Beskar is important in The Mandalorian, but what’s the history behind this metal that’s so valuable to the Mandalorian people?
The Mandalorians are a unique clan of individuals that follow a creed and a culture that is not bound to the rules and codes of others around the galaxy. They originated on the planet Mandalore that was located in the Outer Rim territories. The group has always had an important history when it comes to the Jedi. They also maintain their traditions of creating their armor from beskar.
What is beskar metal?
Also known as Mandalorian steel, beskar is a rare alloy best known for being one of the few substances that a lightsaber can’t break through. It’s also known to receive minimal damage from blaster fire. As seen The Mandalorian “Chapter 9: The Marshal,”Din Djarin’s armor is also resistant to krayt dragon venom acid.
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The metal isn’t just used by the Mandalorians for their armor. It can also be forged into weapons including a superweapon created by Sabine Wren. More on that one later.
A brief history of beskar
According to the beskar page on Wookieepedia, the earliest the alloy has been used is 501BBY by the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders to forge their armor. Jumping forward a few hundred years, and the metal was used during the Clone Wars period. It even served a purpose for former Sith apprentice Darth Maul’s Shadow Collective.
During the final few months of the Clone Wars, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, was given an outfit (note: not armor) that was made from beskar when she joined Lady Bo-Katan Kryze’s Mandalorian resistance.
What can be forged from beskar?
If there was one thing the Mandalorians were good at, it was creating things from their beloved Beskar. Here’s a list of items forged from the metal:
- Armor
- Sabine Wren’s Arc Pulse Generator known as “The Duchess”
- Ahsoka Tano’s outfit given to her by Bo-Katan Kryze
- Other weapons including electrostaffs wielded by Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guards
Why is beskar so important to the Mandalorian people?
Beskar is known to be sacred to the Mandalorian people, though it’s not like they worship it in the creepy way the Ewoks did with C-3PO in Return of the Jedi. If the steel is taken from them, they can reclaim it, which is seen as a massive honor. Din was given bars of the alloy during season 1. It became a sign of him restoring his faith in the creed in which he was raised since he was orphaned during the Clone Wars.
The metal can be seen as the Mandalorian equivalent to kyber crystals which can mostly be used by Force-sensitives to create lightsabers. It is also taken as a form of payment as seen when Mando takes it when he picks up his bounty which turns out to be The Child (Baby Yoda).
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