In Season 3 of The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) has not only joined Grogu and Din Djarin on their quest to Mandalore. She has saved Din from the Living Waters beneath the mines of Mandalore, joined the Children of the Watch at the behest of The Armorer, and successfully led a hunting party to save Paz Vizsla’s foundling charge. But Bo-Katan Kryze has been part of Star Wars canon for years.
Despite her newfound prominence in The Mandalorian, the character of Bo-Katan debuted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, alongside her sister, the late duch*ess Satine Kryze; Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla; and the all-important Darksaber. Here’s what viewers should know about Bo-Katan’s history, and how it might shape her story in The Mandalorian Season 3, and beyond.
RELATED: Star Wars: What Is Order 66?
Who Is Bo-Katan Kryze?
The answer to this question is as nuanced as Bo-Katan Kryze herself. She has many titles: the princess of Mandalore; a lieutenant in the radical Death Watch terrorist group; the commanding officer of the Nite Owls; the leader of the Mandalorian resistance; the Mand’alor who unified all her people until the Empire’s purge of the planet. In The Mandalorian, she's a wayward warrior reluctant to rejoin her people after failing to lead them.
The Mandalorian-turned-rebel Sabine Wren perhaps puts it best in Star Wars Rebels, telling Bo-Katan that her “commitment to Mandalore’s freedom is legendary.” Although she’s been on many sides of many conflicts, Bo-Katan always fights for Mandalore’s agency.
When Did Bo-Katan First Appear?
In the fourth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Bo-Katan Kryze is introduced in the episode “A Friend in Need” as the lieutenant of Death Watch. While Bo-Katan’s complicated past has been referenced in The Mandalorian, fans of Clone Wars have a little more insight. After years of conflict left the surface of Mandalore in ruin, many Mandalorians felt it best to put their warrior ways to rest. This pacifist government was led by duch*ess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan’s sister.
But not all Mandalorians felt the same as Satine. As seen in The Mandalorian, culture and tradition are important to many Mandalorians, and that includes their warrior roots. Several times, Din Djarin notes that weapons are part of his religion. When it comes to more ritual-bound Mandalorians, the weight of tradition and the peoples’ warrior past cannot be emphasized enough. Following the Creed — or, as The Armorer puts it, “walking the way of the Mand’alor” — is a must for traditionalists.
Around the time of the Clone Wars, these Old Mandalorians — the ones unwilling to concede tradition for a seat in the Galactic Republic — were exiled to Concordia, Mandalore’s moon. Former governor of Concordia, Pre Vizsla (a descendant of the Mandalorian Jedi and creator of the Darksaber, Tarre Vizsla) led a splinter terrorist cell called Death Watch. The group’s aim was to overthrow the pacifist government of Mandalore, take out duch*ess Satine, and reclaim the planet. These opposing outlooks created a rift between Satine and Bo-Katan, too. Unlike her sister, Bo-Katan believed in honoring Mandalore’s martial history, which led to her joining Death Watch.
Is Bo-Katan A Real Mandalorian?
Yes, Bo-Katan is a real Mandalorian. While she may no longer follow the Creed as dutifully as Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze was born to Clan Kryze (part of the larger House Kryze) and was part of the royal family of Mandalore in her youth. As a young adult, Bo-Katan inherited a set of Beskar armor that had been passed down through several generations of her family.
After her father died defending Mandalore, Bo-Katan watched her sister, Satine, become duch*ess and lead the pacifist sect of New Mandalorians. Attached to the warring ways of Mandalorians past, Bo-Katan, the leader of an elite group of warriors known as the Nite Owls, joined Death Watch without hesitation.
Is Bo-Katan Bad?
During her time with Death Watch, Bo-Katan crossed paths with two Sith Lords: Darth Maul and Savage Opress. The Sith struck a deal with Pre Vizsla. They’d help orchestrate a faux liberation, a reason for Mandalorians to rally behind Death Watch and Vizsla. Maul’s plan? Form the Shadow Collective, a group composed of various criminal syndicates. With the Shadow Collective threatening pacifist Mandalore, Death Watch steps in to apprehend the criminals, garnering the people’s support. Bo-Katan Kryze leads the Nite Owls to execute this part of the plan, and she’s hailed as a savior.
Pre Vizsla and Death Watch capture duch*ess Satine Kryze, forcing her to announce Vizsla as Mandalore’s new Prime Minister. In the royal palace, Maul challenges Vizsla to a duel for the right to control Mandalore. Bo-Katan watches as Maul vanquishes the Darksaber-wielding Pre Vizsla, decapitating him. In the wake of the duel, Bo-Katan refuses to accept Maul’s rule. After Maul kills Satine, Bo-Katan asks her sister’s long-standing protector (and love interest), Obi-Wan Kenobi, to tell the Republic what’s transpired.
Bo-Katan seeks out Ahsoka Tano on Coruscant. Bo-Katan assures Ahsoka that they have a common enemy in Maul, and recruits her to join the Siege of Mandalore. They successfully capture Maul and, with the aid of Ahsoka’s clone trooper battalion, reclaim Mandalore. After the battle, Bo-Katan says she wishes she were good at something besides waging war, to which Ahsoka says Mandalore could use a new kind of leader. For Bo-Katan, that leader was her sister, the late Satine. Nonetheless, the Jedi name Bo-Katan regent of Mandalore. However, this happens concurrently with Order 66 and the galaxy-wide purge of the Jedi.
How Did Bo-Katan Lose The Darksaber?
While Bo-Katan refuses to do the Empire’s bidding, Gar Saxon and his clan of Mandalorians pledge loyalty to the Empire and force Bo-Katan out of power. During the reign of the Empire and the rise of the Rebellion, many still consider Bo-Katan Kryze Mandalore’s rightful ruler, though Gar Saxon is dubbed Imperial Viceroy and Governor of Mandalore. In Star Wars Rebels, Bo-Katan joins Mandalorian rebel Sabine Wren’s efforts to overthrow Gar Saxon and reclaim Mandalore by uniting the remaining clans. Sabine tells Bo-Katan that she’s a worthy leader, and that people want to follow her. To reaffirm this, Sabine gifts the Darksaber to Bo-Katan.
While many rally behind Bo-Katan, the Children of the Watch — traditionalists who live on Concordia — reject her claim to the throne. These fanatics, led by The Armorer, believe the Darksaber must be won in combat. To them, it’s no coincidence that Bo-Katan ruled during the Empire’s Great Purge of Mandalore. In fact, the most zealous members of the Children of the Watch feel that when the Darksaber is wielded by one who did not win it in combat, they’ll curse Mandalore. During the Great Purge, Bo-Katan Kryze lost the Darksaber to Moff Gideon. Afterward, she and her Mandalorian companions roamed the galaxy, intent on finding survivors, reuniting these scattered Mandalorians, and reclaiming the planet.
Bo-Katan becomes an ally of Din Djarin, and helps him save Grogu from Moff Gideon, who obtained the Darksaber during the Great Purge. After seeing that Din has defeated Moff Gideon in combat and won the Darksaber by Creed, Bo-Katan refuses to accept it back. Although it holds great value as a symbol capable of uniting Mandalorians, Bo-Katan is wary of wielding the weapon without winning it.
What Did Bo-Katan See In The Water?
Discouraged, Bo-Katan Kryze abandons her efforts to reclaim Mandalore, and retires to the planet Kalevala. In his quest to bathe in the Living Waters of Mandalore and be redeemed in the eyes of the Children of the Watch, Din seeks Bo-Katan’s help. Initially, she refuses, but when Grogu returns to Kalevala without Mando, Bo-Katan heads to Mandalore for the first time in years to save Din.
Afterward, Bo-Katan leads Din and Grogu into the mines beneath the capital city, recalling her time as a member of the royal family. When Din is pulled into the Living Waters, Bo-Katan dives in to rescue him. In the depths, she catches a glimpse of an enormous creature. She believes it to be a Mythosaur, a legendary creature that once made its lair in the mines of Mandalore.
Later, Bo-Katan is accepted into the ranks of the Children of Watch; she technically bathed in the redemptive Living Waters. After leading a hunting party that saves a foundling, Bo-Katan visits The Armorer, telling her about the Mythosaur in the mines. The Armorer tells Bo-Katan that having a vision of a Mythosaur is noble, but the former leader of Mandalore insists that she saw an actual, living Mythosaur. Regardless, she asks the Armorer to inlay her armor with an image of the Mythosaur — an enduring symbol of the Mandalorians. It’s clear that Bo-Katan feels more connected to her people and heritage than she has in a long time.
More: Star Wars Fans May Be Getting A Big Surprise Very Soon
