Star Wars: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Planet Mandalore

While much of Mandalorian lore remains shrouded in mystery, held close to the beskar chest plate by the Mandalorians themselves, information about their home planet of Mandalore has been slowly presented to Star Wars fans over the last several years via animated series, comic books, novels, and of course via references in the hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.

With the appearance of Mandalorian warriors like Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze, fans have become curious about the homeworld of such infamous fighters. Gathered from the history presented in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, the Skywalker Saga, and other source materials, there’s bound to be a few things even diehard fans don’t know about Mandalore.

10 It Was Almost Featured In The Empire Strikes Back

Over the course of developing his Skywalker Saga, George Lucas ended up discarding many pieces of lore in favor of necessary creative choices, some of which became incorporated into other projects he had an ancillary hand in developing decades later, such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 

According to The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook, Mandalore was a planet fans might have gotten to see in The Empire Strikes Back, but Lucas chose to feature Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin. It’s unclear whether or not Lucas would have shown Boba Fett, who made his onscreen debut in the film, operating off of Mandalore.

9 It’s The Ancestral Home Of The Mandalorians

Mandalorians were a proud and ancient race that lived in a society made up of tribal clans, each with a lengthy heritage of noble deeds. Warriors fashioned armor out of beskar and decorated it with a familial crest as well as small ornaments from the trophies they took.

Initially, only true Mandalorians could wear Mandalorian armor and helms, which changed over the course of their history. As time went on, foundlings like Din Djarin were allowed to study the Way, and splinter groups arose from different teachings, some more peaceful, and some more aggressive.

8 It Was Beautiful Once

For thousands of years, Mandalore had been a planet known for producing superior warriors and being one of the most influential planets in the Outer Rim. The capital of Sundari was a place of pride that honored not only politics and commerce but a noble heritage.

A rich legacy of art and armaments conveyed to the galaxy the duality of the Mandalorian people; capable of great creation and even greater destruction. Once beautiful structures, statues, and artifacts would eventually become ruins after decades of conflict.

7 Before It Was Made Inhospitable By War

Centuries of violence and warfare turned the topography of Mandalore into inhospitable desert, forcing the remaining Mandalorians to discern a way to recover from the devastation. Pledging themselves to peaceful ways, they became known as the New Mandalorians, and they erected domed cities to live in that insulated them from the harsh environment around them.

Warrior Mandalorians were sent to live on Concordia, the moon orbiting Mandalore, to live out the remainder of their days. Eventually, however, a descendant of Tarre Vizsla’s led warriors on a raid to reclaim Mandalore, bolstered by Separatist involvement in the Clone Wars.

6 Its Inhabitants Were In Conflict With The Jedi Order

For centuries, Mandalorians clashed with the Jedi Order, their lifestyle of raids and conquest at odds with the egalitarian code of the Jedi Knights. Again and again, the Jedi Order was called upon to repel Mandalorian advancement, and their battles became the stuff of galactic legend.

When the Old Republic fell, Mandalorian warriors swarmed the Jedi Temple in an attempt to reclaim a precious Mandalorian artifact — the Dark Saber, a prized possession of Tarre Vizsla, the only Mandalorian to ever be accepted into the Jedi Order, but whom the Jedi felt could not wield it responsibly.

5 It Declared Neutrality During The Clone Wars

While the rest of the galaxy was locked in the conflict between the Grand Army of the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which eventually burgeoned into the Clone Wars, Mandalore decided that it would remain neutral.

Inhabitants of the main world weren’t aware that Pre Vizsla and the other members of the splinter group Death Watch were secretly preparing to reclaim the planet and return it to its old warmongering ways. Not even the presence of mighty Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi could deter them.

4 It Was Eventually Occupied By The Empire

In what became known as a famous occupation in Mandalorian history following the tumultuous Seige of Mandalore, the Empire took control of the planet and remained its martial warden for decades. This was made possible by Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious’ execution of Order 66, which turned the 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic against its Jedi generals.

With the Republic brought to its knees and the Empire rising from its destruction, Mandalore became a shadow of its former glory. Many Mandalorians went into hiding or left the planet to go Offworld and make their way as bounty hunters and mercenaries.

3 Civil War Erupted Over Local Control

Even occupied by the Empire, Mandalore was a planet that suffered from the shifting sands of petty political machinations, which broke out between Clan Saxon and Clan Wren shortly before the Battle of Yavin. Viceroy Saxon was a puppet of the Empire until Ursa Wren destroyed him, but the affront caused a civil war between the two powerful clans.

As Tiber Saxon scrambled to become Governor, Clan Wren bolstered its power by adding Clan Kryze to its allies, led by Lady Bo-Katan. Eventually, Clan Rook, Clan Eldar, and even Clan Vizsla would come to Clan Wren’s aid, poised to stop the madness that was plunging the planet once more into turmoil.

2 The Empire Plundered The Planet For Its Resources

Referenced in the first season of The Mandalorian, the Great Purge occurred when the Empire decided to take for itself all the beskar from the planet and kill anyone who opposed it. This resulted in thousands of Mandalorians being slaughtered, and those who survived to operate in secrecy like Din Djarin.

Imperial forces and Mandalorian Imperial Super Commandos maintained order on Mandalore, controlling the very fabric of its society in every clan and noble house for years. Beskar then became even rarer than it already was, compelling the Mandalorian to seek it out wherever he could, but also for interested parties to try to steal it from him.

1 It Should Be Ruled By Bo-Katan Kryze

Following the Siege of Mandalore, Imperial forces forcibly took occupation of the planet from the then appointed Regent Bo-Katan Kryze, who openly refused to obey any form of Imperial rule, which resulted in Gar Saxon being made Viceroy as a means to further Imperial control.

Even after Lady Bo-Katan got access to the Dark Saber thanks to Sabine Wren’s thievery in Darth Maul’s lair, it still wasn’t enough to martial her forces and prevent the Great Purge, the brutal event that drove her from Mandalore and scattered her allies across the galaxy.

About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1343 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

More From Kayleena Pierce-Bohen