Mandalorian armor / Legends The most recognizable symbol of the Mandalorian culture , Mandalorian armor was a catch - all term for the sets of distinctive full - body armor worn by Mandalorian warriors and soldiers throughout galactic history . Known as beskar ' gam in the Mandalorian language of " Mando ' a " — a name which meant " iron skin " when translated into Basic — Mandalorian armor was central to the Mandalorian way of life , and the wearing of armor was one of the " Resol ' nare " , the six tenets that defined the Mandalorian culture . In an expansive community comprised of beings from numerous origins , the identifiable armor not only provided protection , but a common appearance for Mandalorians , regardless of species or gender . The specific design of Mandalorian armor evolved over time , gaining more sophisticated features over the years , including the incorporation of advanced helmet heads - up displays , and armor - mounted weapon systems such as flamethrowers and wrist rocket launcher s . However , one of the armor ' s most lasting features was the T - shaped visor that adorned the helmet ' s face across its various incarnations . Numerous materials were employed in the creation of Mandalorian armor through the millennia , from alum and durasteel , to stygian - triprismatic polymer and the nearly indestructable " beskar " iron . Mandalorian armor forged from " beskar " was highly prized for its incredible resilience , and while sets of armor were often passed down from one generation to the next , " beskar " armor was considered the most valuable . The appearance of a Mandalorian ' s armor was largely up to the individual , as the highly independent Mandalorian people customized their armor with different colored paint schemes , clan and unit sigils , personalized glyphs , or other marking patterns in accordance to their own tastes . History . The design of Mandalorian armor changed a great deal in the seven millennia after the Taung first settled the planet Mandalore . The first , widely recognizable version was the Crusader Armor which was the signature armor worn by the Mandalorian Crusaders led by Mandalore the Indomitable during the Great Sith War . It had a jagged , organic form that varied from soldier to soldier . The design of Crusader Armor was centered around defending its wearer during melee combat , which was considered by the Mandalorians to be the most honorable form of battle . During Mandalore the Ultimate ' s reign as Mandalore , the Neo - Crusader armor was designed by Cassus Fett for use in the Mandalorian Wars to foster a sense of unity among the many disparate species being recruited into the Neo - Crusader movement . By the invasion of Taris , the Neo - Crusaders ' beliefs had spread far and wide among the Mandalorian clans and the armor all but replaced the earlier , more individualized suits . Neo - Crusader armor came in four colors , each corresponding to a rank — silver for veterans on the front line , gold for Field Marshal s , crimson for Rally Master s and blue for all others . Later in the war , new armors were developed for use by special units such as the Neo - Crusader Shock Trooper s . During the time of the Cold War , a proxy conflict between the Sith Empire and Galactic Republic , both Mandalorian armors and weaponry were seen in the hands of Outer Rim pirates . Eventually , someone was assigned to discover the source of the materials . Millennia later , the Mandalorian Supercommando armor was developed to replace the older designs which were now referred to as Mandalorian Shock Trooper Armor . It was no longer full body armor , but partial armor that left limbs almost completely undefended , and focused its strength on the vital areas such as the torso , head , and groin . The new armor was a collection of blast resistant plates , made from Mandalorian iron or duraplast , which were attached to a waterproof , armorweave flight suit . A liner shirt with a micro energy field projector and two layers of ceramic plates greatly improved protection around the chest , back , and stomach . This careful layering of segmented armor plates ensured mobility , which could be further increased by wearing a jetpack . The Mandalorians began to see the value of extra weapons mounted on the suit , and so simple dart shooters , grappling wires , wrist - mounted rocket launchers and flamethrowers were added to the overall assault capabilities of a Mandalorian Supercommando . The classic Mandalorian design could also be seen in the armor of clone troopers , and evolved from the basic clone trooper and Katarn - class commando armor specs to those of the armor of Imperial stormtroopers and the Emperor ' s Royal Guard . The ARC troopers and a few commanders wore kamas , long , skirt - like belt spats , from their waists , which were parts of older Mandalorian armor designs and often contained pockets for hidden weapons . Some Mandalorians such as Goran Beviin , Fi Skirata and Isabet Reau were known to wear kamas . During the Galactic Civil War , the Death Watch colluded with Black Sun to manufacture Crusader MK III armor in their bunker on Endor . This was a Mandalorian armor variant made from alum and they produced two different versions of it , one to sell to the Empire and one to sell to the Rebel Alliance . By the Second Imperial Civil War , Mandalorian armor , such as that worn by Hondo Karr and Tes Vevec , had taken on a more segmented appearance , providing the wearer with maximum coverage and mobility . Design . Throughout Mandalorian history , three major features remained constant in Mandalorian armor design : Mandalorian armor was traditionally made out of almost indestructible Mandalorian Iron ( " beskar " ) , but this was rare and expensive , so many Mandalorians , such as Jango and Boba Fett , opted for less durable materials instead , such as durasteel or duraplast . The Galactic Empire mined much of the " beskar " off of the surface of Mandalore , so for a time it was nearly impossible to get any . However , the Yuuzhan Vong blasted craters deep into Mandalore that were later found to have opened up several new " beskar " mines . The name for the armor in Mandalorian , " beskar ' gam " , meant Iron skin , or Iron carapace ( for Mando members without fleshy skin ) , because Mandalorian iron was a crucial part of the armor design for millennia , until just before the Clone Wars . The secret of producing armor made from Mandalorian iron was kept within the Mandalorian clans for years . Some Mandalorians would also wear cloaks on the outside of their armor . The helmet served as the control center for most of the suit ' s abilities . A rangefinder attached to the armored helmet was a common upgrade and could track up to thirty targets , while a battle computer inside the helmet allowed the wearer to control the suit ' s weapons , sensors , and jet pack through verbal commands . The dark macrobinocular viewplate offered a variety of vision modes , including infrared . A pineal eye sensor on the helmet combined with an internal overlay display to provide tracking information within a 360 - degree radius . Motion sensors , an encrypted internal comlink , and a broad - band antenna completed the helmet ' s devices , all of which could be linked to the wearer ' s weapons or their personal starship . The helmet could also act as an environmental filter system , with a two hour reserve tank providing breathable air to the Mandalorian warrior . There were a few special suits of mention from the Galactic Civil War . Some of the most famous were worn by the bounty hunters Boba Fett and Jodo Kast , although unlike traditional Mandalorian armor theirs were made from durasteel . Montross continued to wear his armor while working as a bounty hunter , despite being exiled by the Mandalorians . During the Clone Wars , Jango Fett ' s death showed a weakpoint in the armor ' s design that would later be fixed around 40 ABY with the addition of a Gorget , or collar piece , to protect the neck from rapid beheadings . Behind the scenes . The classic computer game " Crusader " , although totally unrelated to " Star Wars " , featured a main character that wore a red Mandalorian - like suit of armor . In the " " series on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System , a villain named " Vile " ( " Vava " in the Japanese version ) bears a helmet similar to that of the Mandalorians . The playable character in the PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 and PC game " TimeShift " also wears armor which includes a t - shaped visored helmet , similar to that of Mandalorian helmets . All are perhaps inspired by Boba Fett ' s popularity . In " " , Mandalorian Militiamen ( the native units on the land map of Mandalore ) wear a different type of helmet compared to the more - common t - visor style mask . The helmet is somewhat similar to the concept art of the Phase II clone trooper armor on its article . In the " " series " " , the artist inserted many " easter eggs " into the artwork of the comic . One of those was the Mandalorian - style armor that the hero called wears , in a glimpse you see of the character on a monitor screen , whose armor design was a nod to Boba Fett , right down to the character ' s stance and jetpack . In a single panel of " " , a corpse can be seen wearing the style of Mandalorian armor more commonly worn by Boba Fett several millennia later . It is more likely that it is meant to reference the Vector story ' s crossing of all the major publishing eras , rather than to imply that this armor style was in use during the Mandalorian Wars .