Mandalore the Ultimate

"When our leader falls in battle, the most worthy takes his place."

- Canderous Ordo

Mandalore the Ultimate, or Te Ani'la Mand'alor in Mando'a, was the leader of the Mandalorians during the Mandalorian Wars and the successor of Mandalore the Indomitable. The last known Taung to claim the Mandalore title, he regrouped the Mandalorian forces into the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, and slowly began to conquer fringe worlds that had been left defenseless in the wake of the Great Sith War. Mandalore took full advantage of the Galactic Republic's halfhearted efforts to oppose his aggression, and personally led his forces as they invaded Republic territory. Under his command, the Neo-Crusaders nearly defeated the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars, and it was only through the leadership of the Jedi Knights Revan and Malak that the tide of the war was ultimately turned against Mandalore. He was killed in hand-to-hand combat by Revan near the end of the war.

Mandalorian Crusader
Next to nothing is known about Mandalore the Ultimate's life prior to assuming command of the Mandalorian clans. He was said to have been the quickest Mandalorian to ever master the use of the Basilisk war droids, and fought under Ulic Qel-Droma as a Mandalorian Crusader during the Great Sith War.

Lord of the clans
"Now I am the new Mandalore!"

- Mandalore the Ultimate



After the battle of Onderon, the future Mandalore was one of the many Mandalorians forced to flee to the moon of Dxun. Once there, he and several of his brothers-in-arms began a search for Mandalore the Indomitable, who had become separated from them. Upon finding his leader's mask, he realized that the former Mandalore had been killed by the native fauna. In accordance with Mandalorian tradition, he placed the mask upon his face and declared himself the new Mandalore.

Though it could have been said that he stumbled into his role through luck alone, the new Mandalore went on to prove himself worthy of the title "Ultimate" and, in the wake of the clans' defeat, he set about their reforging. Mandalore understood the value an environment such as Dxun's would have for training warriors, and built a great complex among its forests. Mandalore the Ultimate thus established the inhospitable moon as the clans' new forward base of operations, and from there recalled the disparate clans. Though few remained to heed his summons, Mandalore was undeterred, instead choosing to increase the recruiting of other species into the fold, thereby forming a new generation of Mandalorian warriors known as the Neo-Crusaders. In time, the Mandalorian ranks swelled with warriors from countless worlds. Humans made up the majority, but species as diverse as Rodians, Twi'leks, Togorians, Kerestians, and Mandallian Giants were well represented. Under Mandalore the Ultimate's direction, the term "Mandalorian" began to signify more than just a species; it referred to a warrior culture that defined itself by its devotion to the ideal of earning honor and glory through combat.

Prelude
"The Sith came to us with an offer: to fight a worthy enemy in a battle that would be remembered forever."

- Canderous Ordo

After being goaded by an unknown Sith faction, Mandalore started a new crusade in 3,976 BBY. He led his renewed forces into the Outer Rim Territories, along the edge of Republic territory, sacking independent worlds and colonies such as Althir. The Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders were able to carve out a clan territory greater than that ruled by the Hutts in the span of little more than a decade. During this time, Mandalore appointed Cassus Fett as his top strategist, and allowed him to lead an army of Basilisk war-mounts in the subjugation of Cathar.

The Republic Senate initially failed to respond, refusing to join in the conflict unless the Mandalorians threatened to invade the Republic itself. Meanwhile, Mandalore prepared to do just that. He reordered his conquered provinces to better serve as warehouses and foundries for his growing armadas. The Mandalorian clans grew more powerful than ever before, as they accumulated a huge slave labor-force, and conscripted subject peoples into their ranks. As world after world was conquered by their advancing fleets, swarms of refugees began to pour into Republic space.

It was not until Mandalore's army approached Taris that the Republic Senators chose to make a stand and defend the Republic's extensive commercial investment in the planet. Taris was granted Republic membership, and the annexed world soon became the heart of the Republic's defense of the region. Between the years 3,965 and 3,964 BBY, the first minor skirmishes between Neo-Crusader and Republic forces took place along the Republic border between Taris and the Mandalorian homeworld. For months, the two galactic powers sparred with each other within the neutral Republic frontier, as the Mandalorians systematically probed the strength and resolve of the Republic military in preparation for a full-scale attack.

Invasion of the Republic


In 3,963 BBY, Mandalore started his invasion of the Republic with a rapid conquest of Onderon, staged from nearby Dxun. Then, taking advantage of the chaos that had consumed Taris, Mandalore unleashed his long-prepared forces. His fleets poured into Republic space through three invasion corridors in adjacent sectors, and caught the Republic Navy completely off-guard. The main Mandalorian fleet, commanded by Mandalore himself, began a major push towards the Republic security cordon around Taris. Splitting his forces, Mandalore simultaneously attacked Taris and the nearby planet Vanquo, thereby forcing the Republic defenders, under the command of Admirals Veltraa and Sommos, to divide their efforts, causing them both to be defeated.

Under Mandalore the Ultimate's direction, the Neo-Crusaders used nuclear devices to completely annihilate several cities on Serroco during the Battle of Serroco, dismissing any Republic delusions that the Mandalorians would not use "appropriate force" against military bases within and adjacent to major civilian population centers. Soon after, Mandalore&mdash;along with most other leaders involved in the Mandalorian conflict&mdash;was invited by Arkoh Adasca, head of the Adascorp corporation, to a meeting aboard Adasca's flagship, the Arkanian Legacy. Adasca wished to sell controllable exogorths, capable of inflicting immense damage, to the highest bidder. Mandalore expressed interest in the offer, even going so far as claiming it would ensure the Mandalorians would win the war. Furthermore, Mandalore believed that the exogorths were important enough to the Mandalorian war effort, that he was prepared to offer Adascorp immunity when the Mandalorians declared victory in the war, and thus absorbed every other galactic corporation. Likewise, Mandalore extended to Adasca the lucrative option of becoming the sole weapon smith of all the Mandalorian clans, thus essentially being the steward of the entire Mandalorian war production effort. Adasca, however, believed that he was in a position to barter for the entire control of the Mandalorian army, effectively making the clans leader, and boss of Mandalore. The meeting, though, was interrupted by the arrival of Zayne Carrick and Lucien Draay, who had escaped from their captivity by Adasca aboard the Arkanian Legacy. Under the direction of Draay, the Jedi created a farce through which they made it seem that Adasca had only lured Mandalore aboard the Legacy so that the Jedi could capture the Mandalorian leader. Powerless to stop the ensuing chaos, Adasca was forced to watch as Mandalore and his warriors retreated back to their ships. Following Mandalore's withdrawal, Adasca was killed when he lost direct control of his exogorths and they plunged into the Arkanian Legacy, thus destroying the ship.

In the opening battles of the war, the Republic armadas proved to be entirely outmatched by the sheer ferocity of the Mandalorian attacks. Time and again, the Republic Navy was soundly beaten, and though the Jedi were still forbidden from entering into the conflict by the Jedi High Council, Mandalore and his warriors believed it was only a matter of time before they came to the Republic's aid, likely under the leadership of Kavar, a famed Council member.

Defeat and death
"Mandalore himself was killed at the hands of the Jedi Revan. The best of us could not defeat him!"

- Canderous Ordo

Yet it was not Kavar that led the Jedi to war, but a Jedi Knight named Revan. He and a fellow Jedi Knight, named Malak, had rallied a significant portion of the Jedi Order beneath their banner, and were soon in full command of a third of the Republic army. Mandalore, by now used to victory, was taken aback by how Revan turned the Mandalorians' own tactics against them, and soon the Republic Navy began to push the Mandalorians back. Following Revan's liberation of Taris from the Mandalorians, Cassus Fett led Mandalore's forces to victory at Jaga's Cluster, only to find a significant portion of the Mandalorian army destroyed at Althir. The war was turning in the favor of the Republic.

Though Revan forced a final confrontation with the Mandalorians above Malachor V in the year 3,960 BBY, a scouting party saw to it that Revan himself was delayed out of system. Revan soon after arrived at the battle, and as their personal fleets clashed in battle, the two commanders met in single combat. Though the details of this duel are for the most part unknown, Mandalore was ultimately defeated by the Jedi.

Legacy


Revan not only stripped the surviving Mandalorians at Malachor V of their armor and weaponry; he took the mask of Mandalore as well, effectively fragmenting the Mandalorian clans. The Mandalorian fleets were all but destroyed at Malachor V by the Mass Shadow Generator. Without leadership and direction, many went on to find work as bounty hunters or mercenaries. Following this, there were at least two who claimed the title of Mandalore in attempts to reunify the clans. The first attempt, headed by an unknown Mandalore, was able to pose a threat to Revan's new Sith Empire, but it appears that many Mandalorians were unaware of this, believing that no new Mandalore had been chosen. Mandalore the Ultimate's mantle eventually fell to Canderous Ordo, who had some success in his attempt to reunite the clans at Dxun.

Several planets were devastated during the Mandalorian Wars, for which Mandalore the Ultimate was responsible. Notable examples include Serroco, which was thoroughly bombed with nuclear devices, and Cathar, whose native species was all but wiped out. It can be argued that Mandalore's warmongering caused the Jedi Revan and Malak to turn to the dark side of the Force, which in turn led to the eruption of the massive Jedi Civil War shortly after the Mandalorian crusade.

Personality and traits
"Besides, I have learned something. Politics is simply the continuation of war by other means."

- Mandalore the Ultimate, to Saul Karath

Mandalore understood what it meant to be Mando'ade, and upon becoming Mandalore the Ultimate he set out rebuilding the society. When it became apparent that few of the original Mandalorians remained to heed his call to rebuild, he demonstrated his willingness to break established ways and set about recruiting other species into his army. Through his leadership and vision, the term Mandalorian took upon a new significance; they had become more than just a species. The clans had established themselves as part of a unique warrior culture.

In addition to recruiting non-Taungs into the clans, Mandalore the Ultimate also broke with Mandalorian norms in other matters. Unlike previous Mandalores, Mandalore the Ultimate would often take political considerations into account. At the urging of Cassus Fett, his second-in-command, Mandalore decided the use the Neo-Crusader movement as a standard to hold other Mandalorians up to, as opposed to the fanatics its members had once been regarded as. Also at Fett's suggestion, Mandalore made the decision to standardize the armor of the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. As Mandalore himself put it, "I've never much liked the look of the Neo-Crusader armor--but the increased order has been useful." Mandalore even considered parlaying with his enemies if it would achieve victory, as seen by his presence at the negotiations at Omonoth.

In the years preceding, and also during the Mandalorian Wars, Mandalore the Ultimate established his reputation as a brazen strategist who was capable of immense destruction. He led a merciless campaign in the Outer Rim Territories, authorizing the devastation of such planets as Cathar and allowing his armies to sack the world of Althir. Even as the Republic began to respond to his aggressions, he continued to lead his Mandalorians with brutal efficiency. As the war escalated, Mandalore proved that he was willing to do anything to win his cause, even to the point of using nuclear devices to destroy entire cities.

Behind the scenes
Mandalore the Ultimate first appeared in Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 6: Dark Lord. After being mentioned several times in both Knights of the Old Republic video games, Mandalore went on to be a major character in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comics. In the original cover art of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 15: Days of Fear, Part 3, Mandalore sported a red mask. This was changed to a golden color for unknown reasons, although author John Jackson Miller noted that "it is the case that the redder it is, those raised lines make it look more like the movie Spider-Man's mask."

With the release of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Handbook, a brief explanation of the title "Mandalore" was provided, followed by an ambiguous statement which has since caused some confusion and speculation among readers. In the entry entitled "Mandalore", it was stated that some Republic officials were unsure if this Mandalore was actually the Taung soldier who replaced Mandalore the Indomitable following the Great Sith War, or if he was yet another successor who took the name and mask of Mandalore. Regardless, it has not yet been canonically stated if the uncertainty by Republic officials was created to cast doubt on the origin of Mandalore the Ultimate, or if it was simply intended to add a touch of mystery to an already cloudy past for the character.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 6: Dark Lord
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 8: Flashpoint, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 10: Flashpoint, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 14: Days of Fear, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 15: Days of Fear, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 19: Daze of Hate, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 20: Daze of Hate, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 21: Daze of Hate, Part 3
 * The Taris Holofeed Special Proclamation
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 22: Knights of Suffering, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 23: Knights of Suffering, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords