Death Watch/Legends

"It’s the Death Watch!''" "Who?" "Before your time, Silas. Ex-Mandalorians who split with Jaster years ago. We thought they were finished. Guess we were wrong."
 * restored=Before 0 ABY
 * affiliation=*Confederacy of Independent Systems
 * era=*Rise of the Empire era
 * Rebellion era}}

- Jango Fett and Silas during an ambush by the Death Watch at the Battle of Korda 6

The Death Watch, or Kyr'tsad in Mando'a, was a Mandalorian splinter group.

Early history
In the wake of the Ithullan genocide of 200 BBY, many Mandalorian warriors expressed a desire to shed the dishonorable ways of the past. A century and a half later, the charismatic warrior Jaster Mereel became the new Mandalore, and with him a new standard of Mandalorian behavior - the Supercommando Codex. Not all agreed with the Codex however. The soldier Tor Vizsla attracted warriors fond of the old ways into his own movement, the Death Watch. In turn, Mereel's faction recast themselves as the True Mandalorians and total war broke out.

Vizsla proclaimed that the Death Watch would eventually attempt to conquer the galaxy like the Mandalorians of the past. Ill-disciplined to the extreme, they were skilled warriors nonetheless, but constant in-fighting and the egotistical nature of Vizsla's leadership of the Death Watch was its downfall. When Jango Fett finally defeated Vizsla, the remaining members of the group scattered, and it ceased to have any influence on the galaxy. Whilst seemingly destroyed, the beliefs of the Death Watch remained amongst some Mandalorians.

Clone Wars
"Not everyone on Mandalore believes our commitment to peace is a sign of progress. There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you are looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past."

- Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore to Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi.

After the formation of the Grand Army of the Republic, Fett created the Cuy'val Dar to train the clone commandos. Two of the Mandalorian trainers, Isabet Reau and Dred Priest, attempted to ingrain the beliefs of the Death Watch by secretly forming battle circles in the bowels of Tipoca City. Jango Fett discovered the existence of the battle circles and put them to an end after viciously beating Priest. The two Cuy'val Dar would later attempt to resurrect the Death Watch as a means to repel the Imperial occupation of Mandalore.

During the Clone War, the Death Watch remained in existence though this was not known by many. They were in conflict with the New Mandalorians and attempted to return to their ruthless warrior roots. At the time, the group operated on the Mandalorian moon of Concordia where they were secretly led by Governor Pre Vizsla. In order to get support for their attempt at taking over the Mandalorian government, the Death Watch allied themselves with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. As part of this alliance, Death Watch commandos performed sabotage missions for the Separatists against Republic targets. One such mission involved a commando attempting to sabotage a Republic cruiser but this agent was caught. However, rather than surrender, the Death Watchman committed suicide and his actions led to the Republic believing that Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore who headed the Council of Neutral Systems was training a Mandalorian army for the Separatists.

In order to investigate this matter further, the Jedi Council dispatched Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi to Mandalore to meet with Satine. At first, the Duchess and her advisers discounted any Mandalorian involvement until Kenobi showed holographic recordings of the Death Watch saboteur. She later revealed the existence of rumors of Death Watch's return which was later proven at the capital of Sundari when a Mandalorian bombed a memorial as well as committed suicide. At the bomb site, was a holographic representation of the Death Watch symbol which further highlighted the groups return. Vizsla in the mean time was in contact with Count Dooku who revealed his strategy for the Republic to establish peacekeeping forces on Mandalore which would cause unrest and lead the Mandalorian populace to the Death Watch's ideals. During his investigation, Kenobi discovered the Death Watch base of operations on Concordia and also uncovered the fact that Pre Vizsla was their leader. However, the Mandalorians managed to escape and abandoned their base allowing them to remain at large.

When Alpha-Ø2 resurrected the Mandalorians, he invited many former Death Watch members to join his Protectors. Other members took up base in the Death Watch Bunker on the forest moon of Endor, under the leadership of Teti Viba, before he was killed by an unknown raiding party.

Legacy
In the early days of the Rebellion, a man wearing the armor of a Death Watchman was seen protecting Tungo Li during the hearing of Janek Sunber. Dred Priest led several fellow Mandalorians in an attempt that tried and failed to restart the Death Watch, as a means of fighting off the Empire.

As a child, Nashiak Llalik was impressed with the armors of this group. He read a lot about them and entertained his younger sister, Saren, with stories about those armors. As an adult, Saren regretted being separated from her brother, partly because she would have enjoyed those stories again.

In 40 ABY, Mandalore Boba Fett believed the destruction of the Death Watch was his father's lasting legacy for the Mandalorians. Walon Vau, a member of the Cuy'val Dar, was known to say the Death Watch was the only group he truly considered his enemy.

Known members

 * Epo Areur
 * Rarckokoo Athaichoso
 * Fenri Dalso
 * Weno Deowasoac
 * Lorka Gedyc (leader following the Clone Wars)
 * A-Op Igi
 * Arla Vhett (ex-member)
 * Klin Nif
 * Dred Priest
 * Isabet Reau
 * Unidentified Death Watch Mandalorian 1
 * Unidentified Death Watch Mandalorian 2
 * Unidentified Death Watch Mandalorian 3
 * Rageon Vart
 * Teti Viba
 * Oorkes Vilaz
 * Pre Vizsla (leader during the Clone Wars)
 * Tor Vizsla (leader during the Mandalorian Civil War)

Appearances

 * Jango Fett: Open Seasons
 * Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
 * Imperial Commando: 501st
 * Star Wars Rebellion 4: My Brother, My Enemy, Part 4
 * Sacrifice
 * Star Wars Rebellion 4: My Brother, My Enemy, Part 4
 * Sacrifice
 * Sacrifice

Notes and references
Death Watch Guardia de la Muerte Straż Śmierci Дозор смерти