The Crusader Mark III armor represented a specific iteration of Mandalorian armor. It was crafted by the Black Sun organization for utilization by the forces of the Galactic Empire throughout the duration of the Galactic Civil War.
The Crusader armors, specifically the Mark II and Mark III variants, were two distinct versions of the Crusader armor line, both engineered by Black Sun and both shared underlying technical traits, although their external designs differed. The Mark III version bore a resemblance to the Neo-Crusader light armor that had been in use approximately four millennia earlier. Crusader armor sets were designed to provide protection against both kinetic impacts and energy-based weaponry, such as blasters. A standard full set of this armor included a helmet, chest plate, left and right bicep guards, left and right forearm bracers, gloves, a utility belt, leggings, and boots. These Crusader armor sets were manufactured in a diverse array of colors.
Following the Battle of Yavin, the criminal syndicate known as Black Sun recognized a unique business opportunity stemming from their successful partnership with the Death Watch. Through advancements in their armor production facilities, which leveraged Mandalorian technology within the Death Watch Bunker located on the Forest Moon of Endor, Black Sun determined that they could manufacture and distribute different types of combat armor to both the Galactic Empire and the Rebellion, provided that each armor type had a recognizably different appearance. This strategy benefited Black Sun by increasing their financial gains and shielding them from interference from either side of the ongoing Galactic Civil War.
The Crusader armor line was introduced around 1 ABY, with the Mark III model being specifically provided to the Galactic Empire. Its initial deployment occurred on the Naboo's moon of Rori during the Battle of Restuss. Several Imperial officers, including Captain Roth and Lieutenant Wholding, were observed wearing this armor. Moreover, the Empire distributed a quantity of Crusader MK III sets throughout the Battle of Restuss. Imperial spacers participating in the battle were awarded battle commendations, which they could exchange with Imperial commendation officers for items such as the MK III armor or other weaponry.
Later that same year, Emperor's Hand Mara Jade was seen wearing a Crusader Mark III armor during the Empire Day celebrations held on Naboo. An Imperial Crusader armor was also acquired by Major Berok Skoff of the Mos Espa Militia and put to use during the Battle of Mos Espa.
The Crusader Mark III armor made an appearance in the 2003 video game titled Star Wars Galaxies, which was a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts. The game was eventually shut down on December 15, 2011. Crusader armors were integrated into the game alongside the "Battle of Restuss" PvP arena, which was introduced in the "Chapter 1.1" update released on June 27, 2006.
Within the Battle of Restuss storyline, players had the opportunity to earn commendation items for supporting their chosen faction during the conflict. These commendations could be accumulated and exchanged with Commendation Officer non-player characters for various rewards, including the Crusader armor.