“ | I accept this sword for my sister, for my clan, and for all of Mandalore. | „ |
~ Bo-Katan Kryze accepts the Darksaber and unites several Mandalorian clans |
Bo-Katan Kryze is a major character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars first appearing as an antagonist in the fourth season and is one of the villain protagonists of the fifth season before redeeming herself towards the end of the season. She was a member of the Mandalorian terrorist organization known as the Death Watch and was the right-hand and lieutenant of its leader, Pre Vizsla, as she conspired to overthrow the pacifist government lead by her sister, Satine Kryze.
She later came across the renegade Sith Lord, Darth Maul, and his apprentice, Savage Opress, and allied with them as they eventually formed a criminal empire known as the Shadow Collective and eventually lead to the ousting of Satine from power. But Maul took over Mandalore for his own sake and even killed Vizsla in a duel forcing Bo-Katan to rebel and conspire against Maul and his regime. She later appears in Star Wars Rebels as a supporting character in the fourth and final season as she leads the Mandalorians to rebel against the Galactic Empire and their strangehold on Mandalore.
She was voiced by Katee Sackhoff, who famous portrayed Kara "Starbuck" Thrace in Battlestar Galactica.
History
During the time of the Clone Wars, Bo-Katan served as Pre Vizsla’s trusted right hand in Death Watch. The militaristic splinter group sought to restore Mandalore’s warrior past, an ideal which Bo-Katan held -- even if it meant ousting her sister, Duchess Satine, from office.
While Bo-Katan was loyal to Vizsla, she had reservations concerning Death Watch’s alliance with two beings they discovered in an escape pod: the Sith brothers Darth Maul and Savage Opress. Having found the Sith after they were soundly defeated at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bo-Katan questioned the wisdom of joining forces with beings she deemed “no better than Jedi.” Maul Force choked her for the remark, but she remained strong in her convictions.
Following the Sith’s lead in a scheme to take over Mandalore, Death Watch became part of the Shadow Collective: an alliance with criminal organizations including the Pyke Syndicate, Black Sun, and the Hutt Clan. Vizsla, however, informed Bo-Katan that once the Shadow Collective assumed control of the planet, he would betray the Sith and claim the throne. As orchestrated by Maul, the underworld gangsters launched an attack on the Mandalorian capital city of Sundari. When all seemed lost, Death Watch swooped in to save the day and arrested Duchess Satine. With the staged battle complete and Mandalore won, Vizsla turned on the Sith. He jailed Maul and Opress, but was challenged to a death duel by Maul. After a vicious battle, Maul dispatched the Death Watch leader with a violent beheading; Bo-Katan refused to serve a Sith, and freed her sister from prison. Satine was recaptured, however, as part of a larger plot to lure Obi-Wan Kenobi to Mandalore. Finally, Maul had his revenge against his nemesis, and killed Satine before the Jedi’s eyes. Bo-Katan, while devastated at the loss of her sister, helped Obi-Wan escape from Maul’s clutches. She vowed that Mandalore would survive this terrible turn of events.
Following the Empire's occupation of Mandalore, Bo-Katan refused to surrender to the Emperor's tyranny. Years later, she joined with rebel Sabine Wren to help destroy an Imperial weapon that targeted Mandalorian armor. After their victory, Sabine gifted the Darksaber to Bo-Katan. She accepted, finally uniting Mandalore.