How 'Star Wars Rebels' Expanded George Lucas's Lightsaber Mythology for the Darksaber

Star Wars creator George Lucas may have sold LucasFilm and the rights to his highly-lucrative sci-fi film franchise to Disney, but his impact is still being felt in Star Wars Rebels. According to executive producer Dave Filoni, the backstory to the mysterious weapon Darksaber - used by Mandalorian and Ghost crew member Sabine Wren in the #Disney #animation series - was created by expanding on the lightsaber mythology set up by Lucas.

For most Star Wars fans, lightsabers are arguably the coolest things in the #StarWars universe. Weapons of choice for both Jedi and Sith, the functionality and make of lightsabers have enthralled and fascinated many ever since they made their first appearance four decades ago in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope.

The Darksaber Cometh: From 'The Clone Wars' To 'Star Wars Rebels'

In more recent Star Wars installments, another intriguing lightsaber has been the Darksaber. The ancient weapon first made its debut in the popular #animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, seen in the hands of rogue Mandalorian warrior Pre Vizsla as he prepares to duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In a new featurette accompanying Star Wars Rebels Season 3's Blu-Ray/DVD release (due out on August 29), Filoni revealed that #GeorgeLucas himself wrote the speech for Pre Vizsla in that Clone Wars episode.

“This lightsaber was stolen from your Jedi Temple by my ancestors during the fall of the Old Republic. Since then, many Jedi have died upon its blade. Prepare yourself to join them!"

Filoni went on to add that when the time came for the Darksaber to make its appearance in Star Wars Rebels, he decided to strengthen the weapon's backstory by expanding on Lucas' mythology, adding details such as the fact that it was made by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian allowed to join Jedi Order.

In the series, Jedi Master and Ghost leader Kanan Jarrus learns of the weapon’s thousand-year history through another Mandalorian warrior, Fenn Rau. The Darksaber ultimately falls into the hands of explosives expert and fellow Mandalorian Sabine, who uses it to unify the warring units on her home planet of Mandalore.

In the same featurette, Filoni also spoke of the "great big responsibility" towards "everything in Star Wars", such as being faithful to the saga's legacy and mythology.

“When it was decided by George (Lucas) in 'Clone Wars' that the Mandalorians were going to be pacifists under the rule of Satine (Kryze), I cannot let all of that to just be disintegrated. We have the warrior element, but we also have a people that change and grow and achieve knowledge like what George wanted. They’re not just one thing, they’re more like a real people.”

Speaking of Duchess Satine, the extended folklore attached to the Darksaber does draw the canon between The Clones Wars and Star Wars Rebels much closer. It's relatively significant too, as it's also the very same weapon used by Darth Maul to kill Satine, the New Mandalorian leader who was a close friend and love interest of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

'Star Wars Rebels': What To Expect In The Final Season

When Season 4 of Star Wars Rebels returns, Sabine will still be owning the Darksaber, although it's rumored that (spoilers!) the weapon might be handed over to a close relative of Duchess Satine. One thing's for certain: viewers will get to see lots of action on Mandolore, which was also heavily featured in The Clone Wars, as Filoni explains to Rebels Recon:

"The longer we’ve gone with this series, the more it just has occurred to me that 'Rebels' really is, in a lot of ways, going to finish 'Clone Wars'. It’s going to give us an ending for so many things that I didn’t get to finish. That was never intentional, that was never the goal. But it’s kind of worked out that way. Some of these characters have come into it, and I think that’s a good thing in a way, that they’re kind of a partnered series, while exactly explicitly connected, there is a shared story path for many characters it it, which I think is a good thing."

Rebels' final season will also see the return of characters such as Saw Gerrera and Mon Mothma, as well as storylines that will lead up to the events at Yavin as depicted in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Star Wars Rebels Season 3's Blu-ray/DVD is scheduled to hit shelves on August 29, while its Season 4 premieres in Fall 2017 on Disney XD. Watch the official trailer below.

(Sources: comicbook.com, io9.com, denofgeek.com)