Star Wars Is Missing A Key Mandalorian Story (& It Needs To Be Told)

Summary The Mandalorian has delved into Mandalorian culture, but a crucial story remains untold, highlighting the discontinuity between eras.

The Mandalorian Death Watch mysteriously schismed, possibly a result of Pre Vizsla's death.

This story needs to be told, providing important context for Din Djarin and his faction, the Children of the Watch.

The Mandalorian has fleshed out the culture and history of the planet Mandalore, but one key story has yet to be told. George Lucas effectively reinvented the Mandalorians in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and they've since become essential to Star Wars lore. Din Djarin served as a window into their culture in The Mandalorian, and his actions led to their reclaiming their lost homeworld from the Empire. Mandalorian culture and heritage is gradually becoming clearer.

The problem, though, is that there's a sharp discontinuity between the Mandalorians seen in The Clone Wars and in The Mandalorian. In The Clone Wars, Mandalore was a neutral system under the rule of Obi-Wan's lost love Duchess Satine Kryze, but many factions opposed her peaceful beliefs. The most painful division was between Satine and her very own sister, Bo-Katan Kryze. But these factions mean there is an important untold story.

Related The Mandalorian Season 4 Updates: Cast, Story, & Everything We Know After The Mandalorian season 3’s conclusion in 2023, the story of The Mandalorian season 4 is shaping up to be one of the show’s biggest yet.

The Death Watch Broke Off Into Different Factions

Originally led by Pre Vizsla, the Mandalorian Death Watch believed in restoring Mandalore's historic ways. However, after making an ill-fated deal with Darth Maul to reclaim Mandalore from Satine, Maul challenged Vizsla for control and ultimately became the owner of the legendary Darksaber. With Darth Maul as the de facto leader of Death Watch and the Mandalorian people, some members of Death Watch split off, splintering the group. Individuals like Bo-Katan Kryze were part of the people who refused to fall in line behind Maul and left Death Watch, taking some members with her.

It's unclear how Death Watch further splintered, or how the Children of The Watch, Din Djarin’s clan, came to be. However, it seems there were some additional factions of Death Watch that splintered off, though it’s still unknown when that happened. It is known that the Children of the Watch rescued and took in Din Djarin during the Clone Wars, but even that part of the Star Wars timeline is unclear. In fact, in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7, the Armorer says theDeath Watch “shattered into many warring factions.”

Bo-Katan Kryze The sister of Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan allied with extremist factions of Mandalore - unwittingly dividing her people, creating opportunities for the Separatists and Darth Maul. Bo-Katan spent much of her life seeking redemption, attempting to unite the Mandalorians against the Empire, but ultimately surrendered to Moff Gideon in an attempt to save her people from a genocidal Imperial attack. In The Mandalorian era, Bo-Katan has successfully reclaimed Mandalore and become the new Man'dalore - her people's chosen ruler. Created By Dave Filoni Cast Katee Sackhoff First Appearance Star Wars: The Clone Wars

The Death Watch Was Last Seen With Darth Maul

When Pre Vizsla made the deal with Darth Maul to become a part of Maul’s Shadow Collective, he truly doomed Death Watch. After Maul bested and killed Vizsla in single combat, Maul ruled Mandalore. Bo-Katan Kryze and her Nite Owls rejected Maul as their newest leader and saw his followers as traitors since he was not a Mandalorian. This could’ve been similar reasons as to why other factions eventually left Death Watch. Maul had converted many members of Death Watch into Super Commandos under his watch, reshaping their beskar armor to resemble his skin color and horns.

These Super Commandos were seen in The Clone Wars season 7 when Bo-Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano, Clone Captain Rex, and the 332nd company launched the Siege of Mandalore. The siege was meant to free Mandalore from Maul’s command while also capturing the former Sith. It’s unclear what happened to other members of Death Watch as well as the Super Commandos following Maul’s defeat and the fall of the Galactic Republic, which happened soon after. It’s possible that those who remained feared prosecution under Bo-Katan’s regime, and fled Mandalore until the Empire came to the system.

The Mandalorian's Children Of The Watch Stayed On Concordia

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The Children of the Watch settled on the planet Concordia, a moon of Mandalore. They avoided the Night of a Thousand Tears, the Purge of Mandalore, because they were not on their homeworld when the Empire attacked. There seems to have some overlap between the Night Watch and the Children of the Watch, because some members of the Children of the Watch are wearing their pauldrons.

The Children of the Watch were seen as religious zealots by most other Mandalorians, because they followed the Way of the Mandalore and adhered to outdated ideals, such as keeping their helmets on. Bo-Katan Kryze initially saw them as a cult in The Mandalorian season 2, although she learned to accept many of their practices over time - even iif she didn't follow the Way. It's also worth noting the Children of the Watch did not see the Darksaber or bloodlines as important, essentially making Bo-Katan’s royal ine and her possession of the legendary blade insignificant.

The Death Watch's Fracture Changed Mandalorian History

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It’s possible that Pre Vizsla’s death at the hands of Darth Maul was a catalyst for Death Watch's collapse, with many different factions forming. Had Pre Vizsla lived, perhaps even defeating Darth Maul, Mandalore would have been a very different world. While it’s hard to speculate what that would actually look like, it seems that Vizsla’s death was critical for the Mandalorian people.

This story about the origins of these different Death Watch factions should be explored in Star Wars. Whether it be in The Mandalorian season 4, or The Mandalorian & Grogu, it's important to understand the historical and religious context of Din Djarin's cult. It's particularly important for Star Wars to show how the Armorer rose to power, becoming such a key leader of this faction. Either way, audiences can hope to see more of Mandalore and it’s people in upcoming titles related to The Mandalorian.