As fans of The Mandalorian know, the culture and lore of the Mandalorian people is some of the richest Star Wars has to offer. When viewers meet Din Djarin, he is part of a Mandalorian tribe — the extremist Children of the Watch, who follow an ancient Creed and live covertly. But Bo-Katan Kryze, Mandalore’s former leader who grew up in the royal family, sheds more light on what the planet and its people were once like — before the Empire’s purge scattered Mandalorian survivors across the galaxy.
Alongside The Mandalorian, shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels chronicle the pivotal moments in Mandalore’s not-so-distant past. As seen in both animated series, the Mandalorian people are in near-constant conflict, often over ideological differences. For some, being Mandalorian means keeping alive the warrior ways that afforded them influence and power throughout the galaxy for centuries. For others, change is the way forward.
Much of this ongoing power struggle stems from the structure of Mandalorian culture, which is broken into clans. At the end of The Mandalorian Season 3, Din formally adopts the foundling Grogu, reaffirming what The Armorer once said: that the bounty hunter and his Force-sensitive apprentice are a clan of two. So, what should viewers know about the Mandalorian clans of the Star Wars universe?
What Are Clans In The Mandalorian?
Instead of belonging to a typical family unit, Mandalorians live in clans. In most cases, clans are synonymous with families. Before Star Wars: The Clone Wars, fans didn’t know too much about the structure of Mandalorian society. After all, both Jango Fett and Boba Fett lived in exile, wearing Beskar armor but working as bounty hunters. While working on Clone Wars, supervising director and Star Wars legend Dave Filoni helped conceive of the clan system in more detail.
During the Clone Wars, Mandalore is at a pivotal moment in its history. Duchess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan’s sister, rules Mandalore but aims to join the Galactic Republic and trade their warrior ways for pacifism. Meanwhile, Death Watch — an extremist group living in exile on the moon Concordia — wants to overthrow Satine’s government and return Mandalore to its traditional, warring ways.
The Mandalorian: Clans Vs. Houses, Explained
However, it’s not just about blood relatives and found family. At many points throughout the peoples’ history, Mandalorian clans are organized into “houses.” Generally, houses — or political factions, really — are composed of several clans. For example, Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian-turned-rebel, is part of Clan Wren, which falls under House Vizsla. In The Mandalorian, Paz Vizsla not only traces his roots to House Vizsla, but to the esteemed Clan Vizsla, which was formed by Mandalorian Jedi and Darksaber creator Tarre Vizsla.
While viewers gain some insight into the clan and house divisions of Mandalorian culture and society, Star Wars Rebels fleshes things out further, illustrating that Mandalorian society is structured like a pyramid. There’s a ruler on top, and larger political factions, known as houses, rest under this ruler. Clans, the Mandalorian stand-in for familial units, are nested under those houses.
How Many Clans Of Mandalorians Are There?
Each Mandalorian clan has its own distinct traits and ideals, which primes them for conflict with other clans who oppose their values. When it comes to reclaiming Mandalore from Moff Gideon’s Imperial remnant, Bo-Katan and Din learn the value of uniting all clans and factions under one greater Mandalorian banner. Still, the clan system and its history figures prominently into the series.
Lucasfilm’s Story Group hasn’t said in definitive terms how many clans (or houses) exist in Star Wars Canon. Still, fans know enough to piece together the discordant history of Mandalore. For starters, there are three major (known) houses — Kryze, Vizsla, and Kast — that are composed of various clans. A House generally takes the name of the most influential clan in its ranks. The other most prominent known clans in Star Wars Canon include Clan Eldar, Clan Awaud, Clan Rook, Clan Saxon, and Clan Wren.
Of course, there are also groups that split off from this house-and-clan system. During the Clone Wars, Pre Vizsla leads Death Watch, a splinter terrorist cell bent on overthrowing Duchess Satine Kryze. But Death Watch isn’t the only splinter group to form among Mandalorians. As seen in The Mandalorian, The Tribe becomes a clan within the Children of the Watch sect, and is composed of The Armorer, Din Djarin, and Paz Vizsla.
What Is The Oldest Mandalorian Clan?
The answer to this question is never explicitly stated, but it’s clear that Clan Vizsla is one of the oldest and most revered. Much of its reputation stems from founding member Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi and creator of the Darksaber. Tarre Vizsla ruled over all of Mandalore, uniting its people and ushering in a time of prosperity.
In fact, all Mandalorians, no matter their association, revered the Darksaber and recognized it as a means of laying claim to the title of Mand'alor — or sole leader. Although the Darksaber is ultimately destroyed by Moff Gideon at the end of Season 3 of The Mandalorian, it’s clear that the weapon’s storied past, and the history of its creator, remain meaningful to all Mandalorians. Even if Clan Vizsla isn’t the oldest, the fact that it gives its name to a prominent house and serves as the Darksaber’s origin point certainly speaks to its rich past.
What Is The Most Powerful Mandalorian Clan?
This remains a matter of opinion. However, it's safe to assume that the three clans who give their names to Mandalore’s prominent houses are in contention for the most powerful Mandalorian Clan. Given what viewers have seen play out in the various Star Wars TV series, the constant power struggle does seem most centralized on the conflicts between House Vizsla and House Kryze.
House Vizsla’s notable members include Jedi and Mand'alor Tarre Vizsla, as well as Death Watch leader and Darksaber inheritor Pre Vizsla. House Kryze’s prominent members include the late Duchess Satine Kryze, who led her supporters against the tyrannical Old Mandalorians; and Bo-Katan Kryze, who’s wielded the Darksaber several times and, as such, laid claim to the title of Mand'alor several times. (Though this most recent time, after she rightly won the Darksaber from Din Djarin’s possession, is certainly more legitimate than her last attempt to rule Mandalore.)
With the Darksaber broken, it’s clear that Mandalore’s new leader will need more than symbols to unite the warring factions — and Bo-Katan proves that House Kryze is more than up to the task. Does that make her clan the most powerful? Maybe not of all time. But it’s clear that during the events of The Mandalorian,Bo-Katan Kryze is an influential and powerful figure.
What Clan Is Din Djarin?
Although Din Djarin starts off as a member of The Tribe, a kind of clan within the Children of the Watch, he and Din Grogu end up forming a clan of two. Now, Din Djarin serves as leader of Clan Mudhorn — a name that references the creature Djarin and Grogu bested in Season 1 of The Mandalorian. The formation of Clan Mudhorn, and its small size, indicate that there are likely dozens of as-of-yet unnamed Mandalorian clans fans haven’t been introduced to yet. It’s that sense of possibility that remains one of the most exciting aspects of Star Wars.