Credit: LucasfilmThe Mandalorian brought back one female hero that has dramatically changed over the years. After being a terrorist ten years ago in the Star Wars galaxy, Bo-Katan Kryze has gone through one hell of a journey as she is still trying to rule Mandalore.
Star Wars has a lot of cool characters, but some of them take time before fans fall in love with them. In the beginning, people weren’t fond of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and now fans can’t get enough of her in animation or in live-action when Rosario Dawson stars as the legendary force user.
Bo-Katan is a unique Mandalorian. She is a princess. She has ruled. She has also terrorized her planet and fought with Jedi like Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi while also facing other villains like Maul. She is not someone you want to mess with in the Star Wars galaxy.
Bo-Katan With Death Watch
Under Pre Vizsla, Bo-Katan helps terrorize Mandalore. Death Watch had one goal. Take over the planet from Duchess Satine and force the government to return to the ancient warrior rites. Satine wanted a peaceful Mandalore, which Pre and Bo-Katan felt was wrong and not right for Mandalore.
They were a warrior race, and they were liberators. Not everyone saw in that light, but Death Watch lacked one thing. Resources. So they worked with Dooku briefly before getting betrayed and working independently. Then Maul joins their camp, and he helps convince Pre Vizsla that he can raise an army to face Mandalore.
With the Shadow Collective forged, it doesn’t take long for Maul to take over Mandalore and challenge Pre Vizsla for the Darksaber. In the end, Maul’s powers and strength in the force were enough to take out Pre Vizsla, who died, and Maul became the leader of Death Watch and Mandalore. Satine, Bo-Katan’s sister, dies, and her final action before leaving were to rescue Obi-Wan and leave the planet. This wouldn’t be the last time Bo-Katan fought for her people, as she would get help from an unlikely ally.
Bo-Katan at the end of Clone Wars
Bo-Katan joins forces with Ahsoka Tano at the end of the series as she wants to lay siege to her planet and take it back from Maul. After the Shadow Collective conquered Sundari and took over Death Watch, Maul had the firepower and resources to hold Bo-Katan at bay. She didn’t want to destroy her beloved city and kill millions for the throne.
So she asks Ahsoka to get Republic reinforcements and learns that she has left the Jedi order. It took Bo-Katan a little bit to realize she could believe the once-Jedi apprentice, and Ahsoka convinced Anakin and Obi-Wan to hear them out.
While Kenobi and Anakin were ready to take on Maul, Coruscant was hit by General Grievous and Count Dooku as they attempted to take the Chancellor. Anakin leaves Ahsoka with a detachment of the 501st called the 332nd Battalion, with Rex promoted to Commander.
Together, the Republic makes history by breaking laws over 100 years old by invading Mandalore. In the past, Mandalore and the Republic had a lot of issues, but their deals to have peace kept each group at bay, but Bo-Katan managed to get the Republic to help overthrow Maul.
While Gar Saxon and Maul battle the Republic, the siege of Mandalore was over almost as soon as it began. Bo-Katan had the resources, and Ahsoka captured Maul, leaving Mandalore to be back in her control, but she didn’t realize that having clones on Mandalore right before Order 66 was what would destroy her people.
The Empire had a way into the planet, and Palpatine couldn’t resist taking over the planet and subjugating the Mandalorian people. Clones helped enforce the Empire’s policies until one day, they were phased out for Stormtroopers, and Bo-Katan was stuck in another war that she helped create.
Bo-Katan during Star Wars: Rebels
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In Star Wars: Rebels, Bo-Katan is on Mandalore fighting for her people. Ursa Wren joins forces with her as the Empire continues to lay siege on the planet and those who live there with a weapon that injures those wearing beskar. Sabine Wren created the device, and her Lothal crew helped her redeem herself as she used the Darksaber and took down the device.
Afterward, Bo-Katan is given the Darksaber, where she embraces a new era of Mandalorian rule. While the series leaves Mandalore on a high note, we know that Moff Gideon arrives shortly after and causes the purge, one of the darkest moments in Mandalorian history, as he bombs every city on the planet to kill as many Mandalorians as possible.
Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian
Bo-Katan first appeared in the series in Season 2 of The Mandalorian when Din Djarin was searching for a Jedi to help Grogu with his training. Mando had learned that there were Mandaloirans on the planet and was shocked to see three of them take off their helmets right away.
This was where Din Djarin learned he was part of a Mandalorian cult called the Children of the Watch. While these members never take off their helmets and follow the ancient way of Mandalore, not every character does this, as Bo-Katan and her friends embraced a new path that had been around since before the Clone Wars.
Bo-Katan told Din Djarin where to find Ahsoka Tano after helping her take down an Imperial Gozanti cruiser. Bo-Katan later helped Mando in the season finale as Mando needed all the allies he could muster, which led to her joining forces with Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand.
Why is the Darksaber important to Bo-Katan?
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The Darksaber has been a symbol of power for the Mandalorians for generations. In The Clone Wars, fans saw Obi-Wan duel Pre Vizsla, the leader of Death Watch, and he introduced the black and white lightsaber to the Star Wars audience. If someone wields the Darksaber, it’s proven to unite Mandalorians under one banner. Without it, the warrior civilization tends to go into civil war as no one wants to be ruled under one clan.
Bo-Katan is searching for the Darksaber in The Mandalorian because she lost it to Moff Gideon. During the purge, she lost control of Mandalore to the Empire even though Sabine Wren gifted her the blade. Din Djarin wins the saber from Gideon and tries to hand it to Bo-Katan who refuses. The Moff reveals that Mandalore’s ancient customs require that the saber be won in combat.
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Since Bo-Katan was gifted the saber and didn’t fight for it, some Mandalorians tested her claim to the throne, leaving her Mandalorian rule in question. Once the Empire laid waste to the planet, Bo-Katan had nothing to rule as her people were driven out.
As seen in The Mandalorian Season 3, Bo-Katan tried once again to unite her people without the saber, but everyone fled Mandalore. This left her with nothing to rule, but Din Djarin has now offered a chance to bring everyone back to Mandalore. In the mine of Mandalore, she figures out that one myth is true. The Mythosaur lives, and it’ll be great to see what Bo-Katan does with knowledge because if she rides the legendary beast, she will have a strong claim to Mandalore.
Do you want to see more of Bo-Katan in future Star Wars projects? Let Inside the Magic know what you think!