|
Mandalorians are a group of warriors from several species in the ''Star Wars'' universe. They commonly act as mercenaries or bounty hunters. According to ''Star Wars'' expanded universe material, they are the cultural descendants of an extinct species called the Taung. The leader of the Mandalorians typically takes on the title of "Mand'alor," the name of their first leader, whose planet was named after him in honor. In the films, they are represented by the bounty hunters Jango Fett and Boba Fett. They have also been portrayed in various media, including the novel, ''Triple Zero'' by Karen Traviss〔A.L. Sirois, Review of ''The Mandalorian Armor Book 1 in The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy'', ''The SF Site'' (1999): http://www.sfsite.com/01a/star48.htm〕〔"(Review of ''The Mandalorian Armor'' )"〕 and Hasbro's ''Star Wars Elite Forces'' action figure sets ''Mandalorians & Omega Squad'' and ''Republic Mandalorians & Clone Troopers''. Karen Traviss, author of ''Hard Contact'', expanded Mandalorian culture in the novel, as explained in ''Star Wars on Trial''.〔Keith R.A. DeCandido, Tanya Huff, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, ''Star Wars on Trial: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time'', ed. David Brin Matthew Woodring Stover (Benbella Books, 2006), 164.〕 Mandalorians are most commonly portrayed as audacious and dangerous. ==History== Originally, the Mandalorian clans were led by the mysterious "Mand'alor the First" and were ranked among the best fighters in the galaxy, thriving on battle. They are known for their cutting-edge weaponry and strict code of honor. These Mandalorians wear crusader armor that differs from one soldier to the next. Mandalore itself is a temperate, albeit desolate, world located in a rather overlooked and inconspicuous area at the edge of the Outer Rim Territories. Making a living on its surface requires one to constantly battle for survival, and thus the Mandalorians know no other way of success. Most importantly, however, is the rare metal that is only found on this planet to date. It is called Mandalorian Iron, or ''beskar'' in the Mandalorian language. It is one of the few known substances that can resist the focused energy output of a weapon such as a lightsaber. The other few exceptions include cortosis ore, vibro and phrik alloy, as well as the living shell of the Vonduun crab. The original mention of Mandalorian Iron is invariably from ''Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith''. In the series, The Sith Lord Exar Kun goes to the tomb of Freedon Nadd on Onderon's moon, Dxun. Nadd's grave is said to be made of Mandalorian Iron and Exar Kun attempts to pierce the metal at first and it is noted that his lightsaber's blow barely even scorches the surface. Kun is then possessed by the power of the Dark Side of the Force and succeeds in breaking through and entering Nadd's tomb. The Mandalorians play a large role in the Great Sith War, which is portrayed in the ''Tales of the Jedi'' series. During the war between the Sith and the Republic, Mandalore and its forces attack and raid the Empress Teta system, drawing the attention of Ulic Qel-Droma. After being defeated in single combat by Ulic, the Mandalore pledges complete loyalty to the Sith apprentice. He and his warriors participate in many devastating raids and attacks on the Republic, including an attempted invasion of Coruscant. However, Mandalore is finally defeated at Onderon by local military forces and Republic reinforcements. With his mighty army defeated and shattered, Mandalore flees to Dxun but is killed by one of the many monsters that inhabit Onderon's moon. A Mandalorian warrior finds his fallen mask and inherits the position of Mandalore. The new Mandalore is manipulated by an unknown Sith faction into attacking the Republic, triggering the Mandalorian Wars. After their defeat in the Mandalorian Wars at the hands of the Jedi Revan and Malak, the Mandalorians as a united culture are destroyed, their weapons and armor taken and destroyed. Their dissolution is completed when Revan hid the mask of Mandalore, preventing a new leader from rising. They gradually evolve and change into a culture of wandering mercenaries, rather than conquerors. When Darth Revan is visiting the various planets of the galaxy seeking out his former apprentice and betrayer, Darth Malak, he encounters numerous Mandalorians who have tried to blend in with society after losing the Mandalorian Wars to the Republic. One such Mandalorian, Gorse Bendak (nicknamed Bendak Starkiller) was encountered by Revan on the Sith controlled planet Taris. Bendak Starkiller, a former Mandalorian field marshal, as indicated by his golden armor, was competing as a combatant in a local arena. Starkiller had a very large bounty on his head, wanted dead or alive, for openly killing his opponents in the ring - which was considered murder due to death matches being illegal on Taris. Starkiller, a retired combatant, came out of retirement at the opportunity to face Revan in the ring. Depending on Revan's choices in battle, Bendak Starkiller was either killed in battle, or committed suicide in order to avoid being turned in to the authorities alive. Another Mandalorian found by Revan on the planet Taris was Canderous Ordo, who was acting as a mercenary for a gang in the Taris Lower City. He escaped the Sith controlled planet before it was utterly destroyed by intentional Sith bombardment from orbit. Canderous Ordo would eventually achieve the mantle of Mandalore - becoming Mandalore the Preserver, uniting the scattered Mandalorian clans on Dxun, a moon of Onderon. Canderous at one point joins forces with Darth Revan, seeing an opportunity to restore his honor. While on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, the two encounter a former subordinate to Canderous, a Mandalorian named Jagi. Jagi had a great hatred for Canderous, believing that he ordered Jagi and the rest of his squad into a battle they would all die in. After escaping with his life, Jagi spent years searching the galaxy for Canderous Ordo in order to face him in a one on one death match for the restoration of glory. The two met in the Dune Seas of Tatooine, where Jagi ambushed Canderous and Revan with two Dark Jedi. Canderous and Revan managed to overcome the two Dark Jedi, and slew Jagi. In the years following the Mandalorian Wars, many Mandalorian survivors chose exile, and came to Dantooine because of its seclusion preferred by the Jedi, who had an enclave there. Over the years, more and more Mandalorians came to Dantooine, and began expanding farmlands they took from the farmers as their own territories. When Darth Revan came to Dantooine searching for Darth Malak, the Mandalorian presence there was substantial, so much so that the local authorities had issued a bounty, collectable only on the condition that all Mandalorians in the Dantooine plains be killed, including one such Mandalorian, Sherruk. Because the Mandalorians had contracted mercenaries, the mercenaries also had to be killed in order to collect the price on Sherruk's head. Two Jedi had attempted to stop Sherruk and his mercenary band from terrorizing the innocent people there. Sherruk, a former Mandalorian rally master, as indicated by his red armor, proved much more skillful than the Jedi had anticipated. Although it is unknown whether this was a joint attack, or two separate occasions, it is known that Sherruk proved more than a match for his Jedi assailants. During the wars, Sherruk had received training from the Sith in order to become a Jedi hunter, so it is unknown how many Jedi he slew in the Mandalorian Wars. The Sith training, combined with his training in Mandalorian combat, however, made him the ideal killer, and when the two Jedi came to stop his terror, Sherruk easily killed both of them in battle, decapitating them and then taking their lightsabers as trophies. When Revan came to Dantooine and learned of the price on Sherruk's head, he set out to eradicate the Mandalorian presence there and collect the bounty. After searching all over Dantooine's planes, encountering numerous Mandalorian campsites and mercenary outposts, Revan discovered Sherruk at his camp in a grove. He was identified by his red armor indicating his former rank as officer (the other Mandalorians on Dantooine were all wearing the standard blue armor - indicating that they were regular soldiers, except for one field marshal in the Grove.) In addition to Sherruk, there were two Duros mercenaries, one Mandalorian soldier and one unnamed Mandalorian field marshal - indicated by his gold armor (because the rank of field marshal is above Sherruk's, it is unknown why Sherruk would be the leaders of the Mandalorians on Dantooine, it is possible this was because Sherruk arrived on the planet earlier, and the field marshal came later, and because there was no organized Mandalorian hierarchy at that time due to the result of the war.) Once Revan approached Sherruk's camp, the Mandalorian leader mistook Revan for a Jedi, but immediately labeled him a hostile because he was aware of Revan attacking the Mandalorians in the area. After a heated exchange of words, Sherruk armed himself with two lightsabers (presumably taken from the two Jedi he had previously killed), and the Sith Lord armed himself with his own lightsaber. A battle ensued, in which Revan killed the two Duros mercenaries, the Mandalorian soldier, the field marshal, and finally Sherruk himself. With the Mandalorians utterly exterminated in that sector of Dantooine, Revan collected the substantial bounty that had been placed on Sherruk's head. Mandalorians would not return to Dantooine until the years following the death of Darth Malak. While trying to re-organize the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders at a base on Dxun, Mandalore the Preserver (Canderous Ordo) encountered a campsite on Dantooine occupied by Mandalorian exiles, though unlike Sherruk's band, these Mandalorians were friendly and had not been murdering the settlers and farmers. They followed Mandalore back to Dxun to reorganize themselves against the massing Sith fleets returning to Republic space. Revan later tells his friend Canderous Ordo to unite the Mandalorians after he leaves for the Unknown Regions and tells him where to find the mask. Ordo then takes the mantle of "Mandalore" and gathers a new Mandalorian army on Dxun. These events are covered in detail in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, where Mandalore recruits and trains Mandalorians across the Galaxy, eventually encountering the Jedi Exile, with whom he begins travel. During this time, the Jedi Exile's group visits Malachor V, a planet bearing scars of the most atrocious battle of the Mandalorian Wars. Malachor V is the site of the single largest loss of life during the Mandalorian Wars, after the majority of Mandalorian and Republic soldiers were killed, due to an Iridonian technician, Bao-Dur, who creates and deploys a weapon called the Mass Shadow Generator. While attempting to enter Malachor V, the party's ship is downed due to Malachor's unusual gravity and vicious storms. Although they aren't seen again in the game, it is possible in conversation to make Darth Traya reveal their futures to you. She reveals that none of them die there, including Mandalore. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mandalorian」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|