The power struggle known as the conflict on Mandalore, also referred to as the Battle for Mandalore, or the liberation of Mandalore, unfolded during the New Republic Era. In this conflict, a unified group of Mandalorians, who were exiled, successfully reconquered their planet Mandalore. They wrested control from a remnant of the Galactic Empire under the command of Moff Gideon, who had been secretly supported by Imperial warlords of the Shadow Council even after the fall of the Empire. The battle culminated in the defeat of Gideon's forces, allowing the Mandalorians to reclaim their ancestral homeworld and commence its resettlement.
The Outer Rim planet of Mandalore, the original homeworld of the renowned Mandalorian warriors and their culture, became deeply embroiled in the vast galaxy-spanning conflict of the Clone Wars. This entanglement led to its subsequent occupation by the Galactic Republic and later by its successor, the Galactic Empire. During the Imperial occupation, many of the warrior clans coalesced around Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, who had previously governed Mandalore as a regent before being ousted by the Empire. United under the banner of the Mandalorian resistance, they triumphed in a civil war against Clan Saxon and their Imperial Super Commandos, who were backed by the Empire. Recognizing their inability to maintain control over Mandalore, the Empire initiated the Great Purge of Mandalore, resulting in the deaths of millions of Mandalorians, the destruction of their capital domed city of Sundari, and the devastation of the planet itself. Following the Night of a Thousand Tears, Kryze attempted to surrender to the Imperial Moff Gideon, but Gideon betrayed her and seized the Darksaber, a lightsaber that symbolized the leadership of the Mandalorian people. Any attempts to escape into space were thwarted by Imperial forces, while the surviving Mandalorians were forced into hiding or scattered throughout the galaxy.
Among those who survived were Kryze and her remaining followers, along with a sect known as the Children of the Watch, specifically the Tribe, who had secluded themselves on the moon of Concordia. By 9 ABY, Kryze and her adherents sought to reclaim Mandalore, while the Tribe held the belief that the planet was cursed. During this time, Kryze encountered Din Djarin, a member of the Children of the Watch. Kryze assisted Djarin in rescuing his foundling, Grogu, from Moff Gideon. Gideon's remnant forces had established operations from a base on Mandalore and were hunting Grogu to conduct experiments on him. Kryze hoped to regain possession of the Darksaber, but Djarin claimed it after defeating Gideon in combat, leading Kryze's followers to abandon her along with the Mandalorian fleet. Kryze later reunited with Din after he traveled to Mandalore to immerse himself in the Living Waters beneath the Mines of Mandalore. There, she rescued him, defeating the creature that had captured him, and thus reclaiming her right to wield the Darksaber. After reaching the Living Waters together, she encountered a mythosaur.
Moff Gideon was extracted from the New Republic by his beskar-armored commandos, and he regrouped with his forces on Mandalore. Subsequently, their TIE interceptor squadron destroyed Kryze Castle on Kalevala, prompting Kryze to accompany Djarin back to his covert, where she integrated into the Tribe. Kryze shared her encounter with the mythosaur with the Tribe's leader, "the Armorer," who, following the pirate siege on Nevarro, interpreted it as a sign that the time had come to reclaim Mandalore. The Mandalorian Armorer believed that Kryze was destined to unite their people, as she "walked both worlds" of the Way of the Mandalore. Consequently, Kryze was tasked with finding other exiled Mandalorians, and she was joined in her endeavor by Djarin and Grogu. Kryze and Din ventured to Plazir-15, where Kryze's followers had been employed as a mercenary garrison. There, Kryze regained her followers and their fleet after Djarin publicly returned the Darksaber to her, and brought them back to Nevarro to unite with the Tribe. This unified group of Mandalorians then prepared to reclaim their ancestral homeworld, unaware of the Imperial remnant presence there.
After departing from Nevarro, the Mandalorian fleet entered Mandalore's orbit. A scout team, led by Bo-Katan Kryze, was dispatched to survey the planet and establish a secure perimeter for the rest of the Mandalorians to land. They encountered a group of surviving Mandalorians who had remained hidden underground. Their captain reaffirmed their loyalty to Kryze, their former leader, and guided the team to the Great Forge. However, at the ruins of the Great Forge, the Mandalorians were unexpectedly ambushed by Imperial armored commandos, who lured the Mandalorian warriors back to their secret base. There, Djarin was captured by Moff Gideon, who revealed himself alive, clad in a fourth-generation design Dark Trooper suit of armor, and in command of Imperial operations on the planet. Paz Vizsla sacrificed himself to allow the other Mandalorians to escape the base with Kryze. The warrior was ultimately killed by three Imperial Praetorian Guards, who had been dispatched by the secret Shadow Council to bolster Gideon and his forces.
However, Djarin eliminated his captors and reunited with Grogu. While navigating through the base, Djarin discovered Gideon's cloning activities and proceeded to sabotage and destroy the clones. Subsequently, Djarin and Gideon engaged in combat at the base's command center as Kryze, wielding the Darksaber, led her Mandalorians in an assault against the Imperial armored commandos.
During the battle, Kryze relieved Djarin, who rescued Grogu from the Praetorian Guards. Djarin and Kryze then fought Gideon together. Meanwhile Axe Woves regrouped with the Mandalorian fleet's light cruiser flagship and sent its personnel down to Mandalore as the fleet came under attack from Gideon's TIE interceptor and bomber squadron.
Following the battle, the surviving Mandalorians journeyed to the Living Waters for the ceremonial induction of Ragnar Vizsla into the Tribe. After Ragnar's induction, Din Djarin publicly adopted Grogu as his son and apprentice, and the foundling assumed the name Din Grogu. "The Armorer" informed Djarin that it was time for them to depart Mandalore so that he could train Grogu. Shortly thereafter, the Mandalorians witnessed Bo-Katan Kryze reignite the Great Forge.
With Mandalore reclaimed and Grogu adopted as his son and apprentice, Djarin traveled to the Adelphi Base, where he offered his services as an independent contractor for the New Republic to Captain Carson Teva to track down Imperial remnants, citing his years of experience as a bounty hunter. Djarin and Grogu then returned to Nevarro, where they established a home at a cabin provided to them by High Magistrate Greef Karga.
During General Hera Syndulla's admonishing session at Coruscant for disobeying the orders of the New Republic Senate to ignore the attempts of Morgan Elsbeth's forces to bring Grand Admiral Thrawn from another galaxy, Teva cited the reconquest of Mandalore as evidence of coordination among the scattered and dwindling Imperial remnants. However, Senator Hamato Xiono dismissed Teva's argument, asserting that Gideon was a warlord acting independently, and therefore the conflict did not indicate a broader conspiracy posing an immediate threat to the Republic.
The mission to retake Mandalore was initially mentioned in "Chapter 11: The Heiress," an episode from Season Two of The Mandalorian, a television series created by Jon Favreau, written by Favreau, and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. The actual reconquest of Mandalore was depicted in "Chapter 23: The Spies" and "Chapter 24: The Return," episodes from Season Three, written by Favreau and Dave Filoni, and directed by Rick Famuyiwa.