Everything You Need to Know Going Into The Mandalorian Season Two

By Eli Gregg

The Mandalorian is the most streamed show in America, far outstripping the previous bearer of the crown, Stranger Things. It’s baddie-of-the-week format and straightforward overarching plot have made it relatively easy for newcomers to Star Wars to jump right in. But chapter 11 has introduced new characters and ideas that have left newer fans a bit in the dark. Bo Ka-who? Ashoka What? If you’re feeling like you missed something, it's not just you. In order to fully understand chapter 11, you would have to have watched two animated tv shows and read a couple of comics. Luckily for you, the spartan spotlight happens to have a writer with an abundance of free time and a fondness for space ships, so without further ado, let's get into everything you need to know for Mandalorian season 2.

We start at the beginning, with a man named Te’ Solyc Mand’alor, or Mandalore the first. In 7,000 BBY (7,000 years before the battle of Yavin) he colonized the planet Mandalore and formed the Mandolorian Crusaders, a group of Warriors who prioritized honor in battle above all else. Unfortunately, the Mandalorian Crusaders went to war with the Jedi Order in 3997 BBY, which is never a good idea. Mandalore the Indomitable was dominated on the jungle moon of Dxun, leaving the Mandalorians leaderless and scattered.

After the defeat of Mandalore the Indomitable, a rivalry between the mandalorians and the jedi would continue for centuries. So intensely did the Mandalorians hate the Jedi that in the 25,000 year history of the Jedi order, there was only ever one Mandolorian Jedi. Tarre Vizsla, a force sensitive human male, was inducted into the Jedi Order and created a unique, black bladed lightsaber called the darksaber. He used the Darksaber to unite the fractured tribes of Mandalore. This Darksaber would be passed down through generations in his lineage, and became a symbol for the leadership of Mandalore.

A millennium after the death of Tarre Vizsla, weariness from war and desire for a more peaceful way of life gave birth to a pacifistic government called the New Mandalorians. The remaining Mandalorian Warriors were exiled to a nearby moon, where they secretly formed a splinter cell named the Death Watch. The Death Watch was led by Pre Vizsla, who carried his ancestor’s Darksaber. In 19 BBY, Pre Vizsla found a lone escape pod containing Maul. Yes, that Maul. He had survived his duel with Kenobi in The Phantom Menace and now sported a new pair of robotic legs. With Maul’s Aid, Death Watch couped the New Mandalorian government and rose to power. Maul Killed Vizsla, claimed the dark saber and installed a puppet, which sucks, but what do you expect when you team up with a sith lord? At any rate, this created a rift in the ranks of the Death Watch: The traditionalists who claimed Maul had won the throne by combat and was now rightful ruler of Mandalore, and the Loyalists, led by one Bo-Katan Kryze, who claimed that an outsider could not rule Mandalore and that Maul was an illegitimate ruler. Mandalore soon fell into civil war, and the Loyalists called for Republic aid. The galactic republic responded, sending a legion of clones along with a former Jedi named Ashoka Tano. Ashoka was the padawan of Anakin Skywalker and a protagonist of the animated TV show, The Clone Wars. Ashoka and Bo-Katan worked together to defeat the traditionalists, and Kryze was declared regent of Mandalore.

Bo-Katan’s Victory was sadly short-lived. Not long after the liberation of Mandalore, the newly founded empire began an occupation of the system, because that's just what evil space fascists do. When Bo-Katan wouldn’t bow to imperial rule, she was forced to abdicate power. The Darksaber, all this time remained under the possession of Maul as he escaped Republic custody and fled. It was rescued from Maul by Sabine Wren, a young Mandalorian woman who, in 1 BBY, presented it to Bo-Katan as a sign that the tribes of Mandalore still stood behind her. Bo accepted it, along with her role as leader of Mandalorian resistance against the Empire

It was around this time that the Empire decided Mandalore was more trouble than it was worth, and decided to purge the system, killing all Mandalorians. Because evil space fascists. Bo-Katan escaped the Great Purge, but lost the Darksaber in the process. The darksaber fell into imperial hands and was under possession of Moff Gideon as of 9 ABY, the time period The Mandolorian takes place in.

At the same time, Ashoka escaped death at the hands of her clone allies during order 66. After laying low for a while, she joined the Rebel Alliance. She completed several missions for the alliance and even faced off against Vader himself before disappearing into the world between worlds, a mystical plane within the force. The last time we saw her, she was preparing with Sabine Wren to find an old friend and jedi who had gone missing during the events of Star Wars: Rebels.

And that’s pretty much it. You now know the basic history of the Mandalore system, the Darksaber, Bo Katan, and Ashoka Tano. There are a lot more mysteries to solve and unanswered questions but until then, may the force be with you, and remember: This is the Way.