Mandalore's Mask was a ceremonial war mask worn by the Mandalore, the traditional leader of the Mandalorian warrior clans. Mandalore the Indomitable wore the mask throughout the Great Sith War and after his death it passed to his successor, Mandalore the Ultimate. The helmet was a ruddy golden color and it prominently featured the iconic Mandalorian T-shaped visor. For decoration, it was embossed with a series of concentric lines and, above the visor, it was adorned with two emblems of the Mandalorian Crusaders.
The Mask of Mandalore was first worn by the Taung warrior Mandalore the First, carved from the rigid bone of a mythosaur's sternum, and modeled after the facial features of the Taung species. In time, the fabled helm became the symbol of leadership among the Mandalorians. It was passed down through the ages to those Mandalorians who proved themselves worthy of the title of Mand'alor, leader of the Mandalorian clans.
During the concluding battle of the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Knight Revan and Mandalore the Ultimate faced each other in single combat. Revan was the victor of the duel, and learned from Mandalore that the invasion had been orchestrated by a mysterious agent of the Sith. After slaying his opponent, Revan and Malak traveled to the planet Rekkiad, where Mandalore and the Sith had discovered the tomb of an ancient Sith Lord. There, the two Jedi found a datacron that would lead them to the planet Nathema, but Revan left the mask in the Sith's sarcophagus. By hiding the mask on Rekkiad, Revan condemned the clans to wander without a leader.
The mask as refitted in Canderous Ordo's armor
An unidentified Mandalore attempted to claim leadership of the scattered Mandalorian Clans during the Jedi Civil War without the aid of the mask, but no claimant to the title of "Mandalore" would successfully rule the Clans until after the war. Retracing his and Malak's travels not long after the destruction of the Star Forge, Revan and Canderous Ordo—a Mandalorian who had traveled with him during the war—traveled to Rekkiad, where many of the clans had gathered in an attempt to find the mask. When the two discovered the tomb, Revan gave Canderous the mask, telling him to reunite the Mandalorian clans so that the galaxy would have another line of defense against the unknown enemy that Revan was chasing.
Having acquired the mask of Mandalore, Canderous began a quest to unite the Mandalorian Clans. At this time, he encountered a dying Taung warrior who claimed to be the true Mandalore, and denounced Mandalore the Ultimate as a pretender to the title. When the Taung Mandalore died during their meeting, Canderous took the Taung's armor for himself and he integrated the mask of Mandalore into its helmet. Through guile and martial skill, he gathered followers and declared himself Mandalore.
A 'Mandalorian Mask' is able to be obtained in Star Wars Galaxies from buried treasure and is a part of the Treasure Hunter Masks Collection; the mask bears a strong resemblance to Mandalore's Mask.
- The Essential Reader's Companion
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
- The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett