Sophia Michaels
The third season of “The Mandalorian” is set to take Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to a place he’s never been before: Mandalore, the home world of the Mandalorians. After removing his helmet multiple times, Din believes he must atone for a sin, and he now has possession of the Darksaber, which historically gives someone the ability to lead Mandalore and the Mandalorians who have always called it home. However, Mandalore is in ruins, mostly abandoned and decimated. So, what happened?
Mandalore first made its appearance in the “Clone Wars” animated series, which covers the time between “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.” At that time, the planet was led by Duchess Satine, who was trying to keep it out of the conflict between the separatists and the republic. But many of the Mandalorian people disagreed with her, believing that war and fighting — not pacifism — were key to Mandalorian culture. This led to a strong opposition from a terrorist group called Deathwatch, whose leader Pre Vizsla had the Darksaber. They eventually allied with the Sith Lord Darth Maul to take back the planet. However, the alliance between the two groups crumbled and Maul killed Pre and took the saber. Duchess Satine was also killed. Bo-Katan Kryze, Satine’s sister, then teamed up with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Republic to take back the planet. Bo-Katan was installed as regent, but she was eventually ousted by Imperial-backed forces.
The story picks up again in the “Rebels” animated series when Sabine Wren gets the Darksaber. She decides to give it to Bo-Katan so she can lead Mandalore once more. Unfortunately, the Empire strikes back and during the Great Purge of Mandalore they attack the planet and kill everyone there. Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls survive, but most Mandalorians perish and those left are now scattered throughout the galaxy.
Mandalorians usually live in different clans, identifiable by insignia on their helmets which are part of their armor. Traditionally, their culture focused heavily on fighting, but some have fought against that. Mandalorians also have a deep tie to the metal beskar, which they use to create their armor and sometimes weapons. Beskar is only found on Mandalorian worlds.
Yes, Mandalorians can be Jedi. The Darksaber itself was made by the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla. No other Mandalorian Jedi has ever been mentioned in Star Wars, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more.
