Mandalore/Legends

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Mandalore was the fifth planet in the Mandalore system of the Outer Rim Territories, not far from the Hydian Way trade route. The homeworld of the multi-species cultural group known as the Mandalorians, the planet was known as Manda'yaim in the Mandalorian language, and was named after the legendary conqueror of the vibrant world, Mandalore the First. Mandalore the First's Taung warriors slew the indigenous mythosaurs and tamed the savage landscape, solidifying Mandalore's place as a powerbase and the center of Mandalorian space for millennia to come. Mandalore was covered in a rich natural landscape, largely unspoiled due to its sparse sentient population. The world was blanketed in lush veshok tree forests, dense jungle, sprawling hills and grassland well suited to farming, inhospitable deserts of white sand, and numerous rivers, lakes, and seas. It was also the only known world in the galaxy, with the exception of its moon Concordia, to possess the unique, nearly indestructible iron ore known as beskar, an element capable of withstanding blows from even a lightsaber.

An independent world ruled by the Mand'alor—the leader of all the Mandalorian clans, following the tradition established by Mandalore the First—the planet Mandalore found itself the ally and enemy of numerous galactic governments and groups throughout the years. Though largely abandoned by the early Mandalorian Crusaders, who continuously sought fresh conquests, Mandalore became the fallback point for many defeated Mandalorian Neo-Crusader warriors after the end of the Mandalorian Wars. With the rise of the pacifist New Mandalorian faction and their efforts to reform Mandalore's warrior ways, distancing themselves from the violent past after the disastrous events that lead to their formation, Mandalore was accepted by the Galactic Republic and was known as New Mandalore throughout the isolationist society that the New Mandalorians created. Originally neutral during the Clone Wars, after the New Mandalorian capital fell to the machinations of the Death Watch, the pacifist faction's influence dwindled. Later, when Mandalore the Resurrector came to power, the planet broke from the Republic and joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems against the oppressive Coruscant regime, only to come under the heel of the Galactic Empire following the end of the Clone Wars.

With the fall of the Empire, Mandalore began a steady period of recovery up until the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of the galaxy, and the devastation the extragalactic invaders wrought upon Mandalore. The resilient world did not yield to the Vong's attempt at destruction, however, and by the Second Galactic Civil War, Mandalore was in the midst of a prosperous resurgence brought on by the discovery of fresh lodes of beskar iron that had been exposed during the Yuuzhan Vong attack. Mandalore suffered an attack by elements of the Imperial Remnant loyal to the Sith Lord Darth Caedus near the war's end, yet persevered, continuing to grow and developing ties with the Verpine and the Galactic Alliance. Under the leadership of Mand'alor Yaga Auchs, the Mandalorians withdrew from the Sith–Imperial War and remained on Mandalore throughout the Second Imperial Civil War, focused on bettering their world.

Description

Mandalore was located in the region of the galaxy known as the Outer Rim Territories,[1] near the Hydian Way trade route,[4] where it occupied the fifth orbit of the Mandalore sector's cognominal Mandalore system, between the orbits of Kalevala and Mandallia. It sat at the end of the hyperspace lane known as the Mandalorian Road, an ancient route that connected Mandalore with the planet Corsin in the Inner Rim. A terrestrial world spanning nine thousand, two hundred kilometers in diameter,[1] Mandalore possessed standard gravity[11] and two moons,[1] including the one time mining base and agricultural center, Concordia.[2] Unique to Mandalore and the Concordia moon was beskar iron ore, a nearly indestructible metal capable of withstanding blows from even a lightsaber, and used by Mandalorian metalsmiths to forge armor, weapons, and starships.[3][13] A year on Mandalore comprised three hundred and sixty-six days, and each day was made up of nineteen hours.[1] Mandalore possessed a breathable atmosphere, and a climate that varied by region.[11]

Before the rise of the Mandalorians, Mandalore was dominated by the gigantic mythosaurs. The enormous beasts were said to rival cities with their size,[14] but when the Taung warriors arrived on Mandalore, they set to slaughtering the creatures as part of their conquest of the new world, leaving only their massive skeletons behind to bleach in the light of Mandalore's sun.[1] Native veshok trees covered much of Mandalore's northern hemisphere,[11] such as the Olankur region of its northern continent,[5] forming a dense forest that stretched nearly as far as the polar ice caps.[11] Winters in the north of Mandalore often saw significant snowfall, and bitter cold temperatures.[8] The herbivorous animals called shatuals could be found living within the veshok forests, as could the intelligent, six-legged strills that preyed upon them for food.[11] Tall, long-lived galek trees with their silver-colored leaves were also a common sight on Mandalore, as were the golden amber ferns that grew in and around galek groves.[14] Wild mushrooms were known to grow on and around Mandalore's trees,[15] and a number of a serpentine rawl could be found in the Mandalorian wild,[7] transplanted from their natural habitat on Naboo.[16]

Forty-five degrees north of Mandalore's equator, atop a flat granite hill nestled along a bend in the kilometers-long Kelita River, sat the city of Keldabe.[4] Since at least 3960 BBY, Keldabe had served as the capital of Mandalore, and the center of government for much of Mandalorian space.[1] However, following the foundation of the New Mandalorian faction, the reformist sect declared the domed city of Sundari, located in one of Mandalore's expansive[17] and inhospitable[18] white-sand desert regions, to be their capital.[12] Positioned out on the flat desert plain,[2] Sundari was constructed over a large, active beskar mine,[19] surrounded by sand and the giant cube-cities[2] built by the innovative builders of the New Mandalorian people who rejected the ways of Mandalore's warrior clans.[17] Keldabe, however, found itself surrounded by woodland and the waters of the Kelita,[4] along with gentle green hills that spread outward to fertile grassland the more agriculturally-minded Mandalorians took advantage of for farming.[3] Keldabe boasted two of Mandalore's most renown landmarks, the hundred-meter-tall tower of the MandalMotors company headquarters,[4] and the Oyu'baat hotel and tapcafe, one of the oldest establishments on the planet.[11] With no formal palaces or offices among the warrior clans, the Oyu'baat was also an informal meeting place for the Mand'alor and clan chieftains, making it the unofficial center of Mandalore's clan-based government until 40 ABY, when this role was shared by the newly established community building, MandalMotors Hall.[3]

Other cities and settlements littered Mandalore's surface, including the Keldabe suburb of Bralsin near the Kelita valley,[6] and the small town of Shuror.[5] Most of Mandalore's settlements were built within a heavy fortification that contributed to the ease with which they could be defended from potential invaders. An example of such a settlement was the hill-fort town of Norg Bral,[14] home to several members of Clan Bralor.[3] The water supply to these settlements was provided by lengths of pipelines and deeply-dug wells, often making use of both to ensure the certainty of available water.[6] Further south and away from Keldabe, Mandalore's tropic regions boasted warmer weather and was where varos fruit could be found growing.[5] Roads on Mandalore were rarely straight, designed so as to grant Mandalorians the advantage in ambushing and pinning down hostiles as they traveled.[3] Traditional dwellings known as vheh'yaime—made from wood, woven vines, and matted mud—were a common choice for the homes of Mandalore's warrior clans[9] and numerous vheh'yaime of varying sizes could be found across Mandalore.[6] Due to the varied nature of the different species and backgrounds that comprised the greater Mandalorian people,[3] the architecture of Mandalore differed greatly depending on the region and that area's particular inhabitants, from towers of transparisteel[12] and granite, to durasteel,[5] and even tree-bound abodes.[6]

History

Early history

"After being driven from ancient Coruscant, the Taungs relocated to Roon and then wandered the Outer Rim, leaving hints of their passage in various species' chronicles and histories. But they attracted little notice until they conquered Mandalore around 7000 BBY."
―Vilnau Teupt[20]

Mandalore was once a wild and savage world,[1] uninhabited by sentients, where the dominate life forms were the gigantic mythosaurs.[13] That all changed with the arrival of the Taung. Forced from the planet Coruscant in the Core Worlds long before the foundation of the Galactic Republic by the Human Battalions of Zhell, the Taung fled to Roon, before arriving at the Outer Rim world they came to call Mandalore circa 7000 BBY. In honor of their leader, Mandalore the First, the Taungs named the world Manda'yaim,[1] or "home of the Mand'alor,"[21] which was later transliterated as Mandalore in Galactic Basic Standard. Similarly, the Taungs recast themselves as the Mandalorians,[22] or Mando'ade: "sons and daughters of Mandalore."[23] The newly branded Mandalorians set to taming their new world, and in the process slaughtered the enormous mythosaurs, leaving only their skeletons behind.[1] Mandalore became the home of fierce clans of masked Taung warriors led by a single warlord who always adopted the name Mand'alor,[14]—a title which meant "sole ruler" in the Mando'a language[21]—after Mandalore the First. But a single new planet was not enough for the Mandalorian Taungs who craved fresh conquests, and though Mandalore remained the center of what was to become Mandalorian space, it was largely abandoned by the time of the Great Sith War in 3996 BBY, as Mandalore the Indomitable led the clans outward as Mandalorian Crusaders to bring new star systems under Mandalorian control.[1]

The attacks of the Crusaders only intensified as time passed,[1] and though Mandalore the Indomitable fell in battle while engaging the Republic's military with the Brotherhood of the Sith[24] Mandalore the Ultimate quickly replaced him. The new Mand'alor, believing the fabled "Great Last Battle" to be at hand,[13] turned back to the planet Mandalore at the behest of his advisor, Cassus Fett, for his new army. There on the Mandalorian homeworld existed the unorthodox warrior sect known as the Neo-Crusaders. These warriors deviated from the Crusader norm by wearing identical suits of armor and implementing a more rigid chain of command. Following Fett's advice, Mandalore the Ultimate made the Neo-Crusaders the backbone of his new army, and by the time he had instigated the Mandalorian Wars with the Republic, Neo-Crusaders comprised most of Mandalore's warriors.[25] As the Neo-Crusader army conquered more and more worlds, the planet Mandalore became the center of a Mandalore sector that stretched across the majority of the galaxy's northern quadrant.[1] Mandalore the Ultimate's endeavors were doomed to failure, however, and when the Jedi Knight Revan slew the Mand'alor in single combat at Malachor V, the Mandalorian Wars were brought to a swift end. With no purpose, many defeated Mandalorians turned to lives as mercenaries, bounty hunters, and even bandits, while others returned home to Mandalore.[26]

Thousands of years later, during the period known to history as the Republic Dark Age, an epidemic of the Candorian plague spread across the galaxy. One of many worlds struck by the plague,[20] Mandalore was devastated by the deadly illness.[27] Furthermore, a weakened Mandalore sector had come under attack by raiders from the lawless regions of space that surrounded it to such a degree that Mandalorian vessels were forced to form defensive caravans in order to move about. When the veteran mercenary Aga Awaud returned home to Mandalore 1058 BBY to discover most of his clan had perished to the plague and Mandalorian space was under siege from outlaws, it wasn't long before he took up the then-vacant role of Mand'alor. In a move to stem the chaos before him, Awaud began a movement that came to be known as the Return, calling upon Mandalorians living throughout the galaxy to rally to the defense of Mandalorian space. Awaud's efforts were ultimately successful, allowing Mandalore to not only survive the tumultuous era, but flourish, becoming a regional industrial power and a symbol of much-needed stability in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories.[20]

War and reformations

In the years following the Galactic Republic's defeat of the Brotherhood of Darkness at Ruusan, and the subsequent Republic reformation that marked the end of the New Sith Wars, the Mandalorians on Mandalore pushed to remake themselves into a more technologically adept and more rigid, militant society. The rise in Mandalore's militancy so soon after the devastating war with the Sith alarmed both the Republic and its Jedi protectors,[1] and while several clan leaders urged Mandalore to make peace and join with the Republic, they were summarily shouted down. Unwilling to suffer through a second war with the Mandalorians, in 738 BBY the Jedi led a Republic strike force in a brief and overwhelming conflict known as the Mandalorian Excision that brought devastation to the Mandalore sector,[20] and transformed parts of Mandalore[17] into inhospitable[18] deserts of white sand.[17] Out of this disaster arose a pacifist sect calling themselves the New Mandalorians; the reformist political faction formed from the remnant of the pre-Excision peace movement renounced violence and the warrior codes of Mandalore's past,[20] in what they believed to be an effort to save Mandalore and survive in a hostile galaxy. Instead, the New Mandalorians preached peace, neutrality, and tolerance. They used their talents as builders and inventors to create grand cube cities in Mandalore's desert, forging a new society isolated from Mandalore's warrior clans,[1][17] on the planet they deemed "New Mandalore."[28]

The New Mandalorians' dedication to peace, their love of advanced technology,[17] and the wealth of beskar afforded to them by Sundari's mines,[19] allowed for the pacifist sect to claim ascendancy over the scattered, squabbling warrior clans on Mandalore for centuries,[1] and for the first time in the planet's history[14] Mandalore was welcomed by the Republic, and offered representation in the Galactic Senate.[2] In spite of this, a significant number of Mandalorians continued to live much as they had for generations, continuing their warrior traditions in locations such as Keldabe.[11] These traditional practitioners came to be known as "Old Mandalorians,"[19] the Aka'liit, or in some cases, the "Mandalorian Faithful." Among many of the so-called Faithful, the New Mandalorians were, in turn, deemed the Faithless, for turning their backs upon the Mandalorians' cultural heritage.[29]

The year 60 BBY[26] saw the ascension of Jaster Mereel to the role of Mand'alor. Born on the planet Concord Dawn, Mereel served as a member of the world's law officers known as the Journeyman Protectors until his strong moral code drove him to kill a corrupt superior officer; Mereel was exiled from Concord Dawn as punishment for his own crime, and joined the Mandalorian culture soon after. Having noticed many Mandalorians' dissatisfaction with the wide-spread savagery that had become prevalent in certain warrior circles, Mereel hoped to hold the Mandalorians to a higher standard of behavior. As Mand'alor, Mereel instituted the Supercommando Codex, a new behavioral guideline influenced by Mereel's own moral ideals, in which Mereel decreed that any Mandalorians who wished to fight would be merely highly-paid soldiers, and should conduct themselves as honorable mercenaries. Mereel was opposed in this effort by a number of amoral Mandalorians who resented Mereel for his attempts to rein in their lifestyles of unaccountability.[13] These malcontents rallied to a barbaric[30] Mandalorian soldier named Tor Vizsla,[1] and therein formed a splinter group known as the Death Watch with Vizsla as their leader,[13] a Secret Mandalore in opposition to Mereel, who pledged to destroy the New Mandalorian regime,[29] and return the Mandalorians to their ancient roots as conquerors and raiders, with the ultimate goal of instigating another war of galactic conquest.[13] Around this time, Chieftain Nam Beroya departed Mandalore with numerous members of Clan Awaud, having grown disillusioned with the divisive politics that were overtaking Mandalore, instead seeking a simpler way of life for him and his clan.[19] Civil war soon broke out between the Death Watch and Mereel's loyal supercommandos—now calling themselves the "True Mandalorians"—while the New Mandalorians kept to their ideals of pacifism and non-violence, rejecting both groups and remaining out of the conflict.[1]

In spite of its philosophical and ideological importance to the Mandalorian people, the war had was fought between two relatively small factions of soldiers, in what was seen by some as little more than a common power struggle. Mandalore's full-time army was swallowed by the conflict, along with several prominent clans, but it scarcely touched Mandalorians living off-world, even those in the surrounding Mandalore sector.[5] Jaster Mereel was eventually killed by Tor Vizsla on Korda Six, though command of the True Mandalorian army and the role of Mand'alor was taken up by Mereel's surrogate son, Jango Fett. Waged on several non-Mandalorian worlds, the tide of the civil war slipped back and forth in favor of either side until the disastrous battle on the planet Galidraan, where the schemes of the Death Watch allowed for a misled Jedi strike team to kill the True Mandalorians, all but Jango Fett, who was taken into custody by the Jedi and delivered to the Governor of Galidraan, who subsequently sold Fett into slavery. Though Fett was able to escape his unjust captivity and take his revenge on Vizsla,[30] his losses and time in captivity made Fett a bitter man, and though he was still Mand'alor, he grew distant from the Mandalorian people.[11]

With opposition from the True Mandalorians removed, the Death Watch sought to take advantage of growing hostilities on Mandalore between feuding clans with their loyalties divided. As open war erupted, Death Watch made attempts to garner support from the populace to overthrow the New Mandalorians, but the bloody conflict that became known as the Great Clan Wars harmed their cause as much as any other, and the splinter group suffered notable losses to the fighting.[29] This second civil war divided clans and pitted family members against one another,[12] leading to the death of a great many Mandalorians,[31] and seeing further devastation incurred to Mandalore in addition to the scars of the centuries-old Excision. The Death Watch ultimately failed to unseat the New Mandalorian regime, while the majority of the chieftain warlords responsible for the conflict either joined the New Mandalorians, weary of war, or went into exile on Mandalore's moon, Concordia.[12]

Clone Wars

The New Mandalorian coup

"Listen, Duchess. Do you hear the people? They cry out for change. Your weak-minded rule of Mandalore is at an end."
―Pre Vizsla, speaking to Duchess Satine Kryze[32]

Nearly two years since their last attempt to wrest power from the New Mandalorians, the Death Watch returned to Mandalore at the same time Sundari came under attack by a contingent of criminals known as the Shadow Collective.[12] As the foot soldiers of Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Hutt Cartels terrorized Sundari, Death Watch presented themselves to the New Mandalorian people as saviors. In truth, however, Death Watch was in collusion with the Shadow Collective, having struck a deal with the criminal alliance's leaders, the Sith Lord Darth Maul and his apprentice Savage Opress, wherein the outlaws would sow chaos and disorder throughout New Mandalorian territory, only for Death Watch to appear to come to the people's rescue and win public favor. Across Sundari and the New Mandalorian-held cities of Mandalore, Death Watch beat back and arrested the criminal members of the Shadow Collective in staged battles, making a display of the ineffectiveness of Duchess Satine Kryze's leadership, before finally confronting the New Mandalorian leader in her palace throne room. With the will of the people turned to support him, Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla deposed Kryze, imprisoning the duchess and her council of ministers,[32] before finally installing himself as the new Prime Minister and claiming the title of Mand'alor of the New Mandalorians.[12]

His goals met, Vizsla turned on his Sith allies, imprisoning both Maul and Opress in the same facility where the New Mandalorian government's officials had been incarcerated. Unbeknownst to Vizsla, Darth Maul had anticipated and planned for such a betrayal, allowing himself to be captured so that he might find a more malleable replacement for Vizsla as puppet ruler of the New Mandalorians. Within the prison, Maul came across the former Prime Minister Almec, who was willing to side with the Sith in order to escape prison and regain his lost standing. Breaking free of their confines, Maul stormed the Royal Palace with his apprentice and Almec in tow, where he challenged Vizsla to single combat for the right to rule.[32] Bound by honor to the ancient warrior codes he sought to reinstate,[12] Vizsla battled Maul in a furious duel through the throne room, finally losing to Maul when the Sith Lord decapitated him.[32]

Though Maul had won leadership of Death Watch in accordance with the old ways the group venerated, a unit of soldiers loyal to Vizsla's lieutenant Bo-Katan refused to concede leadership to a non Mandalorian.[12] The breakaway group fled the palace amidst a heated firefight, and moved to rescue the imprisoned Duchess Kryze. While Kryze was apprehended shortly after the Death Watch renegades' escape attempt, she had succeeded in contacting the Jedi Temple with news of the coup, bringing Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to Mandalore on a mission to save Kryze shortly thereafter. Kenobi's rescue attempt fared no better than Bo-Katan and her troops', and Kryze was slain by Maul in order to cause her former lover, Kenobi, anguish. In spite of their inability to rescue the duchess, Bo-Katan and her warriors freed Kenobi from Maul's Death Watch loyalists, and rushed the Jedi Master out of Sundari and off of Mandalore in the middle of a battle between the two Death Watch factions. Concurrently, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious arrived on Mandalore, upon having sensed the whereabouts of his one-time apprentice, Darth Maul. In the Sundari palace, Sidious faced off against Maul and Savage Opress in a duel to settle a breach of the Sith Order's Rule of Two, eventually killing Opress and subduing Maul for his own future purposes.[33]

The balance of power shifts

The New Mandalorians were not the only citizens of Mandalore to fall upon hard times during the Clone Wars. Having been marginalized by the Republic, much of Mandalore had grown impoverished and in need of funds. This was the climate into which stepped Spar—the former Alpha-class ARC trooper who fled Kamino and deserted the Grand Army before the start of the Clone Wars—when he arrived on Mandalore.[13] Encouraged by clan chieftain Fenn Shysa, who spread rumors that Spar was the son and heir of Jango Fett in order to capitalize on Fett's reputation as a Jedi killer,[11] Spar took up the vacant position of Mand'alor. Determined to rebuild a new army of Mandalorian supercommandos in the image of the fallen True Mandalorians, Spar found many willing recruits among the ranks of the local police, and his growing Mandalorian Protector army even attracted nearly a dozen former members of the Death Watch.[22]

Spar and the Protectors won control of Mandalore, and Spar took the sobriquet "Mandalore the Resurrector" as an indication that the traditions of the warrior clans had regained supremacy.[1] The new Mand'alor brought the planet over to the side of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, viewing the Republic as a corrupt oppressor, and seized the production facilities of MandalMotors in Keldabe for the Confederacy's exclusive use.[13] Once Mandalore was on the side of the CIS, the ranks of Spar's Mandalorian Protector army were supplemented by one thousand BL-series Battle Legionnaire droids, partially designed by Fenn Shysa,[22] and supplied by the Confederacy's droid foundries.[34] Setting out from Mandalore, the Mandalorian Protectors entered into the Clone Wars as a Confederate shock force. Confederacy commanders called upon the Protectors to deal with stubborn Republic opposition that their mass-produced battle droids could not overcome; once the Protectors arrived on the battlefield, the enemy was often defeated in under a day.[22]

They stormed planets such as New Bornalex, New Holstice, Null, and Zaadja,[22] until finally being assigned to capture Senator Padmé Amidala on Norval II, a task given to them by the shadowy Darth Sidious on behalf of the CIS. Once on Norval II, the Protectors were overwhelmed in a surprise Republic ambush orchestrated by Sidious' alter-ego, Chancellor Palpatine. Nearly all of the Protectors' Battle Legionnaire droids were destroyed and the Mandalorians killed, all except for Fenn Shysa, Tobbi Dala, and Mand'alor Spar himself. After the devastating defeat,[13] the three returned to Mandalore,[11] where a shell-shocked Spar stepped down from being Mand'alor,[13] though Shysa made repeated unsuccessful attempts to get the ex-Mand'alor to resume his post.[11]

As the Clone Wars came to an end, the Galactic Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, under the newly crowned Emperor Palpatine.[35] Despite Mandalore's role in the Confederacy of Independent Systems late in the war, the fledgling Empire granted the planet amnesty, and even offered Mandalorians paying mercenary work[11] as part of the Jedi purge Palpatine had initiated.[5] The Imperials were also interested in purchasing land on Mandalore where they could establish a garrison as a base of operations for the surrounding quadrant. The clans met, and finding the Empire's offer to be generous, they agreed to a temporary lease of land near Keldabe.[11] The Imperials moved into what became known as the City of Bone, a failed amusement park designed by an enterprising Mandalorian to look like a giant mythosaur skeleton, in the hopes of attracting adventure tourism to Mandalore.[5] At the same time as the Empire began to move onto Mandalore, Fenn Shysa acquiesced to popular opinion and accepted the position of Mand'alor.[11]

During this time, Mandalore became a haven for numerous clone troopers of the former Republic, who had deserted from their positions in the Grand Army for the promise of a life of freedom. This underground movement was centered around Kyrimorut, home of the former Cuy'val Dar clone trainer Kal Skirata and his clan.[11][6] However, clone deserters were not the only increased presence on Mandalore during this period. In the aftermath of the New Mandalorians' fall and the dissolution of the Shadow Collective, elements of Black Sun moved to fill the void the fleeting criminal contingent had left. The syndicate established a known presence on Mandalore's moon, Concordia, and Tyno Fabris—lieutenant to the Black Sun Vigo Xizor—took up residence in Keldabe, where the Arkanian gangster worked out of an office in the Oyu'baat cantina. Around 18 BBY, the Jedi Knight Jax Pavan traveled to Mandalore in search of information on the whereabouts of a friend taken by the Empire. He met with Fabris at the Oyu'baat on multiple occasions, eventually acquiring the information he sought after making a deal with Fabris' superior, Vigo Xizor.[36]

Imperial occupation

Though the Empire's relationship with Mandalore was cordial at first—offering large sums for mining rights in the beskar-rich Tokursh region of the planet, and brokering starship contracts with MandalMotors[5]—by the start of the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial grip on the Mandalorian homeworld had tightened harshly.[13] Aided by elements of the reborn Death Watch, operating on Mandalore under the leadership of Lorka Gedyc,[5] Imperial advisers were installed on MandalMotors' executive board, accumulating power in the name of the Empire. One such adviser, known as the Suprema,[13] confiscated the traditional armor of Mandalore's citizens,[22] and instituted a massive slaving operation that sent a large portion of Mandalore's population into chains.[13] These slaves were used by the Empire to operate factories contributing to the Imperial war effort, and to aid the Imperials' endeavors[15] to strip-mine Mandalore of valuable beskar ore.[3] The Empire also established an Imperial Academy on Mandalore.[19]

It was during this time that the criminal organization run by the crime lord Tyber Zann engaged in a mission to Mandalore, successfully kidnapping the being known as the "Supreme Strategist." His pirates were also responsible for several raids on facilities owned by Mandal Hypernautics, carried out in order to convince the Mandalore-based company to supply his organization with their ships and war machines.[37]

Members of Fenn Shysa's Mandalorian Protectors assault the Imperials within the City of Bone.

Against the Imperial occupation, Mand'alor[5] Fenn Shysa covertly trained a new iteration of the Mandalorian Protectors. Without the widespread availability of Mandalorian armor or weaponry, Shysa instructed his new army in guerrilla tactics as an insurgent force.[22] Shysa and Tobbi Dala,[15] the only other surviving member of the original Mandalorian Protectors beside Spar,[13] led numerous raids on slaver operations, rescuing Mandalorian slaves from their Imperial captors, and disappearing before the Empire could strike back, tactics which made use of the Protector's familiarity with Mandalore's dense jungles.[22] However, the success of the Protectors made Shysa a target for an Imperial bounty, and during the late years of their campaign against the Empire's presence on Mandalore, Dala was captured by the Suprema. When the bounty hunter Dengar came to Mandalore to capture Shysa for the reward on the Mand'alor's head, he was instead taken captive by the Protectors and negotiations were made to exchange him for the release of Dala.[15]

Shortly after, Princess Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance also traveled to Mandalore, hoping to locate Dengar. Organa sought to ascertain from him the whereabouts of his bounty hunter associate, Boba Fett, in order to recover the Alliance officer Fett had taken, Han Solo. Stumbling into the middle of a Protector strike on a slaver convoy, Organa was inadvertently drawn into Mandalore's fight for freedom when she was taken back to the Protector's camp near Keldabe, only to be turned over to the Empire by Dengar after he escaped Protector custody.[15] Disguised as a stormtrooper, Shysa infiltrated the Imperial base at the City of Bone with the intent to free both Princess Organa and his friend, Dala. Once inside, he signaled his Protectors to strike, launching an attack on the Imperial headquarters that culminated with the destruction of the enormous structure. Though Organa was ultimately freed, Dala gave his life to ensure that the slavers were defeated, and the Suprema was killed. Many of the slaves Shysa had freed decided to join the Mandalorian Protectors,[38] and with the armor and weapons he recovered, Shysa had a planetary army numbering several hundred strong.[22]

New threats

With the Empire's control over Mandalore broken, Shysa's victory made the Mand'alor a symbol of hope for his home planet. Under Shysa, Mandalore was set on the path to restoration, and the renewed Mandalorian Protector army rose up against Grand Admiral Miltin Takel, the Imperial overseer of the Mandalore sector,[13] swifty ousting Takel and the influence of the Empire from Mandalorian space.[22] When the Nagai attacked Mandalore[39] not long after the death of Emperor Palpatine and the Imperial defeat at the Battle of Endor,[40] Shysa led Mandalore into a coalition with the Alliance of Free Planets—an interim government formed from the Rebellion, while preparing to become a New Republic in the wake of Palpatine's death[41]—and together, drove the Nagai off Mandalore, before aiding the Alliance in their fight against both the Nagai and the Tof. Once peace had been restored, the Mandalorian Protectors began to live up to their name in more literal capacity: patrolling Mandalore's sector of space, if any hostile ship entered Mandalorian territory, the Protectors would board and capture the vessel, taking it back to Mandalore.[22] Almost twenty years after Mandalore freed itself from the grip of the Empire, the world's most beloved leader in recent history, Fenn Shysa, passed away in 21 ABY on the planet Shogun, saving the life of Boba Fett. In accordance with Shysa's final wish, Fett became the next Mand'alor.[6][13]

Second Galactic Civil War

As Mandalore's economy and infrastructure flourished, the outside galaxy was in the midst of a division that quickly escalated into the Second Galactic Civil War, as the Galactic Alliance faced off against the Corellian-led Confederation. In order to better focus on Mandalore's restoration, Boba Fett declared the planet to be neutral in the conflict, though he also recognized the importance of mercenary work in providing needed credits to some Mandalorian residents, and thus did not interfere with the right of individuals to take up personal contracts. Due to Mandalore's recent treaty with Roche, however, Mandalorians declined work from Verpine disfavored Kem Stor Ai, and punitively bombed several factories on Murkhana after the planet abused and ignored Verpine technological patents. The bombing raid on Murkhana was also a display of Mandalore's new Bes'uliik starfighters, designed and constructed by MandalMotors using the new beskar lodes;[3] several Bes'uliik fighters became part of Mandalore's defense fleet, in addition to more heavily armed and armored Tra'kad-class assault ships.[6] By the Mand'alor's proclamation, Bes'uliik fighters were to be available for sale and export to all interested parties, regardless of side in the current civil war, though he stipulated that Jacen Solo—having recently killed Fett's daughter, Ailyn Vel—would have to come to Mandalore personally to deal for the Republic. The government of Bothawui sent a formal offer to Mandalore to acquire a squadron of Bes'uliik fighters, and offered a larger premium to gain exclusive purchasing rights to the vessel. The Bothans also offered twenty million credits per month for the services of a Mandalorian assault fleet and additional infantry forces.[3]

Despite Mandalore's state of planetary neutrality,[3] when Boba Fett was contacted by Imperial Admiral Natasi Daala just prior to the Second Battle of Fondor, Fett agreed to assemble a group of supercommando mercenaries in order to aid Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. When Pellaeon was killed by the Sith apprentice Tahiri Veila, Fett and his commandos attacked and took control of Pellaeon's flagship, Bloodfin, wounding both Veila and her Sith Lord master, Darth Caedus—formerly Jacen Solo. Though the injured Sith managed to escape, the battle at Fondor was a victory for the Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant-comprised "Jedi Coalition." Soon after, Fett's granddaughter, Mirta Gev was married to her lover Ghes Orade on Mandalore, and a wedding reception was held in Keldabe.[6]

The Mandalorians were later called to defend the Verpine asteroid Nickel One against an attack by Imperial Remnant forces loyal to Darth Caedus, as part of Mandalore's treaty with Roche. Fett and his soldiers were on hand during the Jedi Coalition's assault on Caedus, even participating in killing several Imperial Moffs loyal to the Sith Lord. But in retaliation for the Mandalorians' participation, Caedus sent what ships were left of the Galactic Alliance Fifth Fleet to attack Mandalore, and released a nanovirus across the surface, engineered via blood stolen from Mirta Gev to kill any member of the Fett clan who stepped foot on the world. However, unknown to the Imperials who used a modified version of the Clone Wars–era FG36 virus,[42] much of Mandalore's populace had been inoculated for the base nanovirus years earlier during the reign of Mand'alor Fenn Shysa by the formerly Separatist scientist Ovolot Qail Uthan, a cure which was communicable by both air and touch, and was transmitted from parent to child.[5]

Inhabitants

Main article: Mandalorian

Since the Taung first arrived from Roon, Mandalore has been dominated by the Mandalorian people. Over time, the planet became the political center of Mandalorian space, and the one true homeworld acknowledged by the often nomadic warriors.[1] However, as the Mandalorians were spread out in communities across the galaxy, many Mandalorians were not born on Mandalore, and had never seen the planet during their lifetime.[9] Though the term "Mandalorian" was originally used by the Taung to describe themselves,[22] by the end of the Great Sith War, the Mandalorians began accepting beings of other races into their fold, viewing those who joined them on equal footing to those who had been born into the culture, and transforming what it meant to be a Mandalorian.[13] Having become a mixed group of beings from numerous worlds and species, those who considered themselves Mandalorian were bound by a single, unifying culture as defined by the Resol'nare.[9]

Never a densely populated world, Mandalore maintained a population that hovered around four million individuals throughout much of its history.[6] Due to its sparse population, land outside of what urban zones there were was free for an individual to settle at their choosing, so long as it was not already occupied.[8] Despite the large place mercenary work held in the culture honored by Mandalore's warrior clans,[13] many Mandalorians took up non-martial occupations on Mandalore. Several toiled in workshops and factories,[9] while others tended bars, ran shops, and worked as doctors, veterinarians,[3][5] and in New Mandalorian society, even formal teachers.[10] As Mandalore was the only known world[3]—in addition to its moon, Concordia,[17]—to possess the element beskar,[3] Mandalorians have mined Mandalore for the nearly indestructible metal for generations, with Mandalorian blacksmiths passing down the closely-guarded secrets of how to manipulate beskar through the ages.[13]

Government and economy

"You can't rule Mandalorians. You just make sensible suggestions they want to follow. And since when have Mandalorians needed to be told what makes sense?"
―Boba Fett[3]

The ultimate authority on Mandalore, and in the greater Mandalorian culture, rested with the Mand'alor.[9] A position that was non-hereditary, and considered a combination of general, king, and warlord,[43] the word Mand'alor meant "sole ruler,"[21] and was the closest to an official head of state the Mandalorian warrior clans traditionally had.[9] Beneath the Mand'alor, were the numerous leaders of the many Mandalorian clans. These clan chieftains functioned as an unofficial senate, and would gather—often alongside the current Mand'alor—to make decisions affecting Mandalore.[3][11] The New Mandalorians, however, had a different system of government. More centralized and bureaucratic[10] than the loose affiliation of Mandalore's warrior clans,[5] the New Mandalorian government was comprised of a Ruling Council of ministers, led by a Prime Minister.[10] The Prime Minister was also subservient[2] the New Mandalorians' own Mand'alor, chosen in opposition to those who ruled the warrior clans.[29]

For much of Mandalore's history, Mandalore's planetary economy has been driven by the MandalMotors company,[14] which based its headquarters in Keldabe, Mandalore's capital city.[3] Famous for its vehicle designs, MandalMotors produced such starships as the StarViper-class attack ship,[13] the Bes'uliik-class starfighter,[3] and the Keldabe-class battleship, in addition to Canderous-class assault tanks[44] and Buirk'alor-class airspeeders,[45] among many other designs.[13] During the New Mandalorians' period of ascendancy on Mandalore,[1] Republic trade routes were established and New Mandalorian society enjoyed food and supplies from Republic benefactors. However, once the New Mandalorian government established Mandalore's neutral role during the Clone Wars, the flow of goods was stemmed as the trade routes were closed.[10] Despite a history of being marginalized,[14] Mandalore managed to carve out a niche in the galactic economy with beskar iron, which was one of the strongest metals known to science, and among the most valuable metals on the galactic market.[3] On the individual level, Mandalorian mercenaries and bounty hunters were one of Mandalore's largest exports,[1] and Mandalorian weaponsmiths, veterinarians, metallurgists,[3] and shop keepers could earn a sustainable living via their trade.[5]

Behind the scenes

The origins of Mandalore can be found in an early story concept for Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. A group of armored supercommandos from the Mandalore system were conceived and designed for the film, but the idea was later dropped and the concept art for their armor was reassigned to Boba Fett.[46] Mandalore and the idea of the Mandalorian supercommandos remained, however, and the world, the soldiers, and the name were finally brought into Star Wars canon in the 1983 Marvel comic, Star Wars (1977) 68.[15]

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 The Essential Atlas
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Mandalore Plot"
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Boba Fett: A Practical Man
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 Imperial Commando: 501st
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 Legacy of the Force: Revelation
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Expansion: Prima Official Game Guide
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Republic Commando: True Colors
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 "The Mandalorians: People and Culture" – Star Wars Insider 86
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Corruption"
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named HotM
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Star Wars (1977) 68
  16. ↑ File:SWG logo sm.png Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Star Wars: The Clone Wars: New Battlefronts: The Visual Guide
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 StarWars.com Encyclopedia Mandalore in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Friends Like These
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 The Essential Guide to Warfare
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Karen Traviss: Mando'a. Karen Traviss (archived from the original on September 25, 2011)
  22. ↑ 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 22.10 22.11 Galaxy at War
  23. ↑ Republic Commando: Triple Zero
  24. ↑ Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 6
  25. ↑ Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 The New Essential Chronology
  27. ↑ StarWars.com The History of Mandalorian Armor on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!)
  28. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.20
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Jango Fett: Open Seasons
  31. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Voyage of Temptation"
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Shades of Reason"
  33. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Lawless"
  34. ↑ The New Essential Guide to Droids
  35. ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
  36. ↑ The Last Jedi
  37. ↑ Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
  38. ↑ Star Wars (1977) 69
  39. ↑ Star Wars (1977) 100
  40. ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  41. ↑ The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook
  42. ↑ Legacy of the Force: Invincible
  43. ↑ Non-Canon Ref
  44. ↑ Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
  45. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Incredible Vehicles
  46. ↑ The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook
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