Ner Vode,

Recently I got really excited checking out the new slew of awesome Mando action figures. Cuy'val Dar drill sergeants, mercenaries, soldiers, Omega Squad and what appear to be Null-ARCs! I was really pleasantly surprised to see the first Mando girl represented!

It got me thinking about why Star Wars needs these remarkable characters we call Mandalorians.

Star Wars, as a saga, connects with so many people across such a wide landscape of ages and cultures. And it does this by giving us an endless parade of diverse characters and mythic iconography to identify with.

Some people admire the powerful and mystical Jedi; those self-sacrificing guardians of the galaxy's moral center. And others dig the rogues and scoundrels like Han Solo, who live only for themselves in a shadowy world of survival and action.

But for a long time there was no faction that represented the purity and loyalty of Jedi brotherhood without the accompanying morals and mysticism. Where could people turn for this?

We got hints of the Mando brotherhood in Jango Fett: Open Season, and a few other early sources, but it really came to the forefront with a one-two punch of the Republic Commando video game (and action figures), and Karen Traviss' commando novel Hard Contact. Karen delved meaningfully into the mindset and culture of these warriors, and we got our first look at their language and traditions. (And with each sequel, we've gone further and looked harder at the Mando'ade and the politics of the Republic in which they live.)

Unlike some of the sadly one-note EU species, there are good Mandos, bad Mandos, and all types in between. Some are brave and loyal family men; some are murderous warlords, some are both! They are realistic and complicated.

I believe the saga benefits greatly from the presence of these mercenary warriors. They are a gruff counterpoint to the Jedi Knights; they expand our notions of who the clone troopers are, and sometimes they are even an echo of our own real-world soldiers and their bonds of brotherhood.

Some love them, some hate them, but I believe the Mandos are here to stay. They supply a vital spice in the banquet of all that is the Star Wars galaxy.