Mandalorian
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A Mandalorian is a member of a warrior race known as the Mandalorians in the Star Wars universe. Mandalorians are a species not a culture. The leader of the Mandalorians typically takes on the title of "Mandalore". The Mandalorians rarely allied with a Jedi or Sith, respecting only valor in battle. The goal of the Mandalorians is to one day be united again in the Mandalore Sector.
Originally, the Mandalorian clans were led by the general "Mandalore the First" and were ranked amongst the best fighters in the galaxy, thriving on battle. They were known for their use of cutting-edge weaponry and held to a strict code of honor. They were a warrior race. These Mandalorians wore crusader armor that differed from one soldier to the next.
Mandalore itself is a temperate, albeit desolate, world located in a rather overlooked and inconspicuous area at the edge of the Outer Rim. Making a living upon its surface took on a battle of survival, and thus, the Mandalorians know no other way of succession. Most importantly, however, is the rare metal that is only found on this planet to date. It is called Mandalorian Iron (or more commonly known as Manda-metal) and is one of the few known substances that can resist the focused energy output of a weapon such as a lightsaber (the others being cortosis ore and phrik alloy).
- (*)The original mention of Mandalorian Iron is invariably Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith. In the series, Exar Kun goes to the tomb of Freedon Nadd on Onderon's moon, Dxun. Nadd's grave is said to be made of Mandalorian Iron and Exar Kun attempts to pierce the metal at first and it is noted that his lightsaber's blow barely even scorches the surface. Exar increases the intensity of his lightsaber and succeeds in entering Nadd's tomb. It should be said that the spirit of Freedon Nadd had been guiding Exar Kun during this time and that Nadd wanted him to enter that dark place where his remains resided. By proxy, it could very well have been Nadd himself who through the Force enhanced Kun's lightsaber to the point that it pierced the Mandalorian Iron unknowingly to Exar.
The Mandalorians played a large role in the Great Sith War. During the war between the Sith and the Republic, Mandalore and his forces attacked and raided the Empress Teta system, drawing the attention of Ulic Qel-Droma. After being defeated in single combat by Ulic, the Mandalore pledged complete loyalty to the Sith apprentice. He and his warriors participated in many devastating raids and attacks on the Republic, including an attempted invasion of Coruscant. However, Mandalore was finally defeated at Onderon by a combined force of local military forces and Republic reinforcements. With his mighty army defeated and shattered, Mandalore fled to Dxun but was killed by one of the many monsters that inhabited Onderon's moon. A Mandalorian warrior comes across his fallen mask and inherits the position of Mandalore.
After their defeat in the Mandalorian Wars at the hands of the Jedi Revan and Malak, Mandalorian society was slowly reformed, gradually evolving and changing into a culture of mercenaries, rather than conquerors. Revan later told his friend Canderous Ordo to unite the Mandalorians after he left for the Unknown Regions. Ordo then took the mantle of "Mandalore" and gathered a new Mandalorian army on Dxun. Recruiting and training Mandalorians across the Galaxy, he eventually encountered the Jedi Exile, whom he continued traveling with. During this time, the Jedi Exile's group finally visited Malachor V, a planet bearing scars of the most atrocious battle of the Mandalorian Wars; Malachor V was the site of the single largest loss of life during the Mandalorian Wars, killing the majority of Mandalorian and Republic soldiers, due to an Iridonian technician, Bao-Dur, who created and deployed a weapon called the Mass Shadow Generator. While attempting to enter the Malachor V, the party's ship, the Ebon Hawk, was downed due to Malachor's unusual gravity and vicious storms, it is thought that all of the members survived, including Canderous. It is unknown where Ordo travelled after escaping Malachor V, but as a precognition made by Kreia, "he has many battles left in him." When Mandalore died one of his men took his armour and became the new Mandalore.
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[edit] Post-Imperial Times
Twenty-three years after the Battle of Yavin, a new leader rose to power, Boba Fett, who became Mandalore after Shysa's death on the planet Shogun and continued the tradition of leading the Mandalorian Protectors. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Fett led the Mandalorians in the defense of Mandalore and liberated numerous planets like Tholatin and Gyndine.
But in all, the fates of the Mandalorians themselves are not recorded either. All that is known among the galactic populace is that the Mandalorians did exist, but that no known individuals walk among them any more. All of their technology was erased, and records are incomplete as to the exact location of Mandalore at the present time. During the peak of Mandalorian culture, one of their production factories, Mandalmotors, spawned branch plants on a few other planets, and this corporation continues to operate in limited capacity. Only two known examples of the Mandalorian battle armor exist as well, worn by the bounty hunters Boba Fett and Jodo Kast. Fett killed Kast for imitating him and soiling his name. Fett inherited his armor from his father's mentor, Jaster Mereel, and placed his father's into storage. Jodo Kast procured his armor when he killed the Mandallian Giant bounty hunter, Feskitt Bobb, whose suit of Mandalorian armor made Kast initially mistake him for Fett. Mandalorians look almost exactly like normal humans without their armor, so its very possible the race is not entirely wiped out.
However, as revealed in the Legacy of the Force series, the Mandalorians still exist and maintain a presence in the galaxy. There are numerous small communities and clans scattered around the galaxy, with the majority centered around Mandalore. Also, the ending of the second book in the series, Bloodlines, implies that Boba Fett will use his position as Mandalore to restore the power and glory of the Mandalorians.
Most information is supported by Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II, the Sith Lords
