Why Did the Empire Destroy Mandalore? 'The Book of Boba Fett' Delves into the Sad Backstory

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett on Disney Plus.

The Galactic Empire left devastation in their wake wherever they went. Even though it's been five years since the Empire fell during the events of The Book of Boba Fett, the evil aftereffects of the Empire's actions are still felt across the galaxy. That's especially evident with Mandalorians. Just like the Jedi, they had to deal with the Empire purging their people and attacking their planet Mandalore.

So why did the Empire target the planet Mandalore? We know Emperor Palpatine gave the infamous Order 66 to purge the galaxy of the Jedi, knowing that they would rebel against his tyranny. What did the Mandalorians do to make their planet one of Palpatine's targets too? We'll break it down.

There's a flashback scene in Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett where the armorer (Emily Swallow) describes the Night of a Thousand Tears. That was the night when the Empire attacked Mandalore, and massacred most of the Mandalorians. At this time Bo-Katan Kryze wielded the Darksaber, but even she was unable to save the majority of her people.

Thankfully, some survivors managed to escape, given the fact that the Empire hadn't fully developed the Death Star when the Night of a Thousand Tears occurred. Somehow Moff Gideon managed to steal the Darksaber during these events, although it's not clear if he took it from Bo-Katan during that tragic night.

The Mandalorians were considered to be a race of warriors (Mandalore's deceased ruler Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan's sister, drew critique and praise from different Mandalorian sects for being a pacifist). At one point the Empire simply took over Mandalore, ousting Bo-Katan as the leader of Mandalore. The Empire decided to fully attack the planet after Bo-Katan and other Mandalorians fought back against the Empire's rule.

The Mandalorians were just as threatening as the Jedi were to the Empire. As a result, they had to be purged, just like the Jedi. Anyone who fought back had to be exterminated.

Mandalore was attacked, and most of the Mandalorians were wiped out, but yes, the planet of Mandalore still exists in The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. Just like the Jedi, surviving Mandalorians scattered across the galaxy and were forced to hide for their safety. Bo-Katan's goal was to reclaim the Darksaber so she could once again rule Mandalore, and rebuild the Mandalorians' home planet.

Can Mandalore be rebuilt? Will Bo-Katan be able to best Din and combat and regain the Darksaber on her own terms? We don't think the resurgence of Mandalore will occur during the last two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett, but man, the backstory of Mandalore's fall was tragic to see in live action.

Don't miss out on the last two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett when they drop on Disney Plus on Wednesdays.