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

A Vong would survive that? Man, I hate the NJO.

Now, now, you two...

erm...I have no idea if a Vong would survive that. The mental images I get...*shudders* There was this game that I played once, Road Rash or Road Rage or something, in which you are this racing biker dude or whatever and if you get caught by the police, you'd be dragged behind their motorcycles. I think I was like, seven or eight when I first played it, and it turned me off to video games for the longest time. I'm pathetic. I know.

~*Roain <><

That's my word of the month, actually...

EDIT

what??

You can highly doubt it... all you need to take one of 'em out is a bit more force and preferably a slugthrower rather than a blaster, that's all. They're way overrated because to a Jedi, who relies on his Force powers, he's pretty much immune... or so I'm lead to believe? ^^


And, I don't wanna interrupt your little chat, but this ain't a social thread, and we're getting a tad off-topic...

sry, C_F.

~*Roain <><

What was the topic again...?

"Pathetic"?

If so, I'd have to voice some disagreement, and in any event concur with regards to your dislike of that sort of game content.

Nothing, just some minor confusion.

Generally speaking, I'd say, but it's possible that some are less closed off to the Force than others, considering the erratic performance of various Jedi feats against them.

As for neutralizing Scarheads though, if at first you don't put 'em down, just hit 'em with something bigger, and neither of Browiww's suggestions are likely to require anything in the way of finishers.

I believe it was the fan-fiction challenge, and since we (or at least some of us) are going to be trying to write stories centred around our favourite sci-fi soldiers-for-hire, I think an overview of the status of real-world private military contractors and their operations might be useful to consider, and perhaps discuss.

To start:

The New Mercenaries

PMCs, Myths and Mercenaries

Peacekeeping, Inc.

There's also this one. It popped up in discussion on another board, and I thought it worth mentioning.

Blackwater USA

~*Roain <><

EDIT: hey! where'd it go?! *sigh* give me a break...
EDIT II: Still can't spell.
EDIT III: as long as I'm at it...

Well, thanks. ^_^

Okie. Gotcha.

I'll keep that in mind the next time I run across one.

~*Roain <><

Haha...Blackwater. They've been in the news. I won't go into it.

This does bring up an interesting thought I've had on the Mandalorians and how many times they've 'died' over the years. Before Hard Contact we've always been led to believe that the 'Super Commandos' were a singular organization and 'Mandalorians' only existed in context to it. Since then, of course, we've learned that the Mandalorians are a culture. My personal retcon theory is that the 'Super Commandos' (as they appeared in Open Seasons) were an actual mercenary company, possibly the largest and longest running. Thus, to the galaxy at large the Super Commandos were the face of the Mandalorians. After the Battle of Galidraan, to a galaxy that didn't know any better, the Mandalorians were gone.

Make we wonder if there any other, lesser known, Mando merc corporations out there.

Vor'e, Roain. That's useful as well.

Yes, see that you do.

Good. There's no immediate pressing need for flame wars in this thread.

That would only make sense, given that Open Seasons makes it fairly obvious that Jaster's "Mandalorian Protectors" were a mercenary army doing contract work with various govermental bodies in addition to carrying on their private war with Viszla and his followers, and working under the leadership of the acknowledged Mand'alor would certainly account for an increase in the prestige of a given free company.

It stands to reason. The Death Watch might be considered one of them, although they seemed generally more interested in conquest way back when.

Well, the Mando'ade are a lot like the Sith in that respect. You can't just kill most of them. They all have to be dead if you want to wipe them out completely. As long as there's one Mando'ad , they live on. I don't know if even killing them all would work.

~*Roain <><

EDIT: Now there's a plot bunny if I ever saw one...

(V)
(0.0)
(")(")

Or Jedi...

Well, yeah. lol. I just had the whole [yoda] always two there are. no more, no less. [/yoda] thing stuck in my head.

~*Roain <><

And that statement also corresponds rather nicely with the status of Obi-Wan and Yoda after the Purge.

Technocrat...

~*Roain <><

EDIT: can't spell. can't think. *sigh*

I wouldn't be too sure about that... take Ghez Hokan, Kal Skirata and Walon Vau, and you'll notice, they're all pretty different Mando'ade. Sure, that doesn't apply for everyone, but some Mandos are just different than others. Not that if only one survives, a little change of culture isn't good; it's actually necessary, to survive in future and avoid another extinction.

Mandos seem to be experts of changing their way of life and risking extinction more than once, however.

Good question, but apart from QM's Death Watch, I haven't got any other ideas, either. Even the Protectors don't necessarily seem to be a real "merc company", taking Goran Beviin for example. While he's a Protector, he does lots of other jobs as a "freelancer" when he isn't called by the Mandalore. Sure, Solo hires them to protect Centerpoint and the Vong hire them to "lay the battlefield", but even then not every Supercommando takes the job. What I'm trying to say is that the Protectors don't work as an army with a standing rank of members, but rather like some sort of an agency that gets the Protectors (the individuals) a job together with others of their kind. They're not always fighting in large groups or under the banner of the Protectors, like we see with Beviin and the Jeban ladies.

Good point...

That's all I got...

~*Roain <><

Though all essentially similar, in many ways.

I can't seem them needing to change much further. Making contact with the rest of the galaxy from time to time as elite, highly-trained mercenaries seems unlikely to incur the undying emnity of anyone in the way that the Mandos of Revan's day might have, and the widely-dispersed lifestyle that they currently follow is probably the most effective in terms of pre-empting prospective attempts at wiping them out for the nth time.

Yes, but that all takes place in a time when Mandalorian society is acknowledged to be scattered, and still dealing to some extent with the after-effects of the Mandalorian civil war, the Clone Wars, the occupation and the Galactic Civil War.

Back in Jaster's day, the Protectors were a much more homogenous organization, it would seem, traveling together as a unified fighting force rather than a loose collection of free-lancers drawn together on occasion.

Also, one other thought. Of the two major Mandalorian factions we know of, they both have somewhat defense-themed names (Mandalorian "Protectors" the Death "Watch"), which leaves me wondering if we could not posit this to be something of a trend amongst those mercenary companies whose existed Browiww has speculated on (names such as "Honour Guard", "Enforcers" or "Overwatch" for example, similar to how modern PMCs tend towards names like Executive Outcomes and Global Solutions).

Maybe... I was mainly referring to the different views on Clones that Skirata and Vau have... anyhow, we don't need to dive further into that silly point...

Aye... I was just saying that if they were wiped out another time, they would probably need to change again.

Good point, though. I think that having such "defense-themed names" is good for marketing, too... imagine if they were called like "Mandalorian Slaughterers" or "Death Dealers" (not that the "Death" in Death Watch is too "defense"-ly, anyway ). That wouldn't be good for a reputation, although it might help in intimidation and spreading fear, but Mandos don't need push-ups like that.

EDIT:
A rather off-topic edit... I finally got to use that icon of an amazing Boba Fett fanart, and I hope no one else takes that... My favorite was still browwiw's old one, Jaster (I just used it for a so long time, I felt I needed some change) and then the Cade one, but after seeing that used by someone else, I switched to Demagol for a while, but I hope this one sticks with me longest. Good choice of a new icons, browwiw, btw, it's cool. And I'm glad you changed it, 'cause I still hadn't got used to someone else using my old icon.




And as a general reminder, roughly one and a half months for everyone to get their entries for the Challenge in. I'd like to see some entries already this month, but well... if you think you won't make it in time, don't bother; all that matters is that you write something, disregarding when you write it.

Tengo una pregunta, ner vode. (Is that legal? Two languages in one sentence, I mean. Oh, well.) We've a discussion going on this board about the Mando'ade , and the long and short of it is I've been voted Mandalor...yes, you may laugh if you like. Hysterically even if that's what floats your boat...The question I have is this: does anyone know of any dalyc Mandalor? Wookiepedia didn't name any female Mando'ade at all. *is hoping Karen Traviss will remedy this in the near future*

~*Roain <><

I can't think of any female Mandalore but I don't know alot about what they did during the Galactic Civil War. As a side note I'm wondering what the Mandalorians will be doing in the Legacy era (the comic books, I mean, which happen a 100 years after the Legacy books).

On that note did the Mandalorians ever rebel (openly or not) against the Galactic Empire? My story for the challenge will be in that era and I want to know.

PS: I know I haven't posting much in this thread but I've been following it.

Yeah, you can't beat ol' Stormtrooper X. I chose this icon because I have the issue of Star Wars Gamer that it originally appeared in. Though, personally, I like the look of the Phase II armor the best. Still hoping we'll get to see the Phase II version of the Katarn armor...

Anyway, the only named female Mandalorians I know of are the mother and daughter in A Practical Man. Their names elude me at the moment.

As for writing something...I'm trying. So many ideas, so little time and self confidence. I know this is 'just' fanfic and nobody expects a Nebula Award winner, but I hold myself to unrealistic standards.

The weirdest and probably most workable idea I've had is a Mandalorian Jedi apprentice at the LotF-era Ossus Academy. Of course, the character is a teenage female because if you're gonna write fanfic you have to have a super-powered teenage female protagonist with lovely hair. If I'm gonna go fanfic, I might as well dive into the shallow end head first.

To make it worse, she'll be Koyle little sister, just so Koyle say, "I talked Mom and Dad out of coming for you themselves. Even I'm not cynical enough to want to see another Jedi temple on fire."

A part from a little siderole of a Darmanda who joined the Stormies only to leave them again, we haven't seen any so far. I'm more than looking forward to it, tho. They do have made some influences tho, apparently... with Cade and his Mando Breastplates and talking Mando'a.

Well, yes, they did, under Fenn Shysa. Most notable is the Battle of Mindor, where they helped the Alliance Forces to beat Lord Shadowspawn (there will be a Stover novel about this ).

My thoughts exactly. Although, it's just about possible they didn't change the looks of the helmet for the Katarns... we know there are different Mark versions, Mark III or IV in TZ (?), but I don't think they changed the visuals.

Briika and Denua Jeban, as well as Talgal in Bloodlines. No female Mandalorians known so far, will see if Mirta makes it...

This is the best thing you can do! I'm racking my brains to have my stories stick to canon as good as possible, and do hours and hours of researched for so little details like the date of an event or the name of a city, things that readers don't even spot, but it makes you just feel good. Again, to keep a high standard for yourself is a great thing!

Sounds very promising, tho. You might want to have a little chat with QM or a look at his fic, because his main OC, Eclan Graven, is a force-sensitive Mandalorian, who, however, soon gave up his training. Not that you'll need that in mind to read is fic, anyway... it's a "must-read".

Well, consciously, no. The details do go unnoticed there, but the more details you have, the more likely you are to have returning readers (whether they know why or not). If that makes any sense whatsoever...(it did in my head)

*interest is roused* When can we be expecting this??

~*Roain <><

EDIT: If you need any help with the super-powered teenage female with lovely hair, let me know. I'm an expert on the subject.

So after many years I've been re-reading the OT novelizations, and something jumped out at me. From ESB:

A human bounty hunter, Fett was known for his extremely ruthless methods. He was dressed in a weapon-covered, space suit, the kind worn by a group of evil warriors defeated by the Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars. A few braided scalps completed his unsavory image.

How do you guys think this compares with the characterization of Boba in the EU?