Mandalore the Ultimate Mandalore the Ultimate , or Te Ani ' la Mand ' alor in Mando ' a , led the Mandalorians during the Mandalorian Wars . One of the last Taung to claim the Mandalore title , and known to some as the Great Shadow Father , he regrouped the Mandalorian forces into the Mandalorian Neo - Crusaders and slowly began to conquer fringe worlds that had been left defenseless in the wake of the Great Sith War . Mandalore took full advantage of the Galactic Republic ' s halfhearted efforts to oppose his aggression and personally led his forces as they invaded Republic territory . Under his command , the Neo - Crusaders nearly defeated the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars , and it was only through the leadership of the Jedi Knights Revan and Malak that the tide of the war was ultimately turned against Mandalore . Revan killed Mandalore in hand - to - hand combat near the end of the war . Biography . Early life . Little was known about Mandalore the Ultimate ' s life prior to his assuming command of the Mandalorian clans . He was known to have been the quickest Mandalorian to ever master the use of the Basilisk war droid s . In the last days of the Great Sith War , he was part of the Mandalorian invasion force that attacked the planet Onderon . This assault pitted Basilisk war droids against Beast Riders lead by the Onderonian king Oron Kira , who overcame the Mandalorians and drove them onto the dreaded jungle moon Dxun . When Mandalore the Indomitable was killed in the beast - infested jungle , Mandalore the Ultimate served as part of the party that searched for him until he found his helmet . Lord of the clans . In the years following the death of Mandalore the Indomitable , the new Mandalore went on to prove himself worthy of the title " Ultimate , " and , in the wake of the clans ' defeat , he set about their reforging . Mandalore understood the value an environment such as Dxun ' s would have for training warriors , and he built a great complex among its forests . Mandalore the Ultimate thus established the inhospitable moon as the clans ' new forward base of operations and from there recalled the disparate clans . Though few remained to heed his summons , Mandalore was undeterred , instead choosing to increase the recruiting of other species into the fold , thereby forming a new generation of Mandalorian warriors known as the Neo - Crusaders . In time , the Mandalorian ranks swelled with warriors from countless worlds . Humans made up the majority , but species as diverse as Rodians , Twi ' leks , Togorians , Kerestian s , and Mandallian Giant s were well represented . Under Mandalore the Ultimate ' s direction , the term " Mandalorian " began to signify more than just a species ; it referred to a warrior culture that defined itself by its devotion to the ideal of earning honor and glory through combat . The Mandalorian Wars . Prelude . About 3978 BBY , a pureblood member of the Sith species approached Mandalore , stated that he was the emissary of a powerful Sith Lord , and persuaded Mandalore to help him in his search for the tomb of the enemy of his master ' s ancestor . They came to the world of Rekkiad , where they discovered the tomb , and inside a crypt where the Sith took the remains for his master . Afterwards , the emissary told Mandalore of a vision his master had of the Mandalorians waging war on the Republic and conquering it . However , the Sith was really influencing Mandalore ' s mind with the Dark Side , so the Mandalorians wound invade the Republic to test it ' s strength . As a result , Mandalore started a new crusade in 3976 BBY . He led his renewed forces into the Outer Rim Territories , along the edge of Republic territory , sacking independent worlds and colonies such as Althir III . The Mandalorian Neo - Crusaders were able to carve out a clan territory greater than that ruled by the Hutts in the span of little more than a decade . During this time , Mandalore appointed Cassus Fett as his top strategist and allowed him to lead an army of Basilisk war - mounts in the subjugation of Cathar . The Republic Senate initially failed to respond , refusing to join in the conflict unless the Mandalorians threatened to invade the Republic itself . Meanwhile , Mandalore prepared to do just that . He reordered his conquered provinces to better serve as warehouses and foundries for his growing armadas . The Mandalorian clans grew more powerful than ever before , as they accumulated a huge slave labor - force and conscripted subject peoples into their ranks . As world after world was conquered by their advancing fleets , swarms of refugees began to pour into Republic space . It was not until Mandalore ' s army approached Taris that the Republic senators chose to make a stand and defend the Republic ' s extensive commercial investment in the planet . Taris was granted Republic membership , and the annexed world soon became the heart of the Republic ' s defense of the region . Between the years 3965 and 3964 BBY , the first minor skirmishes between Neo - Crusader and Republic forces took place along the Republic border between Taris and the Mandalorian homeworld . For months , the two galactic powers sparred with each other within the neutral Republic frontier , as the Mandalorians systematically probed the strength and resolve of the Republic military in preparation for a full - scale attack . Invasion of the Republic . In 3963 BBY , Mandalore started his invasion of the Republic with a rapid conquest of Onderon , staged from nearby Dxun . Then , taking advantage of the chaos that had consumed Taris , Mandalore unleashed his long - prepared forces . His fleets poured into Republic space through three invasion corridors in adjacent sectors and caught the Republic Navy completely off - guard . The main Mandalorian fleet , commanded by Mandalore himself , began a major push towards the Republic security cordon around Taris . Splitting his forces , Mandalore simultaneously attacked Taris and the nearby planet Vanquo , thereby forcing the Republic defenders , under the command of Admirals Jimas Veltraa and Noma Sommos , to divide their efforts , causing them both to be defeated . It was during this time that Republic intelligence agents sought to determine whether Mandalore the Ultimate was the same Mandalore who had arisen after the death of Mandalore the Indomitable , but they could not come to any firm conclusion . In the midst of Rohlan Dyre , aka the Questioner ' s death at Flashpoint , Mandalore added a dying speech to his last words and made him the model for a wide spread use of Neo - Crusader armor . Under Mandalore the Ultimate ' s direction , the Neo - Crusaders used nuclear devices to completely annihilate several cities on Serroco during the Battle of Serroco , dismissing any Republic delusions that the Mandalorians would not use " appropriate force " against military bases within and adjacent to major civilian population centers . Soon after , Mandalore — along with most other leaders involved in the Mandalorian conflict — was invited by Arkoh Adasca , head of the Adascorp corporation , to a meeting aboard Adasca ' s flagship , the " Arkanian Legacy " , on being contacted by Demagol , under the guise of Rohlan Dyre . Mandalore told " Rohlan " of his glorious " death " . Thus , he gave " Rohlan " a new set of armor so that his name would stay dead . Adasca wished to sell controllable exogorths , capable of inflicting immense damage , to the highest bidder . Mandalore expressed interest in the offer , even going so far as claiming it would ensure the Mandalorians would win the war . Furthermore , Mandalore believed that the exogorths were important enough to the Mandalorian war effort that he was prepared to offer Adascorp immunity when the Mandalorians declared victory in the war , and thus absorbed every other galactic corporation . Likewise , Mandalore extended to Adasca the lucrative option of becoming the sole weapon smith of all the Mandalorian clans , thus essentially being the steward of the entire Mandalorian war production effort . Adasca , however , believed that he was in a position to barter for the entire control of the Mandalorian army , effectively making him the clans ' leader and boss of Mandalore . The meeting , though , was interrupted by the arrival of the Jedi Zayne Carrick and Lucien Draay , who had escaped from their captivity by Adasca aboard the " Arkanian Legacy " . Under the direction of Draay , the Jedi created a farce through which they made it seem that Adasca had only lured Mandalore aboard the " Legacy " so that the Jedi could capture the Mandalorian leader . Powerless to stop the ensuing chaos , Adasca was forced to watch as Mandalore and his warriors retreated back to their ships . Following Mandalore ' s withdrawal , Adasca was killed when he lost direct control of his exogorths and they plunged into the " Arkanian Legacy " , thus destroying the ship ; despite the turn of events , Mandalore was satisfied since the slugs were not controlled by anyone . In the opening battles of the war , the Republic armadas proved to be entirely outmatched by the sheer ferocity of the Mandalorian attacks . Time and again , the Republic Navy was soundly beaten , and though the Jedi were still forbidden from entering into the conflict by the Jedi High Council , Mandalore and his warriors believed it was only a matter of time before they came to the Republic ' s aid , likely under the leadership of Kavar , a famed Council member . Defeat and death . Yet , it was not Kavar that led the Jedi to war , but a Jedi Knight named Revan . He and a fellow Jedi Knight , named Alek Squinquargesimus , had rallied a significant portion of the Jedi Order beneath their banner , and were soon in full command of a third of the Republic army . Mandalore , by now used to victory , was taken aback by how Revan turned the Mandalorians ' own tactics against them , and soon the Republic Navy began to push the Mandalorians back . Following Revan ' s liberation of Taris from the Mandalorians , Cassus Fett led Mandalore ' s forces to victory at Jaga ' s Cluster , only to find a significant portion of the Mandalorian army destroyed at Althir . The war was turning in the favor of the Republic . Though Revan forced a final confrontation with the Mandalorians above Malachor V in the year 3960 BBY , a scouting party saw to it that Revan himself was delayed out of system . Revan soon thereafter arrived at the battle , and as their personal fleets clashed , the two commanders met in single combat . The Jedi ultimately defeated and killed Mandalore . Dying , Mandalore realized that he was really manipulated by the Sith all along , and told Revan about their involvement . Legacy . Revan not only stripped the surviving Mandalorians at Malachor V of their armor and weaponry ; he took the mask of Mandalore as well , effectively fragmenting the Mandalorian clans . The Mandalorian fleets were all but destroyed at Malachor V by the Mass Shadow Generator , an experimental Republic - engineered weapon . Without leadership and direction , many went on to find work as bounty hunters or mercenaries . Subsequently , there were at least two who claimed the title of Mandalore in attempts to reunify the clans . The first attempt , headed by an unidentified Mandalore , posed a threat to Revan ' s new Sith Empire , but many Mandalorians were unaware of this , believing that no new Mandalore had been chosen . Mandalore the Ultimate ' s mantle eventually fell to Canderous Ordo , who had some success in his attempt to reunite the clans at Dxun . Several planets were devastated during the Mandalorian Wars , for which Mandalore the Ultimate was responsible . Notable examples included Serroco , which was thoroughly bombed with nuclear devices , and Cathar , whose native species was all but wiped out . Personality and traits . Mandalore understood what it meant to be " Mando ' ade " , and upon becoming Mandalore the Ultimate he set out rebuilding the society . When it became apparent that few of the original Mandalorians remained to heed his call to rebuild , he demonstrated his willingness to break established ways and set about recruiting other species into his army . Through his leadership and vision , the term " Mandalorian " took upon a new significance ; they had become more than just a species . The clans had established themselves as part of a unique warrior culture . In addition to recruiting non - Taungs into the clans , Mandalore the Ultimate also broke with Mandalorian norms in other matters . Unlike previous Mandalores , Mandalore the Ultimate would often take political considerations into account . At the urging of Cassus Fett , his second - in - command , Mandalore decided to use the Neo - Crusader movement as a standard to hold other Mandalorians up to , as opposed to the fanatics its members had once been regarded as . Also at Fett ' s suggestion , Mandalore made the decision to standardize the armor of the Mandalorian Neo - Crusaders . As Mandalore himself professed , the use of the Neo - Crusader armor was useful despite his distaste for its appearance . Mandalore even considered parlaying with his enemies if it would achieve victory , as seen by his presence at the negotiations at Omonoth . In the years preceding , and also during the Mandalorian Wars , Mandalore the Ultimate established his reputation as a brazen strategist who was capable of immense destruction . He led a merciless campaign in the Outer Rim Territories , authorizing the devastation of such planets as Cathar and allowing his armies to sack the world of Althir . Even as the Republic began to respond to his aggressions , he continued to lead his Mandalorians with brutal efficiency . As the war escalated , Mandalore proved that he was willing to do anything to win his cause , even to the point of using nuclear devices to destroy entire cities . Behind the scenes . An unidentified Taung soldier appears in " " , taking up the mask of Mandalore the Indomitable and establishing himself as the new Mandalore . Later , an unidentified Mandalore would be mentioned several times in both " Knights of the Old Republic " video game s by various characters and was said to have fought in the Great Sith War and led the Neo - Crusaders during the Mandalorian Wars . Eventually , this ambiguous Mandalore was identified as " Mandalore the Ultimate " in the " Star Wars Insider " article " The History of the Mandalorians " ; " The New Essential Chronology " later established that the Taung soldier and Mandalore the Ultimate were indeed the same character . The character of Mandalore the Ultimate would go on to be a major character in the " " comic series , which expounded on events surrounding the time of the Mandalorian Wars . Nevertheless , there was some confusion among fans following the release of the " " in the fall of 2007 . In the " Handbook " , there is provided a brief explanation of the title " Mandalore , " followed by an ambiguous statement about the history of Mandalore the Ultimate . In the entry entitled " Mandalore , " it was stated that some Republic officials were unsure if this Mandalore was actually the Taung soldier who replaced Mandalore the Indomitable following the Great Sith War , or if he was yet another successor who took the name and mask of Mandalore . The " Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide " , released in August 2008 , would continue this ambiguity . In the original cover art of " " , Mandalore sported a red mask . This was changed to a golden color for unknown reasons , although author John Jackson Miller noted that " it is the case that the redder it is , those raised lines make it look more like the movie Spider - Man ' s mask . " In the " Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide " , there is an illustration depicting Mandalore the Ultimate on the left and Mandalore the Indomitable on the right beside him . However , the caption mistakenly identifies the one on the right as Mandalore the Ultimate . " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " repeated this mistake , using the half of the image with Mandalore the Indomitable , and captioning it as Mandalore the Ultimate .