Bo-Katan Kryze: the sense of being Mandalorian

The second season of The Mandalorian, the first live action series of Star Wars, seems to have been conceived as a nodal point in the continuity of the Canon of the galaxy far, far away. Already in the first season there were references to the chronology of the saga, but the announcements of famous entries in the second season of the adventures of Din Djarin seem to indicate the return of particular characters who could contribute to giving even more consistency to the characterization of the Mandalorian culture in the series . Not only with the cast entry of one of the few Jedi who have managed to earn the respect of the Mandalorians, Ahsoka Tano, but also with the appearance of a key figure during the Purge of Mandalore: Bo-Katan Kryze.

It sounds unbelievable, but just like Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze also wasn't born immediately as a character meant to play a pivotal role in the Star Wars timeline. Appearing for the first time in the fourth season of The Clone Wars, Bo-Katan Kryze was supposed to be limited to an occasional appearance, but that all changed thanks to the mastermind behind the animated series of Star Wars: Dave Filoni.

Bo-Katan Kryze's first steps

Filoni was an integral part of the consolidation of the Star Wars Canon born with the release of The Force Awakens. Moving on different media, from comics to cinema passing through novels and animation, the Canon has the possibility (or rather, the obligation) to consolidate the complex narration of Star Wars, filling apparent holes in the horizontal plot of the saga, exploiting this multifaceted nature of Star Wars.

Strengthened by this role, Filoni immediately grasped the possibilities of the character of Bo-Katan Kryze, so much so that the screenwriter decided to follow its development very carefully. To the point that the name of the character was decided by Filoni himself. He was inspired by none other than his wife Anne's cat, who was familiarly called by Mrs. Filoni with the nickname 'boogie', a fact that he often referred to by family members as 'boogie-cat-Anne'. The step from this scrap of domestic life to the name of the Mandalorian was short for Dave Filoni, who baptized the woman Bo-Katan Kryze.

From the graphic point of view, Bo-Katan Kryze was immediately characterized by Darren Marshall, that following the indications of Filoni gave the character a precise look. Following the Mandalorian custom, which provides for a certain color and symbolism of the armor to show the adherence to his clan, Filoni asked Marshall to characterize the woman by giving her helmet an aspect that resembled an owl, a reference to the team to which Bo belongs. Katan Kryze, the Nite Owls, a division of the most infamous Death Watch.

The importance that the woman would have in the future developments of The Clone Wars was immediately clear to Filoni, who had long ago decided to bring the series to face an epochal moment in galactic history, the Purge of Mandalore. This page of galactic history coincided with the final stages of the Clone Wars, when Mandalorian society was annihilated by what would later become the Galactic Empire.

Bo-Katan Kryze: what it means to be a Mandalorian

As we saw in the first season of The Mandalorian, the consequences of the Clone Wars on Mandalorians were devastating. After having been for hundreds of years a population guided by a moral code marked by confrontation and expansion, in the last days of the Old Republic the Mandalorians had taken a less warlike and more civilized attitude, especially under the leadership of the Kryze Clan. >
Countess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan's sister, was convinced that this new society was the right choice for her people, but she clashed with factions that were nostalgic for the old warrior culture, including the Death Watch.

Reason that prompted Bo-Katan Kryze to join the Death Watch, a clan bent on overthrowing the government and led by Viszla. During this militancy in the Death Watch, which coincides with his first appearances in The Clone Wars, Bo-Katan Kryze is a morally ambiguous character, who apparently represents an enemy to the Jedi and the Republic.

During the Wars of the Clones, the governor Pre Vizsla, heir to the legendary Tarre Vizsla, tries to revive the Mandalorian culture by creating the Death Watch. Vizsla intends to ally with Count Dooku and the Separatists, hoping to spark a reaction from the Republic and become a hero in the ensuing confrontation. Vizsla's plan fails and the Mandalorian tries to plot against Dooku, eventually allying himself with Darth Maul's Shadow Collective, with the intention of gaining the support of the great clans of Mandalore. Discovered a plan by Vizsla to eliminate him, Maul kills the Mandalorian, becoming the leader of the Death Watch.

The Senate of the Republic, worried about the situation on Mandalore, sends the Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate. After being captured by his enemies, Obi-Wan managed to escape and warn the Senate of the danger lurking in the Mandalorian rebellion. Maul, led by the Death Watch, was captured and arrested, but his followers released him. Following the consequent Siege of Mandalore, power was entrusted to Bo-Katan Kryze, fundamental in dethroning the Sith, but who was deposed by the Saxon Clan when it refused to side with the Empire at the fall of the Republic.

During the era of the Galactic Empire, Palpatine established a puppet government entrusted to the Saxon clan. Gar Saxon became the imperial viceroy, while also continuing to be one of the special commandos of the Imperial Navy. Instead, the Protectors of Mandalore, led by Fenn Rau, remained true to the ideals of the Old Republic, which they had served during the Clone Wars by training clone troops. Rau was one of the few survivors to escape the extermination of the Protectors when Saxon decided to remove the only obstacle to his rule over Mandalore, an action that prompted the former leader of the Protectors to join the Rebellion.

Later these events, Sabine Wren came into possession of the legendary Darksaber on Dathomir. At the urging of Fenn Rau, Sabine began training with the Darksaber to become Mandalore's new symbol of unity against the Empire. A troubled period of clashes and machinations began that led to a new Mandalorian civil war.

The Wren clan became the hub of a unit of the Houses that intended to rebel against the empire. During these years of fighting, Bo-Katan Kryze, alongside Sabine Wren led a series of attacks on the imperial troops with her companions, undermining Saxon's authority. Eventually, the rebel troops led by the Wren clan managed to gain control of Mandalore, with the help of the Rebellion. At the end of this civil war, Bo-Katan Kryze received the Darksaber from Sabine, becoming the new Mand'alor and unifying all the Mandalorian clans.

Bo-Katan Kryze, in search of the Darksaber?

So, the Darksaber, the very symbol of the Mand'alor, should be in possession of Bo-Katan Kryze, but as we saw in the last episode of The Mandalorian's first season, Redemption, that particular sword is now in possession by Moff Gideon. How this imperial officer did to take possession of such a particular artifact is not known, but the return of Bo-Katan Kryze could help shed light on this mystery.

Katee Sakhoff, who voices the Mandalorian in The Clone Wars, will play Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian. Mostly known for playing Kara 'Starbuck' Trace in Battlestar Galactica, the actress has always hoped to be able to return to play Bo-Katan Kryze, keeping interest in the character alive during the apparent closure of The Clone Wars, before the its awaited conclusion, where the Mandalorian civil war played a major role.

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