Anika Begay
Summary
- Weapons are part of the Mandalorian religion, and even the most artistic aspects of their culture embrace this principle.
- In Star Wars Legends, the Mandalorians use musical instruments as deadly weapons, made from lightsaber-resistant beskar.
- Mandalorian war culture integrates traditional music, which requires precise timing and coordination.
Among the Star Wars Mandalorians in the franchise, even musical instruments are deadly weapons. The first Mandalorian shown in the saga was the iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett, who would soon be joined by other Mandalorians (Fenn Shysa, Spar, and Tobi Dala) in the original Star Wars comics, first Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones introduced his father, Jango Fett. The original Star Wars The Legends timeline would delve deeply into Mandalorian history and culture across a multitude of properties, many of which were written by Karen Traviss.
The modern Star Wars The canon, which replaced Legends continuity in 2014, would have significantly reinvented the Mandalorians, starting in 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars and continuing into more recent live-action properties like The MandalorianWhile the modern canon would draw inspiration from the original incarnation of the Mandalorians in Legends, many elements would remain exclusive to the Star Wars early continuity of the franchise, such as Boba Fett being a Mandalorian (and eventually the Mand’alor). Another element of Mandalorian culture that remains unique to the Legends timeline is a musical instrument that doubles as a weapon.
Related
Star Wars: The 10 Best Mandalorians, Ranked
Mandalorians have been a key part of Star Wars since the original trilogy, but their importance has only grown over the years. These are the 10 best.
A Mandalorian tool is a dangerous weapon
Karen Traviss’s 2008 book, Order 66: A Republic Commando Novelwould introduce the bes’bev to the original Star Wars canonical. Like the 2009 novel by Karen Traviss Imperial Command: 501st would reveal, A bes’bev is a flute-like instrument made of Mandalorian iron known as beskar.an exceptionally durable material that can even withstand lightsaber blades. The bes’bev is not only a traditional Mandalorian instrument used to perform ancient songs like Vode An, but it is also a dangerous weapon, with one end that functions as a lethal blade.
As revealed in Ed Erdelac’s article for the official newspaper
Star Wars
website, Slugthrowers:
An overview of popular music and musicians in a galaxy far, far away
A bes’bev can also act as a truncheon, easily beating beings into unconsciousness.
War is part of Mandalorian culture
Mandalorians are among the finest warriors in the Star Wars galaxy, with war as a fundamental part of their ancient culture. It is therefore not surprising that a Mandalorian musical instrument is also a lethal weapon. In performances of the traditional song Dha Werda Verda, Mandalorians would strike each other’s armor like drums, which required precise timing to avoid injury and helped the performers hone their coordination skills as a team.
Traditional Mandalorian music and musical instruments would find their way into the Grand Army of the Republic in Star Wars Even the chronology of legends, with a member of the Cuy’val Dar – Wad’e Tay’haai – who owns a bes’bev. Clone troopers, from ordinary enlisted men to elite Clone Commandos and ARC Troopers, also performed Dha Werda Verda, drumming their clone armor in the same manner their Mandalorian ancestors performed their beskar suits. While there were no known instances of clone troopers playing the bes’bev, they were nonetheless cultural Mandalorians in Star Wars Legends, as ordered by Jango Fett.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that was started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (originally titled simply Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comic books, and more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
