mandalorian and a weapons package." -Sabine of Clan Wren My speculations on the Darksaber's coloring, edge & technology; the electromagnetic bubble/field that holds the plasma of the blade in shape (common for all lightsabers) is forcing the plasma stream to the back/tip/edge of the saber (hence why those areas are glowing bright/white hot) & into a thinner set of channels than a normal lightsaber (almost making a concentrated plasma 'chainsaw'/loop effect). The middle is now forced to be thinner & hence darker (as less/no plasma to give off light within that area & eyes are drawn to the edges of). That's then saving on energy/gas consumption compared to my beliefs of how a broadsaber beam/blade would work (see my original post, if you can find it) & the broadside/flat can be used more to lock-up other lightsabers (the whole "the blades will be drawn to each other" comment from Kanan) with advantage of a wider surface to deflect blaster bolts.
Actually when it comes to heat transfer, the more surface area the better, so clearly the Darksaber has to be more powerful than a Lightsaber, as it's able to actually heat up the Beskar with less surface contact.
Thats true when you’re heating a set amount of material, but the darksaber is heating less material at a time and so there’s a greater amount of heat transfer per unit mass to be heated.
It’s not just heat, lightsabers are plasma flowing outwards from the hilt, a transfer of energy. Hypothetically, more energy can be transferred into what your cutting from less surface area, similair to water flowing with more force out of a smaller nozzle. (Or rather, the thin edge of the Darksaber)
That assumes that a light saber stays at an immutable constant temperature. If a light saber instead is only able to emit a set amount of energy in its blade no matter its shape, a smaller surface area would mean heat transfer is done to a smaller target area, thus faster melting of the material. Think focused vs unfocused laser, the focused laser is the same power rating, but it does much more damage much faster.
With this video being made a year ago at this point I can say that there’s been a major update in terms of knowledge about the darksaber: the handle is made of the purest beskar, meaning it can block basically anything, also lightsabers.
Darksaber feels like a relic from times when Lightsaber resistant armor (like Beskar or Cortosis) was more common, when there were enough Jedi for them to have their own civil wars. Though I don't think any of those were brought back to canon from Legends as of yet.
A Dark Saber that can darken the area around it to blind any nearby opponents by a complete absence of any light. If that's possible, it could give it's welder a huge "edge."
Would make more sense if the concept was that it cut using a blade-shaped void and generating the void absorbed or redirected light, giving it a black appearance. It would also be more interesting.
One interesting idea would be that the Darksaber’s is purposely shaped, not to have a given edge but to have a wider width to allow for easier blaster reflection
Physics lesson here: Plasma is matter, it has a resistance to its surrounding material. In other words, yes, lightsabers cut in all directions, but it will always feel like dragging a stick through water when cutting stuff compared to an edged plasma blade which would reduce friction while in alignment and increase friction when smacking thngs with the flat... but it could do. Also, Broadsabers were lightsabers with an edge, look them up.
@@nightwalker174 They could perhaps deflect one or two since we have seen people dodge them before. But yep after that they'd be done for. Also in clone wars a Mandalorian guard of some sort blocked several with a staff which I assume was beskar. Granted, it was a little much in that case.
I would imagine the sides and back of the Dark Saber have the same properties and abilities as a light saber. Its clearly hotter like you said so its has more energy and the edge concentrates it
@@thefabulouskitten7204 I'm not talking about kyber crystals in general, I know that they are Force fueled naturally, but the one of the dark saber can (I believe) weaken regular lightsabers
"As Mandalorian, I thought it fitting to construct my lightsaber _better_ than everyone else's. It's even strong enough to cut through our armor." Mandalore: :D : |
The Darksaber might not really care about edge alignment either, and there's really little reason it should care, it's a giant mass of super ht plasma either way. Not everything is done because it helps you min/max in some way, the Darksaber's creator was a Mandolorian, he might have modeled his lightsaber off of the sort of blades he was used to using simply because that's what he was used to more then any real combat reason. Everyone else who uses it would be trying their best to keep the edge alignment because it just feels right, between the look of the blade and the shape of the hilt, it is just the most natural way it feels like the Darksaber should be held, regardless of if there is an actual benefit to it.
This is what I'm thinking too. Not needing to care about edge alignment is a distraction and awkward detail to one's (vibro)sword training. The darksaber could behave exactly like a lightsaber, but fitting into already well-known and practiced combat skills is a huge benefit. Similarly, even if the darksaber performed better than a lightsaber, a jedi would have trouble using it because the grip would feel so awkward.
maybe because of that the blade is tinner is for attaking the spaces whitout beskar like the joints (wrist) and not hitting the beskar (going through tight spaces between the armor)
Tarre Viszla was a Mandalorian Jedi during the war that is the reason Mandalorians and Jedi hate each other. When you’re potentially going to be exiled and attacked by both sides, you make a weapon that’s effective against both
13:00 the darksaber also had the ability to attract other lightsaber blades to it making it easier to block and counter with it in a duel than with a normal lightsaber
as I understand it the dark saber's blade is made of black hole like gravity energy so yes I think it would attract other light sabers blades but is way heavier as shown in the lattest episodes of mandolorian
I always forget that it was made by a Mandalorian, and Mandalorians love there Beskar. So it's not a far fetched idea our Mandalorian Jedi made his Lightsaber out of Beskar.
A Jedi’s skills would probably mean they would be very precise with their edge alignment, making the potential downsides of missing the edge alignment less severe
@@maplemayhem1988 True - and I think a Mandalorian Jedi would embrace that thrive for perfection in battle even more. Following up on this: showing that he might be more skilled than the other Jedi could be a sign of pride he needed to lead Mandalorians, especially in his precarious situation.
Not if they're not used to using a blade that requires edge alignment. Doesn't matter how good you are, if all you have ever used is a lightsabre that doesn't require any edge alignment whatsoever, you'll definetly make a mistake here or there, even if its just once or twice. It requires a skill you have never used or needed before and requires you to break old habits, to learn new ones. Now mind you they would definetly get the hang of it exceedingly quickly, but in the heat of battle against another jedi without any prior practice ? I can definetly see the jedi missing out on what could have been a killing blow, with a lightsabre.
Precisely. Jedi don't need edge alignment for lightsabers, so they don't learn it. Mandalorians have weapons as part of their religion, so high proficiency with edge alignment can be assumed. It might even be better than a normal lightsaber because it takes the shape of something they're very familiar with. Meanwhile, the presence of an edge means they can take advantage of pressure. (Energy over surface area) Especially if lightsaber blades are more of a current than a solid blade. Meanwhile, having more surface area can be useful in some cases where you're more concerned with total output than with efficiency. Plus, I don't think that if you were to only use the flat like a normal lightsaber, that it would be all that much less effective at cutting. The flat isn't all that much thicker than the circular blade.
Great video Shad! I've watched your content for a long time and I've been super happy that you have been doin some Star Wars related videos, cause I'm a huge Star Wars fan. (Because I love Star Wars so much I have some extra information on the Darksaber that isn't as commonly known, so you can become more familiar and make your own decisions from there.) The Darksaber has a bit more lore that was taken away durin the Disney merger. If you watch one of the Old Republic game trailers you actually see a Mandalorian bounty hunter (I can't remember her name) durin a huge Sith attack on the Jedi Temple. This is where the Darksaber was 'liberated' from. The Mandalorian took the Darksaber back to Mandalore and it eventually became a symbol of leadership in Mandalorian culture. The Darksaber itself also has a unique feature where it responds to intense emotions and that's why it sometimes emits electrical energy along the blade. That's what also makes it a LOT more powerful than a normal lightsaber. The Darksaber is slightly shorter than a standard lightsaber which is a slight disadvantage, but the natural lower grip kind of negates this.... However this blade (in my opinion) is more of a SUPPORT weapon, like Ahsoka's second blade. It's shorter than a standard lightsaber and she wields it as a support for her main blade. This type of lightsaber is called a Shotosaber if you were curious and Yoda actually used one himself. (He's so short it just looks like a normal lightsaber.) If your lookin for a great example of the Darksaber as a support weapon watch the Maul and Savage vs Sidious fight in the Clone Wars and that'll be an adequate example. However if you want a better example of a Shotosaber in action, watch Ahsoka vs Maul in the Clone Wars. (Ahsoka's natural fightin style works a lot better with Shotosabers than Maul's....) In short my belief is that the Darksaber is a Mandolorian Shotosaber for a more supportive weapon that has become a symbol of leadership in Mandolorian culture and whoever wields the blade has a claim to the throne of Mandalore. That means they can lead an army of the greatest warriors in the galaxy into battle. (I don't think that I need to expand on THAT idea.) This was in no way meant to offend or attack you, it was just to give my personal analysis and opinion on a subject which I have a more in depth view on.
I like your Lore dump (almost as much as mine no information), though I stuck with the (speculative) technical aspects of. I look at the Darksaber as a refinement of the broadsaber variant of the lightsaber (more on in my comment, will not rehash it here). Though because of the length, I feel it could be also classed as a shoto-style of lightsaber as you pointes out. Though many of the 'unique' features I usually can discount quickly with points of Lore. While yes it is unknown what type of crystal the Darksaber uses (never said it was a kyber), the flowing of the Force focused (intentional or not) by the wielder's emotions into the crystal does give it power but is not unique. I am sighting that the Proto-saber(Canon)/Force-saber(Legends) with just a crystal did so (with mastery of the Force by the wielder), and (now Legend's material) on that some crystals can 'harmonize'/synchronize with user making both more powerful &/or possible corrupt/override the wielder (infamous of is that of Exar Kun). The electric discharge with the Darksaber's blade I feel is an inherent effect of the electromagnetic bubble/field that contains the plasma of all lightsabers. When those fields "lock", the produce a white spark at that area of contact. It's though more pronounced/visible because of two factors; the flat of the blade's coloring (not 'bleached-out' by bright saber color/glow) & shape (more area to spread the effect to be seen by normal eyes). The Sound pitch you speak of would also go with how (I feel) Tal Vizsla enhanced/improved the broadsaber concept (as it's not so much a blade like normal sabers, but a high-flow/speed plasmatic 'chainsaw'/loop held in shape of the blade by an enhanced electromagnetic field). The plasma flow rate is higher than other Sabers, hence the difference. If this sounds like I am attacking your views, I am not. I'm just trying to present mine as an alternate explanation of that can either be ignored, or used to refine you own views on. I know you did mine with the shoto-saber bit of your comment, and I thank you for.
My head canon is that since regular lightsabers can't cut through beskar, the Darksaber was created specifically for that. But centuries later, the working of beskar has changed to the point that it is harder and stronger than it was when the Darksaber was made, so it can't cut through modern beskar anymore.
"The Darksaber was also capable of parrying a blow from a lightsaber, with the blades being drawn to each other in an almost magnetic pull.[11] Like other typical lightsabers, the darksaber could not cut through beskar"
@@murphsmodels8853 Ironically, as I understand it, most 'Modern' Beskar is actually much weaker. The issue is that the armor used by Death Watch and most other modern Mandalorians, actually contains very little Beskar, its mostly Durasteel with some Beskar mixed in to reinforce it. This is why in the Clone wars, we would see Death Watch troopers, in full armor get one-shot from blasters, when in the Mandalorian, our hero is tanking whole squads of enemies, unloading into him and can deflect Lightsaber strikes on his armor, because it is forged from pure Beskar. I do agree that the Darksaber, was most likely designed specifically to kill opponents in Beskar armor, since the shape means the power is probably not greater than a regular lightsaber, but is more focused, concentrating the energy to a far smaller surface area. This might also make it better at landing precise strikes on the unarmored joint sections in Mandalorian armor, which, for reference Mandalorian suits used to be for more extensive than the generally stripped down versions used by modern Mandalorians, especially those using jetpacks. I think it is also worth adding, that if the Darksaber is causing the Beskar to heat up, so that it is glowing red, it might not be necessary to cut through it all the way, since it is potentially causing serious injury to your opponent by just super heating the armor plates and causing severe burns underneath.
@@murphsmodels8853 regular lightsabers can't cut through beskar? Mace windu once decapitated.... Nevermind... Sometimes I feel people forget important details just for the sake of argument and sounding right.
@@kronosleblu888 I’m pretty sure that Jango Fett was not wearing a beskar turtleneck when he was decapitated, one of those weak points in the armor. Though I think that beskar chainmail coif would have been useful in that situation.
Fun fact: the most recent episode of Book of Boba Fett it canonizes that the hilt of the dark saber is made of Beskar steel, So the cross guard, small as it is, could actually block lightsaber strikes.
I recall him mentioning on efap that a retractable sword, after repeated swings, would eventually give way. Given it’s not a solid blade, the retracting mechanism would be a weak spot that would concentrate all the force. But if you can get around the logistical side of making a mechanical shield, it should work fine. From what I understand, shields don’t need to be all that strong to function properly. Even a thin sheet of metal is extremely difficult to pierce through.
There was an engineer that made a Sekiro style collapsing shield. Not the most practical thing, just carrying an actual shield would likely be preferable.
More to my point on shields, visors were incredibly common for plate armor helmets, and they functioned quite well. Even now cops will use retractable plastic face guards. It should work just fine with a shield.
Its commented that it has a strange "gravity" to it, that i draws other ligjtsabers into it and binds them more easily to it in a clash. So maybe it was much better in lightsaber vs. Lightsaber duels
OP is right. The Darksaber is more attracted to another Saber's blade. It's different when two lightsabers clash, they're drawn to each other. But the Darksaber draws more on the other saber
Not worrying about edge alignment with a lightsaber is extremely important in Beat Saber btw, being able to rotate my wrist in orthogonal directions and still cut the beat is very useful
A handle designed like an actual sword (which the original creator was likely trained in) for easier adaptation to lightsaber combat, a dedicated edge for more severe cutting, and a distinctly aggressive warrior culture. Everything about the Darksaber is reminiscent of the Mandalorian culture.
My theory about the edge alignment, lightsabers have a somewhat gyroscopic effect, thus cutting on the side requires more force and effort than the edge.
@@seirramoon388 they still exist, I'm sick of people using canon to say something doesn't exist It doesn't exist in canon aka the specific timeline Disney made, doesn't mean it cannot be compared to thing within the Disney canon, especially since the Darksaber existed before Disney bought Lucasfilms
The dark saber seams to me to be more effective along its edge, so it’s a trade off of having edge alignment for more power and requires more practice or praciton/ skill.
Hey! Great video, I just wanted to jot down a few quick thoughts. So, while it is true that the various wielders of the Darksaber always align the edge, that does not necessarily mean that it is any more effective with the edge aligned. All of the wielders of the Darksaber (that I can think of off the top of my head) had previously trained to use vibroblades, so they understood how important a properly aligned edge is with physical blades. Since the Darksaber looks like it has an edge and has an indexable grip, they would instinctively align the edge, even if it made no difference. I can't think of any time when something was cut with the flat (which would prove this theory), but neither can I think of any time when the flat slapped something harmlessly (or less harmfully than the edge). The reason for the exotic shape of the Darksaber may very well be that its maker thought it was cool. That may be a disappointing reason, but Jedi younglings are told to make lightsabers that "feel right to them," and it seems that a large part of that is how cool they think their new lightsaber looks. Also, if you haven't watched The Clone Wars, you totally should! It took about a season for them to really find their footing, but after the first season or so, it's just plain an awesome show, and it answers a lot of the questions you have.
Interesting, I can imagine that the dark saber is a especialized weapon for dedicated warriors. It is a weapon made by a mandalorian that probably already was used to edge alignment and could make better use of the extra features without any detriment. A jedi in the other hand is rarely seen using anything other than a lightsaber.
With the guard, I think the Darksaber's hilt could *potentially* be made out of Beskar, right? That can somewhat resist lightsabers and it's very much available to Mandalorians...
Even Mandalorians couldn't always get it which is why sometimes they had armour made from other materials. Still a hilt wouldn't take much and it makes a lot of sense.
As someone who works with a soldering iron, having a thinner edge does not amplify heat transfer. We use a larger tip when we want to transfer more heat because what really matters for heat transfer is maximizing surface area. As far as cutting with the flat, it seems to me that it would transfer heat faster (due to a flat contact area versus a cylindrical one that only touches at the one point + however much the cylinder compresses on contact. However, the cylinder has at least some ability to wedge the cutting edge with that leading point whereas the flat of the dark saber does not. In conclusion, the dark saber shape allows it to be intentionally used for the two applications, the narrow edge for cutting and the flat edge for transferring maximum heat.
It may be the Darksaber but it is also a dark saber. For example as far as I know only dark blue saber ever to exist was exar cun’s lightsaber but it is still a dark blue lightsaber.
Has anyone consider the possibility that the Darksaber's shape may make it better at dealing with lightsaber resistant materials such as Beskar and Cortosis?
@@Zoten001 Definitely seems like it, it’s the only thing we’ve seen heat up pure Beskar. Greater transfer of energy into what your hitting, with greater force (from a force user) could cleave Beskar armor.
Beskar is not Lightsaber immunity. Any lightsaber Jab motion is without a doubt going to cut straight through the Beskar. The Darksaber just isn't a round blade like normal sabers are, it's literally thinner than fucking paper is. 🤣 that shit, in theory, should've been slicing through Beskar like it was butter.
The thing with the Darksaber is that it makes like ZERO SENSE with the way we know lightsabers to work and its aesthetics are just confusing when you think of how a lightsaber could do that, but WE DON'T CARE CAUSE IT'S GODDAM AWESOME LOOK AT IT IT'S SO COOL!!!
If we use legends lore, it does make sense. We know that you can mess with the christal via the force and turn the christal either to red (with the dark side) or from red to white with the light. We have seen both, even in canon. So it doesnt seem far fetched that tar viszla did something similar to his christal to turn it black. What the blade shape is concered, the internal parts of a lightsaber dont have to be in a conic shaped handle. It's just tradition. So there is artistic freedom viszla had. And what the shape of the blade is concered, legend lore has it, that the plasma blade emitted from the christal is shaped by some internal parts of the lightsaber. These parts were konfigurated in a conic manner, because the handle was roundly shaped. Since the handle the darksaber is flat shaped, or rectangular, it only makes sense that the blade follows. How he managed to shape the blade having a point, is beyond me but I am sure you could make up a reason that makes sense and doesnt breake the lore.
Broadsabers actually did exist, at least in the EU, but were quite rare. They were lightsabers with proper blade shapes but weren't all that commonly used because they required more skill because edge-alignment was somewhat important (They had better cutting capacity along the edge).
The darksaber comes from a time and culture when melee weapons that could stand lightsabers existed so the guard helped against beskar or cortois weapos.
Don't think of it as the flat cutting less effectively, think of it as the edge cutting MORE effectively. It's also been shown that the flat blade allows for more precision in deflecting blaster bolts. Doesn't make it easier, but why would a Mandalorian Jedi create a weapon that was easier to use, rather than one that had a higher skill ceiling?
I remember a quote from darth maul, that while it could still cut like a normal lightsaber, because one side was narrower, if you cut with that side, he felt the difference in ease with the slice, allowing the dark saber to even cut beskar far easier
Edge alignment isn't a problem for someone who has practiced with a weapon for a few days. Even when you demonstrate with the lightsaber you do cut with the hasuji (the cutting edge). My sensei in the weapons art that I practice (SMR Jodo) has on many occations pointed out that the round staff we use has a cutting edge more in relation to the position of the hands than any actual edge on the staff, and the importance of cutting/striking with the cutting edge.
Awesome content as always. Some personal opinion input: The hilt of the darksabre is made of Beskar, and the guard exists due to it being a mandalorian weapon and as such it would duel people who have beskar weapons which are not cut by sabres. It also has a blade and not a cylindrical blade to enhance its ability to cut through beskar as most fights using the darksabre were vs mandalorians contesting the throne. The blade otherwise is exactly the same as a lightsaber in terms of cutting power. You could cut sideways and it would be like a lightsaber normally. The edge is literally just for cutting materials resistant to conventional sabres. Also, the fact the blade is absence of light makes it harder to see and thus block, this also doubles as making it a better stealth weapon.
Way back when it was first used in a lightsaber duel it was meant to be just a vibroblade, but George Lucas who was more hands on that particular show insisted that nothing can cut a lightsaber but another lightsaber. So the Darksaber’s iconic shape is because at one point it was just a vibrosword but they recolored the blade last second to make it a lightsaber
@@arandomicewinghybrid9032 "You are surrounded. Your army is decimated. Make peace with the Force now. For that is your final outcome. But know that I , General Grievous , am not without mercy. I will grant you a warrior's death. *Prepare."*
Hi Shad, Nice video. A few things I think should be pointed out. Jinn had to cut through two thick doors, remember a second "blast door" as closed by the Neimoidians in their attempt to stop him from cutting through and making his way in. Those were really thick armored doors. Gideon cut through the thinly armored Tie fighter hull. Odd thing was he had to be cutting through all sorts of electronics, likely main guns/munitions and even part of the landing gear. It may of looked cool on camera but it was kinda not well thought out I think. The Darksaber on The Mandalorian was indeed redesigned from the version of The Clones Wars. You can compare the Rubies costume toy which is a near exact replica to the cartoon version to the version coming out from Hasbro's The Black Series replica.
My personal theory is the darksaber is a hybrid weapon between a lightsaber and vibroblade. This would account for the unique hum and various other sounds it makes. Also I’m not sure but it may account for the shape of the weapon’s blade
It's a cool-looking lightsaber that makes different noises and has a different shape simply to look cool. I do not believe that it works differently, though.
@@River-pg1uk Wouldn’t deflecting with a flat blade make the shot have a significantly more predictable trajectory? If it was cylindrical, the shot would go way off if it was even slightly to the left or something.
@@River-pg1uk ever bounce lasers off a mirror as opposed to something round? Round makes it diffues and go literally anywhere, flat is more predictable
I love the DarkSaber i have it on my wall cross blade style with a shield behind the blade made from Steel with a nice coat of black on it i also have the "BloodSaber" partnered alongside it.
It's the difference between slicing a tomato with a sharp chef's knife... and a baseball bat. - And a lightsaber does not come with a a faction of armored fanatics attached.
The fact that the dark saber had an edge was important because the origional owner was a master swordsman an would have been capable of using it to it’s fullest extent unlike the people who have inherited it.
there are 2 points i would like too address at shad for his description of the darksaber, first a mandolorian made it, which means that the hilt is likely comprised of Beskar which would make it immune to being cut by a lightsaber that and you can factor in the energy output of the darksaber itself and then it would have to be made of Beskar to survive its own energy blade otherwise it would just melt. Second this is a non cannon point but the darksaber crystal is a rare Sith lightsaber crystal which is much more potent then a normal lightsaber crystal, its power output is much more similar to a Corusca gem lightsaber crystal or a Luxum crystal. These crystals had about 2 to 3 times the power output of a normal Kyber Crystal which was the standard among the Jedi.
I think you ought to consider the background of the dark saber. It was the saber of a mando jedi. Mandalorians used vibroblades and light saber resistant armours. The handguard may well be to protect the wielder's hands from vibroblades (which could clash with lightsabers without breaking), and the edged blade may well be to give that last push to cut through what light sabers couldnt. Is it better or worse than light sabers? It is less versatile... but what it can do it does better.
I’d assume that the other edges of the darksaber is still as powerful as a standard lightsaber but the main blade edge is more powerful When ahsoka strikes Din Djarin’s armour and the Beskar spear little to no effect is seen but when Moff Gideon strikes it with the darksaber we see the blade turning orange from the shear heat and power of the darksaber
I don't know Star wars Lore too well, but I do have some theories as to why the shape. 1 the edge could be "blade-like" because it's a way of concentrating the energy in a way of making up for the "bluntness" of a lightsaber (think if you hit a piece of wood with an axe opposed to a hammer), 2 it can be designed to make precision cuts where as the lightsaber is designed for more broad swings, both make a mark but the dark saber could be used (in theory) to slice a lightsaber without damaging the hands and the guard was included as a way to track the edge/allow protection from more riskier swings, 3 it could be designed in that way to appeal to people with more training than the average saber user, it could be designed more for appearance than function whilst retaining a large majority of function to it (as we know that the dark saber was kept as a symbol of power long after the guy's death on Mandalore, it could have been originally made to symbolise it), 4 the more obvious and probably will be canon answer... It was most familiar design to the guy and he found regular lightsabers cumbersome, 5 the most realistic, it looks cooler than the glowing sticks. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk P.s this doesn't factor in as to why the dark saber is different to any other lightsaber with being black and mechanically functions differently (i.e with people's emotions/non-force users can wield it) but personal theory is during the design a required element caused it to behave as such, for example the technology used to make the blade compressed caused the force part of the lightsaber to behave differently almost like a "dark side of the force" saber.
In Star Wars: Rebels it's mentioned that the Darksaber blade is "drawn" to lightsaber blades. We've also seen white lightning flicker from its blade when it interacts with things, which seems to indicate it is being attracted to them. Perhaps it's designed in such a way that it aligns itself to some extent? It also would make deflecting things easier if it literally is attracted to the thing it's trying to block-you would not need to be as precise, seeing as the blade itself could pick up the slack. Reminds me a bit of the Dragon-slaying sword in Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham." That sword is magical and apparently does its best to make even unskilled blows deadly. Well, it tries, anyway.
It's a safe bet to guess that the Darksaber's guard is made out of beskar, given its ancient mandalorian origins. I mean, the guy who created it was both a mandalorian and a jedi so he most likely knew everything there is to know about how to fight with and against a lightsaber.
It's likely that the whole of the grip is made of it, or at least something similarly resistant to lightsaber blades.
I was thinking just that. I mean, it fits, it makes sense.
“Your melee weapon is made using a cortosis weave. It's strong enough to stand up against anything, even a lightsaber.”
@@allenk8243 That's what I'm thinking it might be made out of. Beskar is easier to produce, but when the Darksaber was made the Madalorians were at the forefront of making materials to combat lightsabers so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that it was made out of that.
@@KharneSunar Beskar has huge cultural significance to the Mandalorian and making your lightsabre is a huge deal to a Jedi. Seems far more likely a Mandalorian Jedi would use Beskar. It makes the weapon a literal fusion of both Jedi and Mandalorian traditions like the wielder.
Shad: seems a bit overkill
The entirety of Mandalorians: *whats overkill?*
Cue Jango Fett vs Trebor Coleman
Yeah, all told they're basically the Orks from Warhammer 40K with some smidge of sanity.
Overkill. MANDALORIANS. That ain't a thing. Fracking flamethrower, grappling hook, rockets, jetpack, and a rifle steong enough to knock a 110kg person off there feet
No kill quite like overkill
Mandalorians: “You mean normal?”
Theory: the dark saber’s hilt is made of Beskar. Tarre Viszla most likely had aces to Beskar and there’s no point not having it, plus Beskar is sacred to the Mandalorian people, so even just as a beliefs thing it would make sense for it to be Beskar
Just adding to this theory, Jedi often choose materials for their lightsaber hilts that fit them personally. We see this with Ezra in Rebels and with the younglings Ahsoka is with in Clone Wars. A wookie jedi even makes his hilt out of wood. So dark saber is totally made of beskar.
I actually had a similar thought myself, but you said it way better than me. Really cool theory, and seems realistic too!
@@zakjones8295 Honestly my favorite lightsaber design appeared in that episode! That Wooden one that Gungi made is a thing of beauty! I'd love to see a real life make up of it!
had the same thought. There was a scene in rebels were Sabine said that the darksaber feeled heavier than she thought. I know , the point was, that she never wielded a Lighsaber before and so she was surprised that the blade actually had some weight as Kaanan explains. But she could also have meant that the hilt also was heavier than she thought. This would strongly hint to a beskar hilt, cause it was stated that beskar is quite heavy.
I agree
You're looking at it all wrong. Think of it this way, specialty lightsabers are made for specific purposes. The Darksaber was built by a Mandalorian to kill other Mandalorians and when you look at it that way it is the best ever made for that purpose.
The thin blade is perfect for slipping between the plates of armor Mandalorians wear. And the flat of the blade gives a larger surface area to block blaster bolts and give more control of where the bolts go when deflected. The extra heat transfer is also great for punishing the armor of those who hold a block against the dark saber, if Din was blocking that attack with his arms instead of the spear he would have been seriously burned and reduced his ability to fight.
Plus his Mandalorian upbringing meant that Tar Visla he been brought up using traditional bladed weapons so it was almost regressive to adopt the omni directional attacks of traditional lightsaber combat
This right here. I'm pretty sure this guy hit the nail on the head.
When a comment is better than the video.
Lightsabers just go thought the aromour...
@@angelman906 mandalorians wear beskar, normal lightsabers cant cut through beskar but the darksaber has been shown to at least damage it
@@bigshrimpin69420 That opens a whole can of worms, that is just bad writing.
It was made by a Mandalorian, overkill is a part of their religion
Yea
It was made by a Jedi larping as a Mandalorian.
This is the way
@@theylivewesleep.5139 The other way around.
@@Vedlom I disagree.
Shad: "Is the Darksaber better than a lightsaber? Is it hotter, cuts through things more easily? What is it?!"
Mandalorians: "It's a cultural thing. We like to have edge on our swords. And besides, the harder to use, the better. We like a little challenge, you see?"
I think we are all missing one thing: pomp and ceremony. As the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre must have wanted to incorporated his warrior culture into the blade that he would be wearing all of his life as a reminder of where he came from. He also probably would have wanted to impress other Mandalorians with his ability to symbolically combine his heritage with his future by making a weapon the represented both.
*IDK guys please don’t rip me to shreds, I’m just thought of this while half asleep.*
This is a fair point. Even without the Darksaber, he would be a symbol. It may be as well, that Tarre Vizsla existed in a time where personal detachment was less of a thing for Jedi at the time. And so, he was allowed to embrace his heritage (or perhaps didn't care). His silhouette even shows him wearing Mandalorian armor.
I’m pretty sure he became a Jedi during the war between Mandalore and the Jedi, which means his saber is very utilitarian (since both sides had a chance of attacking him)
actually sticking to his mandalrian heritage would be seen by the jedi as an attachment - and attachments of any kind (ouside of jedi order or its code) were frown upon and heavily discouraged. So i get where that sentiment was coming from - but it would meet a stiff resistance from within the order. But since the balde still exists i would imagine they let that one slide ;]
@@krzosu except wookie jedi sometimes made their hilts with incorporated wood from the trees on Kashyyyk I think the OP has a valid point here.
@@krzosu I think the bs personal attachment rule was a more “modern” in the order.
we heard you like all edge swords, so we made it black, to add more EDGE to your edge.
Team Edge
Now in Tactical Black
@@maciek19882 Tacticool black, surely?
ninja navy coming soon.
Edgysaber ftw
Shad: “The Darksaber from The Mandalorian...”
Clone Wars and Rebels fans: “Unfortunately for you... History will not see it that way.”
History is written by the victor, and I have a feeling that Mando will be a lot more popular, unfortunately.
if only
@@libertyprime6932 Luckily*
@@libertyprime6932 yeah it sucks. people ignore TCW just because its animated, when in reality its better than the mandalorian.
@@monarch9522
No he got it right the first time
My take: the edged blade was made by Tarre Vizsla to force him to be mindful of how he was wielding it. Fits the marshal culture of Mandalorians.
That's an awesome concept.
Mandalorians do like a challenge, especially in combat
And if it doesn't cut on the flat a twist of the wrist and you don't kill something in the way on accident allowing greater restraint in application of force
@@xaivierallen4020 yup not all targets are meant to be killed. Lets call that the "no disintegration" clause.
@@shawn6860 Nice reference.
Everyone agrees that the Hilt is most likely made out of Beskar and so, the guard would be effective against lightsabers
I still say Cortosis
@@allenk8243 why? The Darksabre was made by a Mandalorian Jedi, in the images he is shown wearing Mandalorian armour, its pretty clear he embraced his Mandalorian heritage so Beskar makes a lot more sense than Cortosis.
@@allenk8243 dumb dumb
@@allenk8243 Some versions of cortosis actually interfere with the functioning of a lightsaber rather than just being able to stop one. I don't think anyone would make a lightsaber emitter with cortosis.
There is kind of a way to give regular lightsabers a guard of sorts. I don't know if any Star Wars property ever considered this, but replica saber shops, Custom Saber Shop in particular, as a tsuba/Japanese sword guard as a pre-emitter option.
11:52 clone wars showed a creature "zillo beast" if I remember correctly that had armor completely impervious to light sabers, and that armor was supposedly reverse engineered to create better ship hull armor, so canonically there are things light sabers actually can't cut
Like Beskar.
Aside from the Zillo beast hide, there were several other materials known to resist lightsabers. Beskar is the obvious canon one, but in the EU, there was a material called Cortorsis, which was a gold color. Because of how expensive and rare the material and weave was, it was reserved for the most elite duelists in the order, as seen on Mace Windu's hilt. However, Palapatine's entire saber is made of or coated in the stuff, which is why it's gold colored.
True but the darksaber is very different to a regular lightsaber it’s only known thing that it cannot cut through is Beskar and even then with the pure beskar staff we see the darksaber begin to heat it up and it could possibly melt the beskar if it’s held long enough, the darksaber is also an ancient weapon going back centuries but it is a heavy, powerful and effective weapon. There are also various different metals that lightsabers cannot cut through such as durasteel. Xx
@@josiaharaki7310 well I think we have 2 categories here: lightsaber resistant materials and materials that are completely unmeltable for lightsabers.
I would put beskar and cortosis into the category of lightsaber resistant materials. They do melt to lightsabers just much longer. Durastell and rancorskin/ terentatekskin (and I believe also Hississskin but not sure ) belong there aswell.
(even though durasteel melts like 15 times as fast in comparison to beskar depending on how thick it is it can take quite some time to cut through doors of durasteel.)
Vibroblades and magnaguard staffs can also be amplified by energycells who can resist lightsaberhits aswell.
When it comes to completely unmeltable materials for lightsabers there are extremely few: we know of the cillo beast scales then there is the Orbalisk shell being completely invulnerable to lightsabers. We also know that darkside alchemy is capable of turning material lightsaberimmune. It is used to create sith scepters and talismans and also the traditional sith blade.
I also believe that kybercrystals must be unbreakable for a lightsaber's heat since its the source of it's energy and how can it not break if it wouldnt be unmeltable for its own energy.
@@wahrerrosty5347 yes but remember, I believe the Darksaber can cut through other lightsabers due to having an edge and weight. Plus the addition to emotions effecting the blade so if it was used by a very pissed off person who knows blade work maybe could cut through beskar and those scales
But Shad, it looks cooler. It's literally an edgy lightsaber.
Who let their 13 year old design this thing? Does it feast on blood and tears?
Literally
Rule of cool?
@@gringles Not just any 13 year old, but an edgy rebelious Goth 13 year old.
@@gringles No. We have the Sith for that.
actually since the dark saber was made by a Mandalorian its possible that the hilt is made from beskar and can actually take a lightsaber strike
yes, it make a lot more sense, same reason why it's overkill, it need to cut trough beskar, and lightsaber can't.
@@ledocteur7701 it can it just isn't able to do so effectively as a weapon since it would require constant contact to cut through beskar with a regular lightsaber
If I remember correctly, in the extended universe (yes, I know, it's no longer canon) the darksaber was known in a few instances to destabilize other saber beams, meaning that if we go off of those few moments, a darksaber could potentially pass through another blade to attack "behind enemy lines".
The way you phrased it sounds lewd
@@WitchFisterVeo1911 bow Chicka bow wow!
@@LucyWest370 as hilarious as this reply was, how dare.
@@WitchFisterVeo1911 dare all.
@@LucyWest370
"Who dares, wins"
Fortune may favor the bold, but remember that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.
In that scene where he cuts himself out of the tie fighter he clearly has to be cutting to some extent with the flat part of the blade. If you notice on the corners he's making a pretty close to 90 degree turn. Something that can't be done with a blade without removing the blade and reorienting to make the turn. Think trying to cut a square with scissors. The fact he's able to make that turn means it has some side cut ability. Otherwise with a blade only cut it would be far more efficient to just make a very rounded edge rather than that 90 degree turn.
So what did this comment teach me that the video didn't? Shad already said that the Darksaber has the ability to cut on the flat on the blade.
That cutting on the flat isn't vastly inferior than with the edge because they don't slow down at the corners. The flat of the blade isn't much thicker a normal lightsaber.
Lightsabers also cut in all directions...
Well I mean it's made from some form of energy.
@Alexsis
I get you point, and I feel the edge might be equal/slightly less than a normal lightsaber (so it still can cut/remove material, just more like a rasp or sandpaper rubbed over a surface).
In Lore, a lightsaber's beam/blade plasma is suppose to be cycling/swirling within a electromagnetic bubble/field (that gives it shape). What if the "white" of the Darksaber's edge is that plasma held in a pronounced high flow cycling loop (creating the higher pitched sound of & might be acting like a "chainsaw" for damage)? The "black/dark" areas are then colored like a normal lightsaber, though because of the majority of forced to brighten the "white" edge seem even more so (like how an active "black light"/purple bulb will seem "off" if surrounded by regular lights that are on).
One other element you might want to consider is that the dark saber’s creator was a mandalorian. Which means that he was probably already trained in vibrio-blade combat. Creating a lightsaber with an edge, even if it produced a disadvantage (and I’m not convinced that it does), it was probably designed as a challenge for himself so that he wouldn’t lean on the advantages of a lightsaber and get sloppy with his vibrio-blade skills. It’s kind of like how flintlock pistol handles were designed like sword handles. The only function it serves is familiarity for the user.
One thing that you missed: the user's anger actually makes the blade hotter. The user does not need to be Force-sensitive for this to occur.
Everyone is force sensitive in Star Wars. Just depends on the level of sensitivity.
@@LucyWest370 Good point.
@@LucyWest370 "because of midichlorians" LMAO
@@dawey8897 lol
This is literally the only place I've heard this. What's your source?
If anything it takes skill to miss an edge alignment with a lightsaber.
Why? If it's super heated?
@@Tactical_Hotdog it is all edges, literally impossible.
Like throwing yourself at the ground you are standing on and missing.
@@angelman906 there's no edges to miss
Keep in mind that although the darksaber was a weapon meant for the ruler of Mandalore, it was used mainly against fellow Mandalorians. almost all Mandalorians wore some form of Beskar, so the extra power was not in fact wasted, but necessary for cleaving through beskar armor and fending of claimants to your throne.
I think it might be the other way around. It was meant to be used against other mandalorians, as at the time the mandalorian who built it was just a Jedi. He ended up becoming the Mandalore though, and ever since then it's been seen as the signature weapon of the Mandalore, with anyone who has rightful claim over it being the Mandalore.
An in-universe explanation for the shape of the "blade" , could be that it'd be more intuitive for Mandalorians if it resembled an actual sword.
How would that be more intuitive? A round lightsaber literally just opens up the options, reducing the need for "intuitive". The only confirmable upgrade seems to be the hand guard.
@@JarieSuicune I mean, if you spent you're entire life training with a regular sword with a single cutting edge, would a light saber that you can use those skills with not be more intuitive to you?
The sides of the dark saber are just as lethal and hot as a normal lightsaber it's that the leading edge is hotter and more deadly than a lightsaber
Also, maybe when Tarre Viszla invented the Darksaber, he made it so it would look like an edged weapon. However, the ENTIRETY of the blade is still an energy/force weapon. In either case, the Darksaber is a pretty awesome weapon.....and it's quite unique.
Another point to be made is that it was made approximately in 1,000 BBY....and it is not particularly in a Jedi fashion, nor is it even a Jedi weapon. Unlike essentially all other lightsabers, the Darksaber seems to have a sentientness to it. A Jedi/Sith can be given a lightsaber, but you cannot just give someone a Darksaber.....it must be won in combat or it may work against you.
@@oceankim8791 no, because you can still use those skills with a regular lightsaber. There aren't any single-edge techniques you can use with the darksaber that you can't use with a lightsaber. Plus, the mandalorian who made it didn't exactly intend for other people to use it. No Jedi intends to let someone else use their blade.
The darksaber is made of Beskar, so the guard is actually functional.
It’s safe to assume that the guard is beskar but it’s not canonically said what the material is
@@Bozito6 it was the culmination of Tarre Vizla's armor. The only way that canonically it's not Beskar, is if it's specifically stated as not being Beskar.
Is that actually confirmed? although I do think it’s pretty likely.
It is also has additional features so I am pretty sure it could likely cut through other beskar
@@Elmithian No it can't as the blade is still a regular lightsaber and it is specifically shown in the show that Beskar still holds up against the sword
My thoughts on the darksaber: i think that it'd be just as effective as a lightsaber on the flat side of the blade, but possibly more effective on the edge
Agreed! And the edge alignment makes it cut faster. Also, when cutting through a tie fighter, the blade would align itself, following the path of least resistance
Dam, I post this, scroll Down 3 comments and see this
same 5/5 comment
So while the blade is a certain temperature maybe the edge is substantially hotter? I like that theory.
Actually the broad saber was an actual variation of the lightsaber and most jedi hated it because it was restricted to form 1 Shi cho and could only cut from the edge
5:16 if the darksaber was made by a Mandalorian what are the chances of the hilt being made of Baskar? and as we saw Baskar can stop lightsabers
%100, because it already is
I somehow doubt that the hilt was designed for lightsaber dueling. Jedi train in several fighting forms which i feel would be able to easily make the hilt redundant. I feel like the hilt is there simply because its creator was trained with those types of swords so it just made sense to design the darksaber with familiarity in mind.
@@ThePresidentofMars not necessarily, the hilt could also be used to miss direct the blade or shove another saber aside with our risking your fingers
@@heroesnation782 true, though with the speed of lightsaber dueling you'd have to ve incredibly skilled to pull that off i feel.
@@ThePresidentofMars and the original wielder was a mandalorian who where known for their skill and he was also a jedi
Last time I was this early, the Clone Wars were still in full swing...
God, 58 years ago? What are you, 70?
Wasn't clone wars the first time we saw a dark saber too?
Last time i was this early Revan had just killed Mandalore.
@Morgan Huguet I think I remember some mandalorian with short white hair who has one. I think they had a couple eps that were mandalor heavy.
... saying that I think it has somthing to do with a mandalorian rebelion on a moon of their homeworld or something.
@@arx3516 Last time I was this late, the droids were already attacking the wookiees
For all we know, the flat of the darksaber could kill a person but the edge can cut through things faster than lightsabers can. This could give the darksaber the advantage against armored opponents while retaining lethality vs unarmored opponents compared to lightsabers.
This.☝️
Physics lesson here: Plasma is matter, it has a resistance to its surrounding material. In other words, yes, lightsabers cut in all directions, but it will always feel like dragging a stick through water when cutting stuff compared to an edged plasma blade which would reduce friction while in alignment and increase friction when smacking thngs with the flat... but it could do.
Also, Broadsabers were lightsabers with an edge, look them up.
Hey man, that’s cool and all, but I’m pretty sure that no matter what friction the blade is at, being slapped in the face with plasma is going to do serious damage, if not kill you outright.
Yes. In my opinion, the darksaber is basically a flattened lightsaber. So on the flat side, the darksaber would be as powerful as a lightsaber. But on the edge side, that power is concentrated into a thinner surface area, giving higher cutting ability. So you can basically fight with a darksaber just like with a lightsaber with no care of edge alignment at all, but when it comes to needing of penetration power, the edge will be a huge advantage.
Exactly
Shad: "Is the Darksaber better than the Lightsaber?"
Yoda "No! No no... Quicker, easier, more seductive."
Imagine a laser frying pan.
Slappin' something with that kind of cross section would be hilarious.
PS: i know Shad already made a video about it, but it was not about a LASER one
Looks like someone spends a lot of time on TF2 workshop
Why bother cutting their hand of when you can delete their head
Stop... Just stop... The world isn't ready for a weapon like that...
And now i know, what weapon would i choose as a jedi. XD
Although the idea is entertaining (an image of a guy with a frying pan-shaped hole is now imprinted in my brain), I hope you're not implying lightsabers blades are made of laser beams(aka concentrated light), because it's not.
We want men like you in the grand army of the republic
He could be an instructor at Kamino
In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest Chancellor
@@gonhunter3994 he isnt the chancellor he is the entire senate
@@gonhunter3994 I. AM. THE. SENATE!
@@BHuang92 NOT - *YET*
My thought process is that since a Mandalorian did design it, and they're a warrior culture that he built his lightsaber around a blade design he was familiar with. Also I wouldn't be too surprised if that particular lightsaber was made of Beskar.
Canonized in the Book of Boba Fett, the hilt of the darksaber is made of beskar.
Thats what i thought - the flat blade is just design, it doesn't change the cutting power. we never see the darksaber unable to cut something a normal lightsaber could
There's a ton more info on THE Darksaber in Clone Wars and Rebels.
I personally support theory that Darksaber is fancy foldable energy blade, what use some properties of the Kyber, but work in slightly different way then lightsaber.
@@TheRezro I can partly see that, though below is my thoughts on after a saying from Star Wars Rebels I find appropriate;
"Never get between a Mandalorian and a weapons package." -Sabine of Clan Wren
My speculations on the Darksaber's coloring, edge & technology; the electromagnetic bubble/field that holds the plasma of the blade in shape (common for all lightsabers) is forcing the plasma stream to the back/tip/edge of the saber (hence why those areas are glowing bright/white hot) & into a thinner set of channels than a normal lightsaber (almost making a concentrated plasma 'chainsaw'/loop effect). The middle is now forced to be thinner & hence darker (as less/no plasma to give off light within that area & eyes are drawn to the edges of). That's then saving on energy/gas consumption compared to my beliefs of how a broadsaber beam/blade would work (see my original post, if you can find it) & the broadside/flat can be used more to lock-up other lightsabers (the whole "the blades will be drawn to each other" comment from Kanan) with advantage of a wider surface to deflect blaster bolts.
Actually when it comes to heat transfer, the more surface area the better, so clearly the Darksaber has to be more powerful than a Lightsaber, as it's able to actually heat up the Beskar with less surface contact.
it shows that in the show! lightsaber on the same material caused sparks while darksaber caused orange melting
Thats true when you’re heating a set amount of material, but the darksaber is heating less material at a time and so there’s a greater amount of heat transfer per unit mass to be heated.
It’s not just heat, lightsabers are plasma flowing outwards from the hilt, a transfer of energy. Hypothetically, more energy can be transferred into what your cutting from less surface area, similair to water flowing with more force out of a smaller nozzle. (Or rather, the thin edge of the Darksaber)
That assumes that a light saber stays at an immutable constant temperature. If a light saber instead is only able to emit a set amount of energy in its blade no matter its shape, a smaller surface area would mean heat transfer is done to a smaller target area, thus faster melting of the material. Think focused vs unfocused laser, the focused laser is the same power rating, but it does much more damage much faster.
@Shadiversity and @KageRyuuUji its actually even said in the Clone Wars TV show that it is the more powerfull
With this video being made a year ago at this point I can say that there’s been a major update in terms of knowledge about the darksaber: the handle is made of the purest beskar, meaning it can block basically anything, also lightsabers.
Darksaber feels like a relic from times when Lightsaber resistant armor (like Beskar or Cortosis) was more common, when there were enough Jedi for them to have their own civil wars. Though I don't think any of those were brought back to canon from Legends as of yet.
if Im not mistaken, Kotor and Kotor 2 is still canon
@@connermitchell1663 it’s extremely sadly not
@@connermitchell1663 If that was canon, they would have to make Darth Revan canon and Disney Star Wars doesn't like Grey Jedi.
Darkness is the absence of light so a 'Dark Saber' would be the absence of a 'Light Saber' which would imply No Saber.
Invisible lightsaber? Terrifyingly lethal!
A Dark Saber that can darken the area around it to blind any nearby opponents by a complete absence of any light. If that's possible, it could give it's welder a huge "edge."
u made my day XD
Or it could’ve sucked the lightsabers away into it
Even scarier
Would make more sense if the concept was that it cut using a blade-shaped void and generating the void absorbed or redirected light, giving it a black appearance. It would also be more interesting.
Is it just me, or when he turned the lightsaber red I could hear the first note of Imperial March
The positioning of the cuts of the editing makes me wonder how many hours of Shad playing with the Lightsaber had to be edited out.
One interesting idea would be that the Darksaber’s is purposely shaped, not to have a given edge but to have a wider width to allow for easier blaster reflection
Normal people cant reflect blaster bolts they don't have the enhanced reflexes needed to do so
@@nightwalker174 but it was made by a jedi who probably use guns before saber so...
So make the dark shield - it will much more effective against blasters :v
Physics lesson here: Plasma is matter, it has a resistance to its surrounding material. In other words, yes, lightsabers cut in all directions, but it will always feel like dragging a stick through water when cutting stuff compared to an edged plasma blade which would reduce friction while in alignment and increase friction when smacking thngs with the flat... but it could do.
Also, Broadsabers were lightsabers with an edge, look them up.
@@nightwalker174 They could perhaps deflect one or two since we have seen people dodge them before. But yep after that they'd be done for.
Also in clone wars a Mandalorian guard of some sort blocked several with a staff which I assume was beskar. Granted, it was a little much in that case.
I would imagine the sides and back of the Dark Saber have the same properties and abilities as a light saber. Its clearly hotter like you said so its has more energy and the edge concentrates it
I'd love to see a video about Ventress and Dooku's curved lightsaber hilts.
I agree. But he still hasn't seen Clone Wars by the looks of things
Was just coming here to say that, lol
And it is sad if he has not, because Clone Wars and Rebels are some of the best SW content in the universe.
They are better for do dueling supposedly
Curved handled swords
Short answer: yes, we see it when it makes contact with a pure Beskar spear & also I think it is confirmed to be directly connected to the Force
Well Kyber crystals have a connection to the force, so it would make sense.
@@thefabulouskitten7204 I'm not talking about kyber crystals in general, I know that they are Force fueled naturally, but the one of the dark saber can (I believe) weaken regular lightsabers
"As Mandalorian, I thought it fitting to construct my lightsaber _better_ than everyone else's. It's even strong enough to cut through our armor."
Mandalore: :D : |
The Darksaber might not really care about edge alignment either, and there's really little reason it should care, it's a giant mass of super ht plasma either way. Not everything is done because it helps you min/max in some way, the Darksaber's creator was a Mandolorian, he might have modeled his lightsaber off of the sort of blades he was used to using simply because that's what he was used to more then any real combat reason. Everyone else who uses it would be trying their best to keep the edge alignment because it just feels right, between the look of the blade and the shape of the hilt, it is just the most natural way it feels like the Darksaber should be held, regardless of if there is an actual benefit to it.
This is what I'm thinking too. Not needing to care about edge alignment is a distraction and awkward detail to one's (vibro)sword training. The darksaber could behave exactly like a lightsaber, but fitting into already well-known and practiced combat skills is a huge benefit. Similarly, even if the darksaber performed better than a lightsaber, a jedi would have trouble using it because the grip would feel so awkward.
White Heart?
Possible reason why the the darksaber can melt trough beskar: to kill mandalorians
@@pyerack Well it was used to kill Pre Vizsla, so I’d say it just doesn’t do well at cutting through pure beskar quick enough.
@@jaydonmagan4694 Pre Visla concede defeat and let Maul behead him, no beskar was destroyed
@@dinglerofl4784 I didn’t say any beskar was destroyed. I just said that the darksaber killed Vizsla and that it doesn’t cut through pure beskar
maybe because of that the blade is tinner is for attaking the spaces whitout beskar like the joints (wrist) and not hitting the beskar (going through tight spaces between the armor)
Tarre Viszla was a Mandalorian Jedi during the war that is the reason Mandalorians and Jedi hate each other. When you’re potentially going to be exiled and attacked by both sides, you make a weapon that’s effective against both
13:00 the darksaber also had the ability to attract other lightsaber blades to it making it easier to block and counter with it in a duel than with a normal lightsaber
as I understand it the dark saber's blade is made of black hole like gravity energy so yes I think it would attract other light sabers blades but is way heavier as shown in the lattest episodes of mandolorian
I always forget that it was made by a Mandalorian, and Mandalorians love there Beskar. So it's not a far fetched idea our Mandalorian Jedi made his Lightsaber out of Beskar.
A Jedi’s skills would probably mean they would be very precise with their edge alignment, making the potential downsides of missing the edge alignment less severe
That being said any advantage, no matter how small can make a difference
@@maplemayhem1988 True - and I think a Mandalorian Jedi would embrace that thrive for perfection in battle even more.
Following up on this: showing that he might be more skilled than the other Jedi could be a sign of pride he needed to lead Mandalorians, especially in his precarious situation.
Maybe the shape is a matter of familiarity?
Not if they're not used to using a blade that requires edge alignment. Doesn't matter how good you are, if all you have ever used is a lightsabre that doesn't require any edge alignment whatsoever, you'll definetly make a mistake here or there, even if its just once or twice. It requires a skill you have never used or needed before and requires you to break old habits, to learn new ones. Now mind you they would definetly get the hang of it exceedingly quickly, but in the heat of battle against another jedi without any prior practice ? I can definetly see the jedi missing out on what could have been a killing blow, with a lightsabre.
Precisely. Jedi don't need edge alignment for lightsabers, so they don't learn it. Mandalorians have weapons as part of their religion, so high proficiency with edge alignment can be assumed. It might even be better than a normal lightsaber because it takes the shape of something they're very familiar with. Meanwhile, the presence of an edge means they can take advantage of pressure. (Energy over surface area) Especially if lightsaber blades are more of a current than a solid blade. Meanwhile, having more surface area can be useful in some cases where you're more concerned with total output than with efficiency. Plus, I don't think that if you were to only use the flat like a normal lightsaber, that it would be all that much less effective at cutting. The flat isn't all that much thicker than the circular blade.
Great video Shad! I've watched your content for a long time and I've been super happy that you have been doin some Star Wars related videos, cause I'm a huge Star Wars fan.
(Because I love Star Wars so much I have some extra information on the Darksaber that isn't as commonly known, so you can become more familiar and make your own decisions from there.)
The Darksaber has a bit more lore that was taken away durin the Disney merger. If you watch one of the Old Republic game trailers you actually see a Mandalorian bounty hunter (I can't remember her name) durin a huge Sith attack on the Jedi Temple. This is where the Darksaber was 'liberated' from. The Mandalorian took the Darksaber back to Mandalore and it eventually became a symbol of leadership in Mandalorian culture.
The Darksaber itself also has a unique feature where it responds to intense emotions and that's why it sometimes emits electrical energy along the blade. That's what also makes it a LOT more powerful than a normal lightsaber.
The Darksaber is slightly shorter than a standard lightsaber which is a slight disadvantage, but the natural lower grip kind of negates this....
However this blade (in my opinion) is more of a SUPPORT weapon, like Ahsoka's second blade. It's shorter than a standard lightsaber and she wields it as a support for her main blade.
This type of lightsaber is called a Shotosaber if you were curious and Yoda actually used one himself. (He's so short it just looks like a normal lightsaber.)
If your lookin for a great example of the Darksaber as a support weapon watch the Maul and Savage vs Sidious fight in the Clone Wars and that'll be an adequate example.
However if you want a better example of a Shotosaber in action, watch Ahsoka vs Maul in the Clone Wars. (Ahsoka's natural fightin style works a lot better with Shotosabers than Maul's....)
In short my belief is that the Darksaber is a Mandolorian Shotosaber for a more supportive weapon that has become a symbol of leadership in Mandolorian culture and whoever wields the blade has a claim to the throne of Mandalore. That means they can lead an army of the greatest warriors in the galaxy into battle. (I don't think that I need to expand on THAT idea.)
This was in no way meant to offend or attack you, it was just to give my personal analysis and opinion on a subject which I have a more in depth view on.
I like your Lore dump (almost as much as mine no information), though I stuck with the (speculative) technical aspects of. I look at the Darksaber as a refinement of the broadsaber variant of the lightsaber (more on in my comment, will not rehash it here). Though because of the length, I feel it could be also classed as a shoto-style of lightsaber as you pointes out.
Though many of the 'unique' features I usually can discount quickly with points of Lore.
While yes it is unknown what type of crystal the Darksaber uses (never said it was a kyber), the flowing of the Force focused (intentional or not) by the wielder's emotions into the crystal does give it power but is not unique. I am sighting that the Proto-saber(Canon)/Force-saber(Legends) with just a crystal did so (with mastery of the Force by the wielder), and (now Legend's material) on that some crystals can 'harmonize'/synchronize with user making both more powerful &/or possible corrupt/override the wielder (infamous of is that of Exar Kun).
The electric discharge with the Darksaber's blade I feel is an inherent effect of the electromagnetic bubble/field that contains the plasma of all lightsabers. When those fields "lock", the produce a white spark at that area of contact. It's though more pronounced/visible because of two factors; the flat of the blade's coloring (not 'bleached-out' by bright saber color/glow) & shape (more area to spread the effect to be seen by normal eyes).
The Sound pitch you speak of would also go with how (I feel) Tal Vizsla enhanced/improved the broadsaber concept (as it's not so much a blade like normal sabers, but a high-flow/speed plasmatic 'chainsaw'/loop held in shape of the blade by an enhanced electromagnetic field). The plasma flow rate is higher than other Sabers, hence the difference.
If this sounds like I am attacking your views, I am not. I'm just trying to present mine as an alternate explanation of that can either be ignored, or used to refine you own views on. I know you did mine with the shoto-saber bit of your comment, and I thank you for.
My hypnosis is that it's shaped after a traditional Mandalorian sword.
“Hypnosis”?
Do you mean "hypothesis"?
@@thesupersonicstig No, it helps to be in a state of self hypnosis when you're speculating.
Yes, I ment Hypothesis
Your hypnosis?
it would make sense that the Darksaber is made out of Beskar, and that it was made to cut through Beskar, due to Mandalorians fighting themselves
My head canon is that since regular lightsabers can't cut through beskar, the Darksaber was created specifically for that. But centuries later, the working of beskar has changed to the point that it is harder and stronger than it was when the Darksaber was made, so it can't cut through modern beskar anymore.
"The Darksaber was also capable of parrying a blow from a lightsaber, with the blades being drawn to each other in an almost magnetic pull.[11] Like other typical lightsabers, the darksaber could not cut through beskar"
@@murphsmodels8853 Ironically, as I understand it, most 'Modern' Beskar is actually much weaker. The issue is that the armor used by Death Watch and most other modern Mandalorians, actually contains very little Beskar, its mostly Durasteel with some Beskar mixed in to reinforce it. This is why in the Clone wars, we would see Death Watch troopers, in full armor get one-shot from blasters, when in the Mandalorian, our hero is tanking whole squads of enemies, unloading into him and can deflect Lightsaber strikes on his armor, because it is forged from pure Beskar.
I do agree that the Darksaber, was most likely designed specifically to kill opponents in Beskar armor, since the shape means the power is probably not greater than a regular lightsaber, but is more focused, concentrating the energy to a far smaller surface area. This might also make it better at landing precise strikes on the unarmored joint sections in Mandalorian armor, which, for reference Mandalorian suits used to be for more extensive than the generally stripped down versions used by modern Mandalorians, especially those using jetpacks.
I think it is also worth adding, that if the Darksaber is causing the Beskar to heat up, so that it is glowing red, it might not be necessary to cut through it all the way, since it is potentially causing serious injury to your opponent by just super heating the armor plates and causing severe burns underneath.
@@murphsmodels8853 regular lightsabers can't cut through beskar? Mace windu once decapitated.... Nevermind... Sometimes I feel people forget important details just for the sake of argument and sounding right.
@@kronosleblu888 I’m pretty sure that Jango Fett was not wearing a beskar turtleneck when he was decapitated, one of those weak points in the armor. Though I think that beskar chainmail coif would have been useful in that situation.
Fun fact: the most recent episode of Book of Boba Fett it canonizes that the hilt of the dark saber is made of Beskar steel, So the cross guard, small as it is, could actually block lightsaber strikes.
VIDEO IDEA: Are retractable shields and weapons practical/realistic?
(God of War, Sekiro, Percy Jacson, etc.)
Montagne from Rainbow Six Siege:Nervous laughter in french
Kinda
I recall him mentioning on efap that a retractable sword, after repeated swings, would eventually give way. Given it’s not a solid blade, the retracting mechanism would be a weak spot that would concentrate all the force. But if you can get around the logistical side of making a mechanical shield, it should work fine. From what I understand, shields don’t need to be all that strong to function properly. Even a thin sheet of metal is extremely difficult to pierce through.
There was an engineer that made a Sekiro style collapsing shield. Not the most practical thing, just carrying an actual shield would likely be preferable.
More to my point on shields, visors were incredibly common for plate armor helmets, and they functioned quite well. Even now cops will use retractable plastic face guards. It should work just fine with a shield.
Its commented that it has a strange "gravity" to it, that i draws other ligjtsabers into it and binds them more easily to it in a clash. So maybe it was much better in lightsaber vs. Lightsaber duels
I remember that episode. It might be better in the hands of someone who trained with it, but it is a detriment to everyone else.
I think Kanan was talking about Lightsabers in general. Lightsabers are energy and stick together causing ‘binds’.
@@ZealStarMedia yeahh it was specifically "lightsabers are drawn to each other..."
OP is right. The Darksaber is more attracted to another Saber's blade. It's different when two lightsabers clash, they're drawn to each other. But the Darksaber draws more on the other saber
Not worrying about edge alignment with a lightsaber is extremely important in Beat Saber btw, being able to rotate my wrist in orthogonal directions and still cut the beat is very useful
A handle designed like an actual sword (which the original creator was likely trained in) for easier adaptation to lightsaber combat, a dedicated edge for more severe cutting, and a distinctly aggressive warrior culture. Everything about the Darksaber is reminiscent of the Mandalorian culture.
"it seems overkill"
So it fits the lore perfectly :)
My theory about the edge alignment, lightsabers have a somewhat gyroscopic effect, thus cutting on the side requires more force and effort than the edge.
The darksaber has the cool factor from being unique.
*coughs in broadsabers*
And also because it's a symbol for Mandalorian culture.
@@EclipsisTenebris i think those are legends only.
@@seirramoon388 they still exist, I'm sick of people using canon to say something doesn't exist
It doesn't exist in canon aka the specific timeline Disney made, doesn't mean it cannot be compared to thing within the Disney canon, especially since the Darksaber existed before Disney bought Lucasfilms
@@seirramoon388 like 98% of all star wars stuff.
The dark saber seams to me to be more effective along its edge, so it’s a trade off of having edge alignment for more power and requires more practice or praciton/ skill.
Hey! Great video, I just wanted to jot down a few quick thoughts.
So, while it is true that the various wielders of the Darksaber always align the edge, that does not necessarily mean that it is any more effective with the edge aligned. All of the wielders of the Darksaber (that I can think of off the top of my head) had previously trained to use vibroblades, so they understood how important a properly aligned edge is with physical blades. Since the Darksaber looks like it has an edge and has an indexable grip, they would instinctively align the edge, even if it made no difference. I can't think of any time when something was cut with the flat (which would prove this theory), but neither can I think of any time when the flat slapped something harmlessly (or less harmfully than the edge).
The reason for the exotic shape of the Darksaber may very well be that its maker thought it was cool. That may be a disappointing reason, but Jedi younglings are told to make lightsabers that "feel right to them," and it seems that a large part of that is how cool they think their new lightsaber looks.
Also, if you haven't watched The Clone Wars, you totally should! It took about a season for them to really find their footing, but after the first season or so, it's just plain an awesome show, and it answers a lot of the questions you have.
Interesting, I can imagine that the dark saber is a especialized weapon for dedicated warriors. It is a weapon made by a mandalorian that probably already was used to edge alignment and could make better use of the extra features without any detriment. A jedi in the other hand is rarely seen using anything other than a lightsaber.
With the guard, I think the Darksaber's hilt could *potentially* be made out of Beskar, right? That can somewhat resist lightsabers and it's very much available to Mandalorians...
Even Mandalorians couldn't always get it which is why sometimes they had armour made from other materials. Still a hilt wouldn't take much and it makes a lot of sense.
@@101Mant And Tarre Vizsla, the lightsaber's creator, was alive a long time ago, probably when beskar was more available.
@@Hatypus probably more available?
Back then they were still making armor out of the pure stuff
@@hawk3079 well it is likely as the darksaber dates before the Knights of the old Republic era when beskar was practically everywhere on mandalore
As someone who works with a soldering iron, having a thinner edge does not amplify heat transfer. We use a larger tip when we want to transfer more heat because what really matters for heat transfer is maximizing surface area.
As far as cutting with the flat, it seems to me that it would transfer heat faster (due to a flat contact area versus a cylindrical one that only touches at the one point + however much the cylinder compresses on contact. However, the cylinder has at least some ability to wedge the cutting edge with that leading point whereas the flat of the dark saber does not.
In conclusion, the dark saber shape allows it to be intentionally used for the two applications, the narrow edge for cutting and the flat edge for transferring maximum heat.
I think the reason why the Darksaber is stronger, because all that energy is concentrated on the white edge.
No?
Yes?
This makes sense
Well, most of the energy
Kellan Arn It doesn't really, because plasma can't be sharpened. If a lightsaber were cuboid I imagine it would cut the same as if it was round.
THE Darksaber. Only one in existance. Sorry to be a nerd, just a pet peeve.
NNNEEEEEERRRDDD!
Oh wait.
Hey brother.
It may be the Darksaber but it is also a dark saber. For example as far as I know only dark blue saber ever to exist was exar cun’s lightsaber but it is still a dark blue lightsaber.
@@stevefilms1997 no it's THE dark saber because that's it's title lol
@@jeromegeorge8518 THE Dark Saber is a Dark Saber.
Imagine a Wookie Jedi creating another legendary saber called: the forest saber
Only shad can make me watch an ad that I could skip without thinking about it
Stronger or not, it would still make a fine addition in my collection
lol
Hello there.
Your name sums up greivous perfectly
This made me burst out laughing, and normally I'm stoic as a particularly well set bit of basalt.
Hello there
Other possible considerations:
Blaster bolt deflection, beskar, piercing gaps to avoid armor plating, personal energy shields, lightsaber binds.
Has anyone consider the possibility that the Darksaber's shape may make it better at dealing with lightsaber resistant materials such as Beskar and Cortosis?
@@Zoten001
Definitely seems like it, it’s the only thing we’ve seen heat up pure Beskar. Greater transfer of energy into what your hitting, with greater force (from a force user) could cleave Beskar armor.
Beskar is not Lightsaber immunity. Any lightsaber Jab motion is without a doubt going to cut straight through the Beskar. The Darksaber just isn't a round blade like normal sabers are, it's literally thinner than fucking paper is. 🤣 that shit, in theory, should've been slicing through Beskar like it was butter.
There is no overkill. There is only "Open fire,' and 'Reloading!"
The thing with the Darksaber is that it makes like ZERO SENSE with the way we know lightsabers to work and its aesthetics are just confusing when you think of how a lightsaber could do that, but WE DON'T CARE CAUSE IT'S GODDAM AWESOME LOOK AT IT IT'S SO COOL!!!
If we use legends lore, it does make sense. We know that you can mess with the christal via the force and turn the christal either to red (with the dark side) or from red to white with the light. We have seen both, even in canon. So it doesnt seem far fetched that tar viszla did something similar to his christal to turn it black. What the blade shape is concered, the internal parts of a lightsaber dont have to be in a conic shaped handle. It's just tradition. So there is artistic freedom viszla had. And what the shape of the blade is concered, legend lore has it, that the plasma blade emitted from the christal is shaped by some internal parts of the lightsaber. These parts were konfigurated in a conic manner, because the handle was roundly shaped. Since the handle the darksaber is flat shaped, or rectangular, it only makes sense that the blade follows. How he managed to shape the blade having a point, is beyond me but I am sure you could make up a reason that makes sense and doesnt breake the lore.
*SPACE MAGIC!!*
@@nickperri6571 that would be the nightsisters departement
Broadsabers actually did exist, at least in the EU, but were quite rare. They were lightsabers with proper blade shapes but weren't all that commonly used because they required more skill because edge-alignment was somewhat important (They had better cutting capacity along the edge).
@@ct7567CaptRex
Well what side of the force does it stand on, is it neutral, half & half sorta thing, or what?
The darksaber comes from a time and culture when melee weapons that could stand lightsabers existed so the guard helped against beskar or cortois weapos.
Don't think of it as the flat cutting less effectively, think of it as the edge cutting MORE effectively. It's also been shown that the flat blade allows for more precision in deflecting blaster bolts. Doesn't make it easier, but why would a Mandalorian Jedi create a weapon that was easier to use, rather than one that had a higher skill ceiling?
He's a Mandalorian, overkill is part of their religion.
I remember a quote from darth maul, that while it could still cut like a normal lightsaber, because one side was narrower, if you cut with that side, he felt the difference in ease with the slice, allowing the dark saber to even cut beskar far easier
*Listens to the video whilst playing games. Suddenly hears Shad shouting.*
"Is Shad outside?"
*Tabs out.*
"Yup. He's outside."
Edge alignment isn't a problem for someone who has practiced with a weapon for a few days. Even when you demonstrate with the lightsaber you do cut with the hasuji (the cutting edge).
My sensei in the weapons art that I practice (SMR Jodo) has on many occations pointed out that the round staff we use has a cutting edge more in relation to the position of the hands than any actual edge on the staff, and the importance of cutting/striking with the cutting edge.
“Honey I think he has a lightsaber now should I call the police”
We must expand the neighbor's lore
Are you joking? He has a lightsaber. The police cannot help us now.
No. Call the Empire
Call Lord Vader
"What? My neighbor has a lightsaber? EXECUTE ORDER 66!"
*Sees Sex Explained in Shad's netflix* My brain: "BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?!"
....what about KRAYT DRAGONS
@@johannesbowers7467 just doesn't hit the same
@@maplemayhem1988 Star Dragons. Duinuogwuin
Romantic Flight intensifies
Awesome content as always.
Some personal opinion input:
The hilt of the darksabre is made of Beskar, and the guard exists due to it being a mandalorian weapon and as such it would duel people who have beskar weapons which are not cut by sabres.
It also has a blade and not a cylindrical blade to enhance its ability to cut through beskar as most fights using the darksabre were vs mandalorians contesting the throne.
The blade otherwise is exactly the same as a lightsaber in terms of cutting power. You could cut sideways and it would be like a lightsaber normally. The edge is literally just for cutting materials resistant to conventional sabres.
Also, the fact the blade is absence of light makes it harder to see and thus block, this also doubles as making it a better stealth weapon.
I bet Shad is putting in 10 times as much thought as the showrunners did about these things
Well darksaber has been a thing and looked like that in star wars for a really long time
Way back when it was first used in a lightsaber duel it was meant to be just a vibroblade, but George Lucas who was more hands on that particular show insisted that nothing can cut a lightsaber but another lightsaber.
So the Darksaber’s iconic shape is because at one point it was just a vibrosword but they recolored the blade last second to make it a lightsaber
@@PhredLevi yeah it's appearance in clone wars but the darksaber was around before that
@@PhredLevi nevermind my bad it did first appear in clone wars
Last time I was this early Grievous was actually a feared character and not a meme
*cue 2003 Grievous’s arrival*
@@arandomicewinghybrid9032 "You are surrounded. Your army is decimated. Make peace with the Force now. For that is your final outcome. But know that I , General Grievous , am not without mercy. I will grant you a warrior's death. *Prepare."*
@@afinoxi It's "Make peace with the Force now".
@@SolarDragon007 fuck I remembered the line wrong.
*You saw nothing.*
Proceeds to kill shagg- i mean fearsome Jedi master Sha’agi
Hi Shad,
Nice video. A few things I think should be pointed out.
Jinn had to cut through two thick doors, remember a second "blast door" as closed by the Neimoidians in their attempt to stop him from cutting through and making his way in. Those were really thick armored doors.
Gideon cut through the thinly armored Tie fighter hull. Odd thing was he had to be cutting through all sorts of electronics, likely main guns/munitions and even part of the landing gear. It may of looked cool on camera but it was kinda not well thought out I think.
The Darksaber on The Mandalorian was indeed redesigned from the version of The Clones Wars. You can compare the Rubies costume toy which is a near exact replica to the cartoon version to the version coming out from Hasbro's The Black Series replica.
My personal theory is the darksaber is a hybrid weapon between a lightsaber and vibroblade. This would account for the unique hum and various other sounds it makes. Also I’m not sure but it may account for the shape of the weapon’s blade
Shad didn’t include the hand chopping montage when he said hands get chopped off a lot in Star Wars. Bad video.
yep
He subverted your expectations, which means it's good. Nothing else matters so long as your expectations were subverted!
@@ericv00 yep
“Is the Darksaber better than a lightsaber?” The Darksaber is a Lightsaber
It's a cool-looking lightsaber that makes different noises and has a different shape simply to look cool. I do not believe that it works differently, though.
Somehow in my head it never connected to me (dark)saber and (light)saber. I feel really stupid I never noticed that.
@@louis8487 a sarcastic reply to a sarcastic comment.. touché
@@ryno1509 Wasn't sarcastic I'm just dumb and never realized the naming connection between lightsabers and the darksaber.
@@ParaSpite different shape of blade, different hilt, different color and noises.
The flat blade, can make it easy to reflect the blaster shot.
I think the flat blade has the same width as the diameter of a lightsaber.
Well no blocking it perhaps but the more cylindrical shape if a lightsaber is what allows a Jedi to predict where the bolt will go.
Thats a very good point
@@River-pg1uk Wouldn’t deflecting with a flat blade make the shot have a significantly more predictable trajectory? If it was cylindrical, the shot would go way off if it was even slightly to the left or something.
@@River-pg1uk ever bounce lasers off a mirror as opposed to something round? Round makes it diffues and go literally anywhere, flat is more predictable
I think, that since Tarre Vizsla was a mandalorian jedi, he created his saber out of beskar.
A lightsaber made of beskar? Imagine that being inserted in a lightsaber rifle
I love the DarkSaber i have it on my wall cross blade style with a shield behind the blade made from Steel with a nice coat of black on it i also have the "BloodSaber" partnered alongside it.
It's the difference between slicing a tomato with a sharp chef's knife... and a baseball bat.
-
And a lightsaber does not come with a a faction of armored fanatics attached.
The fact that the dark saber had an edge was important because the origional owner was a master swordsman an would have been capable of using it to it’s fullest extent unlike the people who have inherited it.
there are 2 points i would like too address at shad for his description of the darksaber, first a mandolorian made it, which means that the hilt is likely comprised of Beskar which would make it immune to being cut by a lightsaber that and you can factor in the energy output of the darksaber itself and then it would have to be made of Beskar to survive its own energy blade otherwise it would just melt. Second this is a non cannon point but the darksaber crystal is a rare Sith lightsaber crystal which is much more potent then a normal lightsaber crystal, its power output is much more similar to a Corusca gem lightsaber crystal or a Luxum crystal. These crystals had about 2 to 3 times the power output of a normal Kyber Crystal which was the standard among the Jedi.
love how he put mandolorian in the title even though clone wars and rebels featured the dark saber waaay before
come on, we all know why. at least its actually a good content unlike other "follow famoos trend" CCs
He's a weapons expert, not a Star Wars expert.
@@logicplague starwars fans tend to forget that around here but no worries.... I think? :P
@@neo7538 I think we can skip the court martial this time, lol.
Gotta clickbait for them normies who "don't watch no animated shows, cuz animation is for kids"... those godless heathens.
I always thought "regular" lightsabers had an infinitely thin blade anyway and they just seemed thicker because they glow so brightly.
But they aren't
(The blast door scene again)
I think you ought to consider the background of the dark saber. It was the saber of a mando jedi. Mandalorians used vibroblades and light saber resistant armours. The handguard may well be to protect the wielder's hands from vibroblades (which could clash with lightsabers without breaking), and the edged blade may well be to give that last push to cut through what light sabers couldnt. Is it better or worse than light sabers? It is less versatile... but what it can do it does better.
I’d assume that the other edges of the darksaber is still as powerful as a standard lightsaber but the main blade edge is more powerful
When ahsoka strikes Din Djarin’s armour and the Beskar spear little to no effect is seen but when Moff Gideon strikes it with the darksaber we see the blade turning orange from the shear heat and power of the darksaber
Analysis: So
It looks like a katana ✓
It's black ✓
It's mandalorian ✓
Conclusion: it's the edgiest weapon in a sci-fi universe
The only way it could be edgier is if Kylo Ren wielded it. And I feel like the Mandalorians wouldn't accept it back after that.
I don't know Star wars Lore too well, but I do have some theories as to why the shape. 1 the edge could be "blade-like" because it's a way of concentrating the energy in a way of making up for the "bluntness" of a lightsaber (think if you hit a piece of wood with an axe opposed to a hammer), 2 it can be designed to make precision cuts where as the lightsaber is designed for more broad swings, both make a mark but the dark saber could be used (in theory) to slice a lightsaber without damaging the hands and the guard was included as a way to track the edge/allow protection from more riskier swings, 3 it could be designed in that way to appeal to people with more training than the average saber user, it could be designed more for appearance than function whilst retaining a large majority of function to it (as we know that the dark saber was kept as a symbol of power long after the guy's death on Mandalore, it could have been originally made to symbolise it), 4 the more obvious and probably will be canon answer... It was most familiar design to the guy and he found regular lightsabers cumbersome, 5 the most realistic, it looks cooler than the glowing sticks.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk
P.s this doesn't factor in as to why the dark saber is different to any other lightsaber with being black and mechanically functions differently (i.e with people's emotions/non-force users can wield it) but personal theory is during the design a required element caused it to behave as such, for example the technology used to make the blade compressed caused the force part of the lightsaber to behave differently almost like a "dark side of the force" saber.
Just started watching. At 5:20 isn't dark saber made by Mandalorian? It could be made of beskar.
It was made by Tarre Vizsla a Jedi Mandalorian.
Exactly
The dark saber was made by a Mandalorian. Weapons are his religion, so he over built it and probably took out all the safety functions
In Star Wars: Rebels it's mentioned that the Darksaber blade is "drawn" to lightsaber blades. We've also seen white lightning flicker from its blade when it interacts with things, which seems to indicate it is being attracted to them. Perhaps it's designed in such a way that it aligns itself to some extent? It also would make deflecting things easier if it literally is attracted to the thing it's trying to block-you would not need to be as precise, seeing as the blade itself could pick up the slack.
Reminds me a bit of the Dragon-slaying sword in Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham." That sword is magical and apparently does its best to make even unskilled blows deadly. Well, it tries, anyway.
>Darksaber
>The Mandalorian
This is a Clone Wars weapon.