Bo-Katan Kryze was a Mandalorian human female princess born into House Kryze and was the Mand'alor during the New Republic Era. Over her life, she became a lieutenant in the Death Watch terrorist group, the commanding officer of its Nite Owls subdivision, the leader of the Mandalore resistance, and even laid claim over all of her homeworld, the planet Mandalore. Her complicated history was tied to that of her sister, Satine, who ruled as the Duchess of Mandalore but advocated for pacifistic teachings, which brought the two siblings into conflict; Bo-Katan believed that Mandalore should take pride in its martial history and thus immediately joined Death Watch, a splinter group of those who believed in Mandalore's warrior past and opposed the new pacifist government. After Governor Pre Vizsla of Concordia was publicly exposed as the leader of Death Watch, the splinter group was exiled from the Mandalore system. In 19 BBY, Kryze and Vizsla discovered the Sith Lords Maul and Savage Opress. With the Sith, they plotted to reclaim Mandalore, and through Maul's planning, united several criminal syndicates to form the Shadow Collective. Launching a takeover of Mandalore, Satine's rule was overthrown, and Vizsla took control of the planet.
However, Maul challenged Pre Vizsla, and the Sith Lord defeated him, taking the throne and appointing Prime Minister Almec as a puppet leader, ushering in the Post Vizsla era. Kryze and a group of Mandalorian loyalists refused to recognize Maul's rule, and they liberated Satine from the royal prison, contacting Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for help. Due to Mandalore's neutrality, Kenobi was forced to come alone, and he was captured by Maul, who then killed Satine. When Kenobi was brought to the prison, Kryze and her rebels freed the Jedi, and Mandalore was swept into a civil war as Maul's forces fought to reclaim him. Before Kenobi left the planet, Kryze requested that the Galactic Republic be informed of the events, hoping that a Republic invasion would result in Maul's death. Less than a year later, Kryze's desire was fulfilled, and the Republic laid siege to Mandalore, driving Maul from the planet. She then became Lady of House Kryze and Regent of Mandalore. However, she lost her position when she refused to follow the newly appointed Galactic Emperor Palpatine, and Clan Saxon took over.
During the ensuing occupation of Mandalore, the Republic reorganized into the Galactic Empire, and a new wave of violence claimed the planet. In 2 BBY, Clan Wren of Krownest chose to resist the Empire, leading the Imperial loyalists of Clan Saxon to fight them. These actions threw Mandalore into another civil war. During the war, Kryze encountered Countess Ursa Wren and Sabine Wren of Clan Wren, who were seeking a Mandalorian worthy of wielding the Darksaber and claiming the title of Mand'alor. With the Wrens' approval, Kryze took the weapon and rallied the support of several Mandalorian clans, uniting them to fight against the Empire. However, her support was not universal, as she had accepted the Darksaber as a gift instead of winning it in combat. Her rule proved to be short-lived when the Empire managed to lay waste to Mandalore and its people in the Night of a Thousand Tears, with Kryze additionally losing the Darksaber to Moff Gideon. In the aftermath of what came to be known as the "Great Purge," Kryze formulated a plan to reclaim the weapon from the Moff and return to Mandalore.
On Trask, Kryze joined fellow Mandalorians Axe Woves and Koska Reeves to hijack a shipment of weapons aboard an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser. Before assaulting the transport, however, Kryze, Woves, and Reeves rescued unknowing member of the Children of the Watch Din Djarin and the Force-sensitive youngling Grogu from a fishing boat. With Djarin's help, they successfully managed to steal the weapons and capture the Gozanti cruiser they were being transported in for use in reclaiming Mandalore. Later, Djarin recruited Kryze and Reeves to help him rescue Grogu, who had been captured by Moff Gideon and was being held aboard his light cruiser. With the help of Reeves, assassin Fennec Shand, Marshal Carasynthia Dune, and former bounty hunter Boba Fett, Kryze successfully captured the light cruiser's bridge. Although the victory secured her control over the light cruiser, Djarin returned with a rescued Grogu and Gideon in stuncuffs, having accidentally claimed Darksaber by defeating Gideon, thereby making him the rightful ruler of Mandalore. Kryze refused to take the Darksaber from Djarin despite him willingly relinquishing it to her, having grown fearful due to her past.
Despite this, Kryze would eventually reclaim the Darksaber after saving Djarin from an unidentified cyborg in the ruins of Mandalore, where she managed to bring back some of the scattered Mandalorians under one banner to reclaim their homeworld. When they arrived, she discovered survivors and an Imperial remnant stationed on the planet. They eventually defeated them and Kryze eventually relit the Great Forge, signifying the start of Mandalore's reconstruction.
Bo-Katan Kryze was a human female princess born on the planet Mandalore into Clan Kryze and the overall House Kryze, that during her childhood served as the royal family of Mandalore. Kryze was the sister of Satine Kryze, who affectionately nicknamed her "Bo." They also had a nephew named Korkie Kryze, with whom Satine was very close. She grew up flying the hills of the planet Kalevala, the homeworld of her house. Bo-Katan inherited a set of Mandalorian armor that had been passed down through several generations of their family. At some point during her childhood, she took the Mandalorian Creed by performing a Mandalorian initiation ritual in the Living Waters in the Mines of Mandalore in front of her father and the subjects of the Mandalorian royal family. She was showered with gifts and made her father proud. Kryze considered the ritual as just theater for their subjects and part of stories for children. She also believed there was nothing magical about the Living Waters.
Her father died defending Mandalore, and Satine eventually became the Duchess of Mandalore, leading the pacifist New Mandalorians. However, Bo-Katan believed in embracing Mandalore's martial past and thus immediately joined Death Watch, a radical Mandalorian terrorist group which sought to revive their warring heritage.
Within Death Watch, Bo-Katan served under the leadership of Pre Vizsla, former Governor of Mandalore's moon, Concordia, and she faithfully worked as his right-hand lieutenant, also leading an elite unit of warriors known as the Nite Owls. After a failed alliance with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, leaving Kryze and her fellows with a hatred for Count Dooku, Death Watch was exiled from the Mandalore system, so Bo-Katan and Death Watch established a temporary camp on Carlac, a snowy planet in the Outer Rim Territories.
Bo-Katan Kryze meets Lux Bonteri on Carlac.
In 20 BBY, Death Watch was contacted by Lux Bonteri, who had learned that his mother, Senator Mina Bonteri, had been betrayed and killed by Count Dooku, leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Death Watch had also been betrayed by Dooku, and Bonteri, who had gathered information of the count's whereabouts, wished to unite, seeking revenge. Vizsla agreed, and Bonteri traveled to Carlac. When Bonteri arrived, Kryze led a squad of Death Watch soldiers to meet him, verifying that he brought the information. Noticing that Bonteri was accompanied by a Togruta girl, Kryze asked who she was. The Togruta—secretly Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano—claimed to be Bonteri's betrothed. Katan, suspicious of Tano, immediately commented on how skinny Tano was for someone betrothed and thus slapped Tano's backside to make a point of it. Wary of an approaching snow storm, Kryze ordered the squad to escort the new arrivals to the Death Watch camp.
At the camp, Kryze showed Bonteri and Tano to Vizsla's tent. When Vizsla entered, he requested Tano to leave, so Kryze brought the Togruta to a tent for Ming Po women who had been taken from a nearby village. Later, during a feast in the camp's main tent, Kryze stood by Vizsla as Chieftain Pieter of the Ming Po town arrived, demanding that the women be released. Vizsla agreed to return them in the morning, and Pieter left. However, when the morning came, Vizsla killed Pieter's granddaughter Tryla, and Death Watch began to destroy their village. Tano attempted to stop the attack, revealing herself to be a Jedi, so Death Watch apprehended her and dragged her back to the camp.
Kryze fights Ahsoka Tano.
Back at the base, Vizsla taunted Tano and prepared to execute her. However, Tano escaped her restraints, and Kryze prepared to fight the Jedi. Vizsla told Kryze to stand down, and he engaged Tano in lightsaber combat. Tano received help when a group of refurbished battle droids joined the fight, and Kryze fought off the new attackers, using her blaster pistols to down battle droid 513. During the battle, Tano and Bonteri boarded a landspeeder and fled. At Vizsla's command, Kryze and two other Mandalorians pursued, and the lieutenant landed on the speeder, brawling with the young Jedi. Tano ultimately bested Kryze, and the Mandalorian was kicked off the vehicle. Soon after, Bonteri and Tano escaped the planet.
Sometime later, Death Watch abandoned their base on Carlac and established a new camp on the moon Zanbar. In 19 BBY, Death Watch located an escape pod drifting through space, so Kryze, Vizsla, and a squad investigated. Entering the pod, the Mandalorians found lightsabers and two unconscious, wounded Zabraks—Maul and Savage Opress, Sith Lords and brothers. Kryze asked if she should kill them, but Vizsla, curious of the pair's origins, ordered the Zabraks to be brought from the pod to a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport. When the two were brought aboard, Kryze piloted the starship through hyperspace, back to Zanbar. Once Maul awoke, Vizsla demanded to know who he was, while Kryze held Opress at gunpoint. Complying, Maul revealed they were Sith Lords and brothers. When Vizsla asked if they had an allegiance to Dooku, the Zabrak replied that they were allied with no one and that they sought revenge against the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi—the same Jedi responsible for Death Watch's exile.
Maul chokes Kryze for doubting his capabilities.
After Maul healed, he met with Vizsla again, and they discussed plans to punish Kenobi and reclaim Mandalore. However, still impacted by Dooku's betrayal, Kryze reminded Vizsla that Death Watch's past alliance with Sith had ended poorly. When Kryze claimed the Sith were no better than Jedi, Maul Force choked the lieutenant, silencing her and stating that doubt would lead to failure. Maul proposed his plan once again, and he released Kryze. As Kryze recovered, Vizsla put Maul's proposal to a vote among Death Watch. Ultimately, the vote decided to join the Sith brothers and liberate Mandalore of Duchess Satine's New Mandalorians.
The first step in Maul's plan was to assemble an army—the Shadow Collective—beginning with the Black Sun crime syndicate. Kryze, Vizsla, and the Sith traveled to the Black Sun fortress on the planet Mustafar. There, the group met Ziton Moj, who took Vizsla, Maul, and Opress to see the Black Sun leaders while Kryze remained with the Death Watch warriors. The talks with the Black Sun failed, so Opress, activating his lightsaber, was forced to execute them, appointing Moj as the new leader and forcing him to join. With the additional forces, the newly formed Shadow Collective returned to Zanbar. Soon after, as Kryze, Vizsla, and Maul reviewed the plan, the camp was visited by the Pyke Syndicate. Their leader, Lom Pyke, greeted the trio, requesting to join their operation. Accepting the offer, Vizsla ordered the Shadow Collective troops to prepare for travel to Nal Hutta, planning to recruit the Hutt Clan.
Kryze led the attack on Jabba's Palace, allowing Maul to recruit the Hutt Clan.
After arriving on the swampy and rainy planet, Kryze stayed with the ships while Vizsla and the Sith entered Gardulla the Hutt's Palace. The negotiations were unsuccessful, and a brief confrontation broke out between Kryze's Nite Owls and the Hutts' soldiers. Vizsla ordered Kryze to secure the landing platform, and the Hutt forces retreated soon after. Kryze's warriors gave chase, and the lieutenant caught the Hutt crime lord Oruba. Maul demanded to know where to find the other Hutts, threatening the crime lord. Oruba named Jabba's Palace on the planet Tatooine, but Opress killed the Hutt anyway. With the information, the Shadow Collective traveled to Tatooine, where Kryze led an attack on Jabba's Palace, and Maul forced Jabba and the Hutt families to join them. In the fight's aftermath, Vizsla advised Kryze to remain focused, revealing that he intended to betray the Sith brothers once Mandalore was secured.
Back on Zanbar, Kryze, Maul, Vizsla, and the other conspirators prepared for the takeover, planning for Maul's Shadow Collective to strike targets in Sundari, Mandalore's capital, in order to make Kryze's Duchess sister look weak. Vizsla complimented Maul's plan, and Kryze agreed. After the meeting, however, Kryze consulted with Vizsla, saying that the plan was too risky, and that the criminals were untrustworthy. Vizsla addressed Kryze's concerns, explaining that after Maul's forces served their purpose, they would be executed. Kryze left to prepare her Nite Owls, and the Shadow Collective embarked for Mandalore.
Kryze accompanies Death Watch as her sister's pacifistic methods are denounced.
On Mandalore, the syndicate criminals attacked the specified locations, throwing Sundari's population into turmoil. When Duchess Satine began a speech from the Sundari Royal Palace, Vizsla and Kryze arrived. Vizsla claimed that he was not responsible for the attacks, but that Death Watch would be able to save the city through armed opposition. Satine warned the populace to not listen to Vizsla, but her efforts failed, and the Sundari citizens chanted their support for Vizsla and Death Watch. When Vizsla finished his speech, he and Kryze returned to their ships.
With the support of Mandalore, the Death Watch forces began the next step of Maul's plan, apprehending the groups of Pyke Syndicate and Black Sun thugs throughout Sundari. In the city's Peace Park, Kryze led her Nite Owls to capture a group of criminals led by Moj, and Kryze reassured a trio of scared children. The witnesses of the Nite Owl's actions thanked the warriors, hailing Kryze's forces as saviors. With the city's faux liberation, the population praised Vizsla, and he, along with Kryze and other members of Death Watch, broke into the Royal Palace, arresting the Duchess and the New Mandalorian leaders. Following the arrest, Kryze, in front of the subdued Moj, Opress, and Pyke, gave a speech to the people of Sundari, introducing Vizsla as the new Prime Minister of Mandalore and crediting him with the captured criminals. The crowd responded to the presentation with great enthusiasm, affirming Death Watch's new support.
Kryze betrays Maul, taking the Sith Lord prisoner.
Later, Kryze brought Maul to meet with Death Watch. When they arrived in the palace, Vizsla stated that the captive Duchess would be used to lure Kenobi to Mandalore, creating an opportunity to kill the Jedi and finish their deal. However, Maul expressed his plans to expand to other star systems, and Vizsla responded by telling the Zabrak that his goals did not matter. On cue, Kryze and the Mandalorians pulled their blasters on the Sith Lord, taking him prisoner. With Maul in shackles, Kryze escorted him to the palace's balcony, where Vizsla addressed the citizens once more, stating that the violence was finally over. When the Zabrak struggled, Kryze clubbed him into submission with her blaster. Again, Vizsla denounced Satine's pacifistic methods, and the crowd chanted his name. When the speech concluded, Maul was imprisoned with his brother, Opress.
However, soon after Maul's imprisonment, he and Opress broke out, also freeing the corrupt, former Prime Minister, Almec. As Kryze and the rest of Death Watch were residing in the Royal Palace, the escaped trio arrived, and the Mandalorians raised their weapons at them. Maul challenged Vizsla to a duel for control of Mandalore, and per Mandalorian tradition, Vizsla accepted. At Vizsla's word, Kryze threw Maul's lightsaber to him, and Vizsla ignited his Darksaber, beginning the duel. Without interfering, Kryze and the Mandalorians looked on as the two fought. Although Vizsla was skilled, the Sith Lord ultimately bested him, and to Kryze's horror, Maul decapitated Vizsla.
When Maul declared himself as the new leader of Death Watch, Kryze refused to accept his rule, claiming that no outsider would ever rule Mandalore. Maul warns her and those who side with that if they will not join him, then they will all die and at Maul's words, the traditionalist Mandalorians took aim at the Nite Owls. Kryze called them out as traitors; the Sith Lord tells Kryze that unfortunately for her, history will not see things her way and ordered his loyal soldiers to execute them beginning a firefight. Firing upon her former Death Watch comrades and throwing explosives to provide cover, Kryze and several Nite Owls fled the palace.
Bo-Katan and Korkie rescue Satine from the royal prison.
After the narrow escape, Bo-Katan joined forces with her nephew Korkie Kryze and his classmates, Lagos, Soniee, and Amis. With the Death Watch loyalists, the group infiltrated the royal prison, incapacitating the guards and rescuing Satine. Bo-Katan's appearance initially alarmed Satine, but Korkie reassured the former Duchess that she was on their side. When Satine asked her sister why she was helping, Bo-Katan stated that the enemy of her enemy was her friend. Once outside, Satine said that they should contact the Jedi Order for help. However, Korkie explained that the frequencies within Sundari were jammed, so they would need to leave to get a signal through. At Bo-Katan's word, the soldiers boarded Mandalorian speeder bikes and Satine entered an airspeeder with her sister and Korkie.
As the group departed from the prison, they were spotted and pursued by Maul's Mandalorian super commandos. Acting quickly, Bo-Katan ordered her troops to engage them as she defended Satine's airspeeder. Despite Bo-Katan's efforts, the loyalists were overwhelmed, and the speeder was shot, crashing into Hangar 1 near the city's edge. Leaping from the damaged airspeeder, Satine ran beyond the city limits, sending a signal to the Jedi Order, requesting Kenobi's help. Bo-Katan and the Death Watch loyalists were forced to retreat, and Satine was captured.
Later, Kenobi arrived, and Bo-Katan watched him with interest, tracking the Jedi through Sundari. Soon after his arrival, Kenobi broke into the royal prison, attempting to liberate Satine. However, the rescue failed, and the two were brought before Maul, who killed Satine and ordered for Kenobi to be imprisoned. Devastated by Satine's death, Bo-Katan and her Mandalorian rebels ambushed Maul's warriors as they delivered Kenobi to the prison. Leaping onto the prison's landing pad, Bo-Katan fought Kenobi's escorts with hand-to-hand combat, quickly defeating them. Bo-Katan introduced herself to Kenobi, and she freed him from his restraints, returning his lightsaber and giving him a jetpack. With Kenobi and the loyalists, Bo-Katan blasted away from the prison.
Kryze fights alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi as Mandalore is thrown into a civil war.
Maul sent his forces to reclaim Kenobi, pursuing Bo-Katan and the rebels through the city. In the ensuing battle, Sundari became blackened by civil war, and Bo-Katan fought alongside Kenobi. Fighting their way toward a Kom'rk-class fighter, Bo-Katan told Kenobi to return to the Republic and inform the Galactic Senate of the events that transpired. Kenobi warned Bo-Katan that doing so would likely lead to a Republic invasion, but the Mandalorian was willing to accept those consequences if it meant the death of Maul and survival of Mandalore. Kenobi realized that Bo-Katan was Satine's sister, and told her he was sorry for her loss, boarding the starfighter and escaping the planet.
Kryze enlists Tano's help to liberate Mandalore from Maul.
In the ensuing the civil war, Kryze and her Nite Owls continued operations. At some point, Kryze painted her helmet with new markings and the Nite Owls began to track Maul's movements, assembling data on the renegade former Sith Lord over the course of several months. Sometime later, Kryze and two other Nite Owls, including Ursa Wren, were undercover on Oba Diah for a mission to obtain transmission codes from the Pykes that would help them verify data on Maul's movements. The group noticed the presence of former Jedi and now Pyke prisoner Ahsoka Tano, whom Kryze had previously met on Carlac when she was in Death Watch. Wren discussed Tano's presence with Kryze and they decided to keep an eye on her, stating that they had a common enemy in Maul.
They followed Tano to Coruscant, where Kryze approached Tano in a repair shop on Level 1313. Tano was initially alarmed, but Kryze showing her a hologram of Maul and stated that Death Watch was gone and they now had a common enemy. She asked for Tano's help, and promised to explain everything once they were under way. Tano accepted the offer and left Coruscant with the three Mandalorians.
After Kryze told Tano about Maul's takeover of Mandalore and his current residence within the capital of Sundari, Kryze and Tano contacted Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to request the Republic's aid in laying a siege on Mandalore. Kryze and Tano arrived a Venator-class Star Destroyer to meet with the two Jedi. Kryze took the lead in the briefing room, informing the two Jedi of her activities in tracking Maul and telling them that she had confirmed that Maul returned to Mandalore two days earlier. When Kenobi questioned why Kryze was coming to them, Kryze told him that they need the Republic's forces to take back the planet and capture him, explaining that she did not have enough forces to effectively lock down Sundari, which would let Maul escape their clutches once again.
Kryze and Tano talking.
Although Kenobi reminded that allowing Republic forces to invade Mandalore would break peace treaties and lead to another war, he decided to speak to the Jedi Council on this behalf. Kryze insisted that there was no time to get permission from the Council, angrily stating that her people had suffered long enough under Maul's rule. Aware of Kenobi's affection for Satine before she died, Kryze questioned his love for her as a way to manipulate him into helping her and Tano on their mission. The jedi replied he still did, but would not allow his feelings cloud his judgment. He then abruptly left to speak to the Council. Once Kenobi left the room, Kryze told Tano that she thought it was a bad idea and that they were wasting their time talking with the Jedi before she left the room with several Nite Owls. However, Kryze's wish for a Republic invasion was fulfilled. A division of the Grand Army of the Republic, led by Tano and the newly promoted Clone Commander CT-7567 "Rex," laid siege to Maul's forces.
A large invasion force consisting of several gunships and Komrk-class fighters began to deploy their forces. Kryze was contacted by Prime Minister Almec, who demanded to know the meaning of the invasion. Kryze retorted that they knew Almec was only a puppet leader and that they were there to end Maul's rule once and for all. Kryze fought alongside Tano as they made planetfall, driving back Maul's Mandalorian warriors. As Tano begins to search for Maul, Kryze warned her that they could not afford a long siege of the city. Kryze then led her warriors into the throne room, where Kryze defeated Almec in combat and captured him. When her interrogation led Almec into admitting that Tano and her men were walking into a trap in the Undercity, Kryze tried to warn them but failed to reach them.
Kryze and Tano strategize with Kenobi.
As the fighting died down, Kryze and Tano met with Obi-Wan Kenobi via hologram in the royal palace. Kryze listened closely as Tano and Kenobi discussed the Sith, with Kenobi saying that the Jedi Council believed that the Sith known as Darth Sidious had orchestrated the Clone Wars. When Tano requested reinforcements, Kenobi revealed that he had been tasked with pursuing General Grievous to Utapau. Kryze and Tano then went to interrogate Almec, but before he could reveal anything, he was assassinated by Gar Saxon. Kryze took off using her jetpack to pursue him and engaged him in single combat, blocking his flamethrower with her power shield. However, Saxon did damage to her jetpack, preventing Kryze from pursuing Saxon as he fled back into the Undercity.
Later, the clones evacuated the citizens of Sundari into shelters. Kryze reminded Tano that the people will not accept a prolonged confrontation and neither will she. When Rex retorted that she asked for their help and that his men did not want to be a police force anyway, Tano calmed them down and reassured Kryze that they would finish the fight and leave Mandalore to deal with the aftermath and give Kryze her chance to lead. Returning to the throne room, they are surprised to see Maul sitting on the throne. Kryze quickly charged him, but Maul incapacitated her with ease using the Force. As Tano began to duel the renegade Sith Lord, his forces begin to attack the clones. Kryze and her warriors joined the battle. After Rex and his men arrest Saxon, Kryze led a group up to the position where Tano continued to duel Maul. Maul was outmaneuvered by Tano and two Mandalorian warriors used cables to tie him up before Rex stunned him.
Kryze, beside Ursa Wren, escort a captured Maul into Republic custody.
As Maul and his super commandos were taken into custody, Kryze congratulated Tano on capturing Maul. Tano told her that she learned from the best, including her. Kryze stiffened, saying that she wished she was good at something besides waging war. Tano said that Mandalore could use a new kind of leader, but Kryze again responded and stated that her sister had been that leader and that she had never understood her idealism. Kryze and Wren later transferred Maul over to Tano after imprisoning him in a Mandalorian vault, a capsule that was designed to imprison Jedi. Tano was impressed by the vault, which Kryze described as an ancient relic that was used in a time that they needed to imprison "Force-wielding maniacs." Parting ways on good terms, Kryze and Tano shook hands as the former Jedi and her forces departed the planet, with Tano trusting in Kryze's ability to rule the planet.
After Maul's capture, Kryze was named regent of Mandalore by the Jedi before Tano departed the planet with the former Sith in custody. However, it was at this time that Order 66 was initiated, launching the galaxy-wide Great Jedi Purge and beginning the Republic's reorganization into the Galactic Empire.
Using the remaining Republic forces stationed on planet, the Empire began an occupation, causing another wave of violence to erupt throughout Mandalore, with the proud warriors refusing to acquiesce to the Empire's rule. When Bo-Katan refused to do the Empire's bidding, she was betrayed by Clan Saxon and forcefully abdicated from her place of power. Clan Saxon pledged loyalty to the new Empire, and Gar Saxon became the Imperial Viceroy and Governor of Mandalore.
Nearly two decades later, in 2 BBY, Clan Wren of Krownest chose to resist the Empire, and the Imperial loyalists of Clan Saxon fought them. Countess Ursa Wren killed Saxon, and Mandalore entered another civil war. Around 1 BBY, Kryze encountered Countess Ursa Wren and her daughter, Sabine Wren, who were seeking a Mandalorian worthy of wielding the Darksaber and claiming the title of Mand'alor.
Kryze is presented the Darksaber by Wren.
Kryze and her Nite Owls played an important role in defeating Imperial forces during a skirmish at a Mandalore prison outpost. After exchanging greetings, Sabine offered the Darksaber to Kryze, who turned it down because she believed that she had failed as Regent, asserting that she was not her late sister Satine. Bo-Katan later joined Sabine's Clan Wren forces and allies from the Spectres rebel cell in rescuing Sabine's father Alrich Wren from an Imperial convoy. Despite the success of the raid, their victory was overshadowed by news that Ursa Wren's forces had been wiped out by an Arc Pulse Generator. The Arc Pulse Generator, nicknamed the "Duchess," was capable of reacting with the beskar alloy inside Mandalorian armor; incinerating the wearers and leaving only charred armor and ashes behind.
Kryze followed Sabine and her rebel comrades to the site of the battlefield, where they discovered charred Clan Wren armor and disintegrated bodies. Despite the carnage, they found that Ursa and her son Tristan Wren had survived the massacre. The group were then attacked by Imperial Super Commandos and three TIE fighters. Fortunately, one of Kryze's Gauntlet-class fighters arrived and the Mandalorians and rebels were able to evacuate. When the Gauntlets weaponry jammed, Kryze and Sabine's Jedi friend Ezra Bridger donned their jet packs an engaged the two remaining fighters. Kryze and Ezra managed to destroy the two TIE fighters, allowing the rebels to escape.
Bo-Katan furiously speaks with Sabine over the younger Mandalorian's creation of the Duchess.
When Kryze learned that Sabine had created the "Duchess," she was enraged and chastised the younger woman for creating a weapon that would target Mandalorian armor, which she considered an abomination that only a coward would make. When Sabine explained that she had constructed the Duchess as a young and idealistic Imperial cadet, Kryze reluctantly accepted her explanation. After landing at Kryze's camp, Kryze backed Sabine when she offered to atone for her role in creating the Duchess by helping to destroy it. The Mandalorians and rebels came up with a plan to infiltrate Governor Tiber Saxon's Star Destroyer. While one team would destroy the weapon, the other team would delete its records from the Imperial database. During the meeting, Kryze and the surviving Mandalorian Protector Fenn Rau confided that Sabine had strong leadership potential.
Kryze and the Mandalorian and rebel forces infiltrated Tiber Saxon's Star Destroyer, which was hovering above the Mandalorian capital of Sundari. Despite being spotted by Imperial sentries, Kryze and Sabine managed to make their way to the upper level, where the Duchess was being stored. However, the two were ambushed by Tiber Saxon, who electrocuted the two women with the arc pulse generator. Threatening Kryze's life, Tiber forced Sabine to bring the weapon to its fullest capacity. When Saxon's Captain Hark objected to his methods, Saxon tortured the three of them with the Duchess. Sabine complied but then reprogrammed the Duchess to target anyone wearing stormtrooper armor including Governor Saxon.
Bo-Katan watches as Sabine prepares to destroy her invention.
Sabine swore vengeance against Saxon and toyed with killing him. However, Kryze warned Sabine that killing her enemy would make her little better than the Empire and that she should fight with true honor like a Mandalorian. Heeding the older woman, Sabine used the Darksaber to slash the arc pulse generator's power core, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed the Star Destroyer. Kryze along with the Mandalorians and rebels managed to escape to safety before the ship was destroyed.
Upon returning to her camp, Sabine told Kryze that she had proven herself as a leader. While Kryze was uncertain, Sabine and her mother reassured her that there were people willing to follow her. The Wrens were joined by representatives from other clans including Vizsla, Rook, Eldar, and Fenn Rau, the last surviving Mandalorian Protector. With the approval of the people, Kryze took the Darksaber and the mantle of leader, rallying the support of Clan Wren's forces and her own Nite Owls. However, the Children of the Watch, a rogue sect of Mandalorians based on Concordia, rejected Kryze's claim to the throne, believing she was acting solely on her blood and a weapon she had not earned, as they believed the Darksaber needed to be won in combat.
The Great Purge of Mandalore ended Bo-Katan's reign on Mandalore.
Sometime after the Darksaber was passed to Kryze, the Empire launched a purge of Mandalore. Kryze and her people fought in the conflict, but the Night of a Thousand Tears ended with most of her troops wiped out. Facing imminent defeat but given the chance to discuss a cease-fire by the Imperial Security Bureau, Kryze decided surrender was the only way her remaining people could survive, and met with an ISB officer named Gideon. She agreed that the people of Mandalore would disarm and surrendered the Darksaber to Gideon, who then proceeded to betray her. Mandalore was left helpless to resist the Empire's remaining attacks, ending the purge with the genocide of most Mandalorians.
Bo-Katan and her team meet Din Djarin.
During the New Republic Era, Kryze was building her forces back up to reunite the scattered survivors of the Mandalorian people and then reclaim Mandalore, with Kryze also searching for the Darksaber to cement her rule. Rather than accept it as a gift as she had before, she decided she needed to win it in combat to prove herself worthy. She stole many ships from Imperial forces to assemble a fleet, combining the Imperial craft with Mandalorian warships. She fought against many surviving Imperial warlords, angering them. She led fellow warriors Axe Woves and Koska Reeves as a unit to the ocean moon of Trask in 9 ABY. There, they met the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his foundling, known as "the Child," seeing the two under attack by a group of Quarren aboard a trawler. The three Mandalorians used jetpacks to quickly land on the ship, take out the Quarren and save Djarin and the Child.
Djarin told them that he was hoping to find a Mandalorian covert and return the Child to the Jedi. However, as the three Mandalorians took off their helmets, Djarin angrily dismissed them after realizing they did not follow the Way of the Mandalore. Kryze told him that her armor had passed down for three generations, that she had been born on Mandalore, and had fought in the Great Purge. To Djarin's astonishment, Kryze revealed that he was one of the Children of the Watch, a cult of religious Mandalorian zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society to pursue the re-establishment of the ancient Way of the Mandalore. Not believing her to be a true Mandalorian, Djarin left and returned to the port.
After being saved by Bo-Katan and her allies for the second time, Djarin joined the other Mandalorians on a mission in exchange for information about the Jedi.
Kryze and the others blew up the vessel they were on and eventually met up with Djarin again, saving him from another group of Quarren. Kryze insisted they buy Djarin a drink. Inside the local inn, she convinced Djarin to aid them on their mission to steal weapons shipments from an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser that belonged to Moff Gideon's Imperial Remnant. In exchange, Kryze promised to give Djarin information about the location of a Jedi. The group sat on top of Djarin's ship, the Razor Crest, as Kryze showed him the ship they would be targeting.
Kryze and the others infiltrated the ship, with the Nite Owls making short work of the stormtroopers. Kryze led them into the cargo hold and secured the weapons shipments. However, Kryze communicated with the Imperial officer on the bridge, stating they were coming up to hijack the ship. When Djarin complained about Kryze changing their deal, Kryze taunted him by uttering the mantra "This is the Way," telling him that if he wanted her information about the Jedi, he would help her take the ship. As they attempted to storm the bridge, they were pinned down by a force of stormtroopers and the Imperial captain began to alter the ship's course as to crash it and prevent a successful raid. However, to Kryze's surprise, Djarin charged them, absorbing many hits and throwing grav charges that killed the last of the troopers.
Bo-Katan tells Din Djarin where to find Ahsoka Tano.
As Djarin and Reeves realigned the ship's course, Kryze interrogated the captain about the location of the Darksaber. The captain sneered at her, saying that if she was asking then she already knew, before committing suicide through use of a suicide shocker. Kryze was angry that she could not interrogate him further but was more pleased with the success of their mission. She offered Djarin a place among them despite the differences in their creeds, but Djarin declined, with Kryze telling him that her offer stood if he ever changed his mind. Keeping her word, she told the bounty hunter that he could find Ahsoka Tano in the city of Calodan on the planet Corvus. As Djarin began to leave, Kryze watched him leave before turning her attention to the cockpit.
Sometime later, Djarin arrived at Calodan and tracked down Tano to a forest outside the city. He was promptly ambushed by Tano and was forced to combat her until he invoked Kryze's name and stated his intention to convince her of his neutrality.
Once Moff Gideon was located, Kryze agreed to help Djarin rescue Grogu with the idea of finally recovering the Darksaber.
Djarin later tracked down Kryze on Lafete to ask for her help in retrieving Grogu from Moff Gideon. Djarin and his companion Boba Fett approached Kryze and Reeves to ask for their help, but Kryze began to pick a fight with Fett, saying that he was a disgrace to his armor because he was not a Mandalorian. After Fett made threats, Kryze coldly stated that she had heard his voice thousands of times since he was a clone, and after Fett retorted, Reeves attacked him. Kryze broke up their scuffle and decided to accept Djarin's request when she learned that Djarin knew the location of Gideon and his light cruiser. She made Djarin promise that she take the Darksaber from Gideon, to which Djarin responded that his only priority was rescuing Grogu. She and Reeves joined Djarin's party, which included Fett, Fennec Shand, and Cara Dune.
The group met and Kryze formed a plan to get them inside, using information from Doctor Penn Pershing, who was their prisoner. Using a stolen Imperial shuttle, Kryze would lead Reeves, Dune, and Shand to the bridge while Djarin would slip away and rescue the child. Piloting the shuttle towards the cruiser, Kryze hailed the ship to request an emergency landing as Fett, piloting Slave I, pretended to attack them. Kryze's request was denied, but she nonetheless landed on the ship and stormed out with the others, killing large amounts of Imperial forces before taking the bridge. However, they failed to discover Gideon there. Kryze waited on the bridge with the others until Djarin arrived with Gideon in his custody.
Kryze realizes that Djarin now has claim to the Darksaber, having won it in combat against Gideon.
Realizing that Djarin had defeated Gideon in combat, Kryze knew that the bounty hunter had unintentionally claimed the Darksaber as his own. As Gideon taunted Kryze, Djarin offered her the blade, but Kryze stiffly refused to take it in such a manner. Djarin attempted to yield, wishing to honor his previous agreement with Kryze and not wanting to cause a fight, but Kryze did not accept. Just then, Gideon's dark troopers, who Djarin had previously fought and ejected from the ship, boarded and advanced towards their position on the bridge. As the group prepared for a fight in which they were greatly outnumbered, an X-wing starfighter docked on the ship.
Kryze and the others watched on the bridge monitors as Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, the son of Tano's old master Anakin Skywalker, strode out to combat the dark troopers. The Jedi defeated the troopers with relative ease before meeting them on the bridge, where Skywalker invited Grogu to come train with him. Djarin had an emotional goodbye before Skywalker and his astromech droid, R2-D2, the same droid that Kryze had encountered twice during the Clone Wars, thanked him and departed with Grogu, leaving Kryze and her companions in control of the ship. While Gideon was taken away to New Republic custody, the captured cruiser was left within Kryze's care.
Her failure in regaining the Darksaber cost her everything.
After returning from the infiltration on Gideon's light cruiser without the Darksaber, Kryze's forces abandoned her for other pursuits throughout the galaxy. Consequently, a discouraged Kryze abandoned her efforts to reclaim Mandalore, and retired to Kryze Castle on Kalevala, homeworld of House Kryze. Din Djarin and Grogu later visited Kryze, and she informed Djarin of how her allies no longer followed her after she returned without the Darksaber, and told him to lead them instead. Djarin asked about the location of the Mines of Mandalore, to which Kryze stated that the planet had been ravaged and poisoned. After being told that the mines resided beneath Sundari, Djarin left Kryze, promising to find out if Mandalore was truly poisoned.
Not long after Djarin left, Kryze witnessed his N-1 starfighter returning to the castle. Angered, Kryze went to the landing platform, intending to make it clear he was not welcome. However, when she witnessed Grogu as the pilot, she immediately grew concerned, and demanded to know what happened to him. She took Grogu and R5-D4 to her ship and flew to Mandalore to rescue him. She was surprised to see that despite Mandalore's devastation, the atmosphere was breathable. Grogu led her to the place, where Djarin got captured by a cyborg scavenger. She engaged it, and even used the Darksaber to take it out. Djarin appreciated her coming.
After a brief rest, Kryze led Djarin to the Living Waters. He bathed in the waters, reciting his vow, when he suddenly fell under. Without hesitation, Kryze jumped after him and found him at the bottom. As she pulled him back up to the surface, she witnessed the legendary mythosaur. However, she kept the knowledge from Djarin. Djarin took a vial of the water as proof of his redemption.
The two Mandalorians then returned to Kryze's ship, and returned to Kalevala. However, they were ambushed by a squadron of TIE interceptors. Djarin suggested he takes his N-1 to provide her with support. Kryze flew as close to her castle as she could and Djarin jumped with his jetpack to his ship. With Djarin's assistance, Kryze was able to take out the Interceptors, but then she witnessed with horror, as a squadron of TIE bombers bombed her castle to the ground. More Imperial fighters entered the system, and vindictive Kryze was willing to destroy them all or die trying, but Djarin convinced her to escape. He sent her the coordinates to the Tribe's covert, knowing the Imperials will not find them there.
As they arrived at the covert, Djarin told Kryze to keep her helmet on to make things easier. They landed next to the covert and Paz Vizsla met them and told them they are not welcome. However, Djarin claimed he had bathed in the Living Waters of Mandalore and had brought proof, and Kryze stood as a witness to the event. Eventually, Vizsla allowed them to prove their claims to the Armorer. Djarin gave her the vial, and the Armorer confirmed that the water in it was indeed from the Living Waters, thus she declared Djarin to be a Mandalorian once again. She then turned to Kryze and asked her, if she too bathed in the waters. Kryze affirmed that she had, when she saved Djarin, and the Armorer then asked if she had removed her helmet since. Kryze answered she had not, and thus the Armorer declared her redeemed as well and allowed her to stay in the enclave as long as she wanted. The other Mandalorians then welcomed her with open arms.
Kryze watched the Tribe train, and witnessed Grogu's victory over Vizsla's son, Ragnar. Suddenly, Ragnar was snatched by a shriek-hawk, and as the Mandalorians gave chase, Kryze took her ship to track it, when the pursuers ran out of jetpack fuel. She managed to track the shriek-hawk to its nest, and the Armorer ordered a search party. Djarin and Vizsla joined her.
Kryze landed the ship as close as she could so as not to alert the shriek-hawk. They walked close to the mountain and set up camp for the night. For eating, Djarin told her that after she gets her food, she needs to go to a secure place where she can remove her helmet without being seen (the only time the Children of the Watch are allowed to remove their helmets). Vizsla gave her the honor of eating before the fire, as she was the leader of the search party.
Kryze in her armor with new right shoulder pauldron.
The next morning they began their climb to the peak, and reached the shriek-hawk's nest. It was not there and they began to search for the foundling. Djarin detected a heat source, and Vizsla immediately ran towards it despite Kryze's warning. However, the heat source was shriek-hawk's own offspring and then it appeared, attempting to feed the foundling to them. The Mandalorians engaged it and gave chase with jetpacks. During the chase, Kryze's right pauldron was detached, but they eventually managed to down the shriek-hawk and save Ragnar.
As the party returned to the covert with the shriek-hawk's offspring, the Armorer praised Kryze for rescuing a foundling, the highest honor of the Mandalorian Creed. The Armorer then noticed her missing a pauldron, and offered to replace it. She asked if Kryze wanted to have the Nite Owl insignia inscribed into the new pauldron, but she instead opted to have a mythosaur insignia instead. She then asked the Armorer if she would believe that she saw a living mythosaur within the Living Waters of Mandalore. The Armorer did not outright answer the question.
When Captain Carson Teva received a distress call from High Magistrate Greef Karga about Pirate King Gorian Shard and his gang taking over Nevarro, Kryze and the Tribe listened as he explained the situation on Nevarro. Djarin suggested to the Tribe that they should assist Karga, because it would give the covert a possibility to live again under sunlight. Paz Vizsla spoke too, and even though he had reservations about helping Karga, he nevertheless supported Djarin and Kryze since they had rescued his son. Kryze and Djarin made up a battle plan, in which Djarin would act as distraction while Kryze dropped in the ground assault team.
Kryze walks through the Children of the Watch without wearing her helmet.
The attack eventually succeeded and Kryze and Djarin were able to bring down the pirate corsair, thus liberating Nevarro. As a reward for their saviors, Karga gifted the Tribe the lands he had offered to Djarin. Vizsla then escorted Kryze to the Tribe's old workshop to speak with the Armorer. The Armorer talked about Mandalorian forges and then told Kryze to remove her helmet. Kryze reluctantly removed it and the Armorer then told her that she has walked in both worlds of Mandalorians: the ones who follow the Way and those who do not. Kryze discovering a mythosaur had convinced the Armorer that the time had come for all Mandalorians to be united, and that Kryze was the one who could bring all exiled Mandalorians together. They then went to the other members of the Tribe, with Kryze still not wearing her helmet. The Armorer then declared that Kryze would be going on a journey to unite the Mandalorians so that they could reclaim their homeworld.
With Djarin's people willing to follow Kryze, she decided that she would need to reclaim her former unit, who had since separated from her for reasons unknown. They arrived at Plazir-15, and after completing a quest for The Duchess of Plazir and her husband, Captain Bombardier, Kryze and Djarin found the fleet. Kryze challenged Woves for command of the unit and defeated him, though he refused to cede authority as she was not in possession of the Darksaber. He would not follow Djarin, as he saw him as a zealot with no true Mandalorian blood. Djarin offered the Darksaber to Kryze, claiming that she was the rightful owner. He then told the assembled Mandalorians about his capture by an enemy while possessing the Darksaber and was only rescued by Kryze. He then asked Woves if that allowed Kryze to rightfully claim the Darksaber, which he accepted.
After reclaiming her unit, they returned to Nevarro to meet the other group of Mandalorians, the Tribe, where they discussed plans to reclaim Mandalore. Kryze asked for volunteers to explore the surface and managed to get a few.
Aware of the dangers that were present on Mandalore, Kryze had the fleet stationed outside in orbit and took the volunteers down to check the surface and ensure that the area was safe, the primary goal finding the Great Forge. They arrived in the ruins of Sundari and were greeted by a langskib operated by Mandalorian survivors from the Great Purge who swore their loyalty to her once again despite their supposed failure. The survivors explained how they had survived the Purge of Mandalore. One of them mentioned how the Empire had punished the Mandalorians as they refused to surrender, however, Kryze told them that it wasn't true. Kryze explained that she had surrendered to Moff Gideon with hopes of saving her remaining people, but was betrayed by the ISB officer. The leader of the survivors was worried that the Tribe was part of the Death Watch, though the Armorer informed him that death watch did not exist any longer. Kryze supported them by stating that they were only reduced to their current state as a result of divison between their people.
Kryze led the final charge on Mandalore from the skies with the darksaber in hand.
While continuing their expedition, they were attacked by a large monster and then by Imperial commandos, who led them into a trap. Vizsla sacrificed himself to allow Kryze and the others (apart from Djarin, who was captured by Gideon) to escape. Djarin managed to escape his captors and informed her that he would take Gideon on, as it would never end otherwise. While fleeing the Imperial forces, she was surprised to see plant life grow outside their domed cities.
Kryze and the other survivors managed to reunite with the rest of the Mandalorians, who had fled from the ships prior to an incoming TIE attack. They then attacked the Imperial forces and defeated them, during which Kryze saved Djarin from being killed by Gideon. Djarin temporarily left to protect Grogu from the Praetorian Guards, leaving Kryze to fight Gideon herself. In the ensuing scuffle, Gideon damaged the Darksaber's hilt and taunted her, claiming that Mandalorians were weak without their trinkets. Kryze stated that Mandalorians were stronger together and Djarin returned, having killed the Praetorians. The two unleashed a flurry of attacks on Gideon as Woves crash-landed the light cruiser into the base, incinerating the Moff while Grogu protected her and Djarin with the Force.
Despite the destruction of the Darksaber, the Mandalorians continued following Kryze and gathered at the Great Forge, which she symbolically reignited alongside the Armorer.
Bo-Katan in her armor.
Kryze was a human female with short red hair, bright green eyes, and light-colored skin, who stood at a height of 1.8 meters. Her haircut was reflective of traditional Mandalorian style of hard angled lines. She was born on Mandalore into House Kryze, and was the sister of Duchess Satine, who nicknamed her "Bo." Kryze was a member of Death Watch, and believed in restoring Mandalore's traditional heritage, even at the expense of her sister's rule. Despite vehemently opposing her political stance, Bo-Katan still loved her sister dearly and harming or even killing Satine was never her intention. In Death Watch, Kryze was confident and sardonic, serving as Vizsla's loyal lieutenant. Her sarcastic personality was also present as the leader of the Nite Owls. When Bonteri and Tano met with Death Watch on Carlac, Kryze assessed the Togruta, slapping her and judging that she was too skinny to be bethrothed.
Despite her loyalty to Death Watch, Kryze had reservations concerning Maul and Opress. When Maul killed Vizsla and took the throne, Kryze refused to recognize the Sith Lord's claim to power. With the remaining Mandalorian loyalists, Kryze started a rebellion on Mandalore and attempted to liberate Satine from the royal prison. Kryze believed that the enemy of her enemy was her friend, so although she disliked the Jedi and Sith alike, Kryze joined forces with Kenobi after Maul killed Satine. The death of her sister overwhelmed Kryze with grief, showing she loved her sister despite any differences in ideals. She was determined to end Maul's rule of Mandalore, even if it required a Republic invasion. During their time working together, having realized Maul was a common enemy, Tano and Kryze put their differences aside, and the former Jedi Padawan even trusted that Kryze would justly rule Mandalore. In addition to the two former foes becoming friends, Kryze also became a combat teacher to Tano.
Following the Clone Wars, Kryze became regent of Mandalore. Due to her opposition to the Empire, she was betrayed and overthrown by Clan Saxon, who aligned themselves with the Empire. This caused her to deem herself unworthy to assume the Darksaber and the mantle of leadership over the Mandalorians and thus Kryze refused to accept the Darksaber, stating she was not the leader Sabine sought and even went as far as to state that Satine was a more qualified leader than she was, showing that Bo-Katan had been humbled enough that she even came to see the pacifistic ways of her sister as being the better one.
Despite their differing belief systems, Kryze valued the help of Din Djarin during her mission on Trask.
Nevertheless, Kryze was quick to help her fellow Mandalorians to fight against the Empire when Clan Wren rebelled, succeeding in repelling the Empire from Mandalore and destroying the arc pulse generator known as the "Duchess." She saw the generator as an abomination, as it turned Mandalorian armor against its wearers by reacting with their beskar alloy, and was particularly outraged by the fact that it was named after her late sister. She then accepted the Darksaber in order to unite the Mandalorians as their leader, with Sabine and Ursa recognizing that though Kryze may not be her sister, she was still a leader worthy to lead Mandalore.
Kryze was initially hostile towards Sabine for her role in creating the Duchess, but she respected the younger woman's willingness to atone for her actions. Kryze also became a mentor for Sabine and cautioned her against descending to the Empire's level by killing Tiber Saxon with the "Duchess." Kryze recognized that Sabine had potential for leadership but ultimately relented when Sabine insisted she lead Mandalore.
Years after losing control of Mandalore, Kryze was still intent on reclaiming her homeworld and continued to lead others to accomplish this. She also sought the Darksaber to legitimize her rule. Despite Din Djarin being a Child of the Watch, Kryze was still grateful for his help and offered him a place among them. When Djarin captured Gideon and reclaimed the Darksaber from him, Kryze was hesitant about reclaiming the weapon even when Djarin offered to her.
Bo-Katan believed that there was no magic in the Living Waters of Mandalore, and the ancient legends were just that- legends. This was until she saw a living mythosaur in the Living Waters while saving Din Djarin from drowning. Kryze was accepted into the Children of the Watch, having been redeemed by the waters, and started following their customs. She grew closer with Din Djarin during her stay as they began working in sync and valuing each other's opinions and beliefs deeply.
Kryze was skilled with many weapons including her dual WESTAR-35 blasters.
A former lieutenant in Death Watch, Kryze was a fierce and deadly Mandalorian warrior, extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat, jetpack maneuvers, marksmanship, and ranged weaponry. During her rescue of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mandalore, she was able to single-handedly defeat multiple Mandalorian fighters at once, using their own weapons against them. She was also able to hold her ground against formidable force-sensitive opponents such as Ahsoka Tano. During the Siege of Mandalore, she quickly dispatched multiple of Maul's Mandalorian super commandos in quick succession, in an effort to subdue Almec. With her skill set, Kryze led the Nite Owls, a group of Mandalorian warriors within Death Watch. After the Siege of Mandalore, Kryze remarked to Tano that she wished that she was good at something besides war. She was a capable leader, but after her past failures, was reluctant to attempt to lead again despite insistence from Sabine Wren.
Bo-Katan Kryze in her Mandalorian armor with a Personal Combat Shield and the Darksaber
Bo-Katan Kryze wore blue-and-white Mandalorian armor. That suit of armor had been in the posession of Clan Kryze for three generations by the time it fell into her use. She also used Mandalorian vambraces and a JT-12 or Z-6 jetpack. In combat, Kryze notably wielded dual WESTAR-35 blaster pistols, a wrist blaster, electroshock darts, a wrist vibroblade, a whipcord launcher, and a shield projector.
Kryze first received the Darksaber from Sabine Wren and used the weapon to signify her leadership over the peoples of Mandalore. After giving up the weapon to Gideon in a failed gambit to end the Great Purge, she embarked on a hunt to reclaim the weapon but gave up once it fell into Din Djarin's possession. After Djarin was bested by a cyborg on Mandalore, Kryze grabbed the Darksaber in an effort to rescue him. While she soon returned it to him, Djarin later reasoned that he had lost the lightsaber, whereas she had earned the right to carry it again. Kryze thus wielded the Darksaber until its destruction during the liberation of Mandalore.
Concept art for Kryze in the Siege of Mandalore.
Bo-Katan Kryze first appeared in "A Friend in Need," the fourteenth episode in the fourth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated television series. In the episode, which first aired on January 13, 2012, Kryze is a minor character, and she is voiced by Katee Sackhoff. She was not included in the original script for the episode, but director Dave Filoni added her in, having plans for the character in The Clone Wars fifth season. The name "Bo-Katan" was created by Filoni as a nod to his wife's cat. Filoni's wife, E. Anne Convery, calls the cat "boogie," and Filoni derived "Bo-Katan" from "boogie-cat-Anne." Filoni also wanted Kryze to have a unique helmet design, so he created a look based on a barn owl. For "A Friend in Need," Kryze's character sketch was finalized by Darren Marshall. During Sackhoff's time providing voice work for the stop-motion animated show Robot Chicken, Filoni called the creators, Seth Green and Matt Senreich, and asked what she was like to work with. This led to Sackhoff voicing Kryze in the series. Filoni provided much of the inspiration for Kryze and helped form the character he wanted with Sackhoff's voice from the start. Sackhoff made sure to take Filoni's feedback and direction to sound the way he wanted. Over the years, Sackhoff put a bit more of her own spin on voicing Kryze.
Following the season five episode "The Lawless," Kryze was set to return in The Clone Wars finale. However, the show was canceled in 2013, and the episode remained unfinished until the show's revival in 2020. In 2016, Sackhoff revealed that Kryze would return to television in the animated series Star Wars Rebels. At Celebration Orlando, Filoni confirmed that Kryze would appear in the fourth, final season of Rebels.
At San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2018, Lucasfilm announced a 12-episode season seven of The Clone Wars, which features Kryze and the Siege of Mandalore.
Concept art of Bo-Katan for The Mandalorian by Brian Matyas.
Sackhoff later portrayed Bo-Katan Kryze in live-action in "Chapter 11: The Heiress" of The Mandalorian, a role she teased in a tweet posted a year prior to the episode's release date, of November 13, 2020. Sackhoff's stunt double for the character was Caitlin Dechelle. Concept art of Kryze, Koska Reeves, and Axe Woves flying was created by Brian Matyas. At Celebration Chicago, 2019, Sackhoff told Filoni that Kryze was not dead and that the age was within reason. Filoni told Sackhoff that Kryze's appearance in the show was already in the works. Later, she received a call informing her that executive producer Jon Favreau wanted to meet her. When they met, Sackhoff realized that her face as Kryze was on the wall and Favreau was asking if she would be in the show, which she agreed to.
On Sackhoff's first day, she put on her wardrobe and had her makeup test done. The crew spent a long time making sure that Sackhoff's freckles were right, Kryze's scar was on her face, and the eyebrows were perfect. Voicing Kryze helped Sackhoff understand who she is as a person, but it did not help her figure out her physicality. Days before shooting started, Sackhoff questioned how to move her face as Kryze, which she had never thought of before. Sackhoff said it was hard to translate the way Kryze moved, talked, and held herself in a way that did not look like a cartoon. She found a way to live through the character and feel regal as well as move in a way that felt calculated. Sackhoff said the hardest part of playing Kryze was getting out of her own way and letting go of her insecurities. She tried to show Kryze's fierce exterior and used her insecurities because she thought the character is insecure, which was why she had not tried to lead up. Sackhoff found her time on set comparable to Roger Rabbit exploring the real world for the first time. She realized that some things Kryze do in animation did not work in live-action. She made sure to find a right balance to make fans feel familiar with Kryze and to make her seem bigger and better than expected.
Bo-Katan Kyrze's costume in the costume shop
Kryze's costume was designed by costume designer Shawna Trpcic. She brought the crew on board to build Kryze and Koska Reeves' costumes. Sackhoff first wore her costume in the wardrobe department of the Los Angeles-based production. The Heiress' director, Bryce Dallas Howard, helped Sackhoff along with playing Kryze. Sackhoff would talk about how Kryze has a tremendous ego, which can pair with being a good leader. During lunch breaks on the show's set, Filoni explained to Sackhoff some of the character-building details about what Kryze has been doing since the rise and fall of the Empire. Sackhoff viewed her live-action portrayal as an homage to Kryze in animation and a perfect representation of Kryze in the animated shows. Filoni told Sackhoff that Plo Koon would save the main characters in the Season 2 finale, though they were actually saved by Luke Skywalker.
At Celebration Anaheim, 2022, Sackhoff announced that she would reprise her role in the third season of The Mandalorian. In the third season, Kryze became the show's co-lead. The official Japanese Star Wars Twitter account also teased that a past connection between Djarin and Kryze would be revealed, but no such twist was present in Season Three. Filoni and Jon Favreau gave Kryze a new throne on Kalevala to evolve her character. Sackhoff worked with Jon Favreau to define Kryze's current state of being. Favreau also gave her pep talks and coached her through the intimidation that came from being in the show. The actress wanted Kryze to look different and look like she belongs in the world. Sackhoff wanted to lean in and own pieces of Kryze more, so she and the crew worked on her hair and her freckles were made a little more pronounced.
Filming for Season 3 began before the premiere of The Book of Boba Fett. Sackhoff would wear the suit for sixteen hours a day, which she said was not comfortable. The armor was worn by five different stunt-woman depending on their individual skill sets and what was needed. Favreau and executive producer Rick Famuyiwa regularly asked Sackhoff for her expertise every day. She performed some of the action moves including a knee-slide. She learned a new stunt move for Season 3. Favreau wanted Kryze sitting on her throne to be slightly disrespectful, so he instructed Sackhoff to sit and walk back multiple times. She thought that the way Kryze sits is a sort of metaphor for part of her issues.
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