Battle of Galidraan


The Battle of Galidraan was a conflict that led to the crippling of the True Mandalorians by the Jedi.

First conflict


The Governor of Galidraan had secretly been hiding the Mandalorian Death Watch splinter group on his world. He was also facing an insurrection by some of his colonists, so he hired the True Mandalorians under Jango Fett to eliminate the rebels, which they did. However, under the advice of the Death Watch leader, Tor Vizsla, he also informed the Jedi Council that a group of Mandalorians were murdering "political activists." In exchange for the Mandalorians' services, the governor promised to tell him the location of Death Watch. When confronted by Fett, Viszla and his men attempted to kill Jango. They failed, and he escaped. Before departing, Viszla told the governor to inform the Jedi than the Mandalorians had murdered the political activists' families too, and departed to ''create some proof,''

Second conflict


The Jedi deflect the first blaster shots from the Mandalorians.

The Jedi deflect the first blaster shots from the Mandalorians.

A Jedi task force under Master Dooku was dispatched to Galidraan. No sooner had Jango reached his people's camp to warn them about the Death Watch trap, the Jedi arrived. The Jedi leader, Master Dooku, ordered the True Mandalorians to stand down and promised a fair treatment. His padawan, Komari Vosa warned them that if the Mandalorians choose to fight them, "swift justice" would be served. In response, Fett ordered his men to open fire. This resulted in a bloody stand-off.

As the battle commenced, the Jedi easily deflected the Mandalorians shoots, killing some. Seeing his mistake, Jango ordered his men to switch to projectile weapons. As the Jedi managed to divert some of the missiles the two group engaged in close combat. Fett then ordered Myles—Fett's aide-de-camp—to take off, providing the others with air support using his jetpack, but Dooku saw him, and ordered a Jedi to attack him. The Jedi used Force Jump to reach him and cut him in half. When both halves of his body fell nearby Fett, that pushed him over the edge and attacked the Jedi.

At the same time, Komari Vosa aggressively cut down scores of Mandalorians, killing at least twenty she alone. Meanwhile, Fett confronted the Jedi who killed Myles. After Fett had thrown himself at the unknown Jedi, they had a brief fight, which ended with him strangling the Jedi. After his opponent's death. Jango, by then the last Mandalorian fighter, surrendered, and was then captured by Dooku and the remaining Jedi.

Aftermath


The casualties on both sides were heavy: Dooku said later than most of half Jedi fighters were killed, with Jango being the only survivor out of at least three hundred Mandalorians. The Jedi were forced to hand Jango over to the Governor of Galidraan, which took his armor as trophy and sold the Mandalorian into slavery.

Dooku would later reflect that "It was a misguided mission from the start and not the first of the Council's poor decisions," and it was one of the main reasons he chose later to leave the Jedi Order. In fact, by his words, it was his last mission as Jedi too. About ten years before the Battle of Geonosis, a Mandalorian named Silas was captured by Count Dooku and tortured when he refused to provide information regarding Jango Fett. Eventually, he broke under the torment. After listening to his story, Dooku ordered Silas' death.

Dooku never forget Galidraan, and in one of his dens, he kept all the fallen Jedi's lightsabers on display.

In later years, the Battle of Galidraan would become used as a euphemism for a militaristic debacle, and in the aftermath of the Yinchorri Uprising, Finis Valorum used it as an example of why the Jedi could not serve as the Republic's army.

Known Participants


Jango faces the Jedi who killed Myles.

Jango faces the Jedi who killed Myles.

Mandalorians


Republic


Other


Behind the scenes


The battle was originally placed in 34 BBY in Open Seasons. Later, The New Essential Chronology placed it in 40 BBY, The Cestus Deception implied it took place around 43 BBY, and Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, The Official Star Wars Fact File and the Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide placed it in 44 BBY, while Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Special Edition placed it in 44 BBY and also made reference to "two years before the Battle of Naboo," which would mean 34 BBY. Two different dates (44 BBY and 41 BBY) were also given for the battle in the Star Wars Annual 2008. In addition, the databank article on Antidar Williams, written by a fan for a What's The Story? contest, places the battle several years after the 44 BBY Stark Hyperspace War. The Essential Atlas again places it in 44 BBY. Galaxy at War dates the end of the war (and therefore this battle) to 34 BBY, the first resource to corroborate the original dating. This article uses the 44 BBY date because a plurality of recent sources use it.

The New Essential Guide to Characters states that the Jedi outnumbered the Mandalorians and that Jango Fett was not captured after the fight. Both statements are contradicted by other sources on the battle.

While the True Mandalorian Silas offers to tell Dooku about this battle under torture, there's no evidence he was there, and circumstantial evidence (such as a later statement by Dooku that every Mandalorian but Jango died there) that he was not.

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