The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau speaks exclusively about the bitter, ancient feud between the Jedi and Din Djarin’s people in Star Wars.
Lucasfilm’s Jon Favreau explains how Mandalorian beliefs differ from the Jedi ahead of The Mandalorian season 3. Though The Mandalorian proved that Star Wars can work beyond Jedi and lightsaber fights, Star Wars’ first live-action TV show has revolved around a Force-sensitive character from the very beginning – Grogu. The Book of Boba Fett saw Grogu decide between the Jedi way or the Way of the Mandalorian, and the child chose Din Djarin.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Lucasfilm’s Jon Favreau revealed how Mandalorian culture and Jedi beliefs are different, although he also highlighted that the two Star Wars factions share similarities as well.
Jon Favreau: The differentiation is just enough to differentiate it from the Jedi to the Mandalorians, because they were historically enemies. But we do draw from a lot of things. Again, the study of myth and story within cultures all points to certain commonalities, and we try to draw from the same inspirations as George did.
With The Mandalorian embracing more and more the Force-sensitive portion of the Star Wars galaxy, especially after season 2, both the similarities and the differences between Mandalorians and Jedi are becoming more noticeable. Grogu, for example, got to experience both Mandalorian traditions and Jedi training.
Mandalorians & Jedi Have A Complicated Star Wars History
The history between the Mandalorians and the Jedi in the Star Wars universe is quite complex, especially considering the differences between the Expanded Universe and the current Star Wars canon. The old Expanded Universe spoke of Mandalorian Wars that saw Mandalorians facing the Republic, the latter of which had the Jedi Order at its side. Though Clone Wars’ Mandalore storylines essentially killed the Expanded Universe by introducing a completely new take on Mandalorians, the Disney Star Wars canon also involves some sort of ancient confrontation between Mandalorians and Jedi. In Star Wars Rebels, Kanan Jarrus confirmed the Jedi “won the war with Mandalore.“
The Darksaber, which debuted in live-action at the end of The Mandalorian season 1, is the ancestral blade of Mandalorian leadership created by the first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla. It was taken by the Jedi after his death, but stolen from the Jedi Temple some time later. It is likely this theft contributed to the continuing mistrust between the two groups, with the Jedi and the Mandalorians remaining hostile right up to the Clone Wars – when the unlikely attraction between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mandalorian ruler Duchess Satine Kryze drew them together.
Canon mysteries aside, the Mandalorians are among the most well-known warrior factions in the Star Wars galaxy. Unlike the Jedi – who trust the Force and a lightsaber for any type of combat – Mandalorians have built a long tradition of custom armors, weapons, and all sorts of equipment that can help in a fight. Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin used some of those when briefly fighting Ahsoka in The Mandalorian season 2. With Din raising a Force-sensitive child, Grogu might be the bridge between the Mandalorian and Jedi ways.
