Star Wars Bo Katan and the Mantle of Leadership.

[Spartan303]

*Spoilers for the Mandalorian and for Star Wars Rebels and Clone Wars final season. So turn back now if you haven't seen them or you mind spoilers.*


But something has come to mind that I just can't shake and I think it needs discussing. But it is that of Bo Katan and the mantle of Leadership.

Strictly speaking, based on her record, the woman just doesn't have the chops to lead the Mandalorian people. And nearly every major campaign she's been involved in, from battling the Jedi and the Republic as a member of Death Watch; a domestic terrorist organization and almost murdering her sister. Then she resisted Darth Maul, which she also failed and need Jedi and republic help for that. Then her repeated failures against the Empire and then the civil war, that saw Mandalore bombarded from orbit by the Empire and her people broken and scattered to the far corners of the outer rim to live like Nomads. all of that happened under her leadership. And then to top all of that off, she lost the Dark Saber to Moff Gideon. Considering how easily Din Djarin defeated him that really puts Bo Katan in a bad light. So her record is pretty dismal.

But since this is Star Wars there is more to it.

Bo Katan has always been one to 'seek' power in order to help her people. Noble intentions that she may have in her own way, but we've all seen what happens to those who seek power in Star Wars. And the Mandalorian people have paid the price for her failures. She's certainly come along way from her days in Death Watch and is a very beloved character and a great warrior. But she hasn't changed her quest for power and that doesn't make her a great leader. Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) on the other hand did not seek power. He just wanted to rescue a child that he loved and do the right thing. He stepped up when no one else could or would and in so doing he earned the mantle of Leadership of the Mandalorian people, and thus proved he was worthy. He did not seek power, he sought to do what was right and thus like all great leaders in the Star Wars setting, he had power thrust upon him. Bo Katan I think realized that in this moment and refused to fight him. She's not worthy, but he is, and if the Mandalorian people are to survive then they need a worthy leader such as him. It's almost as if the subtle hand of the Force is at play here.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Zachowon]

She technically has right to the dutchess role even if she is not a warrior leader. Hoenstly? I see her fighting Din for it, and either losing and leaving or winning and either letting him live, or try to strike him down..

 

[ShieldWife]

Din certainly deserves it more. He doesn’t care about profit or power, he is so driven by honor and dedication to his principles while Bo Katan is more morally questionable.

I wonder, though, if someone so honorable might not be the most effective ruler. Kind of like Ned Stark in GoT.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Didn't Sabine just hand it over to Bo in the first place back in Rebels?

 

[Zachowon]

Didn't Sabine just hand it over to Bo in the first place back in Rebels?

No clue have not seen that part in Rebels

 

[Spartan303]

Didn't Sabine just hand it over to Bo in the first place back in Rebels?

Yes. And she accepted. But in the eyes of many of the Mandalorian clans she was not worthy. The Clans splintered and did not coordinate their actions. Bo Katan was unable to keep them in line as they did not see her as legitimate. And the Empire capitalized on that and drove them off Mandalore and glassed the planet.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Yes. And she accepted. But in the eyes of many of the Mandalorian clans she was not worthy. The Clans splintered and did not coordinate their actions. Bo Katan was unable to keep them in line as they did not see her as legitimate. And the Empire capitalized on that and drove them off Mandalore and glassed the planet.

Oh... That makes sense.

Is that actually shown anywhere or is it just the strong inference we get from The Mandalorian?

Because I mean I assumed as much as well. Plus I mean lameass Moff Gideon somehow getting it of all people... I was assuming hoping that she didn't actually lose the Darksaber to him in anything resembling single combat. Cuz if she did... That's kinda sad.

 

[Spartan303]

Oh... That makes sense.

Is that actually shown anywhere or is it just the strong inference we get from The Mandalorian?

Because I mean I assumed as much as well. Plus I mean lameass Moff Gideon somehow getting it of all people... I was assuming hoping that she didn't actually lose the Darksaber to him in anything resembling single combat. Cuz if she did... That's kinda sad.

Strongly inferred.

 

[Sailor.X]

Well there might be a small snag for Dijarin. His sect of Mandalorians have a rule about not showing their faces to outsiders. He allow Luke to see his face. His claim to being a Mandalorian is based on the Rules of his Clan Because he is a Foundling and not a bloodline Mandelorian. This could throw a Monkey Wrench in him becoming Mandalore. But this does not make Bo Katan Mandalore by default either. So we might have to have a tournament to determine who will become Mandalore.

Oh... That makes sense.

Is that actually shown anywhere or is it just the strong inference we get from The Mandalorian?

Because I mean I assumed as much as well. Plus I mean lameass Moff Gideon somehow getting it of all people... I was assuming hoping that she didn't actually lose the Darksaber to him in anything resembling single combat. Cuz if she did... That's kinda sad.

Most of us in the thread can beat Moff Gideon without him having the Darksaber. With it an he would eat .556 and Steelhead Slug Rounds respectively.😀

 

[KilroywasNOTHere]

Foundlings are common among mandalore and the no taking off the helmet rule was only somthing that that particular sect cared about. Heck most of the non death watch mandos would probably welcome Boba as a brother once they saw his chain code. Speaking of death watch, I don't think Bo Katan would make a good leader. While she may have been taken out of death watch. Clearly death watch has not been taken out of her and it shows. The fact that she dismissed mercenaries and says "Some serve a higher purpose." Basically screams that she wants to go back to the days where the mandolorians were the loyal attack dogs of the ancient sith. The problem is The ancient sith empire has been extinct for over a thousand years and the current parody of a sith empire have no use for an equal subservient or not.


Somthing tells me that the rumors about the war of the Beskar throne though are going to be true.

 

[Culsu]

What she does isn't all that impressive. But Din also doesn't have any leadership skills that would qualify him to unite and rule a civilization like the Mandalorians, especially in their current state.

 

[KilroywasNOTHere]

What she does isn't all that impressive. But Din also doesn't have any leadership skills that would qualify him to unite and rule a civilization like the Mandalorians, especially in their current state.

welll....boba fett looks good on a throne as we saw.

 

[Zachowon]

welll....boba fett looks good on a throne as we saw.

But people do not consider him or his family Mandos

 

[LordSunhawk]

I personally think that we've seen Din grow enormously already in the series as he went from being the coldly mercenary Mandalorian to being, bluntly, the Dadalorian. An interesting arc for next season would be seeing his continued growth and development, perhaps as the burdens of leadership are put on his shoulders and he is forced to rise to the occasion. I personally think that ultimately he'd make a far more capable Mandalore than Bo Katan or Boba Fett.

 

[Zachowon]

I personally think that we've seen Din grow enormously already in the series as he went from being the coldly mercenary Mandalorian to being, bluntly, the Dadalorian. An interesting arc for next season would be seeing his continued growth and development, perhaps as the burdens of leadership are put on his shoulders and he is forced to rise to the occasion. I personally think that ultimately he'd make a far more capable Mandalore than Bo Katan or Boba Fett.

Boba does not seem to want it. As seen he seems to want a different throne

 

[ShadowArxxy]

Din certainly deserves it more. He doesn’t care about profit or power, he is so driven by honor and dedication to his principles while Bo Katan is more morally questionable.

Except Bo-Katan actually cares deeply about the Mandalorian people as a whole; even as part of Death Watch, that was her entire motivation, and in many ways she was much more right than Satine, whose "more enlightened" political beliefs were exaggerated to the point of parody and are actually incredibly stupid.

Din only "doesn't care" about profit or power in the sense that he's a lone wolf with no large scale ambitions whatsoever. He has at this point not only bent but completely cast aside the principles he previously adhered to out of his personal attachment to Grogu, and by his own standards is now an honorless ronin adrift with no purpose, on top of currently being a bankrupt and homeless space bum.

 

[KilroywasNOTHere]

But people do not consider him or his family Mandos

death watch does not consider him a mando. we don't know about any others.

 

[ShadowArxxy]

death watch does not consider him a mando. we don't know about any others.

Well, the Children of the Watch wouldn't consider him a Mando because he doesn't follow the Creed, Satine's faction don't consider him a Mando for reasons not explicitly stated, and Bo-Katan's faction don't consider him a Mando because he's a clone and because he's a bounty hunter. That's kinda three-out-of-three for Mandalorian factions.

I personally think that we've seen Din grow enormously already in the series as he went from being the coldly mercenary Mandalorian to being, bluntly, the Dadalorian. An interesting arc for next season would be seeing his continued growth and development, perhaps as the burdens of leadership are put on his shoulders and he is forced to rise to the occasion. I personally think that ultimately he'd make a far more capable Mandalore than Bo Katan or Boba Fett.

As matters presently stand I agree that he's growing towards that, but I would also point out that we see a lot more growth and development for him versus Bo-Katan simply because he's the main character.

 

[KilroywasNOTHere]

Well, the Children of the Watch wouldn't consider him a Mando because he doesn't follow the Creed, Satine's faction don't consider him a Mando for reasons not explicitly stated, and Bo-Katan's faction don't consider him a Mando because he's a clone and because he's a bounty hunter. That's kinda three-out-of-three for Mandalorian factions.



As matters presently stand I agree that he's growing towards that, but I would also point out that we see a lot more growth and development for him versus Bo-Katan simply because he's the main character.

true, but we don't know how many mandlorian factions there are....though if these guys are the only ones left then they need a book.

 

[LordSunhawk]

Honestly, I suspect that Din is one of the few named Mando characters at this point who could unite the disparate factions.

He's from the Children of the Watch and respects their Way, he's earned the respect of the former Death Watch by sheer badassery plus he holds the Darksaber, won properly, and I think he gained respect by being willing to *give it away* rather than clinging to power, and for the same reason I think the surviving remnants of Satine's faction might well respect him as well. He's part of none of the factions at this point, yet has *earned* respect from all of them.

I think it would make a wonderful Season 3 arc to show him growing into that role and being Mandalore The Uniter or something like that.