4 things to watch after finishing The Mandalorian season 1

With The Mandalorian finishing its first season, now would be the best time to explore the history of the Mandalorian people. Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 1 follow.

There’s a lot that’s happened in this first season of The Mandalorian. From the introduction of baby Yoda to seeing the galaxy post the fall of the Empire, this season has explored plenty of lore. With season 2 on the way already, the series is bound to explore even more of the galaxy and show us even more new things.

However, the biggest element of lore in the series has been its use of the Mandalorians. During the timeline of the Original Trilogy, the only Mandalorian seen is Boba Fett, but he’s not even a true Mandalorian. There’s a reason for that, as stated in the show: the Mandalorian purge. We don’t know what happened with that or why, but we know it happened, and it’s more than likely how Moff Gideon ended up with the Darksaber. There’s so much story to be explored there but, in the meantime, there are plenty of other stories involving the Mandalorians that you may want to check out.

The Mandalore Plot

The first introduction of the true Mandalore into Star Wars canon — not Jango or Boba Fett — “The Mandalore Plot” is a three–episode arc during the second season of The Clone Wars. At this point in time, Mandalorians look much different from how most audience members are accustomed to seeing them. They have no armor, no weapons, and a pacifistic mindset, which is far cry from the Mandalorians seen in The Mandalorian. This is all explained within the context of the story though, which revolves around a conspiracy against Duchess Satine of Mandalore, who also has a past with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“The Mandalore Plot” is kind of an essential watch for anyone even slightly interested in Mandalorian culture. It’s a proper introduction into Mandalorian culture, as well as the militaristic side of the culture that most are accustomed to seeing. This arc also introduces Death Watch, who are shown to be the ones who saved Din Djarin, aka the Mandalorian, when he was a child. Additionally, this arc begins the long-running tradition of the Darksaber appearing in stories featuring Mandalorians, which really begins to develop the millennia-old traditions of the culture.

Fun fact: Pre Visla, a Mandalorian introduced in this arc, is voiced by Jon Favreau — the showrunner, creator, and head writer of The Mandalorian.

The Lawless

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Another three–episode arc in The Clone Wars, “The Lawless” acts as the middle chapter of what is a trilogy of Mandalorian storylines in show, which will be wrapped up in “The Siege of Mandalore” during the upcoming final season of The Clone Wars. On its basic level, the Mandalorian civil war that was set up during “The Mandalore Plot”. Duchess Satine has been deposed, and Death Watch now rules over Mandalore. The wrench that’s thrown into the scales of this, though, Darth Maul now leading Death Watch. Yeah, this storyline is crazy.

This storyline is important to the ongoing mythology of the Mandalorians for two reasons. First, it effectively shatters any semblance for the stability of Mandalore, thus ensuring the fractured houses and clans that will appear in future stories. Second, now with the knowledge of the Mandalorian purge, this seems like the tipping point that led to the purge. United, they may have been able to stand and fight but, divided, there was no way they could survive. As a story itself, not thinking about the ramifications it has on the future, this is a phenomenal story. It’s emotional and heartbreaking, exhilarating to watch, and provides some of the best lightsaber fights in Star Wars.

Legacy of Mandalore

A two–episode arc in Rebels, “Legacy of Mandalore” follows the reappearance of the Darksaber and what the means for Sabine Wren, one of the crew members of the Ghost and a Mandalorian. After finding the Darksaber on Dathomir in an episode titled “Vision and Voices”, Sabine returns to the Rebellion only to have the legacy of the Darksaber, and Mandalore, thrust upon her.

The first true look at Mandalorian culture post the rise of the Empire, other than “Imperial Super Commandos” this arc holds a double-edged sword. It works to develop the rift between the different clans and houses that have been divided since the fall of Mandalore and to build Sabine’s importance among the story of Mandalore. There’s also some deep lore that is developed within this arc revolving around the Darksaber, as well as the war with the Jedi and what it means to truly wield the Darksaber.

This arc is an emotional journey for the main characters of the show, and it also develops the history of Mandalore in organic and important ways.

Heroes of Mandalore

The two-part premiere of the final season of Rebels, “Heroes of Mandalore”, is the culmination of the story of the Mandalorians amongst The Clone Wars and Rebels. An immediate sequel to “Legacy of Mandalore”, this arc follows Sabine and her clan going up against the Empire to save the Mandalorians that have been captured. The Empire has a secret weapon to use against the Mandalorians, though.

Basically, this is the final thing that is seen of the Mandalorian culture between the Original Trilogy and The Mandalorian at this point in time. And that’s why this arc is important. It shows that the Empire has a weapon that can effectively destroy Mandalorians by reducing everything except their armor to ash. In fact, this might be the weapon used to kill the Mandalorians off-screen in the first season finale episode of The Mandalorian. It also establishes that Sabine no longer has the Darksaber, but hands it off to Bo-Katan for her to lead. And now, since we know that Moff Gideon has the Darksaber, that raises the question as to what happened to her. There’s so much story to tell between where “Heroes of Mandalore” ends and where The Mandalorian begins, and who knows when it will be seen.

But these aren’t the only stories that involve the Mandalorians, just the ones that are the most important moving forward. However, this writer would implore whoever is reading this to take in everything that involves the Mandalorians, as they’re part of some incredible stories.