Star Wars Finally Reveals What Happened During the Empire’s Mandalorian Purge

Over the course of the past month, audiences have been treated to The Book of Boba Fett, a Disney+ series that has aimed to revolutionize the beloved bounty hunter. Along the way — and especially within the recently-released fifth episode — there have been some fascinating ties to the larger lore of the Star Wars universe. That has included some unexpected reveals to the larger lore of the Mandalorians, including the first look at a long-teased event that occurred in Star Wars canon. Spoilers for Episode 5 of The Mandalorian, “Chapter Five: Return of The Mandalorian”, below! Only look if you want to know!

Instead of focusing on Boba Fett (Temura Morrison), the entirety of Episode 5 focused on Din Djarin / The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), in an adventure set after the events of the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. This includes revisiting with The Armorer (Emily Swallow) and Paz Viszla (Jon Favreau), the two remaining members of The Mandalorian tribe. After learning that Din now has access to the Darksaber, The Armorer gives Din a history lesson on the blade’s ties to Mandalorian lore — and we get to see the first live-action look at the downfall of Mandalore.

Known as “The Night of a Thousand Tears” and “The Great Purge”, the event sees the Empire deciding to combat the Mandalorian resistance by wiping out their ranks almost entirely, dropping bombs on the planet’s most densely-populated regions. To ensure even more casualties, the Empire employed KX security droids to kill Mandalorians on the ground. As the Armorer explains to Din, the only way Mandalorians have survived was because a sect of them were off-planet on the moon of Concordia. 

These revelations add a heartbreaking layer to the Mandalorian lore we’ve seen across recent Star Wars properties — including the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels — as well as Din’s role in the universe going forward. After getting this history lesson from The Armorer, Din was then challenged in combat by Paz, with the winner earning the Darksaber. Din ultimately won the battle, but was subsequently exiled by the duo after The Armorer discovered that Din had broken the Mandalorian creed and taken off his helmet, and could only return to the tribe if he bathed in the (likely destroyed) waters in the caves of Mandalore. With Din now traversing the galaxy with the Darksaber, fans will surely begin to wonder if his story could involve returning to or reuniting the tribes of Mandalore, something that has been speculated about since Season 2 ended. Whether that story is explored in Season 3 or in the previously-reported crossover event between The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, we’ll have to wait and see.