Bo-Katan Kryze was a Mandalorian warrior first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Initially, the character was a member of the villainous terrorist group known as Death Watch -- and yet, she was also the sister of Mandalore's ruler, the Duchess Satine. Over time, however, Bo-Katan turned to the side of good, and she became a trusted ally of Ahsoka Tano. Now, the character is set to make her live-action debut in Season 2 of The Mandalorian and rumored to be getting her very own spinoff opposite Cara Dune.
With Bo-Katan poised to get all sorts of attention in the coming months, let's revisit who the character is, and how she became the rightful ruler of Mandalore.
In the final season of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan joined forces to liberate Mandalore from Darth Maul. Following their victory, Bo was then named Regent of Mandalore, but she didn't lead the Mandalorians for long. Following the death of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire, Bo refused to fall under Palpatine's rule -- so she was betrayed by her own people in Clan Saxon. With Saxon now in control, the Empire would then rule over Mandalore for years. That is, until Season 4 of Star Wars Rebels.
In the two-part episode "Heroes of Mandalore," the crew of the Ghost went on a mission to Sabine Wren's home planet to help liberate her father. At the time, the Empire still had a firm presence on the planet, so Sabine's mother sent in some reinforcements to help: Bo-Katan and a few of her fellow Mandalorian fighters. Just as she did in The Clone Wars, Bo once again proved to be a deadly and efficient warrior -- one who more than lives up to the reputation of the Mandalorians.
Sabine and Bo then joined forces to help destroy a weapon created that is the only one known to destroy the Mandalorian's beskar armors. The mission was a success and, as a result, the separate Mandalorian clans gathered once more. Free from the Empire's tyranny, they recognized Bo-Katan's leadership and agreed to follow her. Sabine then passed on the Darksaber she had reclaimed from Darth Maul to Bo -- a weapon that may only be wielded by the leader of Mandalore. Bo hesitated at first but, with the saber in hand, she finally united the Mandalorian clans once more, and accepted her responsibility as Mandalore's one true ruler.
Eventually, however, the Empire's Moff Gideon got his hands on the Darksaber, and the Mandalorians fell. While it's still a mystery as to how that happened, Season 2 of The Mandalorian might reveal some answers.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. Season 1 is available now on Disney+, with Season 2 premiering in October.