Lit How did the Cuy'val Dar originally fit into things?

Hi all,
Recently heard some news about a canceled sequel to the Republic Commando game and it got me thinking about the Republic Commando novels. Specifically, the Cuy'val Dar, the 75-100 Mandalorians who trained the commando units.

Now, I know the Mandalorians have gone through all kinds of changes after these books came out thanks to the Clone Wars and what not, but it seems to me like they'd conflict with the canon even as it was at the time of their introduction.

As far as I remember, at the time of AotC, even before his history was fleshed out in the Bounty Hunter game and Open Season comic, Jango Fett was supposed to be the last of the Mandalorians. I don't know where I got that idea initially, but I feel like Open Season makes it pretty clear that's the case anyway.

So if, at that time in the canon, Jango was supposed to be the last, where did the Cuy'val Dar come from? I know the novels and stuff like Insider 80 fleshed out Mandalorian culture, but did they ever explicitly reconcile their presence with the idea that Jango was the last of his kind? Since they couldn't have been part of the New Mandalorians at the time, where were these people when it was True Mandalorians vs. Death Watch?

Thanks for any and all answers.

 

Karen Traviss is the answer to that question, she came up with the Cuy'val Dar for the novels, which went a long way toward fleshing out the GAR. The Cuy'val Dar consist of 75 Mandalorians and 25 other qualified people, for a total of 100.

 

I remember they came from the novels, but I don't have them on hand and can't remember how they integrated them. Is there anything specific that addresses whether or not Jango was the last or if the Cuy'val Dar were exiles or anything like that?

 

There are references in the new canon to Mandalorian training, too.

 

Ahhhh this. Zeta's right about bringing up Traviss. What happened was Traviss stopped writing as soon as she heard about the Death Watch and what they were doing on the show. She had been developing this entire backstory for the Clones and Mando culture, so when she found out much of it was being overwritten, she dropped the series.

She vaguely references what she would have done on her website: http://www.karentraviss.com/page22/files/How_would_you_have_wrapped_u101.html

(I think there's another interview somewhere in which she says more...? That link doesn't look like what I remember her posting a few years back...)

She doesn't specify the Cuy'val Dar. Presumably they would have been developed more as well had she continued writing. Concerning Jango being the last of his kind, I don't think that was reconciled, as you say.

 

Thanks for replies. Found a scan of Insider 80 History of the Mandalorians that, without literally saying so, could be interpreted to say that a number of Mandalorians remained independent mercenaries rather than join the TM or DW. I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that.