As the first on-screen female Mandalorian warrior,Bo-Katan Kryzehas established her place inStar Warsas a very memorable character, but over the last 14 years, I somehow failed to notice one problem with her story that I thinkStar Warsmight finally be solving. I, like many others, got intoBo-Katan’s storybefore her live-action debut inThe Mandalorianseason 2, as she plays a key role inStar Warscanon’s Mandalorian history. This made her first live-action appearance all the more thrilling for me and many others, and she’s now a more mainstreamStar Warscharacter.
This all began with theanimatedStar WarsTV shows, particularlyStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels, both of which place Bo-Katan at the heart of any action regarding Mandalore itself. I’ve seen these episodes time and time again, but hadn’t really revisited them post-The Mandalorianseason 3. Now that I have, however, I’ve noticed one glaring issue with Bo-Katan’s entireStar Warsstory - and I actually think that the franchise is already preparing itself to solve it.
Bo-Katan Kryze Has Constantly Been Trying To Reclaim Mandalore
Her Story Hasn’t Changed All That Much In 14 Years
From her debut inThe Clone Warsto her most recent adventure inThe Mandalorianseason 3,Bo-Katan has always had the same goal: to reclaim Mandalore. It started with Bo-Katan’s tenure in theDeath Watchwhen she was young, which saw her working directly alongside Pre Vizsla to reclaim the planet from the New Mandalorians, who valued pacifism rather than the Mandalorians' ancient warrior ways. When that succeeded, but Vizsla was killed and replaced byDarth Maul, Bo-Katan then sought out Ahsoka Tano for help in reclaiming Mandalore from the former Sith.
Star Wars Rebels Already Revealed Why Mandalore Fell To The Empire - & It Wasn’t The Darksaber
Star Wars has been quiet as to why the Mandalorians—some of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy—managed to get wiped out so easily by the Empire.
AfterThe Clone Wars, this pattern continued for the Mandalorian heiress. InRebels, Bo-Katan and Clan Kryze teamed up with Sabine Wren, who had theDarksaberat the time, to reclaim Mandalore from the Empire. This was after Bo-Katan had been made regent by the Jedi, and had lost her position of influence after being betrayed by Clan Saxon, who were Imperial sympathizers. Despite Bo-Katan and Sabine eventually earning their desired freedom and Bo-Katan being gifted the Darksaber,The Mandalorianseason 2 restarts this entire arc over again, with Moff Gideon laying waste to Mandalore in theGreat Purge.
This is the cycle of Bo-Katan’s story. This character hasalwaysbeen trying to reclaim Mandalore from something or someone, which has severely limited her character exploration and story as a result. There is, however, hope for the Mandalorian heiress going forward.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Finally Breaks This Cycle
Bo-Katan Seems To Have Finally Succeeded in Reclaiming Mandalore
WhileThe Mandalorianseason 3 initially continues this cycle by telling the story of Bo-Katan, alongside Din Djarin, reclaiming Mandalore from Gideon and theImperial Remnant, its ending has the potential to be a significant improvement.This seems to have more permanence to it than Bo-Katan’s other arc endings, particularly because Gideon is dead, and the Empire is no longer - which means the Remnant’s resources are truly too depleted to spend more time and effort taking Mandalore back a third time. This story could be the one that truly breaks Bo-Katan’s problematic cycle.
5 Reasons Why Din Djarin Should Have Been The Mandalorian Leader (& 5 Reasons Why It Had To Be Bo-Katan)
The Mandalorian has two capable leaders in both Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze, and here are the reasons why both of them are formidable for the role.
It’s worth noting, however, thatThe Mandalorianseason 3’s endingis very similar to that of Bo-Katan’s arc inRebels, andStar Warscould very well decide to let Mandalore slide through Bo-Katan’s grasp yet again. That ending saw Bo-Katan supposedly uniting the Mandalorian clans under the Darksaber, yet we see how that all shook out by the time ofThe Mandalorian. The franchise, however, cannot truly afford to go down this route again.
Bo-Katan Has To Maintain Control Of Mandalore This Time
Another Repeat Of This Cycle Would Be Too Much
It’s one thing for Bo-Katan to reclaim Mandalore twice over and lose it just as many times (inThe Clone WarsandRebels, respectively). For it to happen a third time would just be downright abysmal for both Bo-Katan and Mandalore as a whole.She deserves to actually prove her worth and her growth as a leader, and Mandalore deserves to actually thrive for once rather than serve as a battleground that continues to slip from rulers' grasps.
Star Warshas to let Bo-Katan maintain control and influence over Mandalore now. WithThe Mandalorian and Grogumoviebeing the next likely place to see Bo-Katan again, it shouldn’t take long to figure out if the franchise is truly going to break Bo-Katan’s cyclic story pattern by showing her ruling over a thriving Mandalore. If it doesn’t, and things have deteriorated for her again, then it looks as ifBo-Katan Kryzemay never get the true justice she deserves - though I have faith that this won’t happen.
