In the endless expanse of the Star Wars universe, some details, events and even locations are important to various narratives but rarely fully explored. One such location is the homeworld of Bo-Katan Kryze and the origin of Boba Fett's iconic armor, the planet Mandalore.
Mandalorian culture and history have captivated audiences lately, as more and more Star Wars media focuses on the homeworld of the iconic warriors. The Mandalorian series is obviously based around the exploits of one particular adherent of the culture and later episodes have begun to center the planet, but much of it remains shrouded in mystery.
The planet Mandalore was proposed in early drafts of The Empire Strikes Back, but went unmentioned in the final edition of the film. The planet was eventually named in the 68th issue of the Star Wars comic series, released in 1982, between Episode V and Episode VI. Boba Fett is the franchise's first window into the concept, adding detail and context to his iconic armor and tech. As most fans know, most of the extended universe content has been declared not canonical after the acquisition of the franchise by Disney. With that, the first canon mention of the planet came in 2010, in a season 2 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Mandalore is a planet best known for its culture of elite warriors, advanced combat technology, and incredible feats in battle. Given that so much of the planet is based around war, it's fitting that the planet's known history begins with a series of conflicts that ruin the planet's ecosystem. The populace is humans who are divided into a variety of clans. This uninhabitable planet and centuries of war created the powerful warrior culture that made its people iconic.
Mandalore has a tumultuous history of leadership and coups which see the leader of the planet routinely challenged and defeated. The item which marked the leader of Mandalore was the Darksaber, a blade crafted by the first Mandalorian to be brought into the Jedi order. The Jedi and Mandalorians have a long animosity, often invading one another's lands and engaging in epic battles. The fact that the Mandalorian can take on Jedi marks them out as elite warriors and speaks to the effectiveness of their tech. The Darksaber was stolen from the Jedi temple and passed down for generations of Mandalorians. Over time and in response to ecological devastation, the New Mandalorians arose, attempting to rule over generations of peace.
Civil war broke out between the New Mandalorians and those devoted to their old militaristic ways. This civil war is the turning point for the planet. While the planet's leader Satine Kryze was forced to hire Jedi protectors, specifically Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, and live on the run, the Mandalorian Civil War decimated the population of the planet and even more severely ruined the planet. Kryze returned to a planet that was completely uninhabitable and oversaw the creation of Bio-Cubes, superstructures necessary to protect the cities on the planet. Shortly thereafter, the remaining militaristic faction of Mandalorians formed a terrorist group called Death Watch in an attempt to reclaim the planet.
During the Clone Wars, Mandalore stuck hard to neutrality, too busy with internal strife to fight. During this period, Death Watch allied itself with Phantom Menace villain Darth Maul. Maul seizes power through violence and subterfuge and rules the planet with an iron fist. The hero that emerges to defeat the Sith usurper to the planet's throne is Satine Kryze's sister; Bo-Katan Kryze. Bo-Katan was a lieutenant of Death Watch, who lead the terrorist organization in conflict against itself. Maul and Kryze split Death Watch and saw open conflict in the cities of Mandalore.
The Galactic Empire arose from the ashes of the Republic, right in the middle of a Republic siege on Maul's dictatorship over Mandalore. In short order, the Empire unseated Maul, turned on the Jedi leading the rebellion, and installed a Mandalorian named Gar Saxon willing to do Empire bidding. Saxon held power until his death, which triggered a second civil war between the planet's clans and Saxon's brother who assumed power. After many casualties, Saxon was killed and Bo-Katan Kryze was granted the Darksaber and became leader of Mandalore.
Tragically, her reign did not last long. The Empire, unable to control Mandalore and unwilling to leave it to anyone else, lead a massive genocide of the Mandalorian people. A few Mandalorians survived, but they were largely scattered across the galaxy and the Darksaber was seized by the Empire. The Tribe, the group of sectarian Mandalorian warriors which Din Djarin serves, came to believe the world was cursed and best left behind. But all hope was not lost, Bo-Katan was still out there, hunting the Darksaber and building power to retake her home planet. The season 2 finale of The Mandalorian sees Din Djarin acquire the Darksaber, leaving the planet's future still a mystery.
This is where the planet Mandalore stands, uninhabitable due to war, the subject of constant violence, destroyed by the empire, but still a resistance strives to retake the once powerful world. Mandalore is a fascinating planet with a rich history of strife which really gives context to the beloved journeys of characters like Din Djarin, Boba Fett, and Bo-Katan Kryze.