Mandalonians

The Mandalorians were in fact a good army of soldiers who fought another group called 'Death Watch', lead by an evil man named Vizsla. The events of this war were once rumored to have taken place during the Clone Wars, but actually took place 36 years before the events of the clones. It appears that Vizsla hated the Mandalorians so bad that he wanted to get rid of them no matter what it took. To do so he started accusing them of murder and other crimes that they really didn't do so he'd have a motive to go in and wipe them out. Vizsla and his army were really the bad ones and were the ones who coldly murdered Jango's parents and family and also tried to kill Jango. Instead, Jango (only a boy at the time) managed to escape and was rescued by the Mandalorian leader named Jaster Mereel. Piece by piece of the war soon fell into place leading up to Vizsla getting help from the Jedi, who were lead by the Jedi Master Dooku!! Dooku and his army of Jedi went in and killed off all of the Mandalorians except for young Jango, who was left alone in the world after the battle was over. Each soldier wore a unique version of the typical Mandalorian style armor. Each armor seems to be unique to the individual that wears it and is thus modified to suit that individual's needs. The only parts that seem to be common with each suit of armor are the wrist gauntlets, the familiar T-shaped helmet, the armored chest plates, some kind of belt, and body suit. Other parts of the armor seem to vary, depending on the person. I've seen some that have no jetpacks, no capes, some without gloves, others with just capes and no jetpacks, some with weird looking belts, etc. The classic Mandalorian armor seems to have been made for the sole purpose of each one being different and modifiable. You can usually tell a Mandalorian from any other group not only by his unique armor style, but also by the symbol on the shoulder plates. The Mandalorian insignia consists of a cracked, tusked or horned skull of some kind of animal. Some believe it to be the skull of a Bantha, but no one knows for sure. This skull is usually outlined with a border (see picture at the right). Its color alot of the times varies and can be brown, red, black, or gray. The inside of the border can also vary. On Boba Fett's armor, the inside of this border is a cream color. Other known colors are yellow, gold, tan, brown, and clear.

Even though the Mandalorians soon became extinct because of the Jedi, one person by the name of Jango Fett lived and was determined to make the Mandalorians live again. Because of this he refused to give up his armor and rank, and continued to wear it as a bounty hunter. Typical Mandalorian style armor In the Mandalorian way, fathers were to train their sons in the ways of fighting and combat and also teach them how to survive on their own. At the age of 13, the young Mandalorians were to face manhood. As soldiers, the young Mandalorians were taught basic war and combat skills much like the army, and were also taught to endure pain and torment. When Boba was born, Jango raised him and taught him all he needed to know in the Mandalorian style and ways. Even at a young age, Boba was smart and cunning, and could survive on his own if he had to. After the death of his father, the Mandalorian ways still lived on in Boba, and he soon grew up to become the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy. One reason why Boba is feared is because of the armor he wears. Because of the nasty rumors that Vizsla started, everyone knows and remembers what group that armor stands for, and naturally they're going to stay away and fear the man that, that familiar battered armor and T-shaped helmet hides!

Only time will tell if Boba Fett will seek out a young child whom he will train to take over his job and allow the name of the Mandalorians to live on after he's gone! Mandalorian Insignia If you'd like to learn more about the war with the Mandalorians, be sure to look for the 4-part comic book series by Dark Horse Comics titled Star Wars: Jango Fett Open Seasons! You should be able to find it at your local comic book shop or book store, or wherever else comics are sold.