A male Mandalorian soldier, affiliated with the Death Watch faction, participated in events during the Clone Wars era. During a Separatist Alliance assault on the world of Aq Vetina, this soldier bravely saved the young child Din Djarin from a B2-series super battle droid's attack. Because Djarin's parents had perished while trying to conceal him, the soldier departed the battle with the boy, adopting him as a foundling.
Across the galaxy during the Clone Wars, a widespread conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a Mandalorian warrior served as a soldier within the Death Watch, a dissident Mandalorian group. This group initially opposed the pacifistic government of the planet Mandalore before experiencing internal conflict. In pursuit of their coup plans, Death Watch formed an alliance with the Confederacy, but their relationship eventually deteriorated, leading Death Watch to become an enemy of the Separatist Alliance. In either 20 BBY or 19 BBY, Separatist forces attacked a human settlement on the planet Aq Vetina, resulting in the deaths of many inhabitants. However, members of Death Watch, including the Mandalorian warrior, intervened to repel the Separatist B2-series super battle droids. The soldier shot down a battle droid that was attempting to eliminate the young Din Djarin, who was concealed in a bunker.
Djarin's parents had been killed after hiding him, and the warrior motioned for Djarin and assisted him out of the bunker while other Death Watch members arrived and eliminated super battle droids. The pair observed the ongoing battle before another Mandalorian signaled the soldier to take off with Djarin. The Mandalorian warrior complied, lifting the boy with his permission and using his jetpack to ascend from the settlement with the orphan. Djarin became a Mandalorian foundling and pledged allegiance to the Mandalorian Creed when he reached adulthood. He later recalled his rescue by the Mandalorian warrior while trapped in a common house on the planet Nevarro by forces belonging to a Galactic Empire remnant in 9 ABY.
The Mandalorian warrior donned blue Mandalorian armor, consistent with other members of the Death Watch movement. His armor displayed the Death Watch symbol—the image of the Shriek-hawk—on the left shoulder pad. The right pad featured three white stripes, also visible on the soldier's chest plate and right thigh plate. The soldier also wore brown clothing beneath the armor. In addition to the armor, the warrior was equipped with a blaster rifle, a jetpack, a rangefinder, and Mandalorian vambraces. Furthermore, the warrior possessed a WESTAR-35 blaster pistol.
The Mandalorian warrior made his debut in a flashback scene within "Chapter 8: Redemption" of the first season of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Taika Waititi directed the episode, which premiered on December 27, 2019. Credited as "Mandalorian Warrior," the character was portrayed by Brendan Wayne, who also served as a body double for Din Djarin, the show's main character.
Artist Christian Alzmann developed concept art for the soldier, creating at least ten versions of the scene. In version 7, the artist drew inspiration from the white Mandalorian concept art by Ralph McQuarrie, which laid the foundation for Boba Fett. To represent the flashback nature of the scene, two other versions depicted the Mandalorian warrior and his Death Watch comrades in a biblical and dreamy style.