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By Cody “Micajah” Bye, Managing Editor

Warrior cultures are almost a forgotten tradition in today’s mainstream societies. With the advent of modern technologies and the growth of globalization, the true warrior culture simply can’t exist in our world. While terror organizations and religious zealots still harbor violent ideals, they commit those acts to push their beliefs. However, cultures that emphasize battle and war and greatly prize feats of arms – like the Samurai, Apache, and Romans – haven’t really existed in the modern era. There’s simply too much at stake for culture that engage in this sort of warfare.

Boba Fett was the first example of a Mandalorian warrior.

Despite not having a true warrior culture in our present day, many individuals still feel a thrill when reading or watching any sort of entertainment medium that uses a warrior culture as a backdrop. Movies like The Last Samurai and 300 still rake in millions of dollars at the box office due, in large part, to their warrior culture subject matter. These were cultures where only the strong survived, and the weak were cast out.

Thus it’s easy to see why so many Star Wars aficionados adore the culture of the Mandalorians. These mercenaries and bounty hunters are the true warrior culture in the Star Wars universe. While the Sith admire strength at arms and adopt the brutal nature of a warrior culture, they look to violence as a method to inact their will upon those within their realm. The Mandalorians, on the other hand, are a group that picks their leader based upon their skill with weaponry, making their martial prowess the single most important aspect of their entire culture.

First brought to the attention of the world by the cold, emotionless voice and body language of Boba Fett, the Mandalorians were present in five of the six Star Wars movies and were revealed to be the genetic foundation from which the infamous clone troopers were forged. From these brief snippets in the Star Wars movies, it’s easy to see why the Mandalorians were such an indomitable foe. While Jango Fett may have met his demise at the end of Mace Windu’s lightsaber, hundreds of Mandalorian clones exacted swift revenge on the Jedi Knights after Order 66 was issued by Darth Sidious. They truly are a worthy opponent for any combatant, even the Jedi.

As I have done throughout the last few weeks, I will be taking you through the Mandalorian culture that existed before the Battle of Yavin, specifically around 4,000 BBY, to get those of you that are interested in Knight of the Old Republic Online a taste of what that style of Mandalorian is all about. So sit back and enjoy the bloody Mandalorian ride.

Live and Die by the Sword

As I stated in my opening paragraphs, the Mandalorians – at least during the time of the Knights of the Old Republic – were a militaristic culture. Like many warrior clans in our own world, Mandalorian hierarchy was determined by your battle prowess and defeating the individual that stood above you in the Mandalorian hierarchy. If that rival died, you would be called upon to take his place. Even the mighty Mandalore (the leader of the Mandalorians) could be defeated and the first individual to don his mask would be deemed the new leader of the united peoples.

However, contrary to what many individuals believe, the Mandalorians were not a species, at least not during the Knights of the Old Republic time period. Like so many of the other cultures and philosophies in the Star Wars, the Mandalorians did begin as an alien race known as the Taung led by their heroic warleader named Mandalore the First. Much like the Sith race that was eventually “wiped out” by interbreeding, the Taung became known as Mandalorians only after renaming their adopted planet after their deceased warleader and issuing the title of Mandalore to anyone who steps forward as their leader. Eventually, the Taung did die out (thousands of years before the KOTOR timeline), but the title of Mandalorian lived on and later encompassed many species across the universe.

Jango Fett helped produce a whole army of Mandalorian clones.

During the Knights of the Old Republic timeline, a number of different events occurred with the Mandalorians, and almost all of them are heavily entwined with both the Sith Lords and the Jedi Knights. After several thousand years of relative non-violence (at least to those races outside of their direct sphere of influence), the Mandalorians allied themselves with the Sith after Mandalore the Indomitable was bested in single combat by the Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma. Once under the command of the Sith, the Mandalorians turned their attentions upon the rest of the universe, attacking countless planets and gaining the scrutiny of the Jedi and the Galactic Republic.

However, it wasn’t until ten years after the fall of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma that the Mandalorians and their new leader Mandalore the Ultimate would truly let their violent tendencies lead them into an all out war with the Republic. Through a variety of Sith persuasions, the Mandalorians amassed a formidable fighting force and extended their grasp deep into the universe, committing terrible atrocities as they scoured the universe clean of any civilization they believed to be weaker than their own. After turning the surface of an entire planet to glass and destroying an entire alien race, the two Jedi Knights Revan and Malak led a Jedi-infused Republic force to the Mandalorian front lines and drove the brutal warriors back to the Outer Rim.  

It’s these wars – the Mandalorian Wars – that serve as the backdrop for both of the previous KOTOR games. Without the events of the Mandalorian Wars (the extent of which can be read about here) there wouldn’t have been a climactic struggle for power among the Jedi and the Sith in the later years of the KOTOR timeline.

The Mandalorians were not always at odds with the Jedi, however, as Canderous Ordo fought side-by-side with the redeemed Revan and later the Jedi Exile as he took the mantle of Mandalore and eventually become Mandalore the Preserver. In fact, Ordo is entirely responsible for any of the Mandalorians that exist in the post-KOTOR timeline, for the Jedi Knights had destroyed almost all of the Mandalorian remnants to insure that nothing like the Mandalorian Wars would ever happen again.

This is an example of the Neo-Crusader Mandalorian Armor.

In fact, Canderous Ordo and the Mandalorians may have a large part in the upcoming KOTOR online game. According to a number of predictions by Kreia (Darth Traya) in the Knights of the Old Republic II, she states:


Due to Revan’s leaving to visit the edge of the galaxy (and beyond perhaps), it can be theorized that the upcoming KOTOR game will use Ordo’s reforged Mandalorian warriors as NPC combatants or even character classes in the upcoming world. Under Ordo’s supervision, the Mandalorians in the post Mandalorian Wars time period seem to be just as bloodthirsty, but more aligned to an attitude that is agreeable with the Republic’s, and thus the Jedi Knights.

Loving on the T-Shape

Of course, it wouldn’t be a true article on the Mandalorians without making at least one mention of the incredibly recognizable armor. For the most part, any Mandalorian armor that would make it into the KOTOR online game would be similar in style to what players saw in the first two KOTOR games. While the helmets would still have the menacing darkened “T”- shape visor, the armor itself would be much more concealing than the “Shock Trooper” armor that Boba and Jango Fett wore in the Star Wars movies.

However, the Neo-Crusader armor would still have all the characteristics that people are familiar with concerning Mandalorian armor. Made out of Mandalorian iron, the armor could deflect lightsaber and blaster bolts while the helmet included an intricate heads-up display. Concerning the actual colors of the armor, here’s what Wookipedia had to say:


In a video game with Mandalorian warriors, players can expect to really cherish any sort of Mandalorian armor they might receive or find on a corpse. These particular armors might be some of the best armors in the game, and players that choose to wear this particular protective gear would be incredibly difficult to kill. That said, any non-Mandalorian wearing the armor would probably be killed on sight.

If players get to play as a Mandalorian, they'll expect to be heavily armed.

Mandalorians in the Online Space

Much like the Jedi Knights and the Sith Lords, the developers of the KOTOR online game would be incredibly foolish to leave out the Mandalorians. As a veritable staple of the Star Wars diet, Mandalorians are a group of characters that individuals flock to when they’ve had too much of the Sith and the Jedi. Without the Mandalorians, most Star Wars fans would simply feel lost. The warrior culture is needed, especially in an online game. Hopefully the developers will give us the opportunity to experience one first hand.

If they choose to, players can expect to play as a warrior that’s truly proficient with any piece of weaponry that they lay their hands on. Force pikes, vibro-blades, blasters, automated weaponry, grenades, rocket packs, all of it is part of a Mandalorian’s arsenal. These are the walking artillery shells of any game, and the developers creating the game should be aware of this.

Individuals that play as Mandalorians will expect to play as characters that are at the front of every battle, blasting away with their repeater even when the tides have turned and all looks hopeless. From the background of the Mandalorians, players could choose either Jedi or Sith to ally themselves with, and so having Mandalorians in either faction should not be an issue. On top of that, Mandalorians also have no racial restrictions, so any race of creature could choose to be in the Mandalorian guard. It's truly a win-win scenario for any Star Wars game developer.

(Editor's Note: If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out the editorials on the Jedi Knights and the Sith Lords as well.)