Index All Helmet, No Head - The Mandalorian Discussion Group and Index---New stories, new discussion--9/2!

Suc'uy, fellow Mando'ad! (or: Fando'ad )

This is Corran_Fett, and I'll be your host for this all-new discussion group. It's my first attempt at an index and a discussion group, so please tell me anything I did/do wrong.
I came up with this because I think Mandalorians are in the coming, with new major roles in the KotOR comics and LotF, and I hope to see more and more Mando fics spreading.

I also hope enough people will find this group, so that we maybe can also come up with challenges--if we're getting the mods' okay.

As for discussion topics: everybody feel free to suggest new topics to me via PM, 'cause I'm probably not that creative in coming up with good topics...

That said, let the fun begin!


Discussion Topic 05/01/07:
We know that in the (pre-)OT-era, Mandos rather had trouble with the Empire (their attempt to occupy Mandalore and exploit the Mandalorian iron resources, etc.) and especially the then-Mandalore Fenn Shysa had good relations to the Rebellion and later NR. Now, surely some Imperial warlords (like Zsinji or Terradoc) started hiring the scum of the universe, and maybe even paid enough to get a Mando's attention. What do you think? Did larger groups of Mandalorian mercenaries (I think it's save to say that some individuals did do this) pick up the Imperial banner and do the dirty work for an Imperial Warlord? And generally, what did Mandos do between the OT and the NJO?

Discussion Topic 04/02/07: In A Practical Man, Mandalore Boba Fett met with a Jedi Kubareit, who asked him if he remembered the Cuy'val Dar of old. Here's a quote from the wookiee: "Before he left, Kubariet asked if Fett would spare a few of his best commandos to act as a kind of new Cuy'val Dar to train planetary militias to fight the Vong." Now, what do you think... did he send some of his men to do that job? Do you think he didn't, because it might show the Vong that he is involved with the GA?

Discussion Topic 01/14/07:
This month's (or year's? ) topic is about the current Mandalore, ruler of clans, leader of the Mandalorian Supercommandos: Boba Fett. What do you guys think about his position (does he earn it?) and the way he treats his people (he doesn't even speak their language...)? There are of course things he doesn't do so good, but then again, he also has many good traits (morale-pusher for the troops, as one example)... so, just start off and express your thoughts about the clone-turned-bounty-hunter-stayed-bounty-hunter-turned-Mandalore!

Discussion Topic 11/02/06:
Which era of Mandalorians (and consequently which armor styles) do you like most? (Crusaders, Neo-Crusaders (both roughly around KotOR), Mandalorian Mercenaries (after the Mandalorian Wars, as the Mandos were scattered across the galaxy and were no more than scum), True Mandalorians & Death Watch (pre-Clone Wars), Mandalorian Protectors (both under Spar/Fenn Shysa and Boba Fett, from Clone Wars till LotF)

Discussion Topic 10/03/06: What aspects of the Mandalorians attract you most, and why do you write them?

And now for a list of the best resources you can find about Mandos!

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[b]Online Resources[/b]
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[blockquote]- [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=19305982&brd=10003&replies=492][b]Mandalorian Reference Guide[/b][/link] - thread on TFN with lots of information. [b]Reverend_Tegoth[/b] had a website running with all the information in the thread, but unfortunately, the site is currently down, so you have to go with the thread - which is also really full of information, many of which you might not have seen yet. There are all references on Mandalorians in the KotOR games, the young Boba Fett novels and the ToTJ-comics listed.
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian][b]Wookieepedia article: Mandalorians[/b][/link] - pretty solid intel for a wiki article, and I myself watch this page to avoi

 

Great thread C_F!

What attracts me to Mandalorians?

Simple, Mandalorians, they're not just villians anymore. Through the EU we're seeing a totally different side of the Mando heritage; not just the Sith-siding warrior. And there's now a different story behind the armor of Boba Fett, so it's a great alternative to the Jedi/Sith stories.

 

Cool thread, Corran.

What attracts me to the Mando'ade? Well, societies with a strong martial tradition are always fun to read about, but the Mandalorians are so much more than a generic sci-fi "warrior race". The way they've evolved over the past four thousand years from ruthless, nomadic conquerors to a mostly settled society of pragmatic soldier-farmers, no longer starting wars but instead fighting them for other people, is fascinating to me, as is their explicitly clear devotion to their wives and families in a galaxy that all too often seems to ignore such important aspects of life entirely.

That and the armour. Definitely the armour.

 

I love the Mandos because they're not Jedi. Since TPM came out, everything in the EU has been extremely Jedi-centric. I like some of the Jedi characters on an individual level, but I find the Jedi Order of the Old Republic very irritating and frustrating, and the Mandos are a breath of fresh air.

They're normal people with no special tricks, just a lot of determination and training. Before the prequels, that role in EU stuff was filled by the X-Wing books and comics, and now it's fallen to the Mandos.

Plus they have really cool armor and their own language that I can fangirl over.

 

To be honest, I didn't find them all that fascinating until I read an article in Star Wars Insider. And then I was hooked! Their culture is incredibly rich and complex and that appealed to me. I'm trying to read as much as I can about them now.

 

Another good point. The general order of things that the Jedi, Sith and Republic embody... the Mandos exist in it, but they're not really of it, and so they can hang back and make wry observations about what they (not altogether unreasonably) see as "the old Jedi-and-Sith puppet-show".

All of that too.

 

Aaah....!

It's very nice to see some real discussion going on here! That's how it's got to be!

Thanks, ale and QM, I really think it was time for a thread like that.

Heh. Then you should be just about right, here!

QFT. Especially the part about "the old Jedi-and-Sith puppet-show"... Your new sig quote is great, btw!

EDIT:
Oh, and everyone check the new addition to the index: Child of Mandalore by VaderLVR64!

 

Nice title.

I like the Mandos because they remind me of the Spartans, and as a classics geek I will love anything that reminds me of ancient Greece. They're a war-based society, they live simply, and they teach their kids to fight from a very young age (if Jango's lessons to Boba in the AOTC novel are anything to go by). It's interesting that like the Spartans, you don't really see female Mandos running around the EU - you know they exist, and that they're tough, but you don't see them in action. Not that I know of, anyway.

And yeah, the armor's pretty sweet.

 

Actually, that's a common Mando term of derision for someone with an overdeveloped sense of authority, Ori'buyce, kih'kovid in Mando'a.

Actually, I think Mandos are in no way like Spartans. Spartans where rejecting (say: killing) the weak children that didn't stand the tough trainings, and women had a lower status then men, afaik. Mandos do train their children from early ages on (not as early as the Spartans), but they aren't so hard on elite status, and Mando women have the same roles as Mando men. And there are Mando women running around in the EU, although only in Karen Traviss's A Practical Man and Bloodlines, yet.

Mandos might be a bit like SPARTANS, tho...

Anyway, we'll sure be getting QM's opinion on this, soon...

 

Spartan women were very involved in athletics and physical training, even if they didn't actually fight. I also based that comparison on Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire - I think the Spartans you see are a lot like Mandos. They're not all war and plunder, but rather very close with their families.

I think it's also a matter of context. The Mandos are great with their families, but they're the sworn enemy of the Jedi, who are supposed to be the good guys. So technically the Mandos are bad guys. Same thing with the Spartans - within their lands, they weren't always the best people, but they also fought against Persian invaders with the rest of Greece.

It's not an exact match, but to me they share a lot of values and ways of living.

 

Ah, but of course.

That's true about Spartan women of course, but from what I've read it doesn't seem as though family life meant a great deal to them. Their society was regimented in the extreme and it seems children were looked upon more as a commodity available for the use of the state than anything else.

Perhaps, but I think that the similarities are more true of martial cultures in general than specific to the Mandos and Spartans solely. Also, the Mandalorians, unlike the Sith, have no ongoing feud with the Jedi, despite the tendency of both groups to bump heads on occasion, and even the Jedi themselves can end up backing the wrong cause from time to time, as we see in the case of their intervention in favour of the Huks against the Khaleesh.

To continue with the cultural comparisons though, others have observed that the Mandalorians share many similarities with the Vikings, and I think this is where the comparisons are strongest. Unlike the Spartans, who were a very centralized society subservient to a great degree to their rulers, and who employed a massive slave population to keep their civil infrastructure running, the Vikings were much more family-oriented and autonomous, farmed their lands themselves when not away fighting (though they did employ slaves, but hardly to the same extent), and also, like the Mandos, were known to hire themselves out as mercenaries and bodyguards, something I believe they continued after they'd given up raiding as their chief occupation.

I don't really have anything against comparisons with the Spartans, mind you (and the idea of using iron bars as currency is by definition awesome ), I just think the Vikings are better fit for the position of real-world parallel.

 

Admittedly I don't know a lot about the Mandos except what I've read in stories here. I'm just a geek so Spartans come to mind first. Along with Romans.

Also, the Mandalorians, unlike the Sith, have no ongoing feud with the Jedi

They don't? I heard once that the Mandalorians swore the Jedi would be their enemies. Didn't know if that was from the KOTOR era or anything to do with Jango's death.

The family orientation definitely sets them apart, though. One of my favorite scenes from the AOTC novel is Jango watching Boba hunt fish on Kamino. It's only a few pages, but I love seeing a completely different side to someone who seemingly has no concern for anyone or anything.

 

Romans are always goor.

Can't say I remember that, and in any event they've certainly worked with the Jedi often enough; in the aftermath of the Mandalorian Wars, during the New Sith Wars, throughout the Clone Wars (though more supported the Seperatists), during and immediately following the Galactic Civil War under the leadership of Fenn Shysa, during the Vuuzhan Vong War towards the end, and I imagine they'll end up working with the Jedi in some capacity during LOTF as well.

That was a nice touch, alright.

 

Nice discussion, here!

<edit> Since the Spartans are quite a topic currently, here's the cinematic trailer to Frank Miller's 300: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/trailer1/ </edit>

I hope there will be more authors hopping on this, because it's rather few, currently. I already have something in mind for a challenge, but I think I'll wait a bit longer.

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Oh, and as a general thing, here's some [b]references on the Mando'ade[/b]!

[link=http://thereverendtegoth.com/mrg.html]Mandalorian Reference Guide[/link] by Reverend_Tegoth - lots of information, and especially the content from the Insider issues should be read; unfortunately, the guide's not so up-to-date, because it could need some information from APM and Bloodlines.

[link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorians]Wookieepedia article: Mandalorians[/link] - pretty solid intel for a wiki article, and I myself watch this page to avoid false information added. From this article, you can also access the Category: Mandalorians as well as a list of known Mandalorians.

[link=http://karentraviss.com/html/cont_newmandoa.htm]Mando'a dictionary and quick grammar guide by Karen Traviss[/link] - last updated June 2006, next update is coming this October

 

Now everything finally makes sense! The language is great stuff, too. Karen Traviss is cool for putting in the effort.

Reading the Wookieepedia article, what caught my eye was the level of tolerance the Mandalorians have for others, provided people follow Mando rules in their presence. Definitely more to the culture than the armor.

 

Thanks for checking by, and yeah, that's what I was thinking. And apparently, it already worked!

Yep.

That's the Mando'ade... "A man is more than his armor."


Oh, and I updated the index with a new story of mine, the WIP-sequel to Honor Guard.

 

Well, I decided to give this a go, so here's our

First Challenge!

CHALLENGE 1 ASSIGNMENT: Describe a scene featuring at least one of the following Mandalorian canon characters from the eyes of an OC of yours (the OC mustn't be a Mando, but he must either fight alongside one or be in major conversation with him.) The chosen Mandalorian must have a major role, not only a cameo, and if you write from a non-Mando OC's POV, be sure to include topics about the Mando relation to aruetiise (= outsiders, non-Mandos) and what the OC thinks about their distinctive culture. Word-minimum is 2,000 words, and you can write first or third person, what you prefer. All genres are allowed, from action, adventure, angst, and horror to romance and humor. Last but not least, I hope you enjoy this and have fun, and I hope there will be enough participants!

List of canon characters to use
(use at least one with a major role, but you are free to use more from a same era - if there's someone you want to use who isn't on that list, please ask in the thread, I might've forgotten several)
KotOR-era: Cassus Fett, Canderous Ordo, Rohlan Dyre (this one is especially interesting and has been to many battles: a Mando who is questioning his people's motives behind the Mandalorian Wars), Mandalore the Ultimate
Clone Wars/Pre-Clone Wars: Jaster Mereel, Vizsla, Ghez Hokan, Myles, Sintas, Walon Vau, Rav Bralor, Montross
Post-Clone Wars, NJO, post-NJO: Fenn Shysa, Tobbi Dala, Goran Beviin, Vevut and his son Orade, Ram Zerimar, Dinua Jeban
Legacy (not LotF): Hondo Karr (by the time of Legacy #4--137 ABY--he's an Ex-Mando, and an interesting character to explore)

YOUR DEADLINE: 12/13/2006 (that's more than two months, enough time for more than the current readers of this thread to catch it, hopefully)

YOUR RESPONSE THREADS: Since this covers all three eras, I will put up a response thread for an era only if someone here shows an intention to write in this era - I especially hope to see stories set in Before and Beyond

Any further questions? If so, please go ahead, this is my first challenge, so I might've done a few things wrong...

Let the fun begin!

 

What atracted me to Mando'ade (beside the armor)? When I played KotOR and Canderous kept talking about the war, I got my fisrt taste of Mando (beside Fett). Then I read this article on starwars.wikki and got hooked. Since then, I'm a mando fan. I even know Vode An by heart (though I can't sing the last bit).

No promises but I'm gonna give this a try. I'll write something with Canderous Ordo(loved that Mando). Two months is enough time, the problem is am I gonna have any free time? By the way how long does it have to be?

I like what you started here so keep going.

 

Cool to hear you're in! And, as it says in the Assignment, length must be from 2,000 words on (that's the minimum), say from vignette to epic.

 

Anybody else interested? What about the "members" of this Discussion group?

 

Consider me in C_F, I've been waiting for you to post a challenge. Don't know which Era yet though, I guess I'll just have to start typing and see where the keys take me...

 

Sounds good, ale!


Anybody else?


Oh, and we got a new discussion topic: (as always, if you got an idea for a new topic, feel free to PM me )

DISCUSSION TOPIC (11/02/06)
Which era of Mandalorians (and consequently which armor styles) do you like most? (Crusaders, Neo-Crusaders (both roughly around KotOR), Mandalorian Mercenaries (after the Mandalorian Wars, as the Mandos were scattered across the galaxy and were no more than scum), True Mandalorians & Death Watch (pre-Clone Wars), Mandalorian Protectors (both under Spar/Fenn Shysa and Boba Fett, from Clone Wars till LotF)

 

I like the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders because they really look heavily armored and ready take on the Galaxy but the Mandalorian Protectors are the coolest. I like the fact that the Protectors are walking armories and their helmets are more intimidating. I always get a sense of awe and a shiver up my spine when I look into those T-shaped visors, there's something grim and forbidding about them, a sense of invincibility and the promise of death.I feel that the martial aspect of the mandalorians is more obvious in the Protectors.

 

Bump?