What happened during The Siege of Mandalore?

If you’ve enjoyed watching The Mandalorian on Disney+, these glimpses through the central Mandalorian Din Djarin and later appearances by Bo-Katan Kryze, lore of Mandalore can beg questions about what happened to the planet itself.

The fate of the planet Mandalore can be traced back to The Clone Wars, and the events of The Siege of Mandalore were a key part of the seventh and final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The conflict itself is rooted in the Mandalorian Civil War, which ultimately culminated with The Siege of Mandalore.

What happened during The Siege of Mandalore?

The core conflict that built towards The Siege of Mandalore was the Mandalorian Civil War, which began when the Shadow Collective founded by rogue Sith Lord Maul worked alongside Mandalorian splinter faction Death Watch to take over the planet of Mandalore. This wasn’t a new goal for Death Watch, but the addition of Maul and his brother Savage Opress on their side ultimately shifted the tide.

The Shadow Collective overthrow the New Mandalorian government, and after their successful conquest, it was Maul who ultimately challenged Pre Vizsla, the leader of Death Watch, to a formal battle to determine who would be the ruler of Mandalore. Maul succeeded, taking over the planet which he still held control of when the Galactic Republic sided with local Mandalorian Rebels, including Bo-Katan Kryze, to attempt to reclaim control of their planet.

The mission to retake the planet led by Ahsoka Tano, Clone Commander Rex, and Bo-Katan Kryze was ultimately successful, and it resulted in the capture of Maul and the death of puppet leader Prime Minister Almec. Bo-Katan was made Regent of Mandalore, but the victory began to spoil quite quickly.

What happened to Mandalore after The Clone Wars?

While Ahsoka Tano and Clone Commander Rex were transporting the captive Maul to Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine, or Darth Sidious, issued Order 66. The execution of Order 66 caused all Clone Troopers to turn on former Ahsoka Tano, and ultimately Tano made the difficult decision to release Maul from imprisonment as a diversion for her to escape the attack by the soldiers that once served under her.

After Order 66 went into effect, the rise of the Galactic Empire began, and they eventually gained control and occupied the planet. They turned the New Mandalorians’ Royal Academy of Government instead into a local Imperial Academy to train cadets for their own military.

Bo-Katan Kryze refused to follow the orders of the new Galactic Empire, and Clan Saxon ultimately forced her out of power. While The Siege of Mandalore was technically a success, it was a hollow victory for the Mandalorian people that saw little good in the following years.