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New Mandalorians

New Mandalorians

General information
Leader(s)	Duchess Satine Kryze^[1]
Notable members	Prime Minister Almec^[2] Deputy Minister Jerec^[3] Senator Tal Merrik^[4] Aramis^[3]
Headquarters	Sundari, Mandalore^[2]
Locations	Mandalore^[2] Kalevala^[3]
Historical information
Founding	730 BBY^[1]
Fragmentation	20 BBY^[1]
Reorganization	20 BBY as Mandalorian Protectors^[1]
Other information
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era^[2]
Affiliation	Mandalorians^[1] Galactic Republic^[2] Council of Neutral Systems^[2]

[Source]

"I shall reassert our position of neutrality."
"The talk of an idealist."
"No, those are the words of a pacifist, and a people who have chosen nonviolent action."

―Duchess Satine Kryze and Senate Vice Chair Mas Amedda, arguing the political stance of the New Mandalorians^[src]

The New Mandalorians were a reformist Mandalorian political faction that differed from many other Mandalorian groups in that it placed great importance on the virtues of pacifism and neutrality rather than military strength, with nonviolence being a central aspect of their beliefs. Formed after a Galactic Republic attack on Mandalore rendered portions of the planet into inhospitable white-sand desert, the New Mandalorians used their engineers' technical skill and their talent for construction to forge a new society in the barren wastes. There, apart from the rest of Mandalore's warrior clans, the New Mandalorians lived in grand cube-cities, taking the domed city of Sundari to be their capital. During the Clone Wars, the New Mandalorians were led by Duchess Satine Kryze of Kalevala, and their government combated the radical Mandalorian splinter group known as the Death Watch, in an effort to keep Mandalore neutral, and out of the galactic war.

1 History
2 Society
3 Behind the scenes
4 Appearances
5 Sources
6 Notes and references
- 6.1 In other languages

HistoryEdit

FormationEdit

"Mandalore's violent past is behind us."

―Almec, Prime Minister of the New Mandalorians^[src]

Around 730 BBY, following a significant growth in Mandalorian militancy that alarmed the Galactic Republic and its Jedi protectors, a brief and targeted conflict broke out between the Republic and the Mandalorians that brought devastation to parts of the planet Mandalore,^[1] turning portions of the world into barren expanses of white-sand desert.^[5] Out of the ashes of this war rose the New Mandalorian faction. Doing away with many of the old warrior codes the Mandalorians had historically followed, the New Mandalorians put forward the idea that the best opportunity for Mandalorian survival and prosperity would come through being peaceful, neutral, and tolerant. Clinging strongly to this belief in pacifism, nonviolence became a central tenet in their society,^[1] and the New Mandalorians called upon their talents as inventors and builders to create their new society in grand cube cities constructed in the desert wastes of Mandalore. The domed city of Sundari became the New Mandalorian capital,^[5] and upon instituting these changes, any of the Mandalorians in their society who refused the reform and insisted upon carrying on their warrior ways, were banished to Mandalore's moon, Concordia.^[2] The New Mandalorians' dedication to peace and their love of advanced technology^[5] allowed for them to claim ascendancy over the scattered, squabbling warrior clans on Mandalore for centuries, and it was because of them that^[1] for the first time in the planet's history^[6] Mandalore was welcomed by the Republic, and offered representation in the Galactic Senate.^[2]

Civil warEdit

"War is intolerable. We have been deceived into thinking that we must be a part of it."

―Duchess Satine^[src]

In the year 60 BBY, a charismatic Mandalorian soldier by the name of Jaster Mereel ascended to the position of Mand'alor—the traditional leader of the Mandalorian clans.^[7] In this role, he began to institute a cultural reform in the clans that were unaffiliated with the New Mandalorians, a reform that many had been calling for since the Ithullan genocide nearly a century and a half earlier.^[8] Eventually laying out a new guideline for Mandalorian behavior known as the Supercommando Codex,^[7] he asserted that the Mandalorians who still wished to fight would simply act as highly-paid soldiers, and should conduct themselves as honorable mercenaries.^[9] Mereel was opposed by the barbaric Tor Vizsla and his faction calling itself the Death Watch, a group that desired a return to brutal savagery and the instigation of another galactic war of conquest.^[9] While Death Watch's goals were quite opposite to the New Mandalorians', the New Mandalorians could not support Mereel's faction of supercommandos—now calling themselves the "True Mandalorians"—for despite his reforms, any act of Mandalorian violence was fundamentally against what the New Mandalorians stood for.^[1]

The Death Watch and their True Mandalorian foes became embroiled in a conflict what would come to be known as the Mandalorian Civil War;^[8] the New Mandalorian government rejected both groups and continued to act independently from them.^[1] The civil war spanned more than a decade, during which Jaster Mereel fell and Jango Fett took his place as the new Mand'alor, up until the disastrous Battle of Galidraan in 44 BBY that saw the eradication of the True Mandalorians and of which Fett was the only survivor.^[9] Scarred by the loss of his comrades, Fett grew distant from his role as Mand'alor and the rest of his people, taking up the solitary life of a bounty hunter until his death at the Battle of Geonosis.^[10] As such, Mandalore's reconstruction fell largely upon the New Mandalorian government, now under the leadership of Kalevala native, Duchess Satine Kryze.^[4]

The Clone WarsEdit

Death WatchEdit

"Death Watch is far stronger than we once thought. But we have been training for this. We can stop them. But if we are to combat them effectively, we must have the temerity to stand strong in the name of peace. And if we are to do so, we must reject any Republic assistance. Instead, this government will act. It acts not out of pride, but for safety. Intervention by the Republic will inflame the opposition and this is why our government rejects the help of the Jedi. We must listen to the Duchess Satine. If we do not, we will ultimately cause our defeat."

―Deputy Minister Jerec, posthumously attesting to the strength of the New Mandalorian government^[src]

Duchess Kryze continued to lead the New Mandalorians as the pan-galactic Clone Wars broke out. Under her leadership, Mandalore was declared a neutral world at the war's start, with Kryze even elected to lead the Council of Neutral Systems, a collective of other worlds and star systems that wished to remain uninvolved in the conflict.^[2] However, this garnered the New Mandalorians the attention of the resurgent Death Watch, making a return after several years in hiding following the loss of their leader, Tor Vizsla, and subsequent fragmentation at the hands of Jango Fett in the years following the Mandalorian civil war's end.^[9] The Death Watch despised the peace-loving government the New Mandalorians had established, viewing it as weak and Kryze as a disgrace to all Mandalorians for her pacifist views. They allied with Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems to gain the means necessary to remove them from power. An attack on a Republic cruiser by a Death Watch commando, along with rumors that the New Mandalorians weren't quite as peaceful as they wanted the galaxy to believe, drew the attention of the Jedi Council who dispatched Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi^[2]—an old friend of Kryze^[4]—to Mandalore to meet with the Duchess.^[2]

During the course of his investigation, Kenobi uncovered the growing Death Watch threat, first witnessing the bombing of the memorial shrine and the bomber's subsequent suicide, then after being captured by Death Watch soldiers in a mine when his investigation led him to the moon, Concordia.^[2] He was rescued by Kryze, only for the two of them to find that the respected governor of Concordia, Pre Vizsla, was a traitor and secretly leading the Death Watch forces. Vizsla attacked the Jedi Master, engaging him with a lightsaber of his own, but was unable to best him in combat, giving Kenobi and Kryze the opportunity to flee.^[2] Evidence of the significant threat the Death Watch posed led to the Galactic Senate drafting a defense initiative that would send a contingent of the Republic's Grand Army to occupy Mandalore as a peacekeeping force.^[3] The New Mandalorian government was highly opposed to the idea, wishing to maintain its neutral status instead of becoming a military target in the war, and Duchess Satine traveled to Coruscant with the New Mandalorian senator, Tal Merrik, to plead the case before the Senate.^[4]^[3]

Senator Merrik proved a traitor to the New Mandalorian cause when he attempted to have Kryze killed aboard her personal starship, the Coronet. His attempts were foiled by Master Kenobi's continuing protection of Kryze, along with a small detachment of clone troopers under the command of Captain Rex, Commander Cody, and his former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker—who killed the corrupt senator when he threatened to destroy the ship.^[4] Once safely on Coruscant, Kryze spoke before the Senate, hoping to convince the gathered senators that an intrusion by the Republic into Mandalorian affairs would only make the situation worse. However, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine presented a recorded testimony from the New Mandalorians' Deputy Minister, Jerec, stating that it was their government's pride that brought Kryze before the senate and that if they were to have any success in stopping the Death Watch, the New Mandalorians would need Republic help. Unknown to nearly all involved, the evidence had been doctored from Jerec's original statement; because Kryze knew Jerec well, she grew suspicious and demanded to speak with him, but unfortunately Jerec had been killed in a Death Watch bombing on Kalevala the day prior. On that solemn note, the Chancellor adjourned the session and scheduled the vote on the resolution for the following day. Duchess Satine left the Senate Building, only to come under attack from a Death Watch assassin sent by Pre Vizsla. Her airspeeder was destroyed and her pilot killed, but Kryze managed to escape the ordeal physically unharmed. As an unexpected result of the attack, the Senate decided to move up the vote and the defense resolution for Mandalore was passed.^[3]

At the same time, the New Mandalorians' Prime Minister, Almec, had dispatched a scout to Concordia who was able to ascertain that the Death Watch was indeed assembling an army in preparation for the Republic's arrival. A shrewd politician, Almec was able to correctly deduce the Death Watch's plan: instigate a conflict with the Republic, then gain the populace's support by appearing to be liberators against an oppressive off-world regime. Even with this knowledge, however, there was little he could do at this point and instead put his faith in Kryze's ability to convince the Senate to see reason.^[3] On Coruscant, Kryze met with Davu Golec from the Republic's Ministry of Intelligence. A supporter of Kryze and the New Mandalorian government, Golec had discovered that Jerec's presented testimony had been false, and turned over the original recording to Kryze before being gunned down by the Death Watch assassin still targeting the Duchess. A misunderstanding on the part of the Coruscant Security Force led to the belief that Kryze had been responsible for Golec's death and she was forced to flee when CSF attempted to take her into custody. Kryze contacted Obi-Wan Kenobi for assistance, and together they passed along the true recording to Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo so that she could present the findings to the senate. In light of the newfound evidence, the Senate ordered an emergency session, during which the earlier approval of the resolution was overturned and the Republic intervention force was decommissioned. Kryze was also cleared of all wrong-doing when it was discovered that Death Watch was responsible for Davu Golec's death. Although the Death Watch's plan had been foiled, Pre Vizsla contemplated attacking the New Mandalorians with his assembled army anyway, but was persuaded against such action by Count Dooku, who reasoned that without the backing of the Mandalorian people, any attempt to claim power would be met with failure. Thus, Mandalore kept its neutral status and remained out of the war.^[3]

Corruption and conspiracyEdit

Despite their victory in the Senate, neutrality came at a price for the New Mandalorians. Having separated themselves from the Republic, much of the Republic's hierarchy viewed New Mandalorians' now on the outside of Republic concerns; Republic trade routes to Mandalore were largely shut down, forcing the New Mandalorian people to turn to a black market network of trade^[11] established by none other than their own Prime Minister Almec in order to obtain the supplies they so desperately needed.^[12] But with the illegal nature of their imports came the threat of corruption, corruption and greed that seeped into the government and swept among its police force and officials. Moogan smugglers were allowed to import tea laced with the dangerous chemical slabin into the New Mandalorians' capital city, Sundari, so long as the customs officer in charge was sufficiently bribed. When Duchess Kryze invited Senator Padmé Amidala to Mandalore for her assistance in dealing with the issue, the two politicians discovered the poisoned tea being distributed to Sundari schools, putting hundreds of New Mandalorian children in the hospital. Together, Kryze and Amidala—with the aid of the New Mandalorian police force—were able to put an end to the smuggling ring and distributed the antidote to the poisoned children. Prime Minister Almec was confronted by Kryze at the conclusion of her investigation—though she did not yet know of his involvement—and in response, he was prompted to form a committee to look into the corruption lurking amidst the New Mandalorian government.^[11]

After Amidala's departure, she requested the Jedi Council send a Jedi agent to aid in investigating the New Mandalorian government's corruption. In response, the Council dispatched Padawan Ahsoka Tano to Mandalore. Arriving in Sundari, Tano lectured at the New Mandalorian Royal Academy of Government on the perils of corruption, instructing aspiring cadets in the ways of lawful and public-serving conduct. Inspired by the young Jedi, cadets Amis, Lagos, Soniee, and Korkie—Duchess Kryze's own nephew—investigated a food shortage at a government warehouse in Sundari's warehouse district. Infiltrating the facility, the four New Mandalorian youths discovered a secret meeting between a group of New Mandalorian officers, several Gotal smugglers, and an unknown being draped in a concealing cloak. They informed Duchess Kryze of the meeting they had witnessed, only to be met with a warning of caution. Instead, the cadets turn to Prime Minister Almec with their find, unaware that he was in fact the cloaked man from the warehouse. Threatened with exposure, Almec used the New Mandalorian Secret Service to have the cadets arrested, in addition to their Jedi ally, Padawan Tano, and even the Duchess herself upon learning that she had been informed of his involvement, as well. He attempted to have the Duchess sign a confession of conspiracy, but upon being denied, Almec used a shock collar as a means of persuading her. When Kryze would not yield, he turned his attention to her nephew, Korkie; Tano and the cadets fought back, managing to overpower Almec and his guards until he could be fitted with a shock collar himself, forcing the Prime Minister to surrender. Almec and his conspirators were placed under arrest and subsequently imprisoned, leaving the black market trade network in ruins.^[12]

DeclineEdit

Mandalore's position in the Clone Wars would all change with the arrival of Spar on Mandalore. The former ARC trooper, previously known as Alpha-Ø2, deserted the Grand Army and fled from Kamino before the start of the Clone Wars.^[8] Traveling the galaxy as a bounty hunter, he came to Mandalore following the death of Jango Fett on Geonosis, and there he met a local constable and clan chieftain by the name of Fenn Shysa. Shysa, who saw Jango Fett as a symbol of strength for Mandalore, persuaded the clone to act as Fett's heir^[10] and take up the vacant role of Mand'alor. Spar did, becoming "Mandalore the Resurrector", and forging a new army of supercommandos in the image of the fallen True Mandalorians^[13] which he dubbed the Mandalorian Protectors.^[8] Spar won out over the New Mandalorians,^[1] and overturned the New Mandalorians' position of neutrality, instead allying Mandalore with the Confederacy of Independent Systems in order to oppose a Republic he viewed as oppressive and the Jedi Order, whom he blamed for their part in destroying the True Mandalorians^[8] and their willingness to lead the Grand Army.^[10] The New Mandalorians would never manage to reclaim their lost dominance, and under Spar, dwindled in power while the other clans and Jaster Mereel's Supercommando Codex returned to prominence on Mandalore.^[1]

SocietyEdit

"Your peaceful ways have paid off. Mandalore has prospered since the last time I was here."
"Not everyone on Mandalore believes that our commitment to peace is a sign of progress."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze^[src]

Based in the city of Sundari, the New Mandalorian society differed from traditional Mandalorian society in several ways. In place of the loose organization of clans that were each ruled over by a clan chieftain subordinate to the Mand'alor,^[14] the New Mandalorians formed a more centralized government comprised of a council of several ministers, including a Minister of the Interior and Minister of Finance.^[11] These ministers were all presided over by a Prime Minister^[2] and a Deputy Minister.^[3] During the Clone Wars, these individuals were subordinate to Duchess Satine Kryze,^[2] and the New Mandalorian culture rejected the Mand'alor's authority.^[1] The New Mandalorians had a love for advanced technology, and took pride in their talents as inventors and builders.^[5] New Mandalorian society was very clinical, and tightly regimented.^[15] New Mandalorian aesthetics often favored a cube shape, seen in numerous aspects of their daily lives from the cut of certain foods,^[11] to the geometry of the grand cube cities that dotted the white-sand deserts,^[5] as well as building architecture and landscaping within their capital, Sundari.^[2]

Culturally, the New Mandalorians placed great value on the virtues of nonviolence and tolerance,^[1] although non-lethal self-defense was still acceptable.^[4] Establishing a peaceful and stable state, the New Mandalorians were the first Mandalorian group to gain the acceptance of the Republic, culminating in Mandalore being given a representative seat in the Galactic Senate.^[2] During the Clone Wars, Senator Tal Merrik of Kalevala represented Mandalore and the surrounding sector.^[6] The New Mandalorians had an isolationist attitude when it came to the other Mandalorian clans, believing that their traditions were "discredited", and rejecting any alliance with the Death Watch or even the more honorable True Mandalorians.^[1] Standing apart from traditional Mandalorians, the New Mandalorians also deviated significantly from the Resol'nare—the six tenets anyone who wished to be considered Mandalorian had to abide by^[16]—refusing to aid the Mand'alor, and doing away with individually-owned armor.^[1] However, the New Mandalorian police force wore armor similar to more traditional Mandalorian armor, though it retained a number of noticeable distinctions,^[2] and Duchess Satine's personal guards wore armor specifically designed to invoke Mandalore's history of gallantry and discipline, while setting itself apart from the armor traditionally associated with Mandalore's warrior clans.^[17]

Behind the scenesEdit

"For the inspiration of the civilization, I gave them kind of a very Nordic kind of flavor, looking at a civilization and the struggle that exists between the pacifism that Satine is trying to implement, and the, you know, terror and barbarism that Pre Vizsla wants to bring back."

―Dave Filoni^[src]

The New Mandalorians debuted in the second season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, specifically the "Mandalorian trilogy" comprising the episodes "The Mandalore Plot", "Voyage of Temptation", and "Duchess of Mandalore". The New Mandalorians appear in a way radically different from that of other Mandalorians more commonly portrayed in the Star Wars Expanded Universe—the New Mandalorians adhere to pacifistic neutrality and nonviolence, in a culture otherwise heavily established as one of clan-based soldiers and mercenaries. Although the choice to portray a group of Mandalorians in this way drew a sizable amount of ire from certain Mandalorian fans, the New Mandalorians' commitment to peace was essential to the story arc's plot. The reference books The Essential Atlas, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars: New Battlefronts: The Visual Guide, and even The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia have taken steps to help smooth the New Mandalorians' integration into pre-existing canon with a number of retcons that state the New Mandalorians to be one faction among several during that time.