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- Origins and the Mandalorian Wars. As one might guess from their formidable armor, the Mandalorians began as a group built around conquering others. From their homeworld of Mandalore near the outer reaches of the galaxy, they expanded to many other star systems.
- The Clone Wars. Mandalorian aggression grew so perilous that their war against the Jedi and other rivals devastated their planet. Mandalore became an apocalyptic wasteland, with some of the most powerful Mandalorian clans scattering to other planets.
- The Dark Times. When the Empire rose to power, they found a willing ally and puppet leader in Mandalorian super commando Gar Saxon, who was named Imperial Viceroy of Mandalore.
- Boba Fett. During the Galactic Civil War, the most famous Mandalorian was undoubtedly Boba Fett. A high-profile bounty hunter, he was set on the trail of Luke Skywalker and other Rebel heroes several times during the war, including one explosive confrontation with the young Rebel and future Jedi in Obi-Wan’s hut on Tatooine.
Nov 12, 2019 · A Mandalorian is a species in Star Wars, something of a subset of humans—they come from the planet Mandalore. Boba Fett, while technically not a Mandalorian himself (we'll get to that in a ...
- 7 min
Aug 5, 2019 · After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We ...
- Ryan Britt
Mando'a, sometimes referred to simply as Mandalorian, was the primary language spoken by the Mandalorian culture. Elements of Mando'a were taken from the language of the ancient Taungs of Coruscant, from which the culture stemmed, evolving over time to become something unique. The origins of Mando'a were believed to have lain with the language of the Taungs, an ancient race of Humanoid simians ...
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- Mandalorians in the galaxy
- Behind the scenes
- Appearances
"We'll rebuild [Mandalore]. Isn't that our history? For thousands of years, we have been on the verge of extinction, and for thousands of years we have survived."
―Din Djarin
The Mandalorians—known in Mando'a as the Mando'ade ("Children of Mandalore")— were a clan-based culture composed of members from multiple species and bound by a common creed, language, and code. Known primarily as highly-effective mercenaries and bounty hunters, Mandalorians have at various points in galactic history played a major role as legendary warriors and conquerors.
Originating around the year 9991 BBY on the planet of Mandalore in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories, the Mandalorians' way of life revolved around honor and war, being led by a sole ruler known as the Mand'alor, whose Protectors maintained a relative state of peace and unity between their people's warrior clans. As a result of their warrior culture, the Mandalorians launched several wars of expansion by the time of the Old Republic-era, colonizing nearby worlds such as Krownest, Ordo, and Concord Dawn, leading the sector surrounding their homeworld to be known as Mandalorian Space.
Throughout their history, several prominent groups of Mandalorian warriors came into existence, such as Mandalorian crusaders, rally masters, and Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, all of whom waged war on the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. According to legends, many of these conflicts involved a Mand'alor who went by the name of Mandalore the Great.
In spite of this, relations between the Mandalorians and the Jedi were not always hostile, as Tarre Vizsla, a human Mandalorian, was inducted into the Jedi Order as a child, creating a lightsaber known as the Darksaber around the year 1050 BBY. Tarre eventually founded House Vizsla, claiming the position of Mand'alor, with the Darksaber becoming a symbol of leadership for both House Vizsla and the Mandalorian people as a whole.
The Mandalorian people
"We are a people of tradition." ―Satine Kryze Mandalorians were some of the most feared warriors in the galaxy. As prideful warriors, they held combat as the cornerstone to their culture, their individual identity, and spirit. Mandalorians shared a strong code of honor that could be invoked to settle disputes with one-on-one combat that would conclude with the death of one opponent. This affinity and tradition for single combat extended beyond justice, however, as Mandalorians even sought single combat simply for the glory of fighting a great opponent, such as a Jedi Knight, and even used it to settle leadership disputes. However, some in House Vizsla refused to accept non-Mandalorians like Maul from ever becoming ruler of Mandalore via such traditions. Maul himself had Prime Minister Almec lie to the Mandalorian people by claiming that Satine Kryze had killed Pre Vizsla, Maul's predecessor. The Darksaber was appropriated by House Vizsla as a symbol of authority and leadership used to unify the Mandalorians. The weapon became revered and was passed down to new leaders who defeated the previous leader in combat, with claiming the weapon in any other way being considered illegitimate. As well as Galactic Basic Standard, Mandalorians spoke Mando'a, whose written form was also known as Mandalorian. Mandalorian clan structure was like a pyramid, with the ruler, or Mand'alor, at the top and the Mandalorian Protectors enforcing their rule. Below them were the political factions known as houses, which were made up of family clans. One example was House Vizsla, which was comprised of Clan Vizsla and Clan Wren. Under the rule of Duchess Satine Kryze and the New Mandalorian government during the Clone Wars, the Mandalorians had mostly rejected their martial ancestral ways but maintained a police force and secret service, who wielded electropoles and shields. Though Mandalorians were usually distinctly human, one did not need to be human to become one. Instead, what one needed to do was follow the Mandalorian Creed. Thus, some individuals, non-humans included, could be adopted into the Mandalorian creed as foundlings, children raised to become Mandalorian warriors. Followers of the Creed viewed the foundlings as the future, and any Mandalorian with a foundling in their care was duty-bound to reunite it with their kind or to raise them, acting as the child's parent. When a foundling came of age, if he or she had not yet been reunited with its kind, they could decide to leave or join the Mandalorians, and become an apprentice. According to Creed, saving a foundling was the highest honor. Although Mandalorians who had been foundlings were treated no differently than any other Mandalorians, possessing the right to bear their armor and even to form their own clans, discrimination towards foundlings was observed to be present within Mandalorian organizations, including members of the Nite Owls, who said that former foundlings did not have Mandalorian blood in their veins. Several notable foundlings included Grogu and Din Djarin, both of Clan Mudhorn, as well as the famed Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. Orthodox Mandalorians, such as the Children of the Watch, followed ancient religions such as the Way of the Mandalore. Mandalorians who followed the Way did not consider others as true Mandalorians, while mainstream Mandalorian regarded the Children of the Watch as religious zealots.
Gear, combat, and art
"Ezra, the armor I wear is five hundred years old. I reforged it to my liking, but the battles, the history, the blood all lives within it. And the same goes for every Mandalorian." "This armor is part of our identity. It makes us Mandalorians who we are." ―Sabine Wren and Alrich Wren The Mandalorian Din Djarin remarked that weapons were a part of a Mandalorian's religion on more than one occasion. The Jedi Kanan Jarrus once complained that Mandalorians only seemed to solve problems by shooting. The young Mandalorian Sabine Wren, a friend of Jarrus's, once declared it was a bad idea to get between "a Mandalorian and a weapons package." Mandalorian armor developed a legendary reputation that was feared across the galaxy and was visually distinctive with its honeycomb plate patterns and menacing T-shaped visors. The armor was made of beskar, a metal extremely resistant to damage and malleable enough to be forged into armor. The signature innovation of the Mandalorians was the mining and tempering of beskar. The metal was found only on Mandalorian worlds. An ancient tradition and vital part of Mandalorian culture was forging the beskar into armor, which was carried out by Mandalorian Armorers, who could also forge beskar into other gear like whistling birds. Beskar was also used to forge weapons such as crushgaunts and beskads. On top of the fabled armor, Mandalorian warriors were equipped with anti-Jedi tools such as jetpacks, magnetized boots, heads-up displays, and vambraces that featured weaponry and tools designed to combat the Force abilities of the Jedi. Some of this weaponry not only helped combat but outright mimicked Jedi abilities, such as their wrist-mounted sonic repulsors that knocked objects away like a Force push would. They generally favored WESTAR-35 blaster pistols and Z-6 jetpacks, which could launch missiles. The Rising Phoenix was the training Mandalorians undertook to enhance their jetpack skills. The archetypal Mandalorian starfighter design was called the Kom'rk-class fighter/transport. The Mandalorians were very protective of their armor and the beskar, claiming that it belonged only to them and refusing to give it to anyone not related to the warrior culture, as evidenced when the Mandalorian warrior Din Djarin only allowed Boba Fett to retake possession of his Mandalorian armor after learning that Fett was of Mandalorian heritage. However, despite the Mandalorians' claim that both their armor and beskar belonged only to them, several non-Mandalorians, such as the crime lord Dryden Vos, Trandoshan big game hunter Garnac, and Tempest Runner Lourna Dee had Mandalorian armor in their possession. Furthermore, Boba Fett's infamy led to several bounty hunters emulating the skilled mercenary by wearing knockoff Mandalorian armor, since knockoff Mandalorian gear was in no short supply in the bounty hunter profession. Despite not wearing a full set of Mandalorian armor, bounty hunter Carib Diss possessed a vambrace equipped with whistling birds. Additionally, some non-Mandalorian individuals also sported beskar equipment, such as Enfys Nest, who had beskar vambraces, and a unidentified Arcona bounty hunter, who wore a set of beskar armor. Mandalorian warriors possessed advanced combat training from their many wars that were dated prior to the Republic's existence. However, it was not until their conflicts with the Jedi that they developed their signature combat style. This style entailed a Mandalorian utilizing a mix of melee, ranged, and hand-to-hand techniques while incorporating technology into his or her vambraces to surprise a Jedi Knight in combat, allowing the Mandalorian to finish the Jedi off. Mandalorian warriors continued to utilize this style of combat against the Jedi for some time as well as against other opponents. They were also known to perform headbutts known as Keldabe kisses, a term which shared its name with Mandalore's former capital of Keldabe. The Darksaber became a feared weapon in the days of the Old Republic as Mandalorian warriors of House Vizsla used it to slay many Jedi. When the Jedi claimed the weapon and stored it in the Jedi Temple, Mandalorian warriors would raid the Temple to reclaim the weapon that had become a symbol of their warrior ways. During the Clone Wars, the weapon also came to symbolize leadership of Death Watch as well as House Vizsla. Cubism was a popular Mandalorian art movement during the Clone Wars. After the war, the paintings that had depicted the awfulness of war were used to promote and glorify it instead. Mandalorians typically trended towards strong angled and hexagonal lines, such as diamond and honeycomb shapes, in their architecture, vehicles, clothing, and even haircuts. The Darksaber notably reflected this style, with an angular pommel, hand guard, and blade emitter. Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian and a member of the Spectres, was a talented graffiti artist who personalized and painted her armor. A statue of Tarre Vizsla was erected on Mandalore and became a symbol for hope and Mandalorian history. When the Empire constructed an outpost on the statue, some Mandalorians saw this as offensive, eventually destroying the outpost to restore the emblematic statue's appearance. Several Mandalorians decorated their beskar armor with their clan symbols. In addition, some Mandalorian armor bore the mythosaur skull emblem, one of the traditional symbols in Mandalorian iconography.
The Mandalorian crusades and early expansion
Main article: Mandalorian crusades "The Mandalorians have endured war since before the formation of the Republic." ―Fenn Rau Originating from the planet Mandalore in the Outer Rim, around the year 9991 BBY, the Mandalorians' history was one of warriors who would become feared throughout the galaxy, gaining a reputation as mercenaries and bounty hunters. They were also known to ride mythosaurs, and the mythosaur skull emblem was one of the traditional symbols in Mandalorian iconography. However, long before the Mandalorian cataclysm, the creature was thought to have gone extinct. Even prior to the formation of the modern Galactic Republic, war dominated their way of life. This life of war eventually turned to dreams of expansion, and a group of Mandalorian warriors known as the Mandalorian crusaders began waging war against other peoples to conquer their worlds. Armor-clad and wielding swords, the crusaders laid waste to many worlds during their wars. The crusaders conquered several worlds and systems beyond their own, among them the planets of Krownest as well as Concord Dawn, a planet that bore the scars of a hundred wars, with almost a third of its planetary mass fractured and reduced to space rubble. These early conquests remained part of the Mandalore sector during the later years of the Galactic Republic and into the reign of the Galactic Empire.[source?] During the Old Republic-era, Mandalorian rally masters, who wore distinct red armor, served as battlefield commanders during the Mandalorian wars of expansion. Eventually, the crusaders' expansion spread to the Inner Rim, where they devastated the planet Ubduria out of contempt for the native Ubdurians, whom they viewed as dishonorable cowards. In ancient times, a group of Mandalorian warriors known as the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders existed. According to the Qel-Droma Epics, at one point the Mandalorian Crusaders served under the command of the fallen Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma out of the Iron Citadel on Empress Teta, and rode Basilisk war droids into combat. Over the course of Mandalorian history, a united Mandalore proved to be too powerful for any outside enemy to defeat. However, it was division amongst the Mandalorian people and ensuing infighting that always brought about their downfall.
War against the Jedi
Main article: Mandalorian-Jedi War "I know that these commandos fought in many wars, often against the Jedi." ―Obi-Wan Kenobi The Mandalorian crusaders' expansion eventually brought them into conflict with the Jedi Order and the Republic they protected. According to ancient songs, Mandalore the Great, who held the title of Mand'alor, was involved in the conflict. Their first confrontations with the Jedi Knights took the Mandalorians by surprise: their use of the Force and the powers it granted them was a challenge that they had never seen before. However, the prideful nature of the Mandalorians would not allow that disadvantage to stand, and they began to devise ways to overcome the powers of the enigmatic Jedi. The result was a major advancement in the development of Mandalorian technology, specifically their arsenal and their infamous armor. They also developed a fighting style that combined their entire arsenal and skills to allow them to counteract the Jedi's supernatural abilities. With these new technologies, the Mandalorians began to win their share of conflicts with the Jedi, and their warriors earned the reputation of being capable of confronting and defeating Jedi Knights. The generations-long conflict ensured an enmity that lasted for several wars and was remembered by the wider galaxy even millennia later during the Clone Wars. These clashes between the Mandalorians and the Jedi Order became immortalized through cubist murals displayed in Mandalore's capital city of Sundari and on the moon Concordia. Despite their near-continuous conflicts, the Mandalorians and the Jedi were not always in conflict. The most prominent example of this was when the Mandalorian-born Tarre Vizsla, founder of the powerful House Vizsla, was inducted into the Jedi Order as a child. True to his Mandalorian nature, Vizsla distinguished himself from his Jedi peers by creating a unique lightsaber: the Darksaber. At some point in his life, Tarre Vizsla became the Mand'alor, the sole ruler of Mandalore and a revered figure among his people. Following his death, the Jedi recovered the Darksaber and returned it to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Mandalorians later honored Vizsla by building a large statue of him on Mandalore to cement his legacy. During the last centuries of the Old Republic, the Mandalorians struck at the very heart of their enemies' power: members of House Vizsla infiltrated the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and stole Tarre Vizsla's Darksaber. They used the saber to conquer the entirety of Mandalore, and united the diverse houses and clans throughout their territory.
Resurrection
"Listen, Duchess. Do you hear the people? They cry out for change. Your weak-minded rule of Mandalore is at an end. The resurrection of our warrior past is about to begin!" ―Pre Vizsla, to Satine Kryze Unknown to the New Mandalorians, the Concordian governor Pre Vizsla revived the Mandalorian warrior culture as the Death Watch. Among the leadership of the group was Duchess Satine's sister, Bo-Katan Kryze, the leader of the Nite Owls, a group of elite female warriors. Death Watch began committing terrorist acts against the pacifist regime, including attacks on Mandalore, on a Republic cruiser, and on Kalevala, a planet in the Mandalore sector that had been colonized by Mandalorians. Vizsla longed to restore the warrior heritage of the Mandalorians, and conspired with Count Dooku of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Vizsla hoped the Republic would believe an intervention was necessary, so Death Watch could fight their invasion and be hailed by the Mandalorians as heroes. However, the plot failed, and the Galactic Senate rejected the Mandalore Defense Resolution. The outcasts of Death Watch fled to become mercenaries, constructing a base on Carlac. The group began plotting for revenge, allying first with Separatist senator Lux Bonteri to plot Dooku's downfall, and then with the renegade Sith Lord Maul's Shadow Collective to win back the support of Mandalore's people. However, after Vizsla betrayed Maul, Maul killed him and became Death Watch's leader, prompting Bo-Katan Kryze to rebel against him, forming the Mandalore resistance. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi investigated the coup, but was captured, and Maul killed Satine to spite him. Kenobi escaped and returned to inform the Galactic Republic; in the meantime, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, captured Maul and imprisoned him in the Spire on Stygeon Prime. Maul's Mandalorian super commandos proved to be loyal and freed him. Following the Siege of Mandalore, Bo-Katan was named Regent of Mandalore, leaving Maul's hold on Mandalore to collapse. Eventually, Kryze was ousted out by Clan Saxon when she refused to follow Emperor Palpatine, and the planet was ultimately occupied by the Galactic Empire. Meanwhile, the Protectors, who regarded Death Watch as traitors, not only assisted the Grand Army of the Republic in training clone troopers, but also aided the Republic during the war. Skull Squadron, a squadron of Protectors commanded by Fenn Rau, assisted the Republic by training clone trooper pilots and fought in the Third Battle of Mygeeto.
"Never get between a Mandalorian and a weapons package."
―Sabine Wren
Mandalorian armor struck fear in the hearts of many across the galaxy. During the Clone Wars, the Trandoshan big game hunter Garnac kept a Mandalorian Neo-Crusader helmet as a trophy. Boba Fett, a human male bounty hunter of Mandalorian heritage, wore armor inherited from his father Jango Fett, a famed Mandalorian bounty hunter raised as a foundling, keeping the memory of the Mandalorians alive well into the Galactic Civil War.[113] Jango's armor inspired those of the soldiers cloned from him, starting a design lineage that continued down to the stormtroopers of the First Order.
Following the Great Purge, the majority of the Mandalorians had been killed,[102] making them a rare sight in the galaxy. One group known as "the Tribe" survived and hid on Nevarro, but many were exterminated by an Imperial remnant. Afterward, Din Djarin was tasked with searching the galaxy for Grogu's species as their own clan. The Armorer and Paz Vizsla were able to regroup on Glavis Ringworld and eventually rejoin other survivors of the tribe on a planet.[106] The Mandalorian Aran Tal fought in the Hunters of the Outer Rim competition.[114] Several Mandalorian war banners decorated the entrance of Maz Kanata's castle on the planet Takodana.[115]
When The Empire Strikes Back was in pre-production, there was an idea for a squad of "supercommandos" from the Mandalore system armed with weapons built into their white suits.[116] The costume prototype was repainted for Boba Fett, and the idea of the Mandalorians was paid lip service to in The Empire Strikes Back novelization by Donald F. Glut. As mentioned in the novelization, the Mandalorians were now imagined as "a group of evil warriors defeated by the Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars."[117] Fett's popularity inspired a wealth of Expanded Universe literature about him, which assumed he and his father were Mandalorian like their armor.[source?]
When it came time to introduce the Mandalorians in season two of The Clone Wars, George Lucas and Dave Filoni looked at Mandalore in the Expanded Universe and decided to keep the broad strokes of their history.
Filoni wanted to give the Mandalorian people's appearance a "Nordic flavor." The Clone Wars art department looked at Fett's armor and translated its angles, particularly the diamond shape on the breastplate, into every aspect of the Mandalorian aesthetic. Filoni and Lucas felt it should be made clear that the ancient Mandalorians were an army, not a ragtag band of warriors wearing customized armor, so Death Watch would look uniform. (The decision also kept Boba Fett's armor unique.) Filoni hoped to eventually show how the Mandalorians became mercenaries who supplied Fett with his unusual armor. When Death Watch reappeared in season four's "A Friend in Need," the characters were given a greater variety of gear, lending them what Lucas described as a "biker gang feel."[118]
Before its cancellation, The Clone Wars was to depict the Siege of Mandalore. Writer Henry Gilroy said Mandalore was likely occupied by the Republic before it turned into the Empire. He speculated due to Mandalore's importance, it was likely a "soft occupation," with a new Mandalorian puppet leader ruling the planet. Star Wars Rebels has since confirmed that the Mandalorian named Bo-Katan Kryze became Regent of Mandalore following the Siege, and was deposed by Emperor Palpatine following the end of the Republic. The Siege was later depicted in The Clone Wars revival on Disney+.[119]
Non-canon appearances
•Rebel Raw Deal - LEGO Star Wars - Episode 10 on the official LEGO YouTube channel (backup link) •••LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Carving Up the Competition" •LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Mission to Mos Eisley" (In flashback(s)) •LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (DLC) •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Snowflake Snack" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "A Gift from Grogu" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Sandcastles with Grogu" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Scary Starship" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Trick-or-Treat" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Ghost Ship" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Gifting With Grogu" •LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Mandoween" •"Even a Mandalorian Needs Help" — •••LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Happy Celebration 45th Anniversary A New Hope" •"Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies"
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Nov 14, 2019 · Gar Saxon, loyal to the Emperor, destroyed a colony of Mandalorians on Concord Dawn to quell any potential uprising. Their deaths, coupled with Saxon betraying Clan Wren, led to a small, organized faction of insurgents on Mandalore itself. The armor-clad warriors fought for their planet as civil war erupted once again, this time against Clan ...
- Kelly Knox
Nov 13, 2019 · I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.Din Djarin Din Djarin, also known as "the Mandalorian," or simply "Mando," was a human male Mandalorian warrior during the era of the New Republic. With his Mandalorian armor, IB-94 blaster pistol, Amban sniper rifle, and distinctive beskar helmet, Djarin was both well-equipped and enigmatic—a stranger whose past was shrouded in mystery to ...
