Mandalore

Mandalore was a terrestrial planet, a part of the Mandalore system in the Mandalore sector, which was located in the New Territories region of the Outer Rim Territories within the galaxy. Its position was marked at O-7 on the Standard Galactic Grid, and it was near the Hydian Way trade route. Mandalore was the fifth orbit from its yellow sun, and had a rotational period of nineteen standard hours. Its standard year was three hundred and sixty-six standard days. The planet had standard gravity and two moons, including Concordia, which had once been a mining base and agricultural center.

The planet's surface, once abundant with jungles, forests, seas, mountains, and vibrant lakes, eventually became a barren desert with a hot and arid climate, although it remained habitable and supported a thriving civilization. During the Great Purge of Mandalore, the Galactic Empire used fusion bombs and fusion rays to bombard the planet, crystallizing and turning its surface into trinitite. The fusion bombs also disrupted the planet's magnetic field, preventing communication from outside the atmosphere, and causing the atmosphere to become stormy.

During the Clone Wars, the ornamental trees of Te Ani'la were present on the Royal Academy of Government, where two rows lined the path to the entrance, with additional trees around the building's perimeter. The planet was previously characterized by jungles, verdant forests, grasslands, and lakes, but warfare transformed Mandalore into a desert. After the Purge, Mandalorians cultivated gardens in caves on the surface.

The mythosaur, a gigantic creature, served as the planet's symbol. Ancient folklore suggests that the Mines of Mandalore were once a mythosaur lair. It is said that Mandalore the Great tamed this mythical beast. The mythosaur's memory persisted as a skull emblem, a traditional symbol in Mandalorian iconography. The mythosaur was believed to be extinct long before the Mandalorian cataclysm, but one survived the Great Purge and resided in the Living Waters.

The planet was inhabited by numerous predators, including two birds of prey: the galaar and jai'galaar, also known as shriek-hawks. While technology enabled the human population to endure the cataclysm, Mandalore's wildlife suffered. Some species adapted to the changing conditions to survive, while rare examples of others were kept in captivity. The now-extinct jai'galaar significantly influenced Mandalorian traditions, inspiring the emblems of Clan Vizsla and Death Watch.

Before the Purge, Alamites inhabited the wastelands beyond the cities. Following the Purge, the Mandalorians scattered across the galaxy, abandoning Mandalore. The Alamites relocated to the ruins of the Civic Center in Sundari, along with reptavians and a scavenger cyborg who used a Spider Tank to capture any surviving Mandalorians exploring the ruins.

Legends tell of mythosaurs, gigantic horned sea creatures, ruling Mandalore long before the Mandalorians arrived. Some stories say mythosaurs and Mandalorians lived together, while others claim mythosaurs stayed wild. The Mines of Mandalore were said to be a mythosaur lair where Mandalore the Great defeated and rode a mythosaur, leading Mandalorians to adopt the mythosaur skull as their planet's symbol. Mandalorian songs from long ago tell of Mandalore the Great and the ancient Mandalorians leading many battles, often against the Jedi Order.

Before Tarre Vizsla, no Mandalorian had been accepted into the Jedi Order. During the Old Republic's fall, commandos raided the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, taking Vizsla's Darksaber. Before his death, Tarre Vizsla ruled all of Mandalore. After centuries of fighting, Mandalore's once-beautiful surface was reduced to a desert. This environmental disaster made many reject violence, leading to the New Mandalorians. The surviving grasslands were destroyed in later wars.

Before the Trade Federation's Invasion of Naboo, a Civil War began between the New Mandalorians and the martial traditionalists, who wanted to keep Mandalore's old ways. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi spent a year on Mandalore, protecting the New Mandalorians' leader, Duchess Satine Kryze, during the Civil War. Bounty hunters chased them, and they moved constantly. Kenobi and Kryze became romantically involved. The war killed most of Mandalore's population. When the young Duchess returned, she had to rebuild her world without the Jedi's help, as they were reassigned after the conflict ended.

The Civil War devastated Mandalore's already-damaged surface and its capital, Keldabe. Mandalore exiled the group that became the "Old Mandalorians" and their remaining warriors to their moon, Concordia, where they were thought to have died. The New Mandalorians built and lived in insulated bio-cube cities on their ruined homeworld. Unbeknownst to them, the warriors had survived and formed the Death Watch terrorist movement under Pre Vizsla, the leader of Clan Vizsla, governor of Concordia, and wielder of the Darksaber.

During the Clone Wars, Mandalore declared neutrality between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, though it was nominally associated with the Republic. However, the Death Watch wanted to restore Mandalore to its ancestral ways and tried to reclaim it with Separatist assistance. After a bombing in the Peace Park in Mandalore's capital of Sundari, Duchess Satine and Master Kenobi went to Concordia to investigate, as the bomber was from there. They found the Death Watch's secret staging ground and learned that Pre Vizsla was their leader. They barely escaped and returned to Mandalore.

Kryze, worried about her planet's stability and future, went to Coruscant with other Council of Neutral Systems representatives to plead her case to the Republic. Separatist forces attacked them during the voyage, and Senator Tal Merrik of Kalevala tried to kidnap and assassinate Kryze, but Kenobi and his former apprentice, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, rescued her.

Kryze's attempts to stay neutral became complicated as Death Watch continued assassination attempts on Coruscant and evidence linked the attacks to the Confederacy. Despite being framed for murdering one of her colleagues, Satine disproved the evidence and stalled Mandalore's involvement in the War and Death Watch's attempts to conquer the planet.

After Kryze reaffirmed the planet's neutrality, the Mandalorian economy struggled due to a lack of connection with key Republic supply routes. To ensure supplies reached the planet, Prime Minister Almec established a black market with Moogan smugglers. The Moogan smugglers unintentionally introduced a dangerous amount of the chemical slabin while trying to speed up tea imports, causing a mass poisoning of Mandalorian children. This happened during a visit by Satine’s friend and Skywalker’s wife, Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala. Amidala and Kryze uncovered the source and crippled Almec's operation.

Amidala’s friend and Skywalker’s Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano was assigned to Mandalore to teach students at the Royal Academy about the dangers of political corruption. The students, led by Kryze's nephew Korkie, found evidence of unofficial food and supply movements. When the students told the Duchess, Almec had the Mandalorian secret service arrest Satine, the students, and Tano. Almec tried to force Kryze to sign a confession of conspiracy to keep his operation secret. The prisoners resisted, and Almec was arrested and sent to prison.

In the last of the War, the Death Watch tried to conquer Mandalore again. Pre Vizsla, now allied with the renegade Sith Lord Darth Maul and his [Shadow Collective](/article/shadow_collective] of crime families, organized strikes throughout Sundari. Black Sun, Hutt Clan, and Pyke Syndicate enforcers and Maul's apprentice Savage Opress attacked key locations, causing panic and loss of life. Kryze's peacekeepers were overwhelmed, and the frightened public demanded action at the Royal Palace. Pre Vizsla and Death Watch publicly promised to protect Sundari from further attacks, capitalizing on the panic. After Vizsla's men stopped the attacks, the public turned to Death Watch for leadership. Kryze was secretly arrested and imprisoned.

As Vizsla became the new Prime Minister and Mand'alor, disagreements arose between him and Maul, leading to the arrest and shaming of the Sith Lord and his apprentice. In prison, Maul allied with Almec, hoping to make him a puppet leader if he regained control. They escaped, and Maul challenged Vizsla to single combat to decide who would rule. Maul defeated and executed Vizsla in front of his men, claiming the title of Mand'alor. Maul then reappointed Almec as prime minister. Almec told the public that Satine Kryze had murdered Vizsla and that Vizsla's final act was to reinstate him as prime minister to cover for Maul's role in Vizsla's death.

Though Maul commanded Death Watch, a portion of its forces, led by Vizsla's Lieutenant and Kryze's sister, Lady Bo-Katan, rebelled and worked to defeat him. Bo-Katan and Korkie rescued Satine, hoping she could contact the Republic for aid. Maul's forces captured Kryze again, but she sent a message to the Jedi Temple. Kenobi personally rescued Satine, though military or official Jedi support was impossible due to Mandalore's neutrality. Kenobi infiltrated Maul's Death Watch and freed Satine from prison. However, Maul's forces blocked their escape and arrested them. Maul murdered Kryze and imprisoned Kenobi, fulfilling his vendetta against Kenobi.

Bo-Katan's forces rescued Kenobi as he was being transported to his cell. Bo-Katan's faction of Death Watch and those loyal to Maul began fighting in the streets and shipping yards of Sundari, starting a civil war. As the city fell into chaos, Bo-Katan secured Kenobi's escape, hoping he would bring Republic reinforcements. Darth Sidious arrived on Mandalore and confronted his former apprentice, aware of the situation. The conflict led to Oppress's death and Maul's capture, ending his direct rule of Mandalore. Maul escaped from captivity, but the Shadow Collective was temporarily dissolved, and he lost Mandalorian commandos and his mother, Talzin, a powerful ally. Sidious believed Maul was no longer a threat after her death. After these events, Maul and his forces returned to Mandalore, which was under Almec's rule as Maul's puppet.

Later, the world experienced additional strife during the [Siege of Mandalore](link url). In the waning days of the Clone Wars, Tano, acting as an [advisor](link url), and [Clone Commander](link url) [CT-7567](link url) "Rex" led the [Grand Army of the Republic's](link url) [332nd Division](link url), a unit derived from the [501st Legion](link url), in a siege of Mandalore alongside Bo-Katan's soldiers. Ultimately, the combined forces of the Republic and the [Mandalore resistance](link url) triumphed over Maul and his Mandalorian forces, granting Kryze dominion over Mandalore. However, while Tano, Rex, and most of the 332nd were en route to [Coruscant](link url) aboard the [Venator-class Star Destroyer](link url) Tribunal, Sidious issued [Order 66](link url), causing the clone troopers to betray the Jedi. Tano and Rex, who Tano freed from the [control](link url) of Order 66, successfully escaped into hiding. Tano released Maul to create a diversion for the clones, allowing him to escape.

After the Siege, Kryze was appointed as the [Regent](link url) of Mandalore by the Jedi, a position she held briefly. The peace was short-lived due to the Republic troopers stationed on Mandalore. Gar Saxon and Clan Saxon, loyal to the newly established [Galactic Empire](link url), betrayed Kryze when she refused to obey Sidious, leading to an Imperial siege and the planet's subsequent fall to the Empire. Saxon pledged his allegiance to the Empire and was rewarded by Sidious with the position of Imperial [Governor](link url) of the now military [occupied Mandalore](link url), with the [Imperial Super Commandos](link url) serving as his enforcers. The Empire transformed the Royal Academy of Government into an [Imperial Academy](link url) on Mandalore, used to train military [cadets](link url). Kryze, refusing to align with the occupation, became the leader of the [Mandalorian resistance](link url), actively opposing it.

[Sabine Wren](link url), a notable Imperial cadet, utilized her mechanical skills to develop the [Arc Pulse Generator](link url) known as the "Duchess." This weapon could react with the [beskar](link url) alloy within [Mandalorian armor](link url), incinerating Mandalorian warriors. Horrified by the weapon's use in subjugating Mandalore, Sabine destroyed it and spoke out against the Empire. However, her [family](link url), [Clan Wren](link url), sided with the Empire and disowned her. Following a period as a bounty hunter with [Ketsu Onyo](link url), Sabine joined the [Spectres](link url), a part of the rebel cell [Phoenix Cell](link url). As a consequence of Sabine's actions, her father, [Alrich](link url), was held hostage by Clan Saxon on Mandalore to ensure his family's cooperation.

Governor Saxon's governance of Mandalore on behalf of the Empire continued until his [death](link url) in [2 BBY](link url) at the hands of Sabine’s mother Countesss and Bo-Katan’s ally [Ursa Wren](link url) during the [skirmish on Krownest](link url). His demise triggered a [civil war](link url) between Clans Saxon and [Wren](link url), with the Empire supporting the former. By [1 BBY](link url), Saxon was succeeded by his brother [Tiber Saxon](link url) as Governor. Clan Wren's rebellion was joined by Lady Bo-Katan's Clan Kryze, Clan Vizsla, [Clan Rook](link url), [Clan Eldar](link url), and [Fenn Rau](link url), the last remaining member of the [Mandalorian Protectors](link url).

Tiber ordered Alrich's public execution in Sundari. Before Clan Wren and rebel forces could [liberate](link url) him from his [prison](link url), Saxon had [Captain](link url) [Hark](link url) evacuate the prisoner in a convoy. After Ursa learned that her husband was saved, she worked with Sabine, Bo-Katan, Rau, and the Spectres to trap the Imperial convoy. Ursa's forces staged a diversionary attack, causing the convoy to travel through a narrow canyon. Sabine and her allies ambushed the convoy and freed Alrich. However, this victory was overshadowed when Saxon deployed the rebuilt "Duchess" against Ursa's forces.

The surviving Mandalorians and rebels retreated to Bo-Katan's camp. To atone for her role in creating the "Duchess," Sabine volunteered to lead a strike mission aboard [Saxon's Star Destroyer](link url) to destroy the superweapon and the associated data. Saxon's Star Destroyer was parked above Sundari. Acting on the advice of [Grand Admiral](link url) [Thrawn](link url), who was acting on behalf of Sidious, Saxon trapped Sabine aboard the superweapon's storage chamber and tried to force her to strengthen the superweapon. However, Sabine reprogrammed the machine to target stormtrooper armor and destroyed the "Duchess." The resulting explosion destroyed Saxon's Star Destroyer, presumably killing the Governor. Clan Wren and the other Mandalorian clans then pledged allegiance to Lady Bo-Katan, who inherited the Darksaber and the mantle of Mandalorian leadership.

Realizing they would never be able to control Mandalore and wanting to make sure nobody could after Sidious got killed, the Empire initiated the "[Great Purge of Mandalore](link url)." Despite Kryze and her people's resistance, the Purge resulted in the near-total annihilation of their forces during the [Night of a Thousand Tears](link url). That night, [gunships](link url) equipped with heavy [repeating blasters](link url) attacked fields occupied by Mandalorian recruits, while Mandalorian cities, including Sundari, were targeted. [TIE bombers](link url) devastated the surface, obliterating entire cities with fusion bombs.

[KX-series security droids](link url) and [Viper probe droids](link url) eliminated any survivors of the Night's attacks. With the majority of her troops dead, Kryze accepted a surrender offer from the [Imperial Security Bureau](link url), believing it was the only way for Mandalore to survive. Despite her distrust of the Empire, she agreed to stand down her forces and disarm during a meeting with [Moff](link url) [Gideon](link url), an ISB member involved in the Purge. Kryze also surrendered the Darksaber to Gideon. However, he betrayed the agreement, leading to an Imperial attack on the defenseless Mandalorians, resulting in their near-genocide. The Empire used fusion bombs and fusion rays to glass the surface, destroying cities and landscapes alike. The [Mines of Mandalore](link url) were presumed destroyed.

The Empire took no prisoners during its final assault, bombing every surface on Mandalore twice. Any ships attempting to escape were intercepted. Nevertheless, Mandalorians, including Kryze, survived the Purge and fled Mandalore, scattering across [the galaxy](link url). A small group of Mandalorians under an [unidentified captain](link url) survived in the ruins. As spoils of war, the Empire collected Mandalorian beskar and forged it into Imperial ingots. The purge forced [the Tribe](link url), who were on Concordia during the purge, to operate in secrecy, even after the [fall](link url) of the Empire in [5 ABY](link url). Members of the Tribe believed Mandalore was cursed and feared traveling there, believing it was poisoned.

Following the Great Purge, Mandalore was abandoned, its surface crystallized into [trinitite](link url) by Imperial bombs. The cube-cities were destroyed and overrun by [Alamites](link url), previously confined to the wastelands. Kryze planned to [steal weapons](link url) from an [Imperial remnant](link url) led by Gideon to reclaim her homeworld. She told Mandalorian bounty hunter [Din Djarin](link url), who believed Mandalore was cursed, that a new Mand'alor would be installed on the throne in exchange for Tano's location so he could return [Grogu](link url) to the Jedi Order. Later, she stated she would rule the planet once again.

Kryze agreed to help Djarin [rescue Grogu](link url) from Moff Gideon in exchange for [Gideon's light cruiser](link url), which she could use to retake Mandalore, and the Darksaber, which she needed to rally her people. Before the mission, Kryze's companion [Koska Reeves](link url) and [Boba Fett](link url), who were both joining the crew for the mission, exchanged words and briefly dueled each other after Fett expressed his disapproval for Kryze's efforts to retake Mandalore, claiming "the Empire turned that planet to glass." After Djarin won the Darksaber from Gideon and Kryze returned without it, her forces melted away, and left to make their way through the galaxy as mercenaries. Kryze abandoned her attempts to retake Mandalore and retired to her [family's castle](link url) on the planet Kalevala where her house was based. Gideon, on the other hand escaped [New Republic](link url) custody and established a [base of operations](link url) on Mandalore in the caverns of the [Great Forge](link url), which he used to mine beskar and forge a [fourth-generation design Dark Trooper](link url). Gideon, sponsored by the [Shadow Council](link url), created a formidable [TIE/IN interceptor squadron](link url) and secretly continued his cloning experiments to create a race of superhuman soldiers combining the traits of the Jedi, the Mandalorians, and the Kaminoans.

Around that time, a traveler visited Mandalore despite rumors of it being poisoned and retrieved a Mandalorian inscription before fleeing. This artifact reached a [Jawa](link url) tribe on [Tatooine](link url), where Djarin discovered it. Djarin had broken the [Mandalorian Creed](link url) by removing his helmet during his attempt to rescue Grogu, becoming an [apostate](link url) and [exiled](link url) from his tribe. Redemption required bathing in the Living Waters in the Mines of Mandalore beneath Sundari's Civic Center, even though the mines were thought to be destroyed. Djarin, determined to redeem himself, was convinced by the artifact that the planet was not poisoned, as the traveler survived.

Djarin visited Kryze on Kalevala, and she revealed that her forces melted away and she gave up on her efforts to retake the planet. Adamant to bathe in the Living Waters, Djarin announced his plans to go to the planet, to which Kryze replied that there was nothing magic about the Mines, and the planet has been ravaged, plundered, and poisoned, contradicting her previous claims. Kryze told Djarin the location of the Mines, and Djarin left, planning to find out if the planet was really poisoned. To explore the planetary surface, he intended to utilize [assassin droid](link url) [IG-11](link url), as its humanoid build and agility made it ideal for [spelunking](link url) into the underground cities. The droid was also to collect samples of the air to test if it was [breathable](link url). However, neither Djarin nor [Nevarro](link url)'s [Anzellan](link url) [droidsmiths](link url) managed to repair the droid, forcing Djarin to return to Tatooine and borrow [astromech droid](link url) [R5-D4](link url) from [Peli Motto](link url) for the task. With the droid boarded to his [ship](link url), Djarin traveled to Mandalore and entered its atmosphere for the first time in his life.

Djarin safely navigated a massive storm which covered the upper layers of the atmosphere and landed next to the ruins of Sundari's Civic Center. R5 was deployed from the ship to perform a surface scan but was attacked by Alamites as soon as he entered the Civic Center cavern, prompting Djarin to exit the ship and step into the crystallized surface to attack them and rescue it. The droid then displayed its readings of the [oxygen](link url)-rich atmosphere; Mandalore was safe for humans to inhabit once again.

With this knowledge, Djarin and Grogu descended to the Civic Center and entered the sewers through a vertical tunnel, eventually reaching an area near the fabled Mines. There, Djarin was distracted by a damaged Mandalorian helmet, allowing himself to be captured by a spider-like creature who took him to its lair to attempt and drain him of his [blood](link url). Grogu left the planet and went to Kalevala to call for help from Kryze, who agreed and took him and R5 back aboard her [Kom'rk-class fighter](link url), returning to her homeworld after years of forced exile. She was able to rescue Djarin from the creature by slashing it with the darksaber, and carried him back to the Civic Center until he felt strong enough to stand. Djarin insisted he visit the Waters, despite the danger, while Kryze mourned the destruction of her home and urged him not to be a fool and to leave the planet behind. As he insisted, Kryze eventually agreed and took Djarin to the hidden entrance of the Mines, leading him deep inside the ancient caverns to the hall of the Living Waters. There, a shaken Djarin took off his armor and entered the shallow waters as Kryze and Grogu watched, reciting the Mandalorian Creed as he finally redeemed himself. As the structure was damaged though, Djarin slipped and fell deep into the pool, prompting Kryze to jump in and rescue him. As the duo swam back up, they passed before a live mythosaur, the fabled beast of the Mand'alor, somehow still alive deep in the Living Waters.

Fundamentally changed after the experience, Kryze returned to Kalevala, only to find her [family's castle](link url) bombed by Gideon's squadron and chased away by his TIE interceptors. Djarin invited him to the Tribe's covert on a desert planet to hide away, where to her surprise [the Armorer](link url) claimed that she could join the [Way of the Mandalore](link url) since she had not removed her helmet ever since she bathed in the Living Waters. With herself and Djarin redeemed, Kryze decided to stay with the Tribe, rediscovering their ancient customs and becoming closer to her heritage. Eventually, Kryze revealed her encounter with a mythosaur to the Armorer. When New Republic [pilot](link url) Captain [Carson Teva](link url) of the [Adelphi Rangers](link url) came to ask Djarin for help in liberating [Nevarro](link url), the Tribe's old covert from [Pirate King](link url) [Gorian Shard](link url), Kryze saw a chance to give the Mandalorians a permanent living place. She and her companions traveled to Nevarro and [successfully defeated](link url) the pirates. In return, [High Magistrate](link url) [Greef Karga](link url) gave them a plot of land to [make permanent camp](link url) in.

Empowered by this success, the Armorer decided that Kryze "walked both ways" and was the bridge that would gap the Children of the Watch's traditions with the newer Mandalorian fractions. To that end, she allowed the princess to remove her helmet and sent her off to find her old unit, now led by [Axe Woves](link url) in their missions as [privateers](link url). Kryze [tracked](link url) the unit to [Plazir-15](link url) and managed to defeat Woves in single combat. Djarin subsequently revealed that Kryze had defeated the one who had defeated him back on Mandalore, making her the rightful owner of the Darksaber. Kryze accepted the blade, reclaiming her [fleet](link url) and proving herself as the rightful Mand'alor. As the new leader of the privateer fleet, she took it back with her to Nevarro, where they met with the Tribe.

With the Mandalorians of the galaxy united again, Kryze and the Armorer organized an expedition back to their homeworld to retake it once and for all, as the Empire's threat no longer loomed over them. Despite the initial tensions between the two groups, a grand feast brought them closer to each other and eventually the entire fleet took off from Nevarro, arriving in Mandalore orbit - the first time after the Purge that the Children of the Watch had been on their home planet. A landing party separated from the fleet and descended to the surface, making their way to the Great Forge, where they intended to set up the first settlement and begin the production of beskar anew. On their way there, they discovered a group of [survivors](link url) from the Purge who had been stranded on the planet with no way out. The Armorer took the injured back to the fleet, while the others led the exploration group to the Forge.

Upon arriving, the Mandalorians unexpectedly came upon Gideon's base, and Woves left to ask for reinforcements from the fleet. The rest of the Mandalorians attacked Gideon's [armored commandos](link url) and were successful in pushing them back, but their confidence led them straight into a secure antechamber in the entrance of the base where Gideon trapped them, separating Djarin who was leading the way and capturing him. However, the others bravely attacked Gideon and his guard by blasting the [blast doors](link url) keeping them sealed inside while Kryze sliced the exit gates with the Darksaber. [Paz Vizsla](link url) sacrificed himself in a final stand to buy them time, killing the entire unit of armored commandos but taken out by Gideon's three [Imperial Praetorian Guards](link url).

By that point, Woves had reached the fleet and transmitted a distress signal to the [Fleet Commander](link url) letting him know of the ambush on the ground. The fleet immediately dispatched all available troopers from the light cruiser, who boarded the [Kom'rk-class transports](link url) to be taken to the ground; Woves himself took control of the cruiser to use it as a decoy for the Imperial attackers. Kryze was shown a garden in a surface cave that was grown by the captain and his survivors.

With the Kom'rk-class transports reaching the Imperial base in minutes, the warriors on board, including the Armorer, joined Kryze's escaped warriors and together they attacked the base en masse, engaging the armored commandos in the air. Meanwhile, inside the base, Djarin and Grogu -the latter using his [mech](link url) [IG-12](link url)- reached Moff Gideon's command center and battled against him, successfully taking out his Praetorians but struggling to take down the armored warlord himself. Having cornered him in a hangar over a cliff, the duo were joined by a Darksaber-wielding Kryze who landed in the hangar and immediately sliced through Gideon's resistant armor. However, the mechanized suit easily crushed the saber, leaving Kryze defenseless.

At the same time, Woves entered the atmosphere, flying the heavily damaged and still-burning cruiser on a collision course against the base. Despite Woves having warned the Mandalorians to retreat from the base, Kryze, Djarin, and Grogu were still caught in their duel with Gideon and unable to get out in time. However, Grogu held Gideon back with the Force, leaving him in the path of the crashing vessel, and [shielded](link url) Kryze and Djarin from the flames. With Gideon meeting a fiery death, and the base completely destroyed, Mandalore was finally free of Imperial presence.

Following the successful reconquest of their planet, the Tribe and the Loyalists resettled the land, and held the first official ceremony in the Living Waters by bathing [Ragnar Vizsla](link url) in the pool and accepting Grogu -renamed Din Grogu as Din Djarin's apprentice- into the Tribe. Soon after, the Great Forge was also repaired and reactivated, being ceremoniously lit for the first time by Kryze in the presence of all their warriors.

The Alamites were the original inhabitants of Mandalore, making their home in the desolate areas separating the cities of Mandalore. Following the devastation of the Great Purge of Mandalore, some Alamites found refuge among the ruins of Sundari. These beings possessed four eyes, tusks, and distinctive back spikes. Besides the Alamites, the bombings of the Purge stirred other dormant species. The trinitaur and Reptavians made their homes in the ruins below the surface.

A group of humans, known as Mandalorians, populated Mandalore. These elite warriors, during the era of the Old Republic, lived in clans and were known for their martial prowess. While they valued honor, some later became mercenaries. Centuries of warfare devastated the surface of Mandalore, giving rise to the New Mandalorians, a group that rejected the violent traditions of their ancestors. This division sparked a civil war, leading to the exile of the warrior clans to Concordia, Mandalore's moon, where they were believed to have perished. This conflict decimated the planet's population. Mandalore Technologies operated on the planet as a weapons manufacturer.

Duchess Satine Kryze governed Mandalore for the majority of the Clone Wars. Towards the war's end, she was overthrown and murdered by Maul and his Shadow Collective, who installed former Prime Minister Almec as a figurehead for Maul's authority. Following the Siege of Mandalore and the subsequent Imperial occupation after the Clone Wars, Gar Saxon governed the planet as the Empire's Viceroy until his death in 2 BBY. His brother, Tiber Saxon, succeeded him as Governor until his death in 1 BBY.

Dave Filoni stated that George Lucas created Mandalore, initially envisioning it as the world destroyed by the Death Star in A New Hope before it was changed to Alderaan. During the creation of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas considered the Mandalore system as the origin of the "Mandalorian super-commandos," of which Boba Fett was a member in an early story outline. The planet made its debut in the Star Wars Legends 1983 Marvel comic Star Wars (1977) 68, and was introduced into canon in "The Mandalore Plot," the twelfth episode of the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was first broadcast on January 29, 2010.

The post-Purge ruins of Mandalore, featured in The Mandalorian series, were designed in collaboration with Phil Tippett, who contributed to the original Star Wars films. Andrée Wallin, Benjamin Last, Christian Alzmann, Ryan Church, and Erik Tiemens designed the concept art.