Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Lucasfilm/Disney+
For decades, the only Mandalorian Star Wars fans knew about was Boba Fett. Played by Jeremy Bulloch in Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back, Fett developed a cult fandom long before the rest of the franchise dove into the history and people of Mandalore. Several comics and books filled out his character until the prequels presented another Mandalorian to join him: his father, Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison), introduced in Episode II—The Clone Wars as the model for the clones themselves.
The popularity around these characters was built partially on the fact that they were very mysterious and all that fans had of this cool, ancient warrior race. While the animated series did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to educating fans on Mandalore and its people, it wasn’t until The Mandalorian that canon started incorporating more and more of the planet’s (and its people’s) lore and history, much to Fett fans’ delight. (Boba Fett is even a recurring character, played by Morrison.)
For the Mandalorian fans who haven’t kept up over several years on why the planet of Mandalore matters so much, it can get confusing, especially as the new season of The Mandalorian is bringing Mandalore back into the forefront. If you need a refresher on the complex history of Mandalore to help lead you into Season 3 of The Mandalorian—or never watched The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels, where a lot of this important backstory comes from—we got you covered.