While speaking at FAN EXPO in Vancouver, The Mandalorian star Giancarlo Esposito confirmed that "epic lightsaber action" is on the way in season 2. Esposito's character, Moff Gideon, made his first appearance in the series in episode 7, "The Reckoning," where he brought a military force to capture The Child from the titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin. Gideon is a remnant of the collapsed Galactic Empire who presided over "the purge" event that represented the empire's main offensive against the people of Mandalore. In the season 1 finale, "Redemption," it is revealed that Moff Gideon is in possession of the Darksaber, a powerful and iconic weapon from Star Wars lore.
The Darksaber has popped up in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, where it has been used as a symbol of authority over the people of Mandalore. In The Clone Wars, the Darksaber was in the possession of Pre Viszla, the leader of a terrorist organization known as Death Watch, who were bent on restoring the warrior heritage of Mandalore by overthrowing the pacifist regime of Duchess Satine. Viszla eventually teamed up with Darth Maul and took Mandalore by force before falling to Maul in a duel where Maul claimed the saber for himself. The saber reappeared in Rebels when it was rediscovered by Sabine Wren, who used it to unite the Mandalorians against the Empire before passing it off to Satine's sister, Bo-Katan.
In his comments at FAN EXPO (via comicbook.com), Esposito spoke about the upcoming lightsaber duel and what it was like to wield the only lightsaber in the show's first season. "The prop guys are wondering about me because I was in a bit of a commotion and a bit of a struggle with someone else, which I’m hoping you will enjoy when you see it," Esposito said. "Major, major, epic, epic lightsaber action happening on this show, and I should mention that I’m the only character in this first season who was able to be honored with having that lightsaber. So it feels wonderful."
When pressed on whether this duel would be against Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin or the force-sensitive baby in his care, Esposito was tight-lipped, saying, "Well, no way. [Laughs]. It ain’t gonna happen, baby! Anything is possible, and you keep watching. Because although the baby has some incredible power, without having to wield the Darksaber, I think the baby is so curious about what this is. So you will be enthused and inspired when you see the scene I’m referring to in Season 2, which is to come in October. Keep watching."
The Darksaber tease, though brief, was one of the most exciting moments of the show's first season. Lightsaber combat was just about the only iconic Star Wars touchstone that the show skipped out on, so to see it on the horizon was incredibly exciting for fans. Beyond that, the Darksaber's history with the Mandalorian people is so rich and complex that it provides an endless amount of story possibilities for the show to explore in the coming season. It could even bring about the live-action debuts of fan-favorite characters such as Sabine Wren. Those story threads, and the promised lightsaber duel, aren't too far off as The Mandalorian will return for season 2 on Disney+ in October.
Source: comicbook.com