The third season of The Mandalorian is hardly underway, but the series has given us a clear indication of where things are heading.
The first episode revealed a piece of Mandalorian artifact, proving the surface of Mandalore is still semi-hospitable to living creatures. With proof of life seemingly present, there is a real possibility that the scattered clans of Mandalore could one day return home, but finding a place for the warrior race to live was never truly the issue. The Mandalorians can live almost anywhere, except near each other. Long before the Clone Wars even began, the civil wars for Mandalore ravaged the planet. For nearly 40 years, there has been unrest and near-constant civil wars and clan feuding. With so much strife coloring the planet’s history, the real question is, who could be the ultimate leader when the time comes and ensure that the chaos plaguing the land stays in the past?
Fortunately, there are quite a few contenders.
Fenn Rau
Fenn Rau is a skilled Mandalorian pilot and the former leader of the Protectors, a group of accomplished warriors dedicated to guarding the Mand’alor. Fenn was so skilled as a pilot and leader that he was tapped by the Kaminoans to train Clone Troopers for aerial combat. He has been a supporter of both the Empire and the Rebellion, though he had a deep dislike of Gar Saxon, the Imperial leader of Mandalore. Rau and his protectors were incredibly hazardous for the Rebellion and easily capable of preventing the group from operating anywhere near Mandalore.
After being taken prisoner (or as a “reluctant recruit”) by Sabine Wren for more than a year, Fenn softened towards his fellow Mandalorian and when his hatred for Gar Saxon outweighed his displeasure at being labeled a traitor, he joined the Rebellion. Fenn is a skilled leader with years of combat experience, a level head, and possessed the necessary skillset to perceive nuance in a situation. Having lived through the Mandalorian Civil Wars, he is more inclined to wait for a strategic advantage in a fight rather than immediately jumping into battle. His wait-and-see attitude isn’t great for the Rebellion, but it would make him a strong Mand’alor.
Sabine Wren
Sabine Wren is from Clan Wren, one of the noble families of Mandalore. A skilled hand-to-hand fighter, she is a weapons expert (with a focus on explosives) as well as a certified super genius. She has received combat training from the Jedi Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger and also carried as well as wielded the Darksaber for some time.
She is compassionate, selfless, and driven. Her involvement with the creation of the super-weapon “Duchess” still haunts her and consistently pushes her to find a way to fix the damage foisted on her people. After siding with Clan Kryze during the Mandalorian Civil Wars, Sabine gifts the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, witnessing firsthand her dedication to her people as well as their willingness to follow her. Her reticence to claim the role of Mand’alor with the Darksaber in hand indicates that Sabine may not want the title either, and her current quest to find the missing Bridger could prevent her from taking the mantle even if she did desire it.
Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze is a legacy Mandalorian. Her sister, Duchess Satine Kryze, ruled the planet during the early days of the Clone Wars and Bo-Katan herself would rule the people for a short time before the Empire conquered the planet after the fall of the Republic. Bo-Katan has spent her entire life fighting for her people. Whether it was fighting her own sister and the pacifist regime she stood for, or fighting Darth Maul after the Sith took over the planet, it can’t be denied that Bo-Katan cares deeply for her people.
Her history with the throne makes her an unpopular choice for groups like The Children of the Watch, with her acceptance of the Darksaber as a gift being considered the penultimate act that cursed and killed Mandalore. There are other factions that would choose Bo-Katan as a ruler, however. Clan Kryze and Clan Wren are close allies, and the Wren family has already given control to her once before, when they gifted her the Darksaber at the end of the Mandalorian Civil War. Bo-Katan seems fairly alienated by her people, however. Their dedication to the Darksaber denoting authority seems to have finally broken the will of this once passionate woman.
The Armorer
The Armorer is the enigmatic leader of The Children of the Watch. With a moderately sized clan to call her own, the talented blacksmith has already proven her aptitude for leadership. A skilled fighter, she is more than capable of holding off a horde of Empire thugs. More importantly, she understands the idea of sacrifice and is able to shoulder the burden of loss when many of her clan fall while helping to protect Din and Grogu. She has more than once shown herself to be wise and calm under pressure, and has the respect of those that follow her, easily defusing Paz Viszla after his failed attempt at claiming the Darksaber. Her skill at the forge speaks to a deeper connection to her people’s history, with Mandalorians regarding the skills necessary to forge their beskar armor very highly and as coveted secrets. Her staunch views of what it means to be Mandalorian would likely be the largest point of contention, with many clans viewing the removal of their helmets as a normal thing to do, while it is forbidden to the Children.
Paz Viszla
Paz Viszla, heir to clan Viszla, one of the oldest clans of Mandalore, has already tried to take the Darksaber from Din once. With his ancestor Tarre Viszla having created the Darksaber, it’s hard to blame him. Viszla seems to be somewhere around Bo-katan’s age, meaning he experienced much of the chaos that ripped his planet apart. His kinsman, Pre Viszla, was the leader of the terrorist cell Death Watch, and was responsible for the disappearance of the Darksaber. The young Mandalorian receiving his helmet at the beginning of The Mandalorian season 3 seems to be related to Paz, and the existence of a Viszla heir could help to solidify their family as potential rulers. Paz’s narrow loss to Mando is likely not enough to prevent the warrior from trying again, and as a key member of the Children of the Watch and father of a fairly young child, Viszla could be the one to bring the Mandalorians into the future.
Ursa Wren
Ursa Wren is the Matron of house Wren. Originally a member of Mandalorian dissidents known as Death Watch, she would leave the group with Bo-katan after Darth Maul became ruler of Mandalore. A founding member of the Nite Owls, she helped liberate Mandalore from Maul’s rule with Kryze. Rather than fleeing when the Empire assumed control, she stayed and attempted to mitigate the damage through political means rather than fighting. A pragmatic and experienced leader, she was able to carefully navigate political plots and keep her Clan safe, even while her husband was a political prisoner. Not one to back down from a fight, it was Ursa who killed the Empire’s puppet ruler, Gar Saxon, and started the Mandalorian Civil war. While she has shown no interest in ruling and has consistently backed Bo-Katan’s bid for the title of Mand’alor, Ursa could be a reasonable alternative to the now-shunned former ruler.
Koska Reeves
Koska Reeves is an incredibly capable young Mandalorian. A Nite Owl and a vassal as for Clan Kryze, she is one of Bo-Katan’s right-hand (wo)men. Reeves is a talented hand-to-hand fighter, a crackshot, and works well within a team. She has a good heart and selflessly jumps into the ocean to save Grogu’s pod and literally rips the pod’s lid off to ensure the child’s safety. Her compassion would be a valuable asset as ruler of Mandalore, and her youth could ensure her ability to hold the saber for some time. Her desertion of Bo-Katan with the loss of the Darksaber seems out of character from what little we know, but hopefully, she is still with the small Mandalorian fleet and in a position of power.
Axe Woves
Another of Bo-Katan’s vassals and a member of the Nite Owls, Axe Woves is a formidable Mandalorian. With excellent hand-to-hand combat skills and a crack shot, he pairs perfectly with his small band of marauding Mandos. Based on the little screen time he had, he seems a little more highly strung than his female counterparts, but caution can be an asset, especially when your people are so few in numbers already. After Bo-Katan was unwilling to fight Din for the Darksaber, he and the rest of the small Mandalorian fleet left the now-bitter former ruler of Mandalore. The best we can hope is that Axe is still at the helm of the band of Mandalorians and that they haven’t strayed too far from The Way.
Din Djarin
While he does have possession of the Darksaber, Din Djarin is probably never going to assume control of the Mandalorians. Beyond having zero desire to be ruler of Mandalore, Mando is a single father and his foundling is a notorious trouble maker. He simply doesn’t have the time to dedicate to being in charge. Din is also one of the Children of the Watch, a group of fundamentalist zealots, that doesn’t represent Mandalorian culture as a whole. Even when Mandalore was still a thriving civilization, groups like the Children of the Watch were banished to the moons orbiting the planet. It’s a shame, really. Mando is a compassionate hero, a loyal friend and an incredible fighter to boot. Even when banished by his own people, he still returns and continues to help them. He would be an excellent Man’alor if he ever wanted to settle down.
Literally anyone who holds the Darksaber
The weapon-worshiping people’s dedication to the Darksaber is a real problem in the Mandalorian’s future. The reliance on the Darksaber means that the “true ruler of Mandalore” doesn’t necessarily need to be Mandalorian. The only criteria for leadership is the ability to win the Darksaber in single combat. First introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Darksaber is the key to any one person controlling all of Mandalore, regardless of their affiliations. This wide interpretation of strength as right to rule has already crippled the Mandalorians once before in the form of the Sith, Darth Maul.
In The Clone Wars, Darth Maul takes the Darksaber from Death Watch founder and heir to the Viszla line, Pre Viszla. While some of Viszla’s followers, like Bo-Katan, realized Maul for the threat he was, many others could not look past the Darksaber and allowed the Sith to use Mandalore for his own criminal world. Moff Gideon also carried the blade for several years after taking it from Bo-Katan, and while we have no definite proof that the Mandalorians followed his rule, Bo-Katan’s displeasure and frustration with her own armadas lack of faith in her as their leader without the Darksaber reinforces the Mandalorian obsession. The Mandalorian’s dedication to their traditions has already stunted the once great warriors, the only hope the warrior race has now is that one of their own will take up the sword and finally do right by the scattered people.