The history and culture of the Mandalorians is one of the most fascinating aspects of
the Star Wars universe and the saga's Mandalorian characters are among the most iconic in all
of science fiction. But just what makes them so special? This is the untold truth of the
Mandalorians.
Mandalorians originate from the Outer Rim planet of Mandalore. The planet's citizens
are divided into Houses and Clans that have often been at war with one another, despite
sharing a common creed and code.
But a person doesn't have to be born on Mandalore to be a Mandalorian since they often recruit
orphans from other worlds and teach them their way of life, including their culture, creed,
and code. The Mandalorian in the Disney Plus series was a foundling, having been adopted
into the culture when he was young a history that led him to take pity on the alien child
he had been tasked to retrieve in the show's early episodes.
And although Mando is human, Mandalorians can be any type of species. What ties them
together is their spoken language and their strict code. Realistically, virtually anyone
or thing can become part of the culture as long as they're willing to learn the way of
the Mandalorian.
"Reserve some for the foundlings."
"As it should always be. The foundlings are our future. This is the way."
Before the live-action series, Boba Fett was the most recognizable Mandalorian in Star
Wars... even though he isn't actually a Mandalorian at all. As Attack of the Clones makes clear,
he is actually a clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. While Jango taught Boba the ways
of the Mandalorian, he didn't grow up surrounded by the Mandalorian culture. It might sound
complicated, but Mandalorian director Dave Filoni and showrunner Jon Favreau cleared
things up in an interview with EW. Favreau said:
"Our guy is a Mandalorian, and we definitely explore the culture of the Mandalorian."
While Filoni added:
"Boba Fett is not Mandalorian, not born on Mandalore. He's more of a person indoctrinated
into it, into the way of life, and gets a hold of the armor."
Boba Fett is also a straight-up villain, being a bounty hunter who's in it only for his own
personal gain. And while Mando is certainly capable of lethal violence, it's clear the
direction of his moral compass is rather more complex.
It's mentioned in The Mandalorian that Mandalorians aren't as common as they used to be and that's
a real understatement. However, while the Empire wiped out most of the Mandalorians
in an event known as the Great Purge, in their heyday the Mandalorians were some of the most
feared warriors in the universe. They worked as bounty hunters and mercenaries, and were
ruled over by leaders who held the title of Mand'alor. Their violent tendencies quickly
drove them to conquer other worlds, including Concord Dawn, Jango Fett's supposed homeworld.
Eventually, the Mandalorians' warlike ways attracted the attention of the Jedi, and the
wars that ensued between the two went on for centuries. They came at a great cost, too.
In the final battle between the Jedi and the Mandalorians, a cataclysmic event transformed
the surface of Mandalore into an inhospitable desert, forcing the Mandalorians to abandon
war and focus on rebuilding. Eventually, the Mandalorians reconstructed their cities under
sealed domes, which protected citizens from Mandalore's harsh environment.
A civil war followed, during which Mandalore's warrior class waged battle against the New
Mandalorians, who advocated for peace. Ultimately, the New Mandalorians won, transforming Mandalore
into a pacifist society. Satine Kryze took over as the Duchess of Mandalore, and the
more militant factions were exiled to Concordia, one of Mandalore's moons.
During the Clone Wars, the pacifist Duchess Satine Kryze became the target for a series
of assassination attempts because of her beliefs. Obi-Wan Kenobi and the other Jedi dropped
their differences with the Mandalorians and came to the aid of Kryze, but their efforts
fell short against the Death Watch a terrorist group led by the Concordian governor Pre Vizsla.
Vizsla, who wanted to revive Mandalore's militaristic culture, teamed up with Darth Sidious' former
apprentice Maul to take over the planet. Kryze was overthrown, and when the dust settled,
Maul sat on the throne.
But Maul's reign didn't last long. On the eve of Order 66 and the destruction of the
Jedi Order, the former Padawan Ahsoka Tano and an army of clones traveled to Mandalore
to stop Maul and free the planet. The ensuing battle, known as The Siege of Mandalore, saw
Maul's regime come to an end and inadvertently paved the way for the Imperial occupation
of the planet.
As with all great empires, the Mandalorians lived by a kind of pyramid structure with
the most elite warriors at the top, and the least powerful at the bottom. On top of the
pyramid sits the Mand'alor, the leader of the Mandalorian people, who is guarded by
the Protectors upper echelon Mandalorian warriors who help to maintain balance and peace among
the people. Under the Protectors are the houses, which are made up of various clans who vied
for power over many centuries.
While these wars helped to make the Mandalorians some of the strongest fighters, in-fighting
was also one of the reasons the Mandalorian Empire fell from grace. Their lands were ruined,
the body count stacked up, and the Mandalorians gradually weakened over time. Nevertheless,
there's no arguing with the culture this fighting produced the warriors that continue the Mandalorian
tradition remain as formidable as any others, and tend to be virtually unbeatable in one-to-one
combat.
Most Mandalorians speak Basic, the universal dialect that links the Star Wars universe
together. But they do actually have their own language, too. It's called Mando'a, and
while it's not quite as rich some of the other fantasy languages out there, it's much more
fully developed than you probably realized.
Mando'a first appeared in Attack of the Clones, albeit only in written form, and went on to
pop up in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels being spoken out loud in
the Rebels episode "Legacy of Mandalore."
"Su'cuy aliit Wren. Ibic Sabine Wren. Ara'novor gedet'ye. Me'vaar ti gar?"
However, the language first started to take shape in the video game Star Wars: Republic
Commando, which features an old Mandalorian war chant called "Vode An," which translates
to "Brothers All."
From there, author Karen Traviss picked up the reins. Her novel Republic Commando: Hard
Contact includes an extensive Mando'a glossary, as well as grammatical factoids like the idea
that Mando'a is only spoken in the present tense since Mandalorians believe in what they
call a "living history."
Unfortunately, Hard Contact is no longer canon, and Traviss has even removed all of the supplemental
information about Mondo'a from her website. Still, a handful of Mando'a words can be found
in Fantasy Flight Games' tabletop RPG supplement, Collapse of the Republic as well as some other
tie-in materials, including the official Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge cookbook.
The famous Mandalorian armor might give them their iconic look, but it serves a far greater
purpose than just looking flash.
Made out of a rare substance called Beskar, Mandalorian armor is strong enough to repel
a lightsaber, and can easily withstand a blaster shot. In fact, it's one of the strongest alloys
in the galaxy. The insignia on each set of armor also reflects clan affiliation and pays
tribute to the fallen warriors of the past.
But Beskar isn't impervious to any attack. In fact, during the Imperial era, the Mandalorians
developed a weapon called the Arc Pulse Generator, which was capable of burning Mandalorians
to a crisp inside their own armor. Nicknamed "The Duchess," the Arc Pulse Generator was
later used by the Empire against the Mandalorians themselves.
The Mandalorian armor's ability to withstand a lightsaber has come in handy on more than
one occasion. This is because, while Obi-Wan Kenobi and other Jedi stepped in to help save
Kryze's Mandalorians during the Clone Wars, the Mandalorians and Jedi were once fierce
enemies. And sure, they lacked the ability to use the Force or obliterate their enemies
with lightsabers but the strongest Mandalorian warriors could easily go toe to toe with Jedi
Knights.
These differences didn't last forever, though. Jedi tend to be reasonable, and they prefer
to take the high road and make decisions that aid the greater good. And despite being masters
of combat, the Jedi code does call for peace above all else. When the Clone Wars roll around,
there's no longer quite as much hostility between the two cultures and by the time of
the Galactic Empire, the wars of the Jedi and the Mandalorians are pretty much ancient
history.
Of course, Beskar steel isn't the only weapon the Mandalorians developed to bring down their
Jedi opponents. In fact, many of the weapons often associated with Mandalorians were developed
specifically to fight their Force-powered foes while the Mandalorians' unique fighting
style evolved during their many clashes with the Jedi. As Dave Filoni explains:
"Their weapons, their arsenal, their technology had a massive increase once they collided
with the Jedi and found these Force-wielding people that had abilities they didn't understand."
Filoni didn't just make that up, either. Referring to the legendary Star Wars concept artist
who created Boba Fett's look, Filoni says:
"I've always believed that, because that seemed to be something that would be in the DNA of
the Joe Johnston designs of them as super commandos."
At any rate, the Mandalorians' efforts seem to have paid off. Obi-Wan Kenobi has enough
trouble standing his ground against Jango Fett on Kamino, or dealing with
the Death Watch in The Clone Wars. Taking on an army of Mandalorians in their prime
can't have been an easy task…even for the Jedi.
It's hard to imagine the Mandalorians and Jedi ever joining up together, especially
considering their troubled pasts. And given their rigid differences, it's even harder
to fathom the idea of Mandalorian Jedi but there's always an exception to every rule.
Tarre Vizsla was the first Mandalorian to be inducted into the Jedi Order. While he
joined the Jedi Order at a young age, he eventually became the Mand'alor of his planet a fitting
role for someone of his capabilities. Of course, every fearsome warrior in the Star Wars universe
deserves a distinctive weapon, and Vizsla was no different.
Hoping to bring together the best aspects of his two cultures, Vizsla built his own
version of a lightsaber, dubbed the darksaber. A weapon like that may have flown in the face
of everything the Jedi stand for, but it was perfect for Vizsla himself and ended up becoming
a legendary artifact of the Mandalorian people.
The darksaber soon became the symbol of House Vizsla. After Vizsla's passing, the darksaber
was kept in the Jedi Temple; and eventually, the members of House Vizsla took the black-bladed
saber back to their homeworld, and used it to unite the people of Mandalore.
The darksaber was passed down from generation to generation, and it eventually made its
way into the hands of Darth Maul. After that, the darksaber somehow came into the possession
of the Imperial Moff Gideon, who's seen wielding the legendary weapon during The Mandalorian's
season 1 finale.
Pairing Mando with Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian might have proven to be an act of genius for
the show's producers, but there's a very real reason why Mando in particular has a soft
spot for Baby Yoda.
"Stop touching things."
This is because the Mandalorians often take care of orphans and induct them into their
culture and, of course, Mando himself became an orphan when his parents were killed.
Since history tends to repeat itself, Mando rescued Baby Yoda, who's presumably an orphan
himself. It doesn't hurt that Mando has seen Baby Yoda's Force capabilities firsthand,
as Mandalorians are particularly prone to taking in orphans who show the power and a
willingness to fight which could be part of the reason why Mando goes back for Baby Yoda
in chapter 3.
So, under the code of the Mandalorians, Baby Yoda is now Mando's foundling. Just what that
really means for either character, however, is yet to be seen.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
movies are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.