By
Cody “Micajah” Bye, Managing Editor



Warrior cultures are almost a forgotten tradition in today’s
mainstream societies. With the advent of modern technologies and the
growth of globalization, the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior">true warrior
culture simply can’t exist in our world. While terror
organizations and religious zealots still harbor violent ideals, they
commit those acts to push their beliefs. However, cultures that
emphasize battle and war and greatly prize feats of arms –
like the Samurai, Apache, and Romans – haven’t
really existed in the modern era. There’s simply too much at
stake for culture that engage in this sort of warfare.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41832"> src="/image/view/41832/preview" width="200">

Boba
Fett was the first example of a Mandalorian warrior.

Despite not having a true warrior culture in our present day, many
individuals still feel a thrill when reading or watching any sort of
entertainment medium that uses a warrior culture as a backdrop. Movies
like The
Last Samurai and href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_%28film%29">300
still rake in millions of dollars at the box office due, in large part,
to their warrior culture subject matter. These were cultures where only
the strong survived, and the weak were cast out.



Thus it’s easy to see why so many Star Wars aficionados adore
the culture of the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandalorian">Mandalorians.
These mercenaries and bounty hunters are the true warrior culture in
the Star Wars universe. While the Sith admire strength at arms and
adopt the brutal nature of a warrior culture, they look to violence as
a method to inact their will upon those within their realm. The
Mandalorians, on the other hand, are a group that picks their leader
based upon their skill with weaponry, making their martial prowess the
single most important aspect of their entire culture.



First brought to the attention of the world by the cold, emotionless
voice and body language of href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Boba_Fett" target="_blank">Boba
Fett, the Mandalorians were present in five of the six Star
Wars movies and were revealed to be the genetic foundation from which
the infamous clone troopers were forged. From these brief snippets in
the Star Wars movies, it’s easy to see why the Mandalorians
were such an indomitable foe. While Jango Fett may have met his demise
at the end of Mace Windu’s lightsaber, hundreds of
Mandalorian clones exacted swift revenge on the Jedi Knights after
Order 66 was issued by Darth Sidious. They truly are a worthy opponent
for any combatant, even the Jedi.



As I have done throughout the last few weeks, I will be taking you
through the Mandalorian culture that existed before the Battle of
Yavin, specifically around 4,000 BBY, to get those of you that are
interested in Knight of the Old Republic Online a taste of what that
style of Mandalorian is all about. So sit back and enjoy the bloody
Mandalorian ride.



Live and Die by the Sword



As I stated in my opening paragraphs, the Mandalorians – at
least during the time of the Knights of the Old Republic –
were a militaristic culture. Like many warrior clans in our own world,
Mandalorian hierarchy was determined by your battle prowess and
defeating the individual that stood above you in the Mandalorian
hierarchy. If that rival died, you would be called upon to take his
place. Even the mighty Mandalore (the leader of the Mandalorians) could
be defeated and the first individual to don his mask would be deemed
the new leader of the united peoples.



However, contrary to what many individuals believe,
the Mandalorians were not a species, at least not during the
Knights of the Old Republic time period. Like so many of the other
cultures and philosophies in the Star Wars, the Mandalorians did begin
as an alien race known as the href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Taung" target="_blank">Taung
led by their heroic warleader named Mandalore the First. Much like the
Sith race that was eventually “wiped out” by
interbreeding, the Taung became known as Mandalorians only after
renaming their adopted planet after their deceased warleader and
issuing the title of Mandalore to anyone who steps forward as their
leader. Eventually, the Taung did die out (thousands of years before
the KOTOR timeline), but the title of Mandalorian lived on and later
encompassed many species across the universe.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41833"> src="/image/view/41833/preview" width="200">

Jango
Fett helped produce a whole army of Mandalorian clones.

During the Knights of the Old Republic timeline, a number of different
events occurred with the Mandalorians, and almost all of them are
heavily entwined with both the Sith Lords and the Jedi Knights. After
several thousand years of relative non-violence (at least to those
races outside of their direct sphere of influence), the Mandalorians
allied themselves with the Sith after href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalore_the_Indomitable"
target="_blank">Mandalore the Indomitable was
bested in single combat by the Sith Lord href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ulic_Qel-Droma"
target="_blank">Ulic Qel-Droma. Once under the
command of the Sith, the Mandalorians turned their attentions upon the
rest of the universe, attacking countless planets and gaining the
scrutiny of the Jedi and the Galactic Republic.



However, it wasn’t until ten years after the fall of Exar Kun
and Ulic Qel-Droma that the Mandalorians and their new leader href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalore_the_Ultimate"
target="_blank">Mandalore the Ultimate would truly
let their violent tendencies lead them into an all out war with the
Republic. Through a variety of Sith persuasions, the Mandalorians
amassed a formidable fighting force and extended their grasp deep into
the universe, committing terrible atrocities as they scoured the
universe clean of any civilization they believed to be weaker than
their own. After turning the surface of an href="www.bioware.com/games/knights_old_republic/"
target="_blank">entire planet to glass and destroying an
entire alien race, the two Jedi Knights Revan and Malak led a
Jedi-infused Republic force to the Mandalorian front lines and drove
the brutal warriors back to the Outer Rim.  



It’s these wars – the Mandalorian Wars –
that serve as the backdrop for both of the previous KOTOR games.
Without the events of the Mandalorian Wars (the extent of which can be href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian_Wars">read
about here) there wouldn’t have been a climactic
struggle for power among the Jedi and the Sith in the later years of
the KOTOR timeline.



The Mandalorians were not always at odds with the Jedi, however, as href="http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/canderousordo/index.html"
target="_blank">Canderous Ordo fought side-by-side
with the redeemed Revan and later the Jedi Exile as he took the mantle
of Mandalore and eventually become Mandalore the Preserver. In fact,
Ordo is entirely responsible for any of the Mandalorians that exist in
the post-KOTOR timeline, for the Jedi Knights had destroyed almost all
of the Mandalorian remnants to insure that nothing like the Mandalorian
Wars would ever happen again.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41835"> src="/image/view/41835/preview" width="200">

This
is an example of the Neo-Crusader Mandalorian Armor.

In fact, Canderous Ordo and the Mandalorians may have a large part in
the upcoming KOTOR online game. According to a number of predictions by
Kreia (Darth Traya) in the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_II">Knights
of the Old Republic II, she states:

Due to Revan’s leaving to visit the edge of the galaxy (and
beyond perhaps), it can be theorized that the upcoming KOTOR game will
use Ordo’s reforged Mandalorian warriors as NPC combatants or
even character classes in the upcoming world. Under Ordo’s
supervision, the Mandalorians in the post Mandalorian Wars time period
seem to be just as bloodthirsty, but more aligned to an attitude that
is agreeable with the Republic’s, and thus the Jedi Knights.



Loving on the T-Shape



Of course, it wouldn’t be a true article on the Mandalorians
without making at least one mention of the incredibly recognizable
armor. For the most part, any Mandalorian armor that would make it into
the KOTOR online game would be similar in style to what players saw in
the first two KOTOR games. While the helmets would still have the
menacing darkened “T”- shape visor, the armor
itself would be much more concealing than the href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian_Shock_Trooper_Armor">“Shock
Trooper” armor that Boba and Jango Fett wore in the
Star Wars movies.



However, the href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Neo-Crusader_Armor"
target="_blank">Neo-Crusader armor would still
have all the characteristics that people are familiar with concerning
Mandalorian armor. Made out of Mandalorian iron, the armor could
deflect lightsaber and blaster bolts while the helmet included an
intricate heads-up display. Concerning the actual colors of the armor,
here’s what Wookipedia had to say:

In a video game with Mandalorian warriors, players can expect to really
cherish any sort of Mandalorian armor they might receive or find on a
corpse. These particular armors might be some of the best armors in the
game, and players that choose to wear this particular protective gear
would be incredibly difficult to kill. That said, any non-Mandalorian
wearing the armor would probably be killed on sight.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/41834"> src="/image/view/41834/preview" width="200">

If
players get to play as a Mandalorian, they'll expect to be heavily
armed.

Mandalorians in the
Online Space



Much like the Jedi Knights and the Sith Lords, the developers of the
KOTOR online game would be incredibly foolish to leave out the
Mandalorians. As a veritable staple of the Star Wars diet, Mandalorians
are a group of characters that individuals flock to when
they’ve had too much of the Sith and the Jedi. Without the
Mandalorians, most Star Wars fans would simply feel lost. The warrior
culture is needed, especially in an online game. Hopefully the
developers will give us the opportunity to experience one first hand.



If they choose to, players can expect to play as a warrior
that’s truly proficient with any piece of weaponry that they
lay their hands on. Force pikes, vibro-blades, blasters, automated
weaponry, grenades, rocket packs, all of it is part of a
Mandalorian’s arsenal. These are the walking artillery shells
of any game, and the developers creating the game should be aware of
this.



Individuals that play as Mandalorians will expect to play as characters
that are at the front of every battle, blasting away with their
repeater even when the tides have turned and all looks hopeless. From
the background of the Mandalorians, players could choose either Jedi or
Sith to ally themselves with, and so having Mandalorians in either
faction should not be an issue. On top of that, Mandalorians also have
no racial restrictions, so any race of creature could choose to be in
the Mandalorian guard. It's truly a win-win scenario for any Star Wars
game developer.



(Editor's
Note: If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out the
editorials on the style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/38802">Jedi Knights style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> and the style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/40233" target="_blank">Sith
Lords
as well.)