The unofficial first episode of The Mandalorian Season 3 — that is, The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5 — gave viewers a taste of what’s in store for Din Djarin, a.k.a. Mando (Pedro Pascal), and the bounty hunter’s sidekick, the Force-sensitive Grogu. The fifth episode opens with Din claiming a bounty and delivering it in exchange for directions to a Mandalorian covert — the hideout of The Armorer (Emily Swallow) and Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher), two surviving warriors who hold fast to the traditions of Mandalore.
Din reveals that he won the Darksaber in combat by beating Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), the same Imperial leader who helmed the Empire’s Great Purge of Mandalore. It’s then that The Armorer reveals the legacy of the Darksaber, and how its fate is intertwined with not only House Vizsla, but all of Mandalore. So, why is the Mandalorian House Vizsla important? Here’s what viewers should know about the history of the Vizsla clan’s most notable members, and how they figure into The Mandalorian.
Who Is The Founder Of House Vizsla?
The founder of House Vizsla was Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian to join the Jedi Order. This was significant, in part, due to the fact that the Jedi and Mandalorians have a conflict-riddled shared history. Roughly 1,000 years before the events of The Mandalorian, Jedi Knight Tarre Vizsla crafted his lightsaber — the Darksaber. Unique in design, the Jedi weapon boasts a flat handle made of high-quality Beskar, the likes of which Mando has never seen. The blade glows black, outlined in a blinding white hue.
But Tarre Vizsla’s importance in Star Wars at large goes beyond the creation of the Darksaber. Tarre Vizsla used the weapon, a symbol of strength and pride for the Mandalorians, to unite his people and strike down all who opposed Mandalore. Soon enough, the Darksaber became the emblem of House Vizsla, which Tarre founded. Within the House, there’s also Clan Vizsla; for centuries, smaller clans composed a larger House in Mandalorian society.
With the Darksaber at his side, Tarre Vizsla became the Mand’alor: the sole leader of all the warrior clans that make up the Mandalorian people. The Mandalorian Jedi remains revered by his descendants. After all, Mandalore prospered under Tarre Vizsla’s rule. After his death, the Jedi took the Darksaber to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. During the fall of the Old Republic, members of House Vizsla raided the temple, snuck in, and took back the Darksaber — both a weapon of great power and a symbol of immense cultural significance.
Who Is Pre Vizsla?
After centuries of warfare left the surface of Mandalore inhospitable, a faction of people — the so-called New Mandalorians, led by Duchess Satine Kryze — decided to give up the warrior traditions that had defined the Mandalorians for thousands of years. Those who refused to give up the old ways were exiled to Concordia, Mandalore’s moon. Among them was Pre Vizsla, a descendant of Tarre Vizsla and governor of Concordia.
During the Clone Wars, Pre Vizsla, the wielder of the Darksaber, secretly led a terrorist splinter cell of warriors called the Death Watch (Kyr’tsad), who wanted to dismantle the government of the New Mandalorians, kill Duchess Satine Kryze, and reclaim their home planet. The Death Watch faction wasn’t founded by Pre Vizsla; he simply revived it. During the Mandalorian Civil War, Tor Vizsla created Death Watch, believing Mandalorians should revert to their old ways and become galactic crusaders, like their ancestors. Pre Vizsla establishes Death Watch for similar reasons. This is how Pre Viszla introduces the Death Watch to his unlikely ally, Darth Maul:
“We are the Death Watch, descendants of the true warrior faith all Mandalorians once knew. Now my people are living in exile because we will not abandon our heritage. Our people were warriors. Strong. Feared! [...] Now they're ruled by the New Mandalorians who think that being a pacifist is a good thing. They've given away our honor and tradition for peace. Duchess Satine and her corrupt leadership are crushing our souls, destroying our identity.”
Under Pre Vizsla’s leadership, Death Watch failed to take Mandalore from Duchess Kryze and her allies. However, once Death Watch members allied themselves with Maul’s Shadow Collective, they succeeded in taking Mandalore. The Death Watch splintered into two sides after Maul killed Pre Vizsla. In doing so, Maul claimed the Darksaber and, thus, the right to rule Mandalore. While some pledged loyalty to Maul (and the Darksaber), others, like Bo-Katan Kryze, refused to follow an outsider.
Who Is Paz Vizsla?
A descendent of Tarre Vizsla, Paz Vizsla is part of the Children of the Watch — a cult of zealots who broke away from Mandalorian society to follow the Way of the Mandalore. Sequestered on Concordia (the moon where Death Watch zealots were once exiled) the Children of the Watch, including Paz and The Armorer, survived the Empire’s Great Purge of Mandalore.
Din Djarin thinks all Mandalorians follow The Way — that is, until he meets Bo-Katan Kryze, a former Death Watch leader, sister of the late Duchess Satine, and eventual Darksaber-wielding leader of Mandalore (until the purge). Bo-Katan informs him that Children of the Watch are fringe Mandalorians, whose views differ greatly from mainstream Mandalorian beliefs.
Before he knows any of this, Din ends up fighting Paz Vizsla, who can’t believe Din would do business with the Empire, even if it was to retrieve enough Beskar to weld new armor. The Armorer breaks up the fight between Din and Paz. Later, Paz Vizsla and others allow Din and Grogu to escape harm’s way by fending off deadly bounty hunters.
Is Paz Vizsla Still Alive?
After Din and Grogu escape on Din’s starship, Paz Vizsla and the other members of the Tribe are attacked by Imperials, who inadvertently gave up their secrecy to protect Din. Although most members of the Tribe die in the attack, Paz Vizsla survives. Along with The Armorer, Paz founds a new covert on the space station Glavis Ringworld. In Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin joins the two Mandalorians there, Darksaber in hand.
Paz Vizsla helps tend to Din’s wound as Din explains that the Darksaber is heavy and difficult to wield. The Armorer explains that Din is fighting against the Darksaber’s will, not with it. Powered by a Kyber crystal, as all Jedi weapons are, the Darksaber has a living will, and it wants its user to have every intention of leading Mandalore. Din doesn’t even want to set foot on the planet. After winning the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, Din tries to hand the sacred blade off to Bo-Katan Kryze, its former owner, but she refuses it. If one does not win the Darksaber in combat, using it to lead Mandalore will bring a curse upon the planet.
After watching Din train rather unsuccessfully with The Armorer, Paz Vizsla challenges Din to a duel, eager to reclaim the Darksaber for House Vizsla. Although Paz manages to take the Darksaber from Din in battle, Mando ultimately defeats the descendent of Tarre Vizsla. After the duel, The Armorer asks both combatants if they’ve ever removed their helmets — a core tenant of The Way is to never show one’s face — and Din reveals that he has shown his face, to save Grogu. Paz calls Mando an apostate, demanding he leave the covert since he is no longer a Mandalorian. When Din asks The Armorer how he can redeem himself, she says the only way to find forgiveness is in the living waters of Mandalore.
All of this to say, Paz Vizsla is indeed still alive. He is eager to take back the Darksaber, which he believes is the right of House Vizsla. Viewers should expect to see Paz Vizsla in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, though what role he’ll play is not yet known.
The Mandalorian Season 3 premieres on Disney Plus on March 1, 2023, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday through April 19.