Mandalorian

Mandalorians are fictional people associated with the planet Mandalore in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. First conceptualized for The Empire Strikes Back as a group of white-armored "supercommandos", the idea developed into a single bounty hunter character known as Boba Fett. Although the term "Mandalorian" is never used in the films, the popularity of Boba Fett inspired an extensive number of works about Mandalorians in the greater Star Wars franchise.[1] The Clone Wars television series establishes the Mandalorians as a human people from Mandalore and nearby worlds with a strong warrior tradition. Mandalorian warrior characters also appear in the Rebels animated television series and in the live action web television series The Mandalorian.

This article is about the fictional group of people. For the television series, see The Mandalorian. For the series' title character, see The Mandalorian (Star Wars character).
Mandalorian
Star Wars race
Created byGeorge Lucas
Information
Home worldMandalore
Base of operationsConcordia, Concord Dawn system
LanguageMando'a, Galactic Basic

In Star Wars Legends, the name "Mandalorian" is associated with a multi-species culture of warrior clans who adhere to the tenets of the Mandalorians. Most of them are humans.

Creation and development

In production for The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston designed armor intended to be worn by soldiers described as super-commandos from the Mandalore system, armed with weapons built into white suits and known for battling the Jedi.[2][3][1] Initially, the soldiers were called Super Troopers and were intended to look alike.[3] The group eventually developed into a single bounty hunter character, Boba Fett, and the costume was reworked, but it retained elements such as wrist lasers, rocket darts, and a jetpack.[2][3] In a 1979 issue of Bantha Tracks, the newsletter of the Official Star Wars Fan Club, Boba's armor was described as that of the "Imperial Shocktroopers, warriors from the olden time" who "came from the far side of the galaxy" and are few in number because they "were wiped out by the Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars".[4]

Appearances

The backstory of the Mandalorians was first extensively explored in issues of Marvel Comics' original Star Wars series and various other Legends media, including comics by Dark Horse and video games by LucasArts.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) introduces bounty hunter Jango Fett, who also wore Mandalorian armor, and was the clone source of his adopted son Boba. More spin-off material explored Mandalorian lore, including the violent Death Watch sect. Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, in 2014, most existing spin-off material was declared non-canon. Only spin-off works produced after April 25, 2014, are part of the restructured canon,[5] including television series such as The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian.

Canon

Attack of the Clones introduces Jango Fett, who wore Mandalorian armor and was the genetic template for Boba Fett and the Republic's entire clone army.[6] Boba, along with other Mandalorians are depicted in the animated The Clone Wars television series; Duchess Satine Kryze is introduced as a previous romantic interest of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Death Watch sect is introduced as an ally of Darth Maul.

During Star Wars Rebels, a Mandalorian named Sabine Wren of House Vizsla discovers the Darksaber while fighting Darth Maul. With the Darksaber, she hoped to unite Mandalore and get her honor back after creating a weapon that would kill Mandalorians. Upon returning to Mandalore, she gained the support of her estranged mother Ursa. Sabine had differences as her mother turned to the Empire for support. Ultimately House Wren sides with Sabine. With the Darksaber, she rallies Clan Wren and takes arms against Clan Saxon, which has the backing of the Empire. However, the Empire lost its leader, Gar Saxon, who was killed by Ursa after being defeated in single combat by Sabine.

According to Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded (2015), the Mandalorians were seen as feared warriors that became mercenaries and bounty hunters. In The Mandalorian, they were known to have ridden the Mythosaurs, a beast of legend which is remembered through use of the image of its skull as a sigil or emblem. [7] In addition to Mandalore, the Mandalorians colonized other worlds such as Concord Dawn and Krownest by the time of Star Wars Rebels. The Mandalorians eventually came into contact with the Old Republic and fought their Jedi protectors. Upon seeing the Jedi's force abilities, the Mandalorians created gadgets, weapons and armor to counter Jedi abilities. Despite the animosity between the Mandalorians and the Jedi, Tarre Vizsla became the first Mandalorian Jedi. As a Jedi, Vizsla built the Darksaber and used it to unite his people as their Mand'alor.[8]

Legends

Literature

Mandalorians debuted in Marvel's Star Wars #68: "The Search Begins", which describes Boba and Fenn Shysa among the super-commandos, the official protectors of the planet Mandalore.[9] They are described as being two of three survivors of the Clone Wars, in which they fought for Emperor Palpatine.[10]

In Tales of the Jedi, set thousands of years before the original Star Wars film, the Mandalorians are a major military power who side with the Sith in their war against the Jedi, and their leader is manipulated by the Sith into triggering a war with the Republic. They are defeated with the aid of Revan and Malak, and Revan ensures a new Mand'alor, the sole ruler of the Mandalorian people, cannot rise. Their unity as a people dissolved, the Mandalorians develop into a culture of wandering mercenaries. Through instructions from Revan, as depicted in Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Canderous Ordo assumes the title of Mand'alor and reunites the warrior clans.[11]

Jango Fett: Open Seasons, set shortly before the Clone Wars, depicts the fighting between two factions: Death Watch, led by Tor Vizsla, and the True Mandalorians, led by Jango Fett's adoptive father Jaster Mereel and later Jango Fett himself. A ruse orchestrated by Vizsla tricks the Jedi into attacking and killing all of the True Mandalorians except Jango, but Jango eventually kills Vizsla and scatters Death Watch.

In the Republic Commando novels, set during the Clone Wars, Mandalore is an independent planet, although many Mandalorian warriors fight for the Separatists. However, a group of Mandalorians had also acted as training sergeants for the clone trooper army under the direction of Jango Fett, and many clone troopers practice Mandalorian customs and traditions. After the establishment of the Galactic Empire, the Mandalorian people are characterized as wary of and reluctant to aid the Empire but unwilling to declare open rebellion because Mandalore lacks the resources to wage war. However, Death Watch reappears and openly supports the Empire. The Empire wishes to mine the planet for its beskar, a blaster-resistant steel, and establishes a garrison in the capital. Mandalore and its people reappear again in the Legacy of the Force novels, set forty years after the original Star Wars film, where Boba Fett is convinced by his granddaughter Mirta Gev to assume the title of Mand'alor and again reunite the Mandalorian people.[12]

Video games

In the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Mandalorian leader (referred to as Mandalore) is the leader of the Mandalorian clans. Mandalorians are present in the sequel, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, where players can visit a Mandalorian base on a moon called D'xun. Mandalorians are also present in the MMORPG set after the two video games, The Old Republic. There is no mention of the planet "Mandalore" in the history of the Mandalorians. The adaptation of Boba Fett as a Mandalorian occurred in other parts of non-canon Star Wars lore.

Mandalore

Mandalore is the fictional home planet of the Mandalorian people, located in the Outer Rim in the sector and system of the same name.[13] It has an inhabited moon called Concordia, a mining settlement to which Mandalorian warriors were exiled.[14][15] Concord Dawn, located in the Mandalore sector,[13] is also the homeworld of Mandalorian characters including Jango Fett, and the base of operations for the Protectors.[16][17]

In The Clone Wars, Mandalore is largely uninhabitable desert, caused by a war with the Jedi that occurred before the timeframe of the series.[1][18] The New Mandalorian people built their cities, such as the capital Sundari, in large biodomes. The design of Sundari draws on Cubist elements, and murals located in the city mimic Pablo Picasso's Guernica. The concept of Mandalore as a "large desolate planet of white sand with these cube-like buildings" was developed by Lucas early in development for The Clone Wars season two. Lucas also wanted layers of glass incorporated into the design. Because Sundari did not look enough like a giant city, the production team developed it into a dome with cubes on it. Filoni noted that the desolate and barren appearance was "kind of a Moebius-influenced design". Filoni had the shapes of Boba Fett's armor worked into the windows and the design of the architecture, feeling that the shapes were "emblematic" and that the warrior culture was so strong it was embedded into the architecture.[19]

In Legends, Mandalore is the adoptive home planet of the Mandalorian people. The planet is originally inhabited by the Taung species, who rename themselves Mandalorian and originate the culture practiced by later non-Taung Mandalorians. Mandalore is largely sparsely populated wilderness,[20] and its capital city Keldabe is located on a river that acts as a natural moat. Keldabe is described as an "anarchic fortress" characterized by dissimilar architectural styles.[21][22]

Beskar in Mando'a, a form of Mandalorian steel, is a highly versatile, lightsaber-resistant metal ore unique to Mandalore and Concordia.

Language
The Mandalorian script as created for Attack of the Clones.

The written form of the Mandalorian language was created by Philip Metschan for the display screens of Jango Fett's ship Slave I in Attack of the Clones,[23] and it was later reused in The Clone Wars and Rebels.[24][25] Composer Jesse Harlin, needing lyrics for the choral work he wanted for the 2005 Republic Commando video game, invented a spoken form, intending it to be an ancient language. It was named Mando'a and extensively expanded by Karen Traviss, author of the Republic Commando novel series.[26]

Mando'a is characterized as a primarily spoken, agglutinative language that lacks grammatical gender in its nouns and pronouns.[27][28] The language is also characterized as lacking a passive voice, instead primarily speaking in active voice.[27] It is also described as having only three grammatical tenses—present, past, and future—but it is said to be often vague and its speakers typically do not use tenses other than the present.[27][29] The language is described as having a mutually intelligible dialect called Concordian spoken on the planet Concord Dawn, as stated in the Traviss' novels Order 66 and 501st,[30][31] and a dialect spoken on Mandalore's moon Concordia is heard in "The Mandalore Plot", a season two episode of The Clone Wars.[14]

gollark: Perhaps you're upside-down.
gollark: (via retrocausal predictive engines, we fire lasers through wormholes such that they assemble matter on the other end into computers etc.)
gollark: Try the "on" button.
gollark: Great, shipping by laser...
gollark: 641.

References
  1. Filoni, Plunket & Aron 2010.
  2. Johnston, Joe; Rodis-Jamero, Nilo (1980). The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-345-28836-3.
  3. Windham & Ling 2000, p. 39.
  4. Windham & Ling 2000, p. 45.
  5. "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  6. Lucas, George (Director) (2002). Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (Motion picture). Lucasfilm Ltd.
  7. Filoni, Dave (Director) (2019). The Mandalorian Chapter 1 (Television). Lucasfilm Ltd.
  8. Lee, Steward (Director) (2017). Trials of the Darksaber (Television). Lucasfilm Ltd.
  9. Windham & Ling 2000, p. 49.
  10. Duffy, Jo; Frenz, Ron (2015). Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years – Volume 2. New York: Marvel. pp. 602–3. ISBN 9780785193425.
  11. Rossenberg, Adam. "Canderous Ordo | Top 50 Star Wars Expanded Universe Characters". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  12. Rosenberg, Adam. "Mirta Gev | Top 50 Star Wars Expanded Universe Characters". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  13. Wallace, Dan (June 12, 2015). "Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Appendix" (PDF). StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  14. Hsu 2010.
  15. "Concordia". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  16. "Concord Dawn". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  17. Gilroy & Hopps 2016.
  18. "Mandalore". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  19. Filoni, Dave (March 16, 2010). "The Art of Mandalore". Star Wars Insider. No. 116. Titan Magazines. pp. 22–28.
  20. Traviss, Karen (October 27, 2009). Star Wars Imperial Commando: 501st. Del Rey. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-345-51113-3. Kyrimorut was so remote and hard to find in the thinly populated wilderness that made up most of Mandalore that Keldabe might as well have been on another planet.
  21. Traviss, Karen (October 27, 2009). Star Wars Imperial Commando: 501st. Del Rey. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-345-51113-3. One moment he was in a street that hadn’t changed in the best part of a thousand years, all time-twisted wooden frames and ancient plaster, and the next he was in the shadow of a stark industrial warehouse or a polished granite tower. Keldabe was an anarchic fortress of a city on a granite outcrop on the bend in the Kelita River, almost completely surrounded by the Kelita River, a natural moat that changed from picturesque calm to a torrent within a kilometer.
  22. Traviss, Karen (May 19, 2009). Star Wars Republic Commando: Order 66 (Reprint ed.). Del Rey. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-345-51385-4. Beneath the granite cliff, the Kelita River was busy cutting a ravine. [...] Alleys threaded between buildings so unalike and eccentric that it was clear the phrase Mandalorian town planning didn’t exist.
  23. "Holographic Artist: Philip Metschan". Lucasfilm. July 16, 2002. Archived from the original on 2004-10-22. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  24. "The Academy Trivia Gallery". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  25. "Visions and Voices Trivia Gallery". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  26. Bielawa, Justin (March 8, 2006). "Commando Composer: An Interview with Jesse Harlin". MusicOnFilm.net. Archived from the original on 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  27. Traviss, Karen (February 2006). "No Word for Hero: The Mandalorian Language". Star Wars Insider. No. 86. IDG Entertainment. pp. 25–26.
  28. Traviss, Karen (October 30, 2007). Star Wars Republic Commando: True Colors. Del Rey. p. 356. ISBN 978-0-345-49800-7. It was the same word for “mother” or “father.” Mando’a didn’t bother with gender.
  29. Traviss, Karen (February 28, 2006). Star Wars Republic Commando: Triple Zero. Del Rey. p. 341. ISBN 978-0-345-49009-4. I thought you Mando’ade lived only for the day. You even have trouble using anything but the present tense.
  30. Traviss, Karen (May 19, 2009). Star Wars Republic Commando: Order 66 (Reprint ed.). Del Rey. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-345-51385-4. It wasn’t Mando’a, but it was close enough for any Mandalorian to understand.
  31. Traviss, Karen (October 27, 2009). Star Wars Imperial Commando: 501st. Del Rey. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-345-51113-3. In Concordian, the Concord Dawn dialect of Mando’a, the phrase—brother, sister—sounded very similar.

Sources
  • Windham, Ryder; Ling, Josh (2000). Aurra Sing: Dawn of the Bounty Hunters. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-2912-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Filoni, Dave; Plunket, Killian; Aron, Joel (2010). Creating Mandalore (DVD). Lucasfilm. Event occurs at 0:20–1:52.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hsu, Melinda (January 29, 2010). "The Mandalore Plot". Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Season 2. Episode 12.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gilroy, Henry; Hopps, Kevin (January 27, 2016). "The Protector of Concord Dawn". Star Wars Rebels. Season 2. Episode 12.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Filoni, Dave; Plunket, Killian; Aron, Joel (2010). Creating Mandalore (DVD). Lucasfilm. Event occurs at 0:20-1:52.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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