With The Mandalorian, John Favreau and Disney+ have introduced possibly one of the greatest additions to the Star Wars canon in a very long time. In just three episodes, the series has already thrown Star Wars fans around the world some serious curveballs along with forcing them to ask some questions that many fans likely haven’t even considered.

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So before the series gets any further along, here are some Star Wars facts that fans of The Mandalorian may need to know before watching another episode of the Disney+ hit. With the help of Star Wars canon and details from legends, let’s dive into some facts that may help viewers better understand The Mandalorian. Some spoilers for the first three episodes of The Mandalorian ahead.

10 Foundlings

As bizarre as it may seem for the Mandalorian (who will from here on out be referred to as Mando) to risk so much in order to save the wee baby Yoda from the clutches of the empire, Mandalorians have a long-running tradition of not only saving orphans but adopting them.

As the series mentions rather early on, Mando is what is called a foundling, which is a young child that has been orphaned by battle and has been taken into the care of the Mandalorian community. While Mandalorians often take orphans into their care in order to further their line and perform a good deed, typically they only take orphans that have displayed not only a will to live but a will to fight.

9 The Wee Baby Yoda’s Species

While The Mandalorian has already introduced so many questions, perhaps one of the most pressing would surround the wee baby Yoda. Not only do fans have no idea who the baby Yodling came from, but more so than that, there’s no real answer for where his species as a whole may have come from. At the time of The Mandalorian’s release, there are, in fact, only two other members of his species.

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Excluding the wee baby Yoda, the only two (canon) members of his species are Yoda and Yaddle who were both members of the Jedi council. Other than that, however, there’s not much known about where they come from, why they’re so talented with the Force of ever what their species is called.

8 Beskar Steel

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With its premiere episode, The Mandalorian made sure to illustrate the importance of the Beskar Steel which Mando would later be paid with upon his delivery of the wee baby Yoda. However, many fans may have been left scratching their heads and wondering just what Beskar Steel is and why it was so important.

Well, the importance of Beskar steal is something that can not go understated as far as Mandalorians go. This stell is not only exclusively found on the Mandalorian homeworld, Mandalore, it’s also one of the very few ores that can be crafted into an armor capable of deflecting not only blaster fire, but even lightsabers.

7 Mandalore The First

The leader Mandalore standing on the planet of the same name in Star Wars

While the Mandalorians are often recognized as a nomadic species with no real leader or government, this wasn’t always the case (though it is a pattern that has been repeated time and time again). Mandalore the first is recognized as the first official leader of the Mandalorian species.

In fact, as readers may have recognized, not only was the Mandalorian homeworld named after Mandalore the first (the man who actually conquered the planet for the Mandalorians), but the species as a whole would take on his name as well.

6 The Mandalorian Empire

Order-66-clone wars

As the Mandalorians are often recognized as a warrior species, once they settled into their new homeworld and base of operations, they began to set their sights on the galaxy around them. The talented Mandalorian warriors know as the Mandalorian Crusaders began venturing out onto neighboring planets in order to expand the Mandalorian empire.

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Because they were such talented warriors, they were able to expand their empire fairly deep into the galaxy far, far away. It was at this point, however, that the Mandalorian Crusaders would run into an enemy that would not only overpower them but end their drive further into galactic space, the Jedi.

5 Mandalorians Vs. The Jedi

Aayla Secura holds her blue lightsaber during a battle in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

The Mandalorians and the Jedi have been fighting a feud that has last thousands and thousands of years (ever since the old republic). While the Mandalorians were originally completely overpowered by the Jedi who used what Mandalorians viewed as foreign magic (the Force), eventually they were able to develop new weapons and techniques that helped them to fight off the Jedi of the old republic.

The developed armor wouldn’t falter under the Jedi’s lightsabers. They developed weapons better suited to take out the Force-wielding Jedi. And eventually, they found themselves on equal footing with their enemy.

4 Tarre Vizsla And The Dark Saber

Though the Mandalorians were originally confounded and overpowered by the “magic” that the Jedi seemed to be using against them, they would eventually grow to overcome it. While they devised technology and weapons to overpower their new opponents, a Force-sensitive Mandalorian named Tarre Vizsla would eventually be born and change the course of the long-running war.

Though many fans may assume that a Force-sensitive Mandalorian born under the circumstances would lean towards the dark side, Tarre Vizsla would, in fact, eventually grow to become a Jedi himself. With the help of his legendary Dark Saber, Vizla would also help to usher in a new age (and a new government) for the Mandalorian people.

3 The New Mandalorian Government

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With his immense power in the Force and his legendary Dark Saber, Tarre Vizsla was not only able to bring peace to the long-warring Jedi and Mandalorians, but he was also able to unite the Mandalorians under one government. This new government, rather than focusing on the expansion of the Mandalorian Empire, instead chose to focus on diplomacy and brokering a peaceful existence.

While there were many among the Mandalorians that supported this new cause and worked to further it, many were still held true to their Mandalorian warrior roots and instead chose to defy their government which would eventually lead to their exile.

2 The Exiles

The Death Watch, led by Bo-Katan

Though the new Mandalorian government was able to wrangle in many of the war-weary Mandalorians under their control, there was division among the ranks nonetheless. The Mandalorians who held true to the old war-faring ways of the Mandalorians were deemed the faithful and the new government was subsequently deemed the faithless.

This infighting would eventually lead many factions to leave the Mandalorian homeworld and establish factions off-world. The Death Watch, who would later side with Count Dooku during the Clone Wars and would help to turn the tide of the wars in the Empire’s favor.

1 The Pretender(s)

Jango Fett backed by an army of clones in Star Wars

Though legends may paint a different picture, according to Star Wars canon two of the most famous Mandalorians are not, in fact, Mandalorians at all. While Boba and Jango Fett maybe two of the most famous Mandalorians to have ever entered the Star Wars canon, according to the Mandalore government, Jango Fett is merely a pretender, someone who either stumbled upon a dead Mandalorian and stole his armor or killed a Mandalorian and stole the armor.

Either way, the fact that Jango Fett is not a real Mandalorian leads to the realization the Boba Fett, possibly the most recognized Mandalorian in Star Wars canon, isn’t actually a Mandalorian either.

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