The first trailer for The Mandalorian Season 2 is packed with the promise of exciting things to come. When we last saw the Mandalorian, he had taken the Child and was tasked with bringing him home to his people, wherever that may be. The Season 2 trailer makes a point of using dialogue from Season 1, where the Armorer of the Mandalorians' clan explains the existence of the Jedi.
She frames them as sorcerers, who, long in the past, were the Mandalorians' enemy. She considers The Child to be one of them, and now Din Djarin has sworn out his peoples' former foe for the sake of the innocent in his care. By the time of The Mandalorian, their battles have been mythologized into story and song, but they did, in fact, wage a very real and bloody war against the Jedi and the Old Republic.
The Causes of the Mandalorian-Jedi War
The Mandalorian people developed on the Outer Rim, far from the Core Worlds of a then young Republic. Their culture was a martial expansionist empire consisting of many clans jockeying for position and power amongst each other. The greatest of the Mandalorian warlords was crowned "Mandalore" and demanded the respect of all.
As their crusades led them closer to the Inner Rim territory of the Republic, they encountered the Jedi for the first time. The mighty warriors were initially surprised by the Jedi's force powers and were defeated. While respecting the Jedi for their prowess, the proud warrior people couldn't bear the disgrace of failure.
Unable to understand the Force at first, the Mandalorians spent considerable effort in developing war machines and technology capable of leveling the battlefield. In time, the Mandalorians even began to win against the Jedi, taking worlds from the Republic.
Mandalore the Great
The wars lasted for hundreds of years, with no sign of stopping. During this time, one Mandalore in particular rose above all others. Remembered now as only "Mandalore the Great," the time under their leadership is remembered as the pinnacle of the Mandalorians' might. They apparently were able to defeat the Jedi on numerous occasions and were a major contributing factor to the continuation of the Mandalorian-Jedi Wars.
After Mandalore the Great's death, the Mandalorians began to waver and in-fighting among the various clans became more common. Their lack of cohesion threatened to collapse their empire.
The Darksaber
During this time of uncertainty, a Mandalorian like no other was born. Tarre of Clan Vizsla was the first Force-sensitive Mandalorian to bridge the divide between his people and the Republic. He was eventually inducted into the Jedi Order, the only known Mandalorian to ever do so. As part of his training, Tarre constructed a lightsaber, one as unique as he was: the Darksaber.
This lightsaber had a black blade and white glowing outline, emitting from a trapezoidal hilt as opposed to the standard circular shape. Tarre wielded the Darksaber with great talent and wisdom. He was able to unite the many clans under his banner, eventually claiming the title of Mandalore. In Tarre's lifetime, he brought peace between the Mandalorians and the Republic.
However, that peace would not last. Tarre died and the Jedi interred the Darksaber in the temple on Coruscant in a place of honor. However, no one was able to step up and fill Tarre Vizsla's shoes and war between the Jedi and the Mandalorians erupted once again, to devastating effect.
During this time, Mandalorians of Tarre's own clan, House Vizsla, sacked the Jedi Temple and reclaimed the Darksaber for themselves. For years, Tarre's descendants used the Darksaber to kill many Jedi and inspire the other Mandalorians in battle. Despite the presence of the Darksaber, the Mandalorians were unable to ever fully unite again and were eventually defeated by the Jedi.
The War's Aftermath on Mandalore
The centuries of war against the Jedi and each other left the surface of the Mandalorian homeworld uninhabitable. The defeated Mandalorians joined the Republic, building hermetically sealed cities to shield themselves from the barren wastes their home had become. By the time of the Clone Wars, the New Mandalorians were peaceful and abandoned much of their warrior past.
However, the remnants of Clan Vizsla led a radical group of Mandalorians called the Death Watch. Their leader, Pre Vizsla, still wielded the Darksaber. He lost the blade and his life to Darth Maul during an attempted coup. Maul ultimately failed as well and fled to Dathomir, taking the Darksaber with him.
It was later reclaimed from Dathomir by Sabine Wren, a member of both House Viszla and the Rebellion. She presented the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze who wielded it as the new Mandalore. But Bo-Katan's time with the Darksaber was not to last.
At an unspecified point during the Galactic Empire, the Emperor ordered the Great Purge, nearly wiping out the Mandalorians and sending them into hiding. Death Watch and House Vizsla was amongst the few survivors, and a young Din Djarin was rescued by them and inducted into their rigid interpretation of Mandalorian culture. As for the Darksaber, it is now in the possession of Moff Gideon, a leader of the Imperial Remnant who seeks the Child for his own ends.