The Mandalorian's season 1 finale revealed that Moff Gideon is in possession of a legendary Star Wars weapon: the Darksaber. However, according to a fan theory, the rightful owner of the Darksaber could be none other than Luke Skywalker.

The Darksaber is a unique weapon that connects the Mandalorians and the Jedi - two factions who are historically known for going to war with one another. According to legend, the Darksaber was created by Tarre Vizsla, the only Mandalorian ever to join the Jedi Order. After Tarre Vizsla's death, it was passed down from generation to generation of Mandalorians and killed many Jedi during Mandalorian-Jedi conflicts. The Darksaber is unique not only in its black color but also in its shape, taking the form of a more traditional sword blade.

Related: The Mandalorian Season 2 Theory: Baby Yoda Will Be Tempted by the Dark Side

According to a fan theory first posited by ImpulsiveBeetle on Reddit, and further explored by Inverse, Luke could be the rightful heir to the Darksaber even if he never wielded it. Though Moff Gideon is currently in possession of the Darksaber in The Mandalorian, the weapon may not legitimately belong to him. Here's why.

How The Mandalorian Darksaber Is Passed Down

Tarre Vizsla and the Darksaber

The Mandalorian lore surrounding inheritance of the Darksaber will be familiar to Harry Potter fans, as it's similar to the manner in which the Elder Wand is passed down. It's no surprise that a weapon should have such power and significance within Mandalorian culture, which places war and fighting at its center and treats a Mandalorian's armor and weapons as an extension of their self. In Din Djarin's clan, armor is considered so sacred that Mandalorians are not even permitted to remove their helmet in front of another person. As explained in Star Wars Rebels, the Mandalorians' respect for the Darksaber as a symbol of their culture allows the person who wields it to unite the clans. However, when Sabine Wren admits to her mother, Ursa Wren, that she didn't win it in battle from Darth Maul, Ursa tells her, "Then you have no claim to it."

The other way of obtaining the Darksaber is to inherit it. This is based on the fact that the Darksaber was passed down through the Vizsla clan for centuries, used by Tarre Vizsla's descendants until it finally ended up in the hands of Pre Vizsla, a character who first appeared in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Pre Vizsla lost the Darksaber when he was slain in battle by Darth Maul, which according to Mandalorian custom means that Darth Maul was unquestionably the new owner of the weapon. Maul was killed in battle by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Rebels, and while Maul wasn't wielding the Darksaber at the time, Obi-Wan was technically its rightful owner after defeating its previous owner.

There is some room for debate here that rests on the meaning of "defeat" - whether it requires the Darksaber's owner to simply be beaten to the point of helplessness, or whether it requires them to lose their life in battle. If the former is true, then Palpatine may have inherited the Darksaber instead of Obi-Wan, since he overpowered Maul in battle and had him begging for mercy during the Clone Wars episode "The Lawless." Either way, though, the Darksaber ends up rightfully (if not physically) in Luke Skywalker's hands - by way of his father.

Related: The Mandalorian's Real Meaning Behind The Salacious Crumb Easter Egg

Theory: Luke Skywalker Is The Rightful Heir To The Darksaber

Star Wars Death of Darth Vader

If Obi-Wan Kenobi inherited the Darksaber after killing Maul, than Darth Vader in turn became its rightful owner after killing Obi-Wan at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope. It would have remained his weapon until his death in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, when it passed down to his son, Luke Skywalker, by the same laws that allowed it to be inherited by generations of Tarre Vizsla's descendants. If Palpatine had the rightful claim to it when he defeated Maul in battle, it would still eventually be claimed by Darth Vader, since Vader killed Palpatine by throwing him into the Second Death Star's reactor core. The Darksaber then would have spent a couple of brief minutes belonging to Vader, before passing to his son upon his death.

The fly in the ointment of this theory is that there's still a period of the Darksaber's history that's unaccounted for; we don't know, for example, how it came to be in Moff Gideon's possession. However, there's a case to be made that regardless of where the Darksaber physically ended up, everyone who has wielded it since Darth Maul has done so illegitimately. The Darksaber came into the possession of Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels, not by defeating Maul in battle, but by taking it from Maul's collection of weapons and memorabilia. As Sabine's mother pointed out, this means that she had no real claim to it.

It could be argued that Sabine won the Darksaber after dueling Gar Saxon to get it back, but Gar Saxon didn't have any claim to it either. If the law of inheritance is interpreted strictly, then Sabine was never the true wielder of the Darksaber. Therefore Bo-Katan Kryze, who Sabine later gave the Darksaber to, was not its rightful owner either, and nor was anyone else who obtained it after Kryze - including Moff Gideon. As long as Luke Skywalker lives, the Darksaber rightfully belongs to him.

What Luke Skywalker Owning The Darksaber Means For The Mandalorian

Luke Skywalker and The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian is set five years after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which means that Luke Skywalker is wandering the galaxy during the events of the TV show, having toppled the Empire with the help of his friends. Since little is known in the current Star Wars canon about Luke's life at this time, a young Luke Skywalker could feasibly make an appearance in The Mandalorian. If Luke is indeed the rightful heir to the lightsaber, Moff Gideon could even hope to achieve full mastery over it by defeating Luke in battle. In the meantime, Moff Gideon is less of a threat while wielding the Darksaber than he otherwise would be, since it doesn't truly belong to him and he can never completely be bonded to it. The bond between a Jedi or Sith and their lightsaber is crucial.

To return to the other interpretation of the Darksaber's law of inheritance, which is that anyone can become its rightful wielder as long as they obtain it by winning it in battle, then Luke is not its owner. If that's the case, then The Mandalorian season 2 could see Din Djarin defeating Moff Gideon in battle and winning the Darksaber from him. This would make Din its true owner, and return the Darksaber to its place with the Mandalorians. With much still unknown about the Darksaber, it will definitely be interesting to see how The Mandalorian sheds further light on the ancient weapon.

More: How Mandalorian Season 2 Can Avoid Risky Star Wars Cameo Problems