Famous Mandalorians from the Old Republic through the Clone Wars era

7. DUCHESS SATINE KRYZE

Group Affiliation(s): Clan/House Vizsla, The Confederacy of Neutral Systems, The New Mandalorians, The Republic
Age: 38
Height: 5′ 8″ or 1.77 meters
Weight: A lady doesn’t tell
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Species: Human, Fair-skinned
Gender: Female
Homeworld: Kalevala

Occupation: Leader of the New Mandalorians, sovereign of Mandalore

Adversaries: Pre Vizsla, Death Watch, The Separatists, Shadow Collective, Prime Minister Almec, Maul

Relatives: Bo-Katan Kryze (sister), Korkie Kryze (nephew)

First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 2, episode 12, “The Mandalore Plot”

Character History:

The leader of the New Mandalorians, a pacifist faction of the Mandalorians, Duchess Satine Kryze ruled over Mandalore during the times of the Clone Wars (22-19 BBY). As a devout pacifist Duchess Satine sought neutrality for her and the New Mandalorians during this conflict.

However, that didn’t stop her from having enemies. As a matter of fact, her greatest adversary was a fellow politician, the governor of Concordia, Pre Vizsla. The governor’s people, who didn’t adhere to the New Mandalorian way, had been exiled to the nearby moon following the Mandalore Civil War. Joining them was Duchess Satine’s estranged younger sister, Bo-Katan, who also rejected the New Mandalorian’s pacifist lifestyle.

This banishment had instilled a deep resentment towards Duchess Satine and her people, which was exacerbated following the duchess’s appointment to head of the Council of Neutral Systems — a consortium of 1500 star systems that sought neutrality in the Clone Wars.

Both the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (Separatists) were displeased with Satine’s involvement, with the former believing that Mandalore was helping to build an army for the latter. This seemed apparent following an attack on a Republic cruiser by a terrorist dressed in Mandalorian armor.

The Jedi High Council concerned over this incident decided to send in Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate the matter. Kenobi, as it turned out, was a former love interest of Satine’s whom the two had met many years before during the great civil war on Mandalore.

Soon after Kenobi’s arrival, Pre Vizsla — joined by Bo-Katan and his other Death Watch cohorts — began launching terrorist attacks against Mandalore. This led to Kenobi and Satine on a series of adventures following several failed assassination attempts on the duchess’s life. Incidentally, these tense encounters caused their past affections for one another to be rekindled.

Pre Vizsla would later be exposed for his treachery and banished, eventually forming a new alliance with former Sith apprentice Darth Maul and their collection of underworld criminals called the Shadow Collective. Working with this cabal, Vizsla was successful in creating the perfect storm for removing the New Mandalorians confidence in their leader. This, in turn, led to Pre Vizsla taking power as the Mand’alor.

Later on, in an unexpected turn of events, Maul would seize control over Mandalore after violently deposing of Pre Vizsla in a deadly trial of combat. Maul’s ultimate victory, though, came when he viciously impaled Satine with Vizsla’s Darksaber in front of his old nemesis, Kenobi. Although the two of them had a long adversarial history, Kenobi was nonetheless caught off guard by his Maul’s sudden cruel act. Afterwards, with only a few brief moments of life left, Satine confessed her undying love for Kenobi. Then…she passed into the eternal light of the Force.

Although Maul had meant to use Satine’s death to turn Obi-Wan to the Dark Side, he failed, as the duchess had plead with him to resist. Afterwards, Obi-Wan would be rescued by Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls.

Satine’s impact on Kenobi gave him an inner-perspective after he sensed those same kind of feelings between his former padawan, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padme Amidala. Even though such feelings were discouraged by the Jedi, he nonetheless chose to remain supportive, rather than condemn his friend for this.

Powers/Skills: Duchess Satine possessed the diplomatic skills of a veteran politician, along with the iron resolve to stand firm in her cherished beliefs. She also had an analytical mind that was able to assess her surroundings and make quick decisions. Although she abhorred violence, Satine was adept at using a blaster pistol, and able to defend herself against a fully-armored Mandalorian in combat. She was also knowledgeable in flying aircraft, as well as driving speeder bikes.

Famous Inspiration: Many influences came together to create the character of Duchess Satine. One of the greatest inspirations for her character was actress, Cate Blanchett, which is evident in her physical appearance. Specifically, though, it was Blanchett’s performance as Queen Elizabeth I in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age that was the most inspirational.

Her character’s design came from unused illustrations by concept artist Ian McCaig from Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.