Death Watch

"We are the Death Watch, descendants of the true warrior faith all Mandalorians once knew. Now my people are living in exile because we will not abandon our heritage. Our people were warriors. Strong. Feared! Now they're ruled by the New Mandalorians who think that being a pacifist is a good thing. They've given away our honor and tradition for peace. Duchess Satine and her corrupt leadership are crushing our souls, destroying our identity. That is our struggle."

- Pre Vizsla

The Death Watch was a Mandalorian splinter group that opposed the pacifist government of Mandalore, led by Duchess Satine Kryze, during the Clone Wars. After failed attempts at taking over Mandalore, they became part of Darth Maul's Shadow Collective, which successfully took control of the planet during the war. A power struggle that ultimately resulted in Mand'alor Pre Vizsla's death resulted in Death Watch being split into the Mandalore resistance led by Bo-Katan Kryze and the Mandalorian super commandos under Maul.

Formation
Following the end of the Mandalorian Civil War, the Mandalorian warriors were exiled to the moon of Concordia, where most of them died out. However, the survivors regrouped and began calling themselves the Death Watch. They were then led in secret by Concordia's governor, Pre Vizsla of Clan Vizsla, and Duchess Satine Kryze's sister, Bo-Katan.

Spreading terror
During the Clone Wars, Vizsla and Death Watch allied with Sith Lord and Separatist leader Count Dooku in order to stage a coup against Duchess Satine and her New Mandalorian government. Vizsla, as governor of Concordia, pretended to support Satine by supposedly rooting out Death Watch. During this time, one of their saboteurs attacked a Republic cruiser. The saboteur then took his own life. Rumors were also spreading around, saying that Kryze was building an army to fight for the Confederacy.

When the Jedi Council sent Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to ascertain the truth, Vizsla contacted Dooku about the Jedi. Dooku assured him that if the Republic occupied Mandalore, the people would rebel and rally to Death Watch. Death Watch then sent a bomber to Sundari's memorial shrine to bomb it. The explosion took place right in front of Kenobi and Duchess Kryze. The bomber then ran for it when Kenobi asked that the people around were questioned, who attempted to capture him. However, the bomber then jumped to his death to avoid capture.

When Kenobi and Kryze traveled to Concordia to deliver the bomber's body where they met with Vizsla. Whilst Satine had dinner with him, Kenobi secretly went to investigate the Concordian mines to see if they were active. When he investigated the inside of one, Kenobi found some Mandalorian helmets. He was then ambushed and captured by two Death Watch soldiers. The two attempted to kill Kenobi by running him through a mineral crushing line but Kryze arrived, distracted them, and then freed Kenobi. The duo dispatched the two soldiers and then attempted to flee the mine, but were confronted by Vizsla and his men. Kenobi fought with Vizsla and he and Satine were able to escape.

Attack on the Coronet
Another member, Kalevala Senator Tal Merrik, secretly brought a crate full of Assassin probes aboard the Coronet to kill Kryze en route to Coruscant. However, Kenobi, Skywalker, and their troops discovered Merrik's duplicity. Merrik then took Kryze hostage and contacted Vizsla for reinforcements. Multiple Droch-class boarding ships arrived and deployed B2 super battle droids onto the Coronet. The droids were thwarted by Skywalker and his troopers. Merrik rigged the Coronets engines to blow and then attempted to board one of the boarding ships with Kryze. However, Kenobi halted Merrik before he could get on board and Skywalker sneaked behind him and killing him with his lightsaber.

Preparing for War
Death Watch then orchestrated a bombing on Kalevala that killed Deputy Minister Jerec. Dooku and his master, Darth Sidious, then altered a recording of Jerec and delivered it to the Republic Senate in order to force them to occupy Mandalore. During this time, Vizsla prepared his men to fight. He also sent an assassin to kill Kryze. The assassin caught her talking with Davu Golec and positioned his sniper to shoot her. He however hit Golec instead and Kryze ran for it. The assassin chased Kryze but she got away. Kryze then contacted Kenobi and they met up in secret. The assassin caught them together and followed them to an ally way. The assassin then threw a thermal detonator at them and Kenobi pushed Satine away from it. Kenobi then fought the assassin until the Mandalorian was forced to retreat. With Kryze gave Kenobi the real message from Jerec and Kenobi took it to the Senate. The real message thwarted any chance of a Republic takeover on Mandalore and Dooku ordered Death Watch to stand down.

Exiled to Carlac
Death Watch then broke its ties with the Confederacy, following a fight between Vizsla and Dooku. They set up a new camp on Carlac. There, they forced the women of a nearby Ming Po village to work for them. They then used Senator Lux Bonteri to find. Bonteri returned with information on Dooku's location and Bo-Katan met him at his ship. Bonteri had brought the Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano with him, pretending she was his bodyguard. Bo-Katan and the others took them back to the camp where Vizsla met with Bonteri who gave him Dooku's location. Meanwhile, the other Mandalorians put Bonteri's subordinates to work, making Tano's droid R2-D2 repair droids for target practice and putting Tano herself with the village girls as a servant.

However Vizsla was then confronted by the Ming Po elders, who demanded that the Death Watch return their women. At first, Vizsla and his men complied, but when they came to the village he double-crossed the Ming Po, murdering the chieftain's granddaughter right in front of him. He and his men then began burning down their village. But Tano wasn't having this and attacked them, revealing herself to be a Jedi. Vizsla and his men captured Tano and took her back to his camp. But when Vizsla tried to execute Tano, R2 came and launched her lightsabers to her. Tano then broke free and killed four of Vizsla's men on the spot. Vizsla tries to fight her but the droids R2 repaired begin a revolt on them. As the Death Watch put down the droids, Tano, Bonteri and R2 escape the camp and Bo-Katan and her men pursue them. However, they fail to catch the three who get to their ship and leave Carlac.

Joining Maul
Death Watch later came across an escape pod with two Dathomirian Zabraks; former Sith Lord Darth Maul and his brother, the Nightbrother Savage Opress. They were then taken to their base on Zanbar where Vizsla was keen to hear their story. The two Zabraks awoke on medical tables to meet Vizsla. Maul explained to Vizsla that they were the true Sith Lords and that they didn't follow Dooku. Maul also told him that their ship had been shot down by Kenobi himself. That night Vizsla and Maul discussed their aims and decided on taking Mandalore together. Bo-Katan protested that trusting Sith would put Death Watch in the same place as they were trusting Dooku. Maul shut her up by force choking her but let her live. Vizsla finally asked of their names and the two introduced themselves as Maul and Savage.

Gathering forces
Maul watched the Death Watch soldiers fight and stated that despite their skill, Vizsla needed an army to take Mandalore. Maul suggested the Black Sun. Vizsla therefore took Maul, Savage and many of his soldiers to Mustafar where they met Ziton Moj, a member of the Black Sun. Moj took them to the Black Sun ruling council. However upon requesting an army from them, the council attempted to overthrow them. Vizsla and Savage quickly halted the Black Sun soldiers and Savage threw one onto the table of which the council sat at. Still reluctant to join the Death Watch, the council rose from their seats and the leader of them, Xomit Grunseit, protested to Maul. Savage then threw his lightsaber at them, beheading them all in a matter of seconds. This put Moj in charge of the Black Sun and he swiftly accepted Maul's proposal. The Black Sun almost immediately began supplying the Death Watch with resources. Their alliance was known as the Shadow Collective.

Vizsla stated that their army was complete but Maul refused to believe that. However they were soon visited by Lom Pyke of the Pyke Syndicate. He was keen to ally the Pykes with the Shadow Collective and Vizsla was not hesitant to accept them. To complete their army, Maul and Vizsla sought out the Hutt Clan, who were also powerful in the criminal underworld. The Shadow Collective traveled to Nal Hutta where they met with the Grand Hutt Council. Just like the Black Sun ruling council, the Hutts refused Maul's offer and when he threatened their lives, they had a number of bounty hunters attack them. Maul, Savage and Vizsla fought off the bounty hunters but in that time the Hutts had escaped, excluding Oruba. Maul and Savage interrogated Oruba into revealing where the Hutts had gone. Oruba eventually gave in saying they were going to Tatooine. Vizsla immediately knew the Hutts would be at the palace of Jabba the Hutt. Savage then killed Oruba.

The Shadow Collective attacked Jabba's palace soon after and were almost immediately met with resistance. The Death Watch soldiers were quickly able to cause chaos as they landed and dropped over a dozen armed guards. They soon surrounded the Hutt council and forced them to join the Shadow Collective. Now with an army, Maul revealed to Vizsla that he was intending to control the criminal underworld after taking Mandalore. Maul then ordered him to send scouts to the capital in advance in order to devise targets in Sundari for Vizsla's plan. Bo-Katan became worried that Maul would take over the Death Watch but Vizsla assured her that Maul and Savage would be dead alongside Kryze.

Taking Mandalore
Vizsla's scouts supplied Maul with targets for the Shadow Collective in Sundari and Maul told the Death Watch to act as the heroes for the Mandalorians as the other groups were meant to cause chaos and undermine their safety under the Kryze. The Shadow Collective traveled swiftly to Mandalore where Maul and Savage led the attacks on the Mandalorian police. As instructed, Vizsla, Bo-Katan and another soldier led rescue parties for the Mandalorian people. Kryze lost control over her people as they all turned to Vizsla. Kryze was then captured and Vizsla declared himself Mand'alor.

Vizsla then double crossed Maul and Opress by imprisoning them, although they quickly freed themselves. Maul then challenged Vizsla for his title and Vizsla fought with him until Maul defeated the man. Maul then beheaded Vizsla in front of the other Death Watch members and most of them accepted the duel's outcome. However, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls refused to accept Maul and led a resistance against him, quickly fleeing the palace. Death Watch was then led by Maul, Opress, and the freed Prime Minister Almec. Maul had his Death Watch warriors paint their armor red and they became known as Mandalorian super commandos.

Resistance against Maul
Bo-Katan returned to rescue Kryze with the help of Korkie Kryze and his classmates Lagos, Soniee and Amis. However they were soon pursued by Death Watch commandos after one spotted them and although Kryze managed to get a message across to the Jedi Council, she was recaptured. Subsequently, Kenobi returned to Mandalore to rescue Kryze. After arriving, Kenobi took out a commando and took his armor before infiltrating the prison where Kryze was held. But after freeing Kryze, Kenobi's plan was too discovered by the guards who pursued him and Kryze. They managed to make it to Kenobi's ship but Maul and Savage soon intervened and two of the commandos shot down the ship before it could get away.

Kenobi and Kryze were captured and Maul took Kenobi to his throne room. There Maul executed Kryze before Kenobi's eyes and she died in his arms. Kenobi is then taken back to the prison by several commandos but as they got to the entrance, Bo-Katan and her men attacked the soldiers and liberated him. Meanwhile Maul's former master Darth Sidious arrived at Sundari to deal with him. Two commandos approached Sidious only to be force choked to death. Bo-Katan took Kenobi to the landing pad where a battle ensued. Sidious arrived at Maul's throne room and confronted him and Savage. Maul hoped to return under Sidious's wing but Sidious only saw him as a rival. Sidious attacked them and a fight broke out. As the fighting continued, Kenobi escaped the battle on one of Bo-Katan's Kom'rk-class fighters and fled Mandalore. Although Maul and Savage put up a fight, Sidious managed to defeat and kill Savage. He then captured Maul and took him away.

Freeing Maul
Sidious imprisoned Maul in the Spire on Stygeon Prime where he intended to use Maul to locate his mother, Talzin. Sidious visited Maul and spoke with him before leaving Dooku to interrogate him about his criminal connections and Shadow Collective bases. However Prime Minister Almec devised a plan to break Maul out in return for Maul freeing him when the Death Watch took over Mandalore. Two Death Watch warriors, Gar Saxon and Rook Kast, broke into the Spire and disabled droid reinforcements going towards Maul's cell. They then freed Maul from his cell and took him to the side of the Spire where they blew a hole in the wall. Kast shot a cable making a zipline for Maul to use and they fled out of the Spire just as their Kom'rk-class fighter arrived. Maul and the other two boarded the ship where they were taken the Shadow Collective base on Zanbar.

Clash at Zanbar
Maul thanked Almec when he arrived at Zanbar and rallied his troops for war. Separatist forces then arrived at Zanbar after tracking Maul's ship there. Maul ordered the defenses to release the might of the Shadow Collective. Despite the ineffectiveness of the turrets, the Death Watch put up a sturdy fight. General Grevious came down with his MagnaGuards and fought Maul and his men. Whilst Maul dropped the MagnaGuards, Grievous was challenged by a Mandalorian who he slew without hesitation. Maul then sparred with Grievous until the fight became hopeless for him and he withdrew his remaining forces. Both sides took heavy losses with Grievous's droids being all but exhausted.

Battle over Ord Mantell
Maul rallied the Shadow Collective and took them to Ord Mantell. Separatist spies however informed Grievous of their presence there and he took his fleet to attack the enemy. Maul prepared his forces for the attack and Mother Talzin sent numerous Nightbrothers to assist them. When Grievous's forces arrived, they began to bombard the surface with laserfire. Maul set his armies loose and Saxon rallied the Death Watch soldiers. Grievous landed his droid army and they clash with Maul's soon after landing. At the same time, Dooku landed with two Magna Guards intending to find Mother Talzin inside the city. The starships of the Shadow Collective began their attack on Grievous's fleet, taking them by surprise shortly after their guns recharged.

As the battle became more hopeless on the ground, Ziton Moj and the Pyke Fife began to question Maul's plan. Saxon told them it was their job to ensure it worked and Fife was attacked by a melee droid. Up in the air, Maul had his Kom'rk-class fighter land his troops onto Grievous's flagship. There, they went and stormed the bridge and Maul attacked Grievous. Meanwhile on the ground, Saxon, Moj, Fife and the other remaining Shadow Collective soldiers were rounded up by the droids. However the droids powered down as the command cell on Grievous's ship had been deactivated by Maul and his men. Saxon and the other immediately began tearing the motionless droids apart. They then captured Dooku, who had all but wiped out the Nightbrother reinforcements. With Maul capturing Grievous on his ship, the Shadow Collective had ensured a well earned victory.

Attack from the Republic
Maul took his two prisoners to Vizsla Keep 09 where he attempted to turn Dooku onto his side. However the Republic was now keen to intervene in Maul's feud with the Separatists and Kenobi led an assault on Vizsla Keep 09. Grievous then escaped his cell and began dropping more Death Watch warriors. Kenobi's forces landed on the base and Kenobi and Jedi Master Tiplee pressed forward. But Maul convinced Dooku to side with him against the Jedi and just as Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Aayla Secura arrived, they attacked. Dooku quickly killed Tiplee and Saxon and Kast injured the other Jedi with their rockets. Maul and Dooku then made a quick escape and the Death Watch warriors left behind were taken prisoner.

Fall of the Shadow Collective
Moj and Fife began questioning the survival of the Shadow Collective after the loss of three of their strongholds. Maul told them they would be paid well once they killed Maul's master Sidious. Maul traveled to Dathomir with Dooku and his remaining warriors. There Maul met with Mother Talzin began draining Dooku for his power. However they were interrupted by Grievous and Sidious who had once again tracked Maul and his men. At the same time, the Black Sun and the Pykes were under attack in their sectors. Moj and Fife immediately contacted Kast and the Death Watch but she couldn't help them and they abandoned the Shadow Collective.

Back on Dathomir, Talzin took control of Dooku and made him spar with Sidious whilst Maul took on Grievous. Sidious however defeated Dooku and forced Talzin to reveal herself. Maul force pushed Grievous out of the room and helped Talzin as she fought off Sidious and Dooku, who was now in control of himself. Grievous returned and Talzin told Maul to flee as his men came to rescue him. Grievous then killed Talzin in front of Maul and Saxon and Kast were forced to pull him onto their ship. Soon after, Separatist forces landed on Dathomir and slaughtered Maul's people.

Legacy
"Where's your army, Lady Tano?''" "''Busy defeating yours"

- Maul and Ahsoka Tano as they are about to fight

Following the fall of the Shadow Collective, Maul took his remaining forces back to Mandalore. There they remained in hiding for some time. During the final days of the clone wars, a battalion of clones led by Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex launched a Siege on Mandalore. Ahsoka faced Maul and managed to trap him in a ray shield but the events of Order 66 forced her and Rex to flee. Maul escaped in the chaos.

During the Imperial Era, Saxon became the Imperial Viceroy of Mandalore and led it with his army of Mandalorian super commandos. Saxon was met with resistance from Sabine Wren of Clan Wren. Sabine had recently obtained the Darksaber from her own encounter with Maul. When Sabine began to challenge Saxon, he attempted to silence Clan Wren and was killed by their leader, Ursa Wren. His brother Tiber Saxon, took over after his death and Clan Saxon began a war against Clan Wren. Clan Wren was soon supported by Bo-Katan and together they killed Tiber and rallied the rest of the Clans.

During the Galactic Civil War, survivors of the Death Watch could be found on the distant and seedy world of Ankhural, where Umbaran spies would barter their services to them.

Organization
The Death Watch was a militia who's members believed in returning Mandalore to it's former warrior culture. It's soldiers were heavily loyal to the cause and were willing to follow their leader to the end even when it was an outsider like Maul. Although the Death Watch warriors were skilled, there wasn't enough of them to take Mandalore on their own. Pre Vizsla tried to solve this by allying the Death Watch with Dooku and the Separatists but it ended with Dooku abandoning them. When the Zabrak Maul began influencing the Death Watch, he had them ally with crime syndicates instead to bolster numbers. Vizsla wasn't happy of the idea and when he found out that Maul was trying to build a criminal empire out of it he was furious and was keen to get rid of Maul as soon as possible. Once they took Mandalore, the Death Watch became it's military force and Maul reinstated Prime Minister Almec to govern the planet.

Operations
The Death Watch's main aim was to takeover and govern Mandalore. To do this they allied with Dooku and the Separatists. Their tactics when allied with Dooku was to spread terror in hopes of drawing the attention of the Republic so they could take action. This would give the Separatists the excuse to help Death Watch take Mandalore. Vizsla had an attack made on a Republic cruiser and a bombing on Sundari's memorial shrine. Further he organized at least two attempts to kill Duchess Satine Kryze, both of which failed. When the Republic went back on any possible action for Mandalore, Dooku's plan to take it with Vizsla crumbled and the Death Watch was exiled to Carlac.

When under the influence of Maul, the Death Watch was continued its crusade in taking Mandalore but instead grew their numbers by allying themselves with the underworld. Maul's idea from it was to make himself a powerful person in the criminal underworld. Vizsla devised a plan to take Mandalore by gaining the support of the people. This was achievable by faking attacks from the syndicates to weaken the control of the existing Mandalorian government. Death Watch gained the people's support from this by putting a stop to the false attacks. The alliance of syndicates did it's part and the Death Watch took Mandalore without much resistance. Once they ruled Mandalore, Death Watch's only aim was to stay in power and keep the peace on there now that it was theirs.

Warrior variants

 * Airbourne troopers
 * Flame Thrower troopers
 * Grappling troopers
 * Super commandos

Death Watch units

 * Nite Owls

Equipment
Death Watch has their own version of Mandalorian armor made from the Beskar mined from the mines of Concordia. Their rank insignia was located on the left shoulder armor plate. Most of Death Watch's forces carried blaster carbines and WESTAR-35 blaster pistols.

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0