Mandalorian/Legends



"Mandalorians don't make threats. We make promises."

- Canderous Ordo

The Mandalorians (called Mando'ade in Mando'a, meaning "Sons and Daughters of Mandalore") were a group of clan-based people consisting of members from multiple species. Their culture revolved around that of the idea of battle and war being a source of honour and pride in their community. The leader of the Mandalorians typically took on the title of "Mandalore." Mandalorians were frequently allied with the Sith, most notably Exar Kun and much later as a prototype for the clone trooper under the power of Darth Sidious and the Galactic Republic.

Originally, the Mandalorians were a gray-skinned warrior race descended from the Taungs of Coruscant. Later, members of other species joined their ranks, until humans made up the majority. In later years, races as diverse as Togorians, Kerestians, and Mandallian Giants also joined the Mandalorians. Mandalorians spoke their own language, Mando'a, but many spoke Galactic Basic as well.

Mandalorian Warriors wore very distinctive battle helmets with T-Shaped visors that covered the entirety of their faces. These helmets have since become associated with that of the Mandalorians ever since.

Early History
Originally, the Mandalorian clans were Taung from Coruscant, led by the warlord "Mandalore the First". Eventually they conquered a planet in the Outer Rim, which they named Mandalore after their leader. The Taung then took the name Mandalorians and were seen by many as the most skilled fighters in the Galaxy, thriving for battle. They were known for their use of cutting-edge weaponry and held to a strict code of honor. These Mandalorians wore crusader armor that differed from one soldier to the next.

For thousands of years after Mandalore's conquest, its new inhabitants would not venture far from the system they inhabited. It was not until the Great Sith War of 4,000 BBY that the Mandalorians would seek to expand their conquests and, in the process, become both famous (and infamous) to the galaxy at large.

The Old Sith Wars
Almost three thousand years after the conquest of Mandalore, the Mandalorians wandered the Galaxy far from their home systems hoping to begin a new crusade against worthy foes. This brought them to the Empress Teta System during the period when the Krath had gained control of the system. The Mandalorian clans became allied with the Sith after their leader, Mandalore the Indomitable, was bested in combat by the fallen Jedi turned Sith Lord, Ulic Qel-Droma. Mandalore pledged loyalty to Qel-Droma who in turn was apprentice to Dark Lord Exar Kun and in their name the Mandalorians laid waste to countless worlds in the years that followed, gaining the enmity of the Republic, and, most crucially, the Jedi.

Ten years after the defeat of Exar Kun, dozens of Mandalorians were unjustly arrested and executed after a psychotic bounty hunter named Jigger Wraith preyed upon innocents using rare Mandalorian weaponry.

The Neo-Crusaders were led by "Mandalore the Ultimate" and started the Mandalorian Wars. The Neo-Crusaders armor was more advanced and uniform-like than their old armor. It came in many colors, though most were blue. Elites, sergeants, and a few other ranks wore green. Captains (and other ranks) wore red. Some other ranks wore yellow. Canderous Ordo, who would later become Mandalore, wore a unique suit of silver and black armor.

After their defeat in the Mandalorian Wars at the hands of the Jedi Revan and Malak, the Mandalorians went into a long decline. Revan destroyed their stockpiles of weaponry and battle droids, and exiled the clans into the Outer Rim. One group settled on Tatooine, although their fate was unknown even several years later. Some Mandalorians were unable to accept the terms of their defeat, and turned to piracy, brigandage, and mercenary work. Canderous Ordo, who fought side by side with a redeemed Revan against Darth Malak during the Jedi Civil War later claimed the rank of Mandalore and led a small remnant of his followers on the moon of Dxun. Ordo was also a key in defeating the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus on the battleship Ravager.

The New Sith Wars
During the New Sith Wars, the Mandalorians would war against both the Jedi and the Sith. They opposed the Dark Lord of the Sith known as the Dark Underlord, but how much of a role they played in the Sith Lord's downfall is unknown. Ung Kusp, a Mandalore during this era, was tricked into a war with the Sith; whether their war against the Dark Underlord was the result is unknown.

Five hundred years later, Mandalorian armor was present at the Sith camp following the Seventh Battle of Ruusan. Whether this meant that the Mandalorians had fought for the Sith at Ruusan, had been attacking the Sith camp, or either had just had their armor being used, is unknown.

With the end of the wars, and the beginning of a thousand years of peace, the Mandalorians began to forget their warrior past, and, over the next few centuries, the Mandalorians slowly transformed into a less-clan based, more mercenary-orientated culture.

The Mandalorian Civil War
Some one hundred years before the Battle of Yavin, the leader of the Mandalorians was assassinated by the bounty hunter Durge. The Mandalorians struck back, and inflicted terrible vengeance upon the bounty hunter, but he managed to escape.

It was around this time that a schism occurred in their ranks. A violent splinter group, known as the Mandalorian Death Watch, revolted against the leadership of Jaster Mereel, who lead the True Mandalorian loyalist faction.

Eventually the civil war between these groups spilled over to the pastoral world of Concord Dawn. Here the Death Watch leader Vizsla attempted to murder Jaster. However, thanks to the assistance of a young orphan named Jango Fett, Jaster and his followers escaped the trap.

Eventually, Vizsla caught up to Jaster and the Mandalorians on a distant world and, thanks to the treachery of fellow Mandalorian Montross, Jaster Mereel was killed in battle.

Jaster's protégé, Jango, took over the reins of leadership, despite Montross's disparaging comment that it would mean a "child leading them."

Jango's tenure as Mandalorian leader ended at the Battle of Galidraan, where a Jedi taskforce under the leadership of Master Dooku led to the death of every remaining Mandalorian, except for Jango.

Rebirth of the Mandalorians


After this disaster, the Mandalorians were effectively ended as a fighting force in the galaxy. Individuals survived on both Mandalore and in other isolated pockets of known space, but they played little influence on galactic affairs until the Clone Wars, when Jango Fett became the host for a Grand Army of the Republic on Kamino. One clone trooper, an elite ARC trooper named Alpha-Ø2, ended up going rogue and changing the Mandalorians forever.

Through some fluke of the Kaminoans' cloning technology, Alpha-Ø2 had memories of Jango Fett. He went to Mandalore and started rebuilding the Mandalorian supercommandos into the Mandalorian Protectors from soldiers of local police forces and even former members of the Death Watch. Alpha-Ø2 became Mandalore the Resurrector, leading his men alongside the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Among his troopers were Tobbi Dala and future Mandalore Fenn Shysa, both who believed Alpha-Ø2 to be Boba Fett, an unaltered clone of Jango.

Thirty years after the Battle of Endor, the Mandalorians were now ruled by Boba Fett who succeeded Fenn as Mandalore. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Fett led his army against the Yuuzhan Vong in the Battle of Mandalore and the liberations of Gyndine and Tholatin (see Second Battle of Gyndine and Battle of Tholatin).

Culture


Individual Mandalorians are independent warriors, bound together by the same culture. Created by their own hands, fitted to their liking, each piece of Mandalorian steel is chosen and customized by a Mandalorian to the degree of obsession. To each and every son or daughter of Mandalore, armor is considered their very lives in and out of battle. Not only does it denote and symbloizes a warriors life but also his soul, with each battle scarred helm or painted piece lies the true heart of any Mandalorian. Even women wore their own armor, and when not tending to children, also fought in combat. The only leader of the Mandalorians was the Mandalore himself, and he held his rank as long as he commanded the respect of his fellow warriors. Otherwise, there were no formal ranks in the Mandalorians, but in battle, Mandalorians would be assigned to different squads and jobs, depending on their area of expertise. Mandalorians weren't promoted to better jobs, since they didn't have jobs&mdash;only in battle would some kind of organization need to occur. The only exception to this would be the way Jaster Mereel ran the Mandalorians. He often diverted from the culture of the Mandalorians, but only slightly so. His armor was different from everybody else's, which was silver and red, perhaps signifying rank. His second in command, Montross, wore silver and blue armor. This armor-rank system was carried on by Jango Fett, who wore Jaster's armor, and had his second in command, Myles, wear the blue-silver armor. Like Jaster, Jango did not act like a traditional Mandalorian.

Other Mandalorians

 * Bralor - champion in the Mandalorian Battle Circle on Dxun during the Jedi Civil War
 * Tobbi Dala - Mandalorian who served under Mandalore the Resurrector and Fenn Shysa.
 * Davrel - Mandalorian recruit during the Jedi Civil War
 * Cassus Fett - Veteran of the Mandalorian Wars and possible ancestor of Jango.
 * Ghez Hokan - Former mandalorian assigned by the CIS to protect bio-weapons research on the planet Qiilura.
 * Jagi - Served under Canderous Ordo during the Mandalorian Wars.
 * Jaing - Training Master during the New Sith Wars.
 * Kelborn - Kelborn was assisted by the Jedi Exile in hunting down scouts from a crashed ship on Dxun.
 * Kex - Quartermaster for the Mandalorian camp during the Jedi Civil War
 * Kumus - Mandalorian recruit on Dxun. The Jedi Exile saved him from a pack of bomas.
 * Mira - Raised and trained by Mandalorians, and accepted as part of a Mandalorian squad, she eventually became a bounty hunter and later joined the Jedi Exile's party.
 * Montross - Jango's rival for leadership of the Mandalorians. He was killed by Jango on a moon of Bogden in 32 BBY.
 * Myles - Member of the Mandalorians killed during the Battle of Galidraan.
 * Silas - Member of the Mandalorians under both Jaster and Jango's leadership. He was tortured and murdered by Count Dooku for information on Jango.
 * Kal Skirata - A Mandalorian that Jango Fett recruited to train the Republic Commandos.
 * Bendak Starkiller (?) - Duelist on Taris during the Jedi Civil War clad in Neo-Crusader armor.
 * Rav Bralor - One of the Cuy'val Dar recruited by Jango Fett to train the clone troopers on Kamino
 * Tagren - Mandalorian during the Jedi Civil War
 * Vizsla - Schismatic Mandalorian who split from Jaster Mereel and founded the Death Watch splinter group.
 * Zuka - Mandalorian tech specialist working at the Dxun base after the Jedi Civil War

Mandalorian worlds

 * Basalisk
 * Concord Dawn
 * Dxun
 * Mandalore
 * Ordo
 * Shogun
 * Gargon
 * Kuar
 * Togoria
 * Kerest