Who Is Bo-Katan Kryze? Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian Explained

Do you know who Bo-Katan is? A member of the House of Kryse and the sister of Duchess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan plays a pivotal role in Mandalorian culture and history.

She served as a lieutenant in Death Watch before becoming the Mandalorian resistance leader against Maul and later the Galactic Empire. Later, she helped Din Djarin save Grogu from the remnants of the Galactic Empire.

Here is the complete Bo-Katan watch list to catch up on her character. Plus, we answer who is Bo-Katan Kryze in Star Wars and cover everything you need to know about her appearance in The Mandalorian.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian. Avoid details with our spoiler-free Bo-Katan watch list.

What Star Wars Episodes To Watch To Learn About Bo-Katan Kyrze

Want to learn more about Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze? Here are the most important Star Wars episodes to watch:

The Clone Wars – “A Friend in Need” (Season 4, Episode 14)

In her first appearance, Bo-Katan is one of Pre Vizsla’s lieutenants in the Mandalorian terrorist group Death Watch.

While the episode mostly focuses on Lux Bonteri’s desire for revenge against Count Dooku, it does establish Bo-Katan as a fierce and formidable Mandalorian warrior.

She also interacts with Ahsoka Tano and sets up the first of many interactions between them.

The Clone Wars – Shadow Collective arc (Season 5, Episodes 14, 15, 16)

This arc is extremely important to both Bo-Katan’s character development and in terms of the history of Mandalore.

Pre Vizsla and Death Watch form an alliance with Maul and his Shadow Collective in an attempt to overthrow Duchess Satine and the Mandalorian government.

Although Bo-Katan distrusts Maul, she remains loyal to Death Watch and Maul.

Unfortunately, Vizsla gets more than he bargained for from his new partner. Ultimately, Maul uses his new power to get revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi and take control of Mandalore.

Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls are forced to choose their path forward.

While this arc technically starts with “Revival” (Season 5, Episode 1), it is not directly relevant to Bo-Katan’s story. Consider watching the episode for more background about Maul.

The Clone Wars – The Siege of Mandalore arc (Season 7, Episodes 9, 10, & 11)

While not a direct sequel to the Shadow Collective arc, The Siege of Mandalore arc continues that same storyline. Again, it is important in the history of both Mandalore and Bo-Katan.

Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan team up to attempt to capture Maul and free Mandalore. However, things do not go as expected.

Bo-Katan briefly appears in both “Dangerous Debt” (Season 7, Episode 7) and “Together Again” (Season 7, Episode 8). While not necessary for her character development, the episodes do offer some context about The Siege of Mandalore arc.

Also, Bo-Katan only appears at the beginning of “Shattered” (Season 7, Episode 11). Although you can skip the rest of the episode, the first few minutes are important to her storyline. The arc concludes with “Victory and Death” (Season 7, Episode 12), which does not involve Bo-Katan at all.

Rebels – “Heroes of Mandalore” Parts 1 & 2 (Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2)

In her only Rebels appearance, we see a Bo-Katan play a pivotal role on Mandalore.

Together with Sabine Wren, Bo-Katan helps to free Mandalore from Imperial control. Wren also hands the Darksaber over to Bo-Katah, hoping it allows her to reunite and lead the Mandalorian people.

Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian by birth and is also part of the Rebel Alliance. Sabine’s mother, Ursa Wren, was once a member of Death Watch. Later, she joined Bo-Katan’s Nite Owls.

You may also want to watch “Visions and Voices” (Season 3, Episode 11), “Trials of the Darksaber” (Season 3, Episode 15), and “Legacy of Mandalore” (Season 3, Episode 16). Although Bo-Katan does not appear in these episodes, they provide background about the “Heroes of Mandalore” episodes.

Who Is Bo-Katan From The Mandalorian?

Bo-Katan Kryze is a member of the Mandalorian House Kryze. Her father, and later sister, served as the leader of Mandalore.

Bo-Katan first appeared in The Clone Wars, voiced by Katee Sackhoff. Serving as a lieutenant in Pre Vizsla’s Death Watch, she openly opposed her pacifist sister Satine Kryze.

Later in The Clone Wars, she split with Death Watch and opposed Maul’s attempt to take over the planet.

In Rebels, Bo-Katan was the leader of the Mandalorian resistance against the Galactic Empire. By the time of The Mandalorian, she is trying to reunite the Mandalorians spread across the galaxy.

Katee Sackhoff reprised her voice role in Rebels and portrayed the live-action Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian.

Dave Filoni created the character, introducing her in The Clone Wars Season Four. Bo-Katan played a more important role in Season Five.

The name “Bo-Katan” is short for “boogie-cat-Anne,” a reference to his wife’s cat. Dave’s wife is Anne, who calls her cat “boogie.”

Early Life and Pre-Clone Wars

Born a princess of Mandalore sometime, Bo-Katan grew up mostly on the plant Kalevala, the homeworld of House Kryze. Her father, Adonai Kryze, was the ruler of Mandalore for a time.

At some point, she inherited a set of armor passed down through the generations of her family. Bo-Katan took the Mandalorian Creed in the Living Waters in the Mines of Mandalore in front of her father and the subjects of the Mandalorian royal family.

While her sister, Satine Kryze, choose the pacifist path of the New Mandalorians, Bo-Katan sided with the Mandalorian traditionalists. During the first Mandalorian Civil War, she sided with Death Watch.

As a result, she became estranged from Satine, and they never fully reconciled their differences.

These events are not depicted on screen but are retold in first- and second-hand accounts in The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian.

Death Watch and the Clone Wars

Between 21 and 19 BBY, Bo-Katan remained loyal to Pre Vizsla and Death Watch during most of the Clone Wars.

She first encountered the Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano when Lux Bonteri, son of the former Separatist Senator Mina Bonteri, tried to share information about Count Dooku. Dooku had betrayed both Death Watch and murdered Mina.

Bo-Katan remained loyal to Death Watch when Per Vizsla aligned with Maul and Savage Opress. Vizsla convinced Maul to use his Shadow Collective to attack Mandalore, allowing him to play the hero.

However, Vizsla ultimately betrayed Maul. As a result, Maul murdered Pre Vizsla and took control of Death Watch. While some of Death Watch remained loyal to Maul, Bo-Katan and the Nite Owls opposed an off-worlder taking control of Mandalore.

Calling on Ahsoka Tano and the Jedi for support, Bo-Katan eventually overthrew Maul. At the end of the war, Bo-Katan served as regent of Mandalore.

All of these events are shown on screen during The Clone Wars series.

The Galactic Empire and the Great Purge

However, Bo-Katan’s rule over Mandalore was short-lived. After Order 66, the Galactic Empire occupied Mandalore in 19 BBY. When Bo-Katan refused to submit, she was betrayed by Gar Saxon and Clan Saxon.

After a time, Kryze formed a resistance movement against Clan Saxon. However, they were largely unsuccessful for a number of years until Sabine Wren brought the Darksaber to her mother on Krownest.

Although initially betrayed, Sabine eventually united Clan Wren against the Empire. Soon, Bo-Katan and other Mandalorians joined the fight.

Fearing another civil war, the Empire decided to destroy Mandalore instead. In what was called the Great Purge of Mandalore, they committed genocide against the Mandalorains.

Using fusion bombs, they glassed the surface of Mandalore and left the planet a toxic wasteland. What few Mandalorains remained abandoned the planet.

Sometime during the battle, the Empire stole huge supplies of beskar. Bo-Katan also lost the Darksaber as well.

Some Mandalorians blamed Bo-Katan for the purge because she accepted the Darksaber without winning it in combat.

Some of these events are depicted in The Clone Wars, while others are told second-hand in Rebels and The Mandalorian.

After the Fall of the Empire

After the fall of the Galactic Empire, Bo-Katan and her remaining Nite Owls worked to reunite the remaining Mandalorians. She encountered Din Djarin, who was on a quest to return Grogu to the Jedi, on the ocean moon Trask.

While she saved him twice, Din initially rejected her since she did not follow the Way of the Mandalore. However, Djarin eventually agreed to help her raid an Imperial weapons shipment in exchange for information on where to find a Jedi.

After Moff Gideon kidnapped Grogu, Bo-Katan helped Din recover the foundling. During the battle, Din won the Darksaber from Gideon. While he offered it to Bo-Katan, she refused to accept it.

These events occur during The Mandalorian Season Two.

Spoiler Free List of Star Wars Episodes To Watch About the Bo-Katan Kryze

• The Clone Wars – Season 4 Episode 14 “A Friend in Need”
• The Clone Wars – Season 5 Episode 14 “Eminence”
• The Clone Wars – Season 5 Episode 15 “Shades of Reason”
• The Clone Wars – Season 5 Episode 16 “The Lawless”
• The Clone Wars – Season 7 Episode 7 “Dangerous Debt”
• The Clone Wars – Season 7 Episode 8 “Together Again”
• The Clone Wars – Season 7 Episode 9 “Old Friends Not Forgotten”
• The Clone Wars – Season 7 Episode 10 “The Phantom Apprentice”
• The Clone Wars – Season 7 Episode 11 “Shattered”
• Rebels – Season 4 Episode 1 “Heroes of Mandalore, Part 1”
• Rebels – Season 4 Episode 2 “Heroes of Mandalore, Part 2”
• The Mandalorian – Season 2 Episode 3 “Chapter 11: The Heiress”
• The Mandalorian – Season 2 Episode 8 “Chapter 16: The Rescue”