Mandalore is the fifth planet in the Mandalore system of the Outer Rim Territories in the Star Wars universe. It is also the home of the Mandalorians and their warriors.
History
Mandalore was originally an independent world that once was ruled by its firs leader, Mandalore the Great, who rode the planet's apex predator; the mythosaur. Mandalor was also the source of the fabled Beskar, which Mandalorians used as armor. Nearly indestructible, Beskar was a defining symbol and product of the Mandalorian people.
Mandalorians were originally conquerers, and added many worlds to their empire before being defeated by the Jedi. This led to Mandalorians holding a long-lasting rivalry with the Jedi, with Mandalorian's considering themselves equals to the Force-sensitive warriors. 1,000 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga, a Mandalorian named Tarre Vizsla, became the first Jedi inducted into the Jedi Order. His unique, black-bladed lightsaber, forever known as the Darksaber, became a symbol of Mandalorian leadership and power after House Vizsla stole it from the Jedi Temple after Tarre Vizsla died. Whoever held the sword was generally seen as the de facto ruler of Mandalore, and some united the clans under their banner, with House Vizsla being a notable example. Many mandalorians would follow suit, but years of civil wars between Mandalorian clans largely destroyed the surface of their planet and left it barren, forcing them to live in domed cities. Great beasts and savage primitives called Alamites and other savage beasts haunted the wastes, while others slept beneath the surface.
Mangalore's Capitol city was Sundari, where the Great Forge used to produce Beskar armor and the Mines of Mandalore were located. Sundari was originally beautiful, and had hanging gardens, sprawling architecture, and vast learning centers. The Mines of Mandalore were also believed to be a Mythosaur lair, and were the home to the lake of the Living Waters, where this Mythosaur supposedly dwelled.
During the Clone Wars, Mandalore stayed neutral but there was an opposition between Death Watch led by Pre Vizsla and the New Mandalorians led by Duchess Satine Kryze, who were pacifists. When Darth Maul took control of the planet after becoming leader of the Mandalorian Death Watch and killing Satine and Vizsla, the event led to Darth Sidious intervening, defeating and capturing Maul in a duel and killing his brother, Savage Oppress. Maul would eventually escape with help from Death Watch, but was forced underground, still ruling Mandalore from secrecy as he evaded the Sith. Eventually, Ahsoka Tano leaned he was still hiding on Mandalore during her escape from Oba Diah, and with Bo Katan's forces as backup, a Republic invasion was instigated on Mandalore in which Ahsoka and Captain Rex captured Maul. However, Ahsoka was forced to release Maul and escape on the return trip from Mandalore when Palpatine issued Order 66. Later during the rise of the Galactic Empire, Mandalore was occupied by the Empire, where it became the host of an Imperial training academy.
Sometime later, Mandalore was freed from Imperial control with Lady Bo-Katan Kryze becoming the planet's new ruler after Sabine Wren gave Bo-Katan the Darksaber, reclaiming it from Maul's lair on Dathomir and helping her to destroy an Imperial super weapon Wren designed. However, this freedom wouldn't last, as Moff Gideon, seeking to gain control of Mandalore and its unique resources as part of his plans and those of Grand Admiral Thrawn, would launche a massive attack on Mandalore called the Great Purge. During this battle, Bo-Katan surrendered to him and gave him ownership of the Darksaber to ensure her people's survival. However, Gideon, wanting to annihilate the Mandalorian culture completely, betrayed her. This resulted in the entire surface being bombed, with only a handful of Mandalorians from different tribes and clans surviving. The planet was rendered uninhabitable, forcing most of them to go into hiding on other worlds. Many came to believe the planet was poisoned or cursed.
The exiled Mandalorians would not set foot on their world for another eight years, though a few survivors remained in hiding, traveling the surface in skiffs and scavenging what they could. Sundari was a ruin of charred rubble, and most of the surface had been crystalized by turbolaser fire. Alamites and other foul things prowled through the ruins. When Din Djarin and Grogu scouted the ruins, they discovered the planet's atmosphere was breathable, but were attacked by Alamites and a scavenging, one-eyed cyborg that wanted to harvest Din Darin's blood for fuel. Grogu escaped and called upon Bo-Katan, who rescued Djarin before leading him to the Mines and Living Waters. When they arrived, Din Djarin bathed in the lake, allowing him to return to his clan, but fell in and nearly drowned. Bo-Katan dove in after him, and saved him, briefly coming face to face with a mythosaur, still alive, at the bottom of the lake.
Bo-Katan was largely unsure of what she saw, but kept it to herself, and let Din Djarin take a sample of the water home to his tribe to prove he had been absolved of the "sin" of removing his helmet in front of another living being.
Later, when Bo-Katan had been declared worthy of walking both worlds after leading Din Darin's tribe to victory in liberating Navarro from pirates, and requiring the Darksaber from Din Djarin after he revealed she defeated and slayed the cyborg that captured him, Bo-Katan reunited her clan and Din Darin's clan to resettle Mandalore. The two tribes took an entire fleet of ships with them to help resettle the planet. Grogu came with with them dressed in a battle suit made from IG-11. As they began scouting, they came across Mandalorian scavengers, who led them to the Great Forge. There, they discovered Moff Gideon's base, where they were attacked by his Beskar-enhanced Stormtroopers. Gideon himself revealed he was using Mandalorian Beskar to create an unstoppable army, and revealed he had clad himself in Dark Trooper armor, enhancing his strength and speed. Gideon took Din Djarin hostage while his stormtroopers were ordered to kill Bo-Katan and her forces. Forced to retreat as Gideon sent TIE fighters and bombers to eliminate them, Axe Woves flew into the atmosphere to warn the fleet, while Paz Vizsla held off the Imperial forces, killing the stormtroopers, but dying at the hands of Gideon's Praetorian Guards. The Mandalorian scavengers led them to a temporary hideout, where they revealed that Mandalore's plants were regrowing again due to the lack of war, giving Bo-Katan hope of restoring the planet.
With Woves arriving just in time, the Mandalorian fleet commenced an attack on Gideon's base with Bo-Katan leading them. In the battle, Din Djarin escaped with Grogu's help and took down Gideon's guards, discovering Gideon was cloning himself and using Grogu's blood to create a Force-sensitive army of perfect soldiers. Djarin and Grogu destroyed the cloning chamber, forcing Gideon to confront them directly. Din Djarin and Gideon faced off as Grogu evaded the Praetorian Guards until Bo-Katan Intervened. As Djarin helped Grogu and killed the Praetorians, Bo-Katan fought Gideon, who crushed the Darksaber in her hand with his enhanced strength. Despite losing the sword, Bo-Katan was able to defeat Gideon when she and Din Djarin worked together to overwhelm Gideon. At this moment, Axe Woves, having directed their flagship to crash into the base after it was damaged by Gideon;'s TIE fighters entered the scene, letting the ship crash into the base's hangar, killing Gideon in the explosion. Grogu meanwhile saved Bo-Katan and Din Djarin by creating a Force bubble around them, protecting the trio from the flames.
In the aftermath of the battle, the reunited Mandalorians, victorious, resettled the land, and held their first official ceremony in the Living Waters by bathing Ragnar, Paz Vizsla's son, in the pool. Din Darin's tribe also accepted Grogu, renamed Din Grogu as Din Djarin's apprentice and adopted son, into the tribe. Soon after, the Mandalorians repaired the Great Forge, with the fires being ceremoniously lit for the first time by Bo-Katan in the presence of all their warriors, signifying a new start for Mandalore and the reunification of its people. In the Living Waters, the mythosaur Bo-Katan saw began to stir in the lake, signaling that a new age was about to begin on Mandalore...
Trivia
Mandalore is the first planet from an animated Star Wars show to make its live-action debut.
