Lit Mandalore the Indomitable: Taung or Impostor?

So, I’ve been doing a bit of research on the Mandalorians in the time period between the Great Sith War and the Mandalorian Wars and I’m curious about a possible mystery surrounding Mandalore the Ultimate, specifically whether or not he is actually a Taung.

Now, I know at the end of Tales of the Jedi we see a Taung take up Mandalore the Indomitable’s mask and declare himself the new Mandalore, and most media since then has portrayed him as being the one who led the Mandalorians in the Mandalorian Wars. However, both the KOTOR Handbook and the KOTOR Campaign Guide create a sense of ambiguity by suggesting that the Taung who took Indomitable’s mask was at some point overthrown and replaced with someone else, that someone becoming Mando the Ultimate.

The KOTOR Campaign Guide goes into further detail by introducing a Taung claiming to be the true heir of Mandalore who encountered Canderous Ordo after he had already recovered Mandalore’s mask. The Taung goes on to claim that Ultimate rose to power with the help of the Sith (I’m assuming that’s referring to the True Sith Empire of Vitiate). However, the Taung in TOTJ doesn’t have any Sith help at all in becoming Mandalore; he just takes the mask and calls it a day.

Now, I don’t know if any other sources contradict these claims or if Ultimate is ever without any shred of doubt described as being a Taung and specifically the one at the end of TOTJ. I know there is a flashback scene in the Revan novel where he takes off his mask in front of Revan, but I don’t think the prose describes him physically or give any indication at all to his species.

Something that is interesting to note is that, in The Essential Guide to Warfare, it is mentioned that Mando the Ultimate suddenly experienced a vision on Shogun and decided to let non-Taungs and non-humans into the ranks of the Mandalorians. Now, this could just be “Taung Ultimate” realizing that he needed to expand his membership if he wanted any chance of defeating the Republic… or it could be “Human Ultimate” overthrowing and replacing the Taung from TOTJ with the help of the Sith and using a vision as an excuse to make such radical changes all while pretending to be the same guy.

So, what does everyone else think? Is Mandalore the Ultimate the same as the Taung at the end of TOTJ who takes Indomitable’s mask? Or is he someone who replaced the Taung and that Taung is the one who later crosses paths with Canderous?

 

It's funny you say that because part of the reason I made this topic (even though I've pondered about it before) is because I'm thinking of writing a Sunrider-centered fanfic that would bridge the gap between TOTJ and KOTOR and would be inspired by the cancelled Mandorla novel that would have featured resurgent Sith and Mandalorians. One of the ideas I have is a rogue Sith from Exar Kun's Brotherhood helping a human Mandalorian (maybe a Vizsla) replace the Taung Mandalore and take over the Mandalorians, setting the stage for the Mandalorian Wars.