Mandalorian culture is engraved within the Star Wars lore, including connections with the Jedi Order itself. Who is this elite sect within a galaxy far, far away?
The planet of Mandalore is as storied a place as the capital of Coruscant, the sweeping deserts of Tatooine and the vast swamps of Dagobah. Mandalorian armor and symbols have become an iconic part of the Star Wars galaxy.
Younger fans have found a hero in a certain darksaber-wielding Lothal Rebel, and us old bantha farts still get the warm fuzzies when a certain unaltered clone says “As you wish.” Happiness is a cross-generational lightsaber battle, after all.
Fans of all ages are likely to find at least one Mandalorian they can identify with, and the hallowed warriors of Mandalore have good reason to be respected alongside the greatest of Jedi (or the most feared Sith lords). Strap on your jetpack backpack, bring along your Boba Fett mug and other tech toys because it’s time to learn about some of the canonical Mandalorians that made Star Wars what it is today.
The Mandalorian-Jedi War
A long, long time ago, the Mandalorian Crusaders fought back against the Jedi Order. Murals depicting these battles are scattered throughout their homeworld, most showing figures in the ancient armor of the Mandalorians wielding black blades and striking down Jedi and blaster-wielding foes alike. The Crusaders had no love for the limiting and idealistic views of the Jedi, and they often saw the Jedi “peacekeeper” role as one of a conqueror and invader.
Eventually, the Mandalorians pushed the Jedi off of their homeworld entirely using specialized fighting techniques, armor designed to deflect the blows of lightsabers and tools that included modified blasters, sonic repulsors, and jetpacks. Following the war, however, the tide turned against the ancient clan ideals and the concept of a single “Mand’alore” warrior-king.
Pacifists rose to power in the halls of Mandalore, and the warriors were exiled to a distant moon that had once seen use as a mining colony. This is where our list of notable, canonical Mandalorians truly begins.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Jango Fett
Most Mandalorian warriors follow the code of their ancestors. Most have a clan and their own set of values. Most would never consider letting their precious DNA be cloned into an army. Jango Fett is not most Mandalorians. The clanless “father” of Boba Fett, his unaltered clone, is also the genetic template for all of the clones in the Republic’s Clone Army.
Even though he dies at the hands of Jedi Master Mace Windu on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, Jango’s legacy lives on in those clone troopers. Jango’s own Mandalorian armor purportedly inspires clone trooper armor, and the look continues on to stormtroopers of the Empire and the First Order.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Satine Kryze
The Duchess Satine Kryze is the leader of the pacifist movement on Mandalore and serves as the political head of their government during their peaceful days between the Jedi war and the fall of Mandalore to Empire forces. Satine has a long history with the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, and both openly admit their feelings for one another during the Clone Wars animated series.
In one of the most tragic moments of the series, Darth Maul executes Satine before Obi-Wan’s eyes, ending her rule of Mandalore and punishing the Jedi for his earlier defeat of the Sith apprentice. Satine is one of the few spotlighted Mandalorians never depicted wearing the traditional armor of the clans.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Pre Vizsla
The leader of the exiled rebel warriors of the Death Watch during Satine’s rule, Pre Vizsla, is also head of Clan Vizsla. He obtains the fabled “darksaber,” a black-bladed energy sword often depicted in Mandalorian murals that serve as a symbol of authority amongst the warrior clans.
It is Pre Vizsla who works with the Separatists to undermine Satine’s authority, though he eventually becomes a pawn in the revenge plot spearheaded by Darth Maul and loses the respect of his warrior elite.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Sabine Wren
By the time of Star Wars: Rebels, the Mandalorians are truly a people divided. Many clans have chosen to serve the Empire, and others have fled to escape the Imperial rule of Mandalore. Showing an exceptional aptitude for weapons design, Sabine Wren joins the Imperial Academy and begins work on some genuinely breathtaking technology.
Her knowledge of the secrets of Mandalorian armor construction allows her to make tools specifically designed to bring down the rebelling factions of her people.
Mandalorian armor is more than ancient, reforged gear. It is a symbol of all the warriors who have ever donned any piece of it. Many warriors spend their lifetimes collecting lost bits of armor to craft their own version. Others spend years cleaning, preserving and protecting what they have found.
Sabine eventually rejects the Empire and becomes one of the Lothal Rebels, a decision that ultimately brings her back into the fold with her clan and her family. She obtains the darksaber after defeating the leader of the warriors of Concord Dawn but chooses not to lead the Mandalorians with it.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Bo-Katan Kryze
The sister of Duchess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan becomes Regent of Mandalore following the fall and capture of Darth Maul by his former Sith master. Her rule as Regent is exceptionally short, however, as she refuses to swear loyalty to Emperor Palpatine and is eventually forced into exile along with the remnants of the Death Watch and Clan Vizsla.
Bo-Katan and her Mandalorian rebels do not fight against the Empire as a whole, but rather against the Mandalorian clans that have become little more than a rocket trooper corps in service to the Emperor. This corruption of clan ways and honor sits very poorly with the clans that refuse to submit, and when she meets Sabine, Bo-Katan is inspired to become the leader the Mandalorians need. She wields the darksaber and leads her people in their fight against the subjugated clans.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Boba Fett
No discussion of the Mandalorian culture is complete without its poster child. The unaugmented clone of Jango Fett and the first of his warrior heritage to show up in Star Wars, Boba Fett is a hero to fans of all ages. Original trilogy fans remember him as the bounty hunter whose name struck fear into the heart of a certain scruffy-looking nerf herder. No disintegrations.
Fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars know him as the kid who hunted Jedi masters, learned from the best in the bounty hunting business and came away one of the most remarkable characters in the galaxy.
Wearing his father’s ancient armor, owing allegiance to no clan and trusting no clone, Boba Fett is a force to be reckoned with. He’s wise to smuggler tricks, knows how to get ahead of his foes, and isn’t afraid to try new ways of creating home decor out of smugglers who dump their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial starship. Boba Fett was the first, and arguably the greatest, of Mandalorians to grace Star Wars.
His legacy exists throughout the saga in more ways than one, and the banners at Maz Kanata’s castle show that we haven’t run out of Mandalorians to love yet.
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With the fate of Boba Fett hanging in the balance and the Lucasfilm story group just getting started telling stories and making TV shows and films; the Mandalorian culture is just beginning within the Star Wars canon.
Who knows, the Mandalorian history could be fully explored within a Boba Fett standalone film. We can only hope, right?