Star Wars’ new TV canon has created a massive plot hole in the original trilogy, and it needs to be fixed. Nearly every project in theStar Warsfranchise is built around the narrative created in the original trilogy. The prequel and sequel trilogies developed Darth Vader’s and the Skywalker family’s legacies,Star Wars: The Clone Warsdeepened the Jedi’s lore,Star Wars Rebelsinformed us about the Rebellion’s origins, and so on. However, one relatively new corner of theStar Warsfranchise hasn’t been as dependent on the original trilogy’s storytelling:The Mandalorian.
With the advent of Disney+,The Mandaloriansub-franchise has grown in scope and narrative importance. While it may deal with the consequences of the Empire’s defeat inReturn of the Jedi, the Skywalkers have very little to do with the story (aside from Luke Skywalker’s relatively brief appearances inThe Mandalorianseason 2 andThe Book of Boba Fett). While this has deepenedStar Wars’world-building, mostly for the better,the Mandalorians’ independent role in the franchise has raised one major question: where were the Mandalorians during the events of the original trilogy?
The Mandalorian Purge Was Meant To Answer The Problem
Aside from Boba Fett’s brief appearance – a character who doesn’t even consider himself to be a Mandalorian – the Mandalorians played no role in the originalStar Warstrilogy.The real-world reason for this, of course, is that the concept of Mandalorian culture simply hadn’t been created yet.While it gained steam in the now-defunctStar WarsLegends continuity, Mandalorians as a whole weren’t a major part ofStar Warscanon until they were officially introduced in theStar Warsprequel trilogy andThe Clone Warsand developed further inStar Wars Rebels.
The franchise needed to be able to explain the Mandalorians' absence, and the vagueness of the Night of a Thousand Tears and the destruction of Mandalore gave the franchise plausible deniability.
AsMandalorian historybecame an increasingly important part ofStar Wars’lore with the debut ofThe Mandalorian,the Mandalorian Purgebecame an undeniably important event in theStar Warstimeline. It was supposed to explain the Mandalorians’ absence in the original trilogy, since surely, a warrior culture as well-equipped as the Mandalorians’ would want to fight back against their oppressors. The franchise needed to be able to explain their absence, and the vagueness ofthe Night of a Thousand Tearsand the destruction of Mandalore gave the franchise plausible deniability.
Star Wars Has Retconned The Mandalorian Purge
Now, however,Star Warshas officially confirmed when the Great Purge took place, creating a massive plot hole in the original trilogy.In the gameStar Wars: Outlaws, it’s revealed that the Purge of Mandalore took place in 3ABY. TheStar Warstimelineis divided into BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) and ABY (After the Battle of Yavin), following the destruction of the first Death Star in the originalStar Warsmovie, later retitledA New Hope. For context,Return of the Jediis set in 4ABY.
Before this, there were two logical explanations for the Mandalorians’ absence. Either the Great Purge happened at the beginning of the war, killing millions of Mandalorians and destroying their homeworld, or the Purge happened as part ofOperation: Cinderafter the Battle of Endor, and the majority of Mandalorians had remained loyal to the Empire the whole time, giving them no reason to be involved in the fight. WithStar Wars: Outlaws’new information, neither explanation makes sense.
We No Longer Know What The Mandalorians Were Doing During The Original Trilogy
We know that a major Mandalorian family, Clan Wren, turned their back on the Empire in 1BBY, courtesy ofStar Wars Rebelsand Sabine Wren. This would explain why the Empire and Moff Gideon decided to target Mandalore during the war, but it doesn’t explain why the Mandalorians didn’t join the Rebel Alliance in the fight against the Empire during the original trilogy. This is especially notable since Sabin Wren, who was in close contact with Mandalorian leader Bo-Katan Kryze, had ties to Rebel command.
Star Wars: Every Mandalorian Who Survived The Great Purge
The Mandalorian has made several references to the Great Purge, an Order 66-esque event in which many Mandos were wiped out, but several survived.
Did only Clan Wren fight back against the Mandalorians? Why did the Empire wait four years after the events ofStar Wars Rebelsto attack them?We know that Moff Gideon was after Mandalore’s resources, but he could have bombarded the planet at any time. Surely, the Empire was afraid of what the Mandalorians might be able to do to them. Something doesn’t add up.
Moff Gideon wanted to harvest Mandalorian beskar to create his own suit of “indestructible” armor.
The Mandalorians are clearly here to stay. They’ve been a staple ofStar Wars’mythology sinceStar Wars: The Clone Wars, and with the upcoming release ofThe Mandalorian & Groguand the Mandalorian era culmination movie, they will only become all the more important.Star Warsneeds to properly solidify its timeline, though. The longer this confusion lasts, the lessStar Wars’New Republic era and the Mandalorians’ history will make sense.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian
“The Mandalorian” is a live-action Star Wars television series set in the post-Empire galaxy, five years after the events of “Return of the Jedi.” The series follows the adventures of a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin, who becomes the protector of a mysterious child known as Grogu (popularly referred to as “The Child” or “Baby Yoda”). Combining elements of Westerns, samurai films, and classic Star Wars lore, “The Mandalorian” has become a cultural phenomenon, praised for its storytelling, character development, and visual effects.
