Crusader armor

"Why should it matter that we supply armor to both sides? They don't know … they both think that they have an exclusive deal with us, riiiiight! We're the Black Sun."

- Anonymous Black Sun Member

Crusader armor was a version of Mandalorian armor developed by the Black Sun in the Death Watch Bunker installation during 1 ABY, for use by the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

History
Two different versions of this armor were created, the Mark II series for the Rebellion and the Mark III series for the Empire. Deliberately, the Black Sun development team made sure each armor appeared distinctly different, so that neither the Empire nor the Rebellion would know that they being armored from the same source. This subterfuge allowed for both sides to unknowingly support the Black Sun and increase the group's freedom while the Galactic Civil War raged. Each armor series was priced equally, resulting in similar protective characteristics.

The Imperial version seemed to resemble Neo-Crusader armor, while the Rebel version of the armor resembled Canderous Ordo's Mandalore armor, with some aspects of Boba Fett's armor.

The armor saw much use during the Battle of Restuss of 1 ABY, where factionally aligned Spacers who received battlefield commendations were able to trade their awards for items such as this armor from their respective Commendation Officer.

During the Empire Day festivities of 1 ABY, Mara Jade wore the Imperial version of the armor.

Behind the scenes
This armor is one of the many items featured in Star Wars Galaxies as part of the Battle of Restuss story arc. Players received a commendation item for assisting their chosen faction during the battle, which could be stacked and traded for various items such as this armor, from Commendation Officer NPCs.