Peace Park

Peace Park, a public garden terrace symbolizing the pacifist movement's endeavors, was situated in the Mandalorian city of Sundari, which is the birthplace of the New Mandalorians. Constructed across multiple rooftops of Sundari's distinctive geometric towers, Peace Park was envisioned as a representation of an island chain. It incorporated Sundari's architectural style, characterized by extensive use of translucent glass, to evoke the imagery of water. A raised, opaque "island" formed the park's centerpiece, while similarly styled seating areas lined the rooftop's edges. These nontransparent zones featured substantial stones and bushes, along with meticulously sculpted palmlike trees that echoed Sundari's geometric patterns. Multiple stairways from the central island provided access to lower terraces within the park.

The Memorial Shrine, a monument erected to commemorate the Mandalorian Civil War fought between the New Mandalorians and traditional warrior factions for control of the planet, stood at one end of the park's main promenade. The Memorial Shrine was a sizable structure with an oval base and a prominent split spire. It served as a tribute to all those who perished during the civil war, a conflict that had brought the planet to near ruin and resulted in widespread loss of life.

Mandalore, a planet known for its rich history of warriors, gradually began to question the relevance of its martial culture. The New Mandalorians, seeking to reshape Mandalorian society for future prosperity, gained prominence in Sundari. They aimed to harness the best qualities of the Mandalorian people and rebuild their society based on principles of peace and creativity. Recognizing that the mercenary expertise in warfare, which had brought Mandalore notoriety, offered no lasting benefit to the majority of the population, they grew in strength and numbers to challenge the traditional warriors, who were a minority. While Duchess Satine Kryze championed the New Mandalorian movement, these traditionalists clung to power through violence. This ideological clash culminated in a war in 42 BBY, a brutal conflict that resulted in a New Mandalorian victory but at the cost of immense loss of life. The devastation and death caused by the war instilled in Duchess Satine a deep aversion to violence, leading her to embrace pacifism, a conviction she would maintain throughout her life.

With the New Mandalorians in power, Duchess Satine initiated a period of reconstruction to realize her vision of a peaceful world. Sundari replaced Keldabe, which had been destroyed during the war, as the new capital of Mandalore. Peace Park, a symbol of the New Mandalorians' efforts since its construction, was enhanced with the addition of the Memorial Shrine, a place to remember the lives lost in their struggle. Despite Duchess Satine's success in transforming Mandalore into a peaceful society, a clandestine group of exiled warriors, known as the Death Watch, secretly plotted to overthrow her regime. They viewed Peace Park as an ideal target for their initial acts of vandalism, given its dedication to New Mandalorian values and its status as one of Duchess Satine's favorite places.

In 22 BBY, the galaxy was plunged into turmoil with the outbreak of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Duchess Satine, determined to keep her people out of another war, declared Mandalore neutral and became a vocal critic of the conflict. Both Satine and the Death Watch opposed a Republic presence in the Mandalore Sector. As Death Watch began targeting Republic forces, rumors spread within the Republic that Satine was amassing an army for the Separatists. The Jedi High Council dispatched Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had previously encountered Duchess Satine during the civil war, to investigate these allegations. After a strained initial encounter, the duchess softened and invited Kenobi to join her for a walk around Sundari. Accompanied by Satine's guards, the two visited Peace Park. While strolling on the central island, Satine and Obi-Wan rekindled their acquaintance and discussed the Death Watch. As they debated the role of a peacekeeper, they approached the Memorial Shrine, at which point the monument exploded. Although Kryze and Kenobi were beyond the blast radius, numerous citizens were knocked down by the explosion. Duchess Satine rushed to assist the injured, and she and Kenobi noticed a hologram marker bearing the Death Watch symbol. The Jedi Master began issuing instructions to Satine's guards, ordering the duchess to return to the royal palace and all civilians present to remain at Peace Park for questioning. As the citizens regained their composure and complied, one bystander broke away from the crowd.

The man fled behind the wreckage of the shattered Memorial Shrine, entering a staircase leading to the terrace below. Kenobi pursued closely, cornering the bomber on a balcony. The man drew a blaster and fired at the Jedi Master, who deflected the shots with his lightsaber. Kenobi redirected one shot into the bomber's hand, disarming him. Duchess Satine descended to the terrace just as the bomber ran to the balcony's edge. Standing on the guardrail, the man shouted in Concordian and fell backward, landing on the glass terrace below, prompting screams from the civilians there. Duchess Satine and Kenobi went to where the man had fallen. Satine approached the dying man, and the two spoke quietly in Concordian until he passed away. As the people on the terrace gathered around the deceased man, Duchess Satine solemnly planned with Kenobi to investigate the moon of Concordia for signs of the Death Watch.

Duchess Satine decreed that the damaged Memorial Shrine, with its tall spire now split into two fragmented halves, be left in its current state as a cautionary reminder against senseless violence. While the shrine was damaged, the rest of the park remained intact and continued to serve as a popular destination.

Despite Duchess Satine's success in thwarting Death Watch's plans to seize her rule with a Republic occupation, the group persisted in plotting against her, even after their decline in influence. The group encountered the renegade Sith Lord Maul, and they quickly aligned with each other and their respective grudges. Maul revised Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla's strategy for confronting Kryze, opting to gather multiple crime syndicates to assist Death Watch in taking over Mandalore rather than engaging her directly. With a new criminal alliance, the Shadow Collective, assembled, Maul and Vizsla began preparations to simultaneously seize control of Sundari and discredit Duchess Satine in the eyes of the populace. The Shadow Collective's forces arrived in Sundari and engaged in battle with the New Mandalorian law enforcement. A group of thugs, led by Black Sun leader Ziton Moj, attacked Peace Park and began shooting the police stationed there. Moj proclaimed to the crowd at Peace Park that they were now slaves of the Black Sun, and his forces opened fire on several civilians as they fled to the terraces below the Memorial Shrine. Moj and his enforcers advanced on the escaping citizens, who had reached the lower gardens with the assistance of the police. Before Moj could continue his advance, Maul and Vizsla initiated the second phase of their plan: with Sundari in chaos, Death Watch would enter the fray and "rescue" the Mandalorians from the Shadow Collective, a feat that Duchess Satine's law enforcement could not accomplish. Satine's estranged sister, Bo-Katan Kryze, led her Death Watch warriors to Peace Park, where they "captured" Moj and his forces. Maintaining the facade, Bo-Katan and the Death Watch helped several Mandalorian citizens out of hiding and then departed with the Shadow Collective thugs.

Death Watch's scheme succeeded, and Duchess Satine and the remaining New Mandalorian leaders were overthrown and imprisoned. Vizsla, satisfied with having seized Mandalore, betrayed Maul and had him arrested as well. Maul retaliated by challenging him to a duel, during which Vizsla was killed, and Maul assumed his position as ruler. Bo-Katan and those loyal to Vizsla defected from Death Watch and later joined forces with Duchess Satine's allies to free her from prison. Although Satine was recaptured, she managed to send a message to Obi-Wan on Coruscant. When Obi-Wan attempted to liberate the duchess from prison himself, both he and Satine were captured by Maul. Maul murdered the former ruler and imprisoned Obi-Wan, but Bo-Katan intercepted his transport and helped him escape Mandalore, which had descended into another civil war between Maul's forces and those loyal to Vizsla, Kryze, and Mandalore itself. Bo-Katan hoped that news of Satine's death would prompt the Republic to intervene, and her wish was later granted when the government allocated the 332nd Division to assist her in sieging Mandalore. During the battle, Peace Park, once a symbol of peace, became a battleground and was almost completely destroyed in the fighting. While the remnants of the Memorial Shrine and the structure of the tower on which the park was built remained intact, the glass rooftop and walls were shattered, and the building sustained severe damage. In the aftermath of the conflict, Bo-Katan surveyed the charred remains of the park and lamented that she would not be able to aid Mandalore as Satine could have.

The Republic transitioned into the Galactic Empire at the conclusion of the Clone Wars, shortly after the Siege of Mandalore. Despite the Republic's assistance to Mandalore, the Empire used the forces still stationed on the planet to initiate an occupation. It was during this occupation that the Empire had the remaining fragments of the Memorial Shrine completely removed.