Why There’s Only Ever Been One Mandalorian Jedi In Star Wars

With The Mandalorian becoming a famous show that has spawned multiple spinoffs, the time has come to peer deeper into the lore and history of

By Ishita Chatterjee
May 1,2021
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With The Mandalorian becoming a famous show that has spawned multiple spinoffs, the time has come to peer deeper into the lore and history of Mandalorians. After all, it will help us understand our favorite show and its protagonist Din Djarin better. So let us begin by talking about the only Mandalorian Jedi- Tarre Vizsla. 

But why was he the only Mandalorian Jedi in the entire history of the planet? Here we will explore that, but before that let us know a little about Tarre Vizsla. 

Tarre Vizsla

Who Was Tarre Vizsla?

Tarre Vizsla was the only Mandalorian Jedi who a part of the Jedi Order. He existed about a thousand or so years before the events of A New Hope. Vizsla was a widely respected member of the Jedi order as well. After all, the Jedi safely stored his one-of-a-kind darksaber as part of his memorial till it got looted in the Mandalorian-Jedi Wars. 

We got to know a little more than this about Tarre Vizsla during Star Wars: Rebels. There we got to know that since Tarre Vizsla was a well-known and respected Jedi so his darksaber became a symbol among the Mandalorians for generations to come. It was decided that whoever wielded the darksaber would be Mandalore’s leader. This respect and power were attached to Vizsla’s name and darksaber because he was a Jedi. 

 

The Contention Between The Jedi And The Mandalorians 

Know that the respect given to Manadalore’s only Jedi wasn’t extended to all of the Jedi order. This was because of the contention between the Jedi and the Mandalorians. So it makes sense that even though there might have been force-sensitive Mandalorians, but no one went to join the Jedi. 

This contention between the two groups began with the Mandalorian-Jedi War (that led to the Sith War). The war took place after Vizsla died and it entirely changed the Mandalorian culture. 

Obviously, the war was destructive and deadly since it ended with Mandalore’s surface getting destroyed. For this, the Mandalorians hated the Jedi and blamed them for the destruction caused to their planet. Over time this hatred grew over generations and it is held even in the current Star Wars timeline. So even years after the Mandalorian-Jedi war, the destruction caused by it still lives in the minds of the Mandalorians.

In fact, the armor developed by Mandalorians was a response to the power held by the Jedi during the Old Republic days. It holds unique contraptions and is designed to fight and defend oneself from the Jedi. You can see it being worn by Din Djarin and Boba Fett. The abilities of this armor were shown by Sabine during the initial training sessions with melee weapons in Star Wars: Rebels during episode 15 of season 3 called “Trials Of The Darksaber”.   

So, the Mandalorians haven’t forgotten the scorched planet they are forced to live on. As such, they consider the Jedi as their natural enemy. It is this contention and hatred that makes it difficult for the Jedi to take the Mandalorian children who are force wielders. 

Why Aren’t There Any More Mandalorian Jedi After Tarre Vizsla? 

Note that if the Jedi want to bring force-sensitive Mandalorian kids to the Order, they will have to locate as well as contact the Mandalorians themselves. But after that, things won’t go well. This is because thanks to the grudge the Mandalorians hold against the Jedi, it’s very unlikely that they will ever let any Mandalorian kids go to the Jedi peacefully.   

But since a peaceful transition is important for the Jedi. So taking Mandalorian children to join the order would be pretty much impossible. However, even if somehow they were successful in getting those children into the Order, there are other problems waiting for them. 

For one, the Mandalorian instincts and knowledge about the Jedi instilled in that force sensitive child could cause problems for and with the Order. Also, since Mandalorians are inherently hell-bent on battles and in fact thrive on them, so a force-sensitive Mandalorian might find it difficult to stay calm and serene. 

Along with this, the Jedi think that thoughts of battle bring with them desires like revenge and emotions like fear and anger. According to the Jedi Order, all of these are things that a Jedi should avoid. Not to mention the ever-present dark side that is always surrounding a Jedi. 

Mandalorian With Darksaber
Mandalorian Fan Art

Now, if a Mandalorian Jedi ever chose the dark side, then it would be catastrophic for the entire galaxy and of course for the Jedi order as well. But that’s not all. Things will get worse if that fallen Mandalorian Jedi claimed Vizsla’s darksaber. That would result in the entirety of Mandalore uniting under that banner. As a result, this could bring the entire galaxy to its knees.

So, due to the war and destruction that followed the Mandalorians after Tarre Vizsla, the Mandalorians don’t want anything to do with the Jedi. On the other hand, the Jedi also understand as well as respect these reservations. Also, they really don’t want to fan these tenuous flames of peace. Not to mention that there is always the ever-present ‘what if’ fear of a Mandalorian Jedi joining the dark side. So there are a lot of issues that make it difficult for the two groups to unite. 

But even with these issues, we have seen that the two sides have joined forces recently. We saw it in The Mandalorian timeline and also during The Clone Wars time period. So if peace gets forged slowly which then makes way for healthy relations between the two sides, then in time we could see another Mandalorian Jedi.