The second season of “The Mandalorian” finally put Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in contact with other Mandalorians, including Bo-Katan Kryze (played by Katee Sackhoff), a warrior leader who rescues him before roping him into helping on her own mission. She and her Nite Owls also appear at the end of the season to help Din rescue Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, after Moff Gideon captures him.
Bo-Katan is set to play a big role in season three of “The Mandalorian.” Here’s a refresher on the role she’s played in Star Wars lore so far, plus her longtime connection to the Darksaber.
Bo-Katan in “Clone Wars”
Although Bo-Katan is on the side of the heroes in “The Mandalorian,” her backstory in the “Clone Wars” animated series is a lot darker. In that series, Bo-Katan was part of a Mandalorian terrorist group called Death Watch that actually allies briefly with Darth Maul and his Sith allies to try to take back control of the planet. Death Watch wants to revive the planet’s martial tradition, rather than accept the pacifist stance taken under the rule of Bo-Katan’s sister, Duchess Satine. Death Watch also has a vendetta against Obi-Wan Kenobi, who they believe to be responsible for their group’s exile from Mandalore (plus, Satine and Obi-Wan used to be in love).
Allying with a Sith never ends well, though, which Bo-Katan finds out the hard way. Death Watch and the Sith both betray each other during their attempted takeover of Mandalore, and the end results are devastating. Darth Maul duels Bo-Katan’s ally Pre Vizsla for control of Mandalore and wins, declaring himself the ruler of Mandalore and falsely claiming that Pre was murdered by Satine. Maul also gets the Darksaber from Pre. Unwilling to accept the rule of a non-Mandalorian, Bo-Katan joins forces with her sister Satine. A failed rescue attempt forces Bo-Katan to watch her sister die in Obi-Wan’s arms, and she allies with her former enemy to avenge her sister.
Bo-Katan’s “Clone Wars” past is also how she knows Ahsoka Tano, though they were enemies for most of the series. After Maul’s takeover and Satine’s death, however, they become allies and ultimately defeat Maul together, leaving Bo-Katan behind on Mandalore as regent. However, she loses that position when the Empire takes over.
Bo-Katan in “Rebels” and During the Empire’s Reign
In “Rebels,” which takes place once the Empire is in power, Bo-Katan has become the leader of an anti-imperial team called the Nite Owls. She gets the Darksaber from Sabine Wren, who stole it, making her the true leader of Mandalore. However, Mandalore is attacked by the Empire in an event called the Great Purge of Mandalore. Many believed Bo-Katan was killed during the genocide and that’s how Moff Gideon got her Darksaber, but somehow she survived. Still, Mandalore fell and the Darksaber was lost.
Bo-Katan in “The Mandalorian”
In “The Mandalorian,” Bo-Katan is intent on getting the Darksaber back. She and her Nite Owls are trying to track down Moff Gideon in season two for that reason. Unfortunately, while they help Mando fight Gideon, Din ends up winning the Darksaber in combat against Gideon, who’s taken into custody. Mando tries to give it to Bo-Katan, but after the doomed events that happened the last time she got it freely, she doesn’t want the saber unless she wins it. In season three, she’s surely still intent on winning it from Mando and bringing Mandalore back to some of its former glory.
Why Can Bo-Katan Take Off Her Mask?
Before he met Bo-Katan, Mando seemed to believe that no Mandalorians can take off their masks, but it turns out that’s part of The Way practiced only by the cult that raised him, the Children of the Watch. Since Bo-Katan isn’t part of that group (which she does not approve of), she can take her helmet off whenever she wants.
“The Mandalorian” season three premieres March 1 on Disney+.