[Teaser] Units of Star Wars: Mandalorians

I wanted to give you all a teaser by you sharing a portion of the script for our upcoming Units of Star Wars documentary on the Mandalorians.

We have many new documentaries on the production pipeline such as the True Size battle of Greece v. Italy, how to raise a Carthaginian army, avenging Leonidas, Daylamites, and Mandalorians.

Thanks for your continued support, enjoy this teaser :)

Origins/Purpose

The Mandalorians have found themselves involved in almost every conflict in galactic history. From the territorial wars between the Taung and the Zhell on archaic Coruscant to the overthrow of Palpatine’s Galactic Empire, the familiar mask of the Mandalorian has been at the forefront of conflict. To chart their history is to chart the history of warfare in the galaxy.

The history of the Mandalorians begins with the Taung on the planet Coruscant nearly 200,000 years before the destruction of the first Death Star. The Taung made war upon the Zhell - the ancestors of humanity. This conflict burned for hundreds of years until a climactic battle brought a brief peace. The remnants of the Taung civilization were besieged by the vast armies of the Zhell. In a stroke of luck for them, though, the Zhell were brought to near extinction by a cataclysmic volcano eruption. The Taung, seeing this as a divine omen, promptly subjugated the Zhell. This peace lasted only briefly, though, with the Zhell eventually driving the Taung off the planet. They took refuge on a world called "Roon," calling themselves "The Warriors of the Shadow" - a reference to the clouds of volcanic ash that had blanketed their foes. From there, the Taung lived a nomadic existence until they eventually found a new homeworld, which they named after their leader: "Mandalore."

Mandalore the First lived in times that are still considered mythical: about 24,000 years Before the Battle of Yavin. He dominated this new world, laying down the foundations for his new civilization. He drove the native "mythosaurs" of the planet to extinction and established the title of "Mand'alor" as the leader of these new Mandalorians.

The next known, named, Mandalor was Mandalor the Conqueror, about 17,000 years later. He established an order known as the Mandalorian Crusaders, using them to carve a bloody path through the Outer Rim. These Crusaders are best described as roaming warbands of techno-barbarians, though they prided themselves on traditions of honour and glory in combat. In a pointless war in a pointless system the Crusaders, riding their great wardroids, encountered a Dark Lord of the Sith who immediately saw their potential as a force of destruction.

This Sith Lord, Ulic Qel-Droma, met our next Mandalor, Mandalor the Indomitable, in single combat. Mandalor the Indomitable was promptly dominated, and the Mandalorians were finally given a purpose beyond war for the sake of war. Now they would shed blood for the Sith Empire. Some Mandalorians, however, saw this new war and their new warleader as illegitimate. Mandalor The Indomitable had lost in single combat, therefore he was no longer the Mandalor. Ulic, being a Sith and thus not Mandalorian, could not take the title. These dissenters went on to form the Neo-Crusader movement while the rest of the Mandalorian Crusaders got on with the Great Sith War. This war led to a catastrophic loss of life for the Mandalorians, as well as a future hostility and suspicion from the rest of the galaxy.

Mandalor the Ultimate, the last Taung to hold the title, inherited a shambles. The Mandalorian people were spent. Their constant warring had cost too many lives and the Mandalorian way of life was rapidly becoming unsustainable. To combat this, Mandalor the Ultimate opened recruitment up to all species that were willing to take up the sword. This was the genesis of the Mandalorians as we know them today. Mandalor the Ultimate reunited with the Neo-Crusader order that refused to follow Mandalor the Indomitable and reformed them. They had despised the latent disorder of the armies of the Great Sith War, instead preferring to establish discipline within their ranks. Mandalore the Ultimate recognized the strength that structure provided and encouraged the movement, blending it with traditional Mandalorian culture. They became the "warrior class" of the Mandalorian people, with the tribes retaining control of commerce and industry.

It was during this period that perhaps the most unique relic of the Mandalorian people was created. About 1050 BBY, a Mandalorian was inducted into the Jedi Order. This man, Tarre Vizsla created a unique saber, tuned to the thoughts and emotions of its wielder. Upon his death, the saber was promptly "retrieved" from the Jedi Temple by House Viszla. Since that period, the Darksaber has been a symbol of leadership for the House, and even for the Mandalorian people as a whole.

In the year 738 BBY everything changed for the Mandalorians. Up until that point, Mandalor the Ultimate’s reforms had stuck. They had built a thriving industry and their core worlds were a match for any of the Republic’s. The Jedi feared another galactic conflict, another raging war that ripped across the galaxy and bathed cities in nuclear fire. The Mandalorians refused the Republic's overtures of alliance and incorporation. Apparently, not only Sith dealt in absolutes: this was seen as a declaration of war.

With a brutality that the Mandalorians would have no doubt admired, the Judicial Fleet of the Republic unleashed nuclear fire across the Mandalorian core. Fenel, Ordo, Concord Dawn, and Mandalore itself were scrubbed clean of life. In a single rotation the people of Mandalore were undone. The clans scattered, warriors became mercenaries, and the corpse of Mandalore was occupied by the Republic and its puppet government. This was the end of the Mandalorians as a proud and independent civilization. The so-called New Mandalorians adopted a zealous pacifism, while the Old Mandalorians formed a society known as the Death Watch, watching and waiting for the time to exact vengeance. They attempted to make a play for power during the Clone Wars, but were eventually defeated.

The Imperial era was even harsher on the Mandalorians as a people. Already shattered and scattered across the galaxy, they were still a stubborn and independent people. Neither of these traits was attractive to the Empire. First, they attempted to create a device with the ability to selectively target those wearing beskar armor. When that initiative failed, the Empire simply opted for genocide. The Great Purge of the Mandalorians ended in the Night of a Thousand Tears, when an imperial fleet bombed and scourged the entire surface of the planet, killing all who remained and destroying every Mandalorian city in existence. Since that point, the Mandalorian people have once again become tribal, acting as often elite mercenaries seeking contracts among the stars.