Here’s your introduction to the Mandalorians, the popular group of bounty hunters and warriors that inspired the titular character of the popular Disney + show.
Every Star Wars fan knows of the importance that the Jedi and Sith contribute to the franchise’s mythology. But, there exists a third party that has likewise had a fundamental role in shaping galactic events. That group is the Mandalorians.
In anticipation of the second season of Disney+’s The Mandalorian we thought it would be a good time to provide a primer for fans to the people of this popular character.
Who are the Mandalorians?
Most fans might think that all Mandalorians are humans, but, they were actually a group of warriors whose members were connected by a common language and culture, rather than of a particular alien race or species. Specifically, what defines the meaning of being a Mandalorian can be found in the Resol’nare or “Six Actions” that are the central tenets of the Mandalorian culture.
However, most fans associate Mandalorians with their armor, which they call beskar’ gam or “Iron Skin”. In fact, this armor is so intrinsic to their identity that some of them believe that to remove even the helmet would be tantamount to committing sacrilege. This is especially true for those like Din Djarin who was a foundling, or war orphan that was adopted into the Mandalorian culture.
Their origins
Legends speak of the Mandalorian’s culture being traced back to an ancient species called the Taung, who were their progenitors. They were basically like a cross between Klingons and the Predator. These simian-like humanoids were indigenous to the planet Notron — the prehistoric name for Coruscant. The Taung’s nemesis on this ancient planet were the humans that formed thirteen battalions, or nations, known collectively as the Zhell.
The Taungs and the Battalions of Zhell waged war with one another for centuries. With their sworn enemy closing in for the kill the Taungs were saved by a volcanic eruption that nearly drove the Zhell to extinction. In the aftermath of the destruction, Notron was plunged into two years of darkness. The Taungs took this as a sign of their gods being in their favor, and in honor of this event renamed themselves, the Dha Werda Verda, that is, “Warriors of the Shadow”.
The Dha Werda Verda used this period of pandemonium to mount an offense against the Zhell and subjugate them underneath their rule. They managed to hold the upper-hand for a while until the Zhell gathered enough strength to usurp control over the Warriors of the Shadow and drive them off their homeworld.
For the next millennia these disgraced warriors wandered the galaxy as nomads before one of their own— Te’ Sol’ yc Mand’ alor — led his people to reclaim their place as conquerors. Gathering together his Crusaders, the Taung chieftain eventually found a suitable planet on the Outer Rim to become his people’s new homeworld.
Claiming this world for their own wasn’t without its challenges though. The planet’s apex predator was a colossal reptile rumored to have been about the size of a small city. This over-sized beast called a mythosaur was eventually displaced by the Taung as the dominant species. The planet itself was named Mandalore in honor of their leader. The Taung were then rechristened as the Mandalorians, or Mando’ade, “Children of Mandalore.”
Although the Taung were the original Mandalorians, this group would eventually come to encompass a multitude of species. Even so, humans would eventually become the dominant members of the Mandalorians, supplanting the Taung’s who were driven to near-extinction following the conclusion of the infamous Mandalorian Wars.
Mandalore and its houses/clans
The planet Mandalore is located on the Outer Rim territories of the Star Wars galaxy. Mandalore’s neighboring planets include Concord Dawn, Dathomir, Gargon, Krownest, and Shogun.
This planet was once a place of natural beauty, filled with a diversified ecosystem of lush green forests, majestic mountains, and pristine seas. But, millennia spent in wars, both civil and galactic, left the desolated surface of this planet transformed into a bleak, white sand desert. As a result of this desolation, the Mandalorians were forced to live in domed cities, like the capital Sundari.
The Mandalorians’ government was arranged similarly to Ancient Egypt’s with the Mand’alor or “Sole Ruler” at the top. Next in the hierarchy came the Protectors, who were considered the Mandalore’s royal guard. Below them were the political factions known as the Houses, which were in turn served by various clans, or families, that aligned to whichever House held their loyalties.
These clans included: Clan Eldar, Clan Kryze, Clan Rook, Clan Saxon (a clan of shifting loyalties), Clan Vizsla, Clan Wren (loyal to House Vizsla), and Clan Fett.
Opposing factions: New Mandalorians and Death Watch
Among the major houses were House Kryze and House Vizsla. Dutchess Satine Kryze belonged to the former and ruled the planet from the domed capital. Under her leadership, the new Mandalorians had rejected their old warrior ways, in place of a more pacifist ideology.
Opposing her faction was House Vizsla, who was governed by their leader Pre Vizsla. He and his fellow Mandalorians had been banished to the moon of Concordia for failing to adhere to the New Mandalorian’s non-violent direction.
Secretly, Pre Vizsla had formed a rogue faction called Death Watch, that sought to overthrow the Duchess’s government and replace it with one that honored the old Mandalorian spirit. To this end, he led several assassination attempts that were foiled by the Jedi. This eventually led Pre Vizsla to align with former Sith apprentice Darth Maul and his underworld cabal known as the Shadow Collective.
Maul helped Death Watch dethrone Dutchess Satine, but Vizsla’s victory was short-lived after the former invoked an ancient Mandalorian rite to challenge his leadership. Maul killed Vizsla in combat, essentially becoming the new Mand’alor, but this led to a fraction within Death Watch and thus two splinter groups were created. One, loyal to Maul, and the other — led by Dutchess Satine’s sister and Vizsla’s right-hand — Bo-Katan Kryze.
Another faction that emerged post-Rise of the Empire was the Imperial Supercommando’s led by former Maul and Vizsla associate, Gar Saxon. This group was enemies with Mandalore’s Protectors, led by Clone Wars hero, Fenn Rau.
The Great Purge
The Great Purge as we are told of in season one of The Mandalorian was a devastating event that occurred sometime during, or after, the Battle of Yavin — i.e., the original Star Wars film. It began after the Empire sought to strip the planet of its most precious resource, beskar, just as it had previously done with the kyber crystals of Jedha. The Mandalorians fought fiercely but were nearly wiped out by the Imperial war machine. In the aftermath of this annihilation, the survivors were forced into hiding. One of those surviving enclaves was The Tribe that Din Djarin belonged to.
It is also likely that Moff Gideon acquired the Darksaber — the artifact once belonging to the Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla, and symbol of the Mand’alor’s power — during this conflict. Hopefully, season two of The Mandalorian will answer this and some of the other nagging questions that fans have.
In the meanwhile, we will be going further into the Mandalorians history and providing you with more in-depth information about this fascinating group of warriors.
For more on The Mandalorian, keep up with Dork Side of the Force.