Star Wars may be exploring the future of the planet Mandalore in The Mandalorian season 3, but the most important Mandalorian story of all has never been told. When Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin arrived on Mandalore, he believed the world had been ruined – ravaged by centuries of warfare, and ultimately destroyed by the Empire in a sustained planetary bombardment. But, although Mandalore had indeed been left in ruins, the planet was not quite as desolate as he had expected; some life-forms survived, the atmosphere was breathable, and Din and Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze even discovered the legendary Mythosaurs. The Mandalorian season 3 is clearly setting up a story that will redeem Mandalore’s future.
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In part, it is doing this by interrogating the history of Mandalore – and using Bo-Katan as the lens through which that history is assessed. Bo-Katan’s story is a heartbreaking one, because she played a key role in dividing the Mandalorians, leaving them vulnerable to the Empire. In truth, she sought the Darksaber not only because she wanted to restore Mandalore, but also in the hopes of redemption. Oddly, though, Star Wars has never told the story that seems to have been the inciting incident of all this – the story that set both Bo-Katan ahd her sister Satine on very different paths.
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The Death of Bo-Katan & Satine’s Father Caused The Mandalorian Civil War
Bo-Katan’s father, mentioned in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2, was Duke Adonai Kryze – the ruler of Mandalore, head of the Royal Mandalorian House Kryze. Tragically, he was assassinated, and his death sparked a civil war among the Mandalorians. Little is known of the precise circumstances of Adonai’s death; using tie-ins and reference material, it’s possible to date it at roughly 38-40 years before the battle of Yavin (the traditional Star Wars dating convention, BBY, tied to the first Star Wars film). It seems to have had a profound impact on his two daughters, with Bo-Katan becoming more traditional and militant, while her sister embraced pacifism.
The year after Adonai Kryze’s death was a difficult one for Mandalore, with a civil war breaking out. The Jedi Council sent Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to protect Sabine. Obi-Wan and Satine fell in love, with Qui-Gon watching in amusement as the initial bickering turned to affection. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Obi-Wan remembered back to these dangerous times, and recalled he would have left the Jedi Order had Satine asked him to. She did not, however; she understood duty, and believed Obi-Wan owed a duty to the Force. When the Mandalorian Civil War came to an end, Satine took the throne of her homeworld and attempted to lead the planet in a new direction, bringing an end to the wars and allowing the planet’s ruined environment to begin healing. Obi-Wan returned to the Jedi, burying his feelings for Satine deep within his heart.
Mandalore’s Star Wars Story Springs From Duke Adonai Kryze’s Death
Bo-Katan clearly loved her father deeply, and his death appears to have led her to dedicate herself to the ancient ways of Mandalore. This set in motion her entire arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in which Bo-Katan joined the Death Watch, a group of traditionalists who would attempt to overthrow Satine. The Death Watch reopened old wounds, making assassination attempts and even forging an alliance with Darth Maul; he murdered Satine to get revenge on Obi-Wan. Maul was overthrown in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, with Bo-Katan now allying with the Republic against him. Tragically, the Siege of Mandalore took place at the worst possible time – literally at the same time as the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Mandalore was left broken and divided, just at the moment the Republic transformed into the Empire.
The history of Mandalore would have been very different had the Mandalorians not been torn apart – and the two Kryze sisters were both key players in that division. Had Bo-Katan not tried to lead Mandalore, supporting those who challenged her sister, the Mandalorians would have been united. No doubt the Empire would still have attacked, but the united Mandalorian armies would have been a force to be reckoned with. And all this division spins back to the assassination of Duke Adonai Kryze.
Star Wars Has Never Shown The Death Of Duke Adonai Kryze, Or The Mandalorian Civil War
The death of Duke Adonai Kryze set Mandalore on the path seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and now The Mandalorian. Surprisingly, though, this story has never been told – in either the old Star Wars Expanded Universe or Disney canon. This is even stranger given Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, two heroes of the Skywalker saga, played such a key role in the aftermath of the assassination. The storytelling potential here – involving everything from brutal clan warfare to doomed romance – is absolutely staggering. And yet, although these events have been alluded to in many books and Star Wars TV shows, they have never been told.
Given the potential of this story, the only logical conclusion is that Lucasfilm is biding its time. If so, that time is surely coming soon; there has never been more interest in Mandalore, and Bo-Katan is rising in importance, meaning her backstory will intrigue viewers like never before. Lucasfilm intend to use The Mandalorian as a launchpad for spinoffs, and it would be exciting to see them set one in Mandalore’s past, finally telling this untold tale.
Episodes of The Mandalorian release Wednesdays on Disney+.