Star Wars: Every New Reveal About Mandalorian Culture & History
Here's everything The Mandalorian season 2 reveals about the rich history and culture of the Mandalorian people. When Boba Fett made his cinematic debut in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back (having first appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special), the popular bounty hunter remained entirely shrouded in mystery. Attack of the Clones finally delved into the character's past by introducing his father, Jango Fett, but it wasn't until the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series that the planet of Mandalore first became canon. This clan-based warrior society carry a dark and bloody past with the Jedi, and fighters come clad in helmets and armor strikingly reminiscent of Boba and Jango's.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed plenty about Mandalorian culture, including their honor-based leadership structure and the long history of Civil War between violent extremists and peace-minded progressives. The Darksaber serves as a symbol of Mandalore, originating from the first (and only) Mandalorian Jedi, before becoming a symbol of power and respect reserved for the planet's ruler, or Mand'alor. Also prized among Mandalorians is beskar steel, from which their distinctive suits of armor and weapons are constructed.
These initial details were elaborated upon in The Mandalorian season 1, but season 2 is far more generous with its history lessons. As Din Djarin becomes more open, makes new friends, and encounters more of his own people, The Mandalorian season 2 cracks open the culture and history of Djarin's adopted homeland, expanding on what Star Wars fans already knew.
The passion with which Mandalorian warriors revere their armor is apparent in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but The Mandalorian season 2 proves how far they'll go to protect that ancient tradition. In "The Marshal," Din Djarin encounters Cobb Vanth - a Tatooine vigilante using Boba Fett's lost armor to keep the town of Mos Pelgo safe from Tusken Raiders. Upon discovering that someone not of Mandalorian heritage is parading around in beskar armor, Din Djarin gets ready for a fight. The dispute is delayed by the appearance of a Krayt dragon, and Djarin is forced to work together with Vanth. When the danger is over, the audience would be forgiven for thinking Djarin might let his new friend keep Boba's armor. Vanth does use the suit to protect innocent civilians, after all. Alas, no, Din Djarin insists on reclaiming the property of his people, demonstrating how seriously Mandalorians take appropriation of beskar armor in their culture.
"The Passenger" sees Din Djarin ferrying Frog Lady and her eggs (or what's left of them after Grogu got hungry) to the planet of Trask. The journey goes awry when the Razor Crest crashes on a perilous ice planet, causing the bounty hunter to rescind his promise of getting Frog Lady safely to her waiting husband. In response, the amphibian commandeers a droid voice box and tells her escort that fulfilling one's promise is part of the "Mandalorian Code." Star Wars never lists this fabled set of rules in its entirety, but swearing to the creed means taking in foundlings (such as Grogu), honoring promises, settling disputes in one-on-one combat (like Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels), helping other Mandos and respecting the armor. Basically, anything Mando says he must do, it's because of his code. As Cara Dune points out in "The Rescue," following these rules is what defines someone as Mandalorian more than their bloodline or heritage.
At first glance, The Mandalorian season 1's lore didn't neatly align with what Star Wars fans already knew about Mandalorian culture, but season 2 provides an explanation - the Children of the Watch. When Djarin meets Bo-Katan Kryze and her followers in "The Heiress," he is shocked and appalled to see fellow Mandalorians removing their helmets in such brazen fashion. Noting Mando's reaction, Bo-Katan deduces that Din is a Child of the Watch - a group of extremist zealots who follow the Way of Mandalore and seek to return their planet to the old days. As well as raising their children to be among the strictest and most warrior-like of Mandalorians, the Children of the Watch are kept ignorant to alternative belief systems, meaning Djarin has no idea that his upbringing was in any way unusual compared to the rest of Mandalore. This also explains why Mando refuses to remove his helmet, while others of his kind wouldn't think twice. To follow the Way of Mandalore means obscuring one's face at all costs, taking the cultural armor worship to new extremes. Depersonalizing is a common technique used by cult groups to limit subversion.
The Mandalorian season 1 left a major gap in the history of Mandalore. Star Wars Rebels ends with Bo-Katan Kryze installed as the planet's new leader and the rightful owner of the Darksaber, but the weapon has since fallen into Moff Gideon's possession. Did he steal the mythical blade, or did the villain actually defeat Bo-Katan in battle? The fact that Bo-Katan feels she can only regain the Darksaber by personally beating Gideon suggests the two did fight, and the Imperial won, though her obvious disdain might mean his methods were less than honorable. It certainly seems unlikely that Gideon could best Bo-Katan in a fair fight. Nevertheless, The Mandalorian season 2 proves that Katee Sackhoff's character still sees herself as the true ruler of Mandalore, doggedly hunting Gideon and remaining the head of her house as "Lady Kryze." Furthermore, Boba Fett calls Bo-Katan "princess." While he uses the term in a mocking way, it's also an acknowledgement that Kryze is still Mandalore's true ruler, despite the events of the Great Purge.
Another lingering ambiguity from The Mandalorian season 1 was the heritage of Boba and Jango Fett. Star Wars had previously implied that Jango acquired his armor via illicit methods, meaning neither he, nor his cloned son, could be considered Mandalorians in the traditional sense. In "The Tragedy," The Mandalorian season 2 finally clarifies how Star Wars' most famous bounty hunting family are connected to Mandalore. Din Djarin might lose Baby Yoda in this episode, but he also gains a brand new beskar buddy in Boba Fett, who reclaims the outfit Mando took previously from Cobb Vanth. To prove he's the suit's rightful owner (and that Djarin doesn't need to peel it from his corpse in the name of Mandalorian honor), Boba shows his holographic chain code. The message proves Jango was taken in as a foundling under the care of Jaster Mereel, a character hailing from Star Wars Legends canon. Mareel became leader of his people and vehemently opposed the Death Watch, and this connection ensures Jango, along with his son, are both part of Mandalorian culture.
The Mandalorian season 2 offers a few different theories regarding the current state of Mandalore, but the truth is yet to be revealed. Din Djarin believes his home planet has been more or less destroyed, transformed into an uninhabitable wasteland after the Empire's occupation. While this may be a lie perpetuated by the Children of the Watch, Boba Fett corroborates the story, claiming that the Empire turned Mandalore into glass. Bo-Katan Kryze has different ideas, and believes the Empire deliberately spread misinformation, meaning her planet can still be salvaged, and she can still lead as Mand'alor. These scenes offer some idea of what happened after the Great Purge. The Mandalorian survivors might've been forced to flee, but none know for sure whether there's still hope for their home world.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars tells of how Mandalore became an ally of the Separatist movement during the Clone Wars after initially remaining neutral. Count Dooku later betrayed the Mandalorians (because of course he did), but their brief dalliance meant fierce battles between the people of Mandalore and the Republic's clone army. The Mandalorian season 2 reveals that the scars of that era are yet to heal, as Bo-Katan Kryze makes a number of snide remarks about Boba Fett's clone biology during their scenes together. On one hand, Bo-Katan dislikes Boba because she doesn't acknowledge him as a true Mandalorian, but on the other, she also makes comments such as "I've heard your voice thousands of times" and "don't you mean your donor?" Evidently, Mandalorians have developed a general dislike for clones since the prequel trilogy era.
Throughout The Mandalorian season 2, Bo-Katan Kryze's sole mission is to reclaim the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, and this means defeating him in combat. But villains rarely play by the rules, and Din Djarin is forced to battle Gideon out of necessity, winning with relative ease. Darksaber etiquette dictates that Mando is now in possession of the weapon and the title of Mand'alor. Unsurprisingly, this isn't an career path Din Djarin is keen on taking, and he happily bequeaths the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, who refuses to accept. By Bo-Katans logic, the pair must now duke it out for the right to rule. In Star Wars Rebels, however, various others inherited the Darksaber without throwing a single punch, including Bo-Katan herself. Similar to season 1's helmet situation, there's a disconnect between animated Star Wars and live-action TV, and this point will likely be addressed in The Mandalorian season 3.