Since the premiere of The Mandalorian in 2019, the Mandalorians have experienced an unprecedented rise in popularity. Their popularity is surprising because Mandalorians weren’t even mentioned or identified by name in the original Star Wars trilogy or prequel trilogy. It was only in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that the Mandalorians were first mentioned in the Stars Wars film/TV universe, and it was confirmed that the trilogies’ Boba Fett and Jango Fett were connected to the people.
Despite their late arrival to the Star Wars universe, they have succeeded in enamoring fans. They boast a rich martial history of fearsome warriors and legendary bounty hunters living in clannish, loyal, and honor-driven environments. There is also an air of mystery to them as many refuse to remove their helmets and have produced such irreplicable artifacts as the Darksaber. Needless to say, they are elusive, mysterious, powerful, and intriguing. The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) has also added another layer of lovability to the group. Here are the ten best Mandalorians in the Star Wars franchise, ranked by closeness to Mandalorian culture, power, and likeability.
10. Boba Fett
Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) is a fan-favorite among Star Wars fans. However, his low ranking on this list reflects the fact that not everyone considers him a Mandalorian. He shares many similarities with the Mandalorians, including being a bounty hunter and donning the Beskar armor, because his father, Jango Fett, is a Mandalorian who was adopted into the tribe as a Foundling. As a result, he was raised in some Mandalorian traditions but was also raised on an entirely different planet than Mandalore and was never fully immersed in the culture. Still, his popularity and Mandalorian connections are enough to make him one of our favorite unconventional Mandalorians.
9. Gar Saxon
Gar Saxon (Ray Stevenson) is a Mandalorian who appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. He was definitely powerful, but he is also one of the most malicious and dishonorable Mandalorians on this list. During the Clone Wars, Saxon aligned himself with Darth Maul (Sam Witwer), seemingly not caring that he was an outsider. He was largely a puppet of Maul, carrying out his orders without question, including killing the Mandalorian prime minister. Once Maul’s rule was overturned, Saxon quickly switched over to serving the Galactic Empire, causing fellow Mandalorians and the Rebels much grief until his death. He was so power-hungry he really cared nothing for honor, morals, or even his own people.
8. Pre Vizsla
Pre Vizsla (Jon Favreau) is a Mandalorian leader introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a fairly powerful and influential Mandalorian who wielded the Darksaber and led a terrorist faction of Mandalorians known as the Death Watch. However, he was largely ineffective as a leader. He led the Death Watch in overturning the pacifist rule of Satine Kryze (Anna Graves), but he made the grave mistake of teaming up with Darth Maul to do so. As a result, it didn’t take long for him to be killed by Maul and stripped of the Darksaber. Pre Vizsla overthrew Satine just to place Mandalore under the oppressive rule of an outsider, and his downfall kicked off a tragic sequence in Mandalore’s history.
7. Jango Fett
Jango Fett (Morrison) is a Mandalorian bounty hunter who was introduced in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. The film marks his sole appearance in the Star Wars universe aside from flashbacks, holograms, and mentions. As a result, he didn’t have time to develop as a character very much. While he can be considered a Mandalorian by way of being a Foundling, he never really established his ideology or whom he sided with. He was always really just a bounty hunter who worked for whichever side agreed to pay, making him a rather two-dimensional character.
6. The Armorer
The Armorer (Emilly Swallow) has remained a bit of a mysterious character, boasting only a handful of appearances across The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. What we do know is that she is the very powerful and influential leader of the Children of the Watch, a cultish Mandalore tribe. It is clear that she commands respect based on her effect on Djarin and Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher). While we’re a bit iffy about her running a tribe with rather extreme rules, she did protect her people during the Purge of Mandalore and has continued creating Mandalorian armor to carry on her people’s traditions. Her nature/intentions may not be wholly known, but she has proven to be an especially sharp and adept leader.
5. Duchess Satine Kryze
Duchess Satine Kryze was the pacifist ruler of Mandalore who Pre Vizsla, Darth Maul, and Satine’s own sister, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), revolted against. Even though dissenters argued that her pacifist rule went against the Mandalorians’ history, it was necessary. Their war-like nature had resulted in them nearly wiping each other out completely during the Mandalorian Civil War, which is why she emphasized peace and tried to protect and rebuild her people. Her ideology didn’t make her popular (though it did win her Obi-Wan Kenobi’s heart) and she was tragically killed by Darth Maul. One can’t help but wonder, though, how different Mandalore’s history might’ve turned out under her peaceful rule.
4. Sabine Wren
Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) is a Mandalorian once deemed a “traitor” by her people but proved to be the hero they just didn’t know they needed. As a cadet at the Imperial Academy of Mandalore, she proved to be adept in weaponry. However, she shared the pacifist ideals of Satine and when her weapons were used for violence, she left Mandalore altogether to become a bounty hunter. During her travels, she was recruited by the Ghost Crew and became a legendary figure in the Rebellion. One of her greatest feats was retrieving the Darksaber from Maul, using it to defeat Saxon, and freeing her people from the Galactic Empire’s rule. Despite uniting her people, her heart was always with the Rebellion. As a result, she returned to lead the movement after relinquishing the Darksaber to Bo-Katan.
3. Tarre Vizsla
Aside from flashbacks and mentions, Tarre Vizsla has actually never physically appeared in a Star Wars project. However, he is an important historical figure whose legacy has been kept alive by the Mandalorians. Vizsla was the only known Mandalorian to become a Jedi. Meanwhile, he succeeded in doing what no Jedi has ever done before—crafting a lightsaber with black energy and naming it the Darksaber. He utilized the one-of-a-kind relic to unite and rule all of Mandalore. His legacy has remained an inspiration to those seeking to unify the Mandalorians and aid them in taking their rightful place in the galaxy.
2. Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan first rose to prominence in Mandalore when she aligned herself with Pre Vizsla to oppose her sister’s rule. However, Bo-Katan never opposed Satine for malicious means or even for personal power. She is simply a Mandalorian who is deeply loyal, devoted, and passionate about her people and wants to see them rise in whatever way possible. As a result, when the Death Watch backfired and Maul took over, she relentlessly sought to overturn his rule. She then tried to pry Mandalore from the Empire’s rule, but tragically failed to stop the Purge of Mandalore. Even after such trauma, though, she stayed resilient in restoring her people and their place in the galaxy. Bo-Katan is truly second to none when it comes to revering her people and planet and believing so adamantly in their greatness.
1. Din Djarin
Of course, Din Djarin is our favorite Mandalorian. He’s the character that put Mandalorians on the map and greatly aided in expanding their story and history through The Mandalorian. Additionally, he’s just a character you can’t help but love. Although orphaned and adopted by the Mandalorians as a Foundling, Djarin has never once doubted that he is a Mandalorian through and through. He is deeply devoted and loyal to his people, living dutifully by their code daily. Even when realizing that his tribe isn’t like the rest of the Mandalorians, he still seeks acceptance in their eyes. Plus, even though he’s a hardened bounty hunter belonging to a war-like planet, he never forgets his humanity and honor, even stepping up to protect a child he had no duty to protect. Djarin is far more than just a Mandalorian or a bounty hunter—he’s also a good man.
(featured image: Disney)
