I’m big on the whole “verd ori’shya beskar’gam” thing. Star Wars is a fictional universe, sure, but Mandalorians have always really resonated with me. I’m a lifelong martial artist & combat athlete, and I understand the idea people like Miyamoto Musashi or even Bruce Lee spoke about where they would talk about the martial arts not only as a physical means for defense or combat, but as a mindset and a lifestyle, tenets, ideals and virtues you carry with you into every aspect of your life.
“Verd ori’shya beskar’gam” translates to “a warrior is more than their armor.” Armor is an integral aspect of being Mandalorian, but it isn’t the only thing, certainly not the end all be all, and I think that… people… have lost sight of that. Being Mandalorian is about more than just wearing armor. You don’t stop being a Mandalorian once you take the armor off. Mandalorians throughout Star Wars history emphasized a level of hyper-competence both in and out of armor, on and off the battlefield. But even then, I don’t think this is solely about war or combat.
I don’t know that all Mandalorians are soldiers, mercenaries, or hunters. I can’t imagine all Mandalorians take up a trade in combat, although the ability to if the need arises has to be there, regardless of their profession. We know some Mandalorians are farmers, artisans, mechanics, engineers, business owners, cooks, metalsmiths, armorsmiths, I’m sure there are even Mandalorian artists and whatnot. But that doesn’t mean that martial capabilities are gone from their life. It’s an important part of being a Mandalorian, if not for active combat, then at least for preparedness, protection, and defense. They are a warrior culture, after all. Not to mention they have traditional rights of passage involving martial prowess. It’s not something that can be discarded from their lifestyle and culture, and still consider themselves Mandalorian.
It isn’t even just about that, though. Again, you don’t stop being a Mandalorian once you take the armor off. You need to hold close to heart the philosophies, ideals, morals and values, the cultural ethos of the Mandalorians. It’s a mindset and a way of life. It doesn’t start and end with a set of armor. That idea is something that has been heavily overlooked by both Lucasfilm/Disney (esp a certain someone) and fans alike, I think.
I think this is a really important thing to bring up, because the laws and ideas surrounding culture and identity is what separates Mandalorians from the rest of the galaxy, it’s what distinguishes a *Mandalorian* from someone who simply wears armor. This is one of the main reasons why I’m so adamantly against the Children of the Watch, or really any of Filoni’s/Favreau’s version of “Mandalorians.” Because it so blatantly either contradicts or discards major aspects of Mando lore that have been built up and established for decades. The tendency to “black and white, no nuance” and “basic, surface level” everything in Star Wars has got to stop. Filoni’s MO fr. Disney, too, yea. Disnify. Disney-ify. I don’t know.
Anyways, yea, I think a fair few of y’all can absolutely be Mandokarla despite Star Wars being fiction. K’oyacyi!
