The Mandalorians and the Jedi or even the Sith are undeniable powerful opponents. We wouldn’t wish anyone to go against them.
The Force-sensitives and the Mandalorian warriors were often seen engaged in epic battles. From the Mandalorian-Jedi War to cooperation between the Death Watch and Darth Maul, these groups are more than keen to fight for superiority.
However, who would win in a battle?
Today we will compare and contrast the Mandalorians with the trained Force-sensitives to find an ultimate winner.
Spoiler: The result may not be clear-cut!
The Mandalorian vs. The Jedi
A long-term conflict caused hatred between the Mandalorians and the Jedi. In rare cases, we saw both groups working together. Otherwise, they didn’t seem to like each other that much.
Satine Kryze with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bo-Katan Kryze with Ahsoka Tano were exceptions and not a rule.
The Mandalorian-Jedi War is a good indication that the Jedi and the Mandalorians have been fighting even before Mandalore was a thriving planet.
It is also challenging to compare ordinary people with Force-sensitives. The Jedi and the Sith often gain the upper hand as they have Force to guide them.
However, the Mandalorians might surprise you.
Strengths
The Mandalorians and the Jedi both have peculiar weapons and powers.
Both groups are taught to engage in active combat from a very young age. From a particular perspective, they are equally skilled in hand-to-hand combat and staff-like weapons.
We might even say that their precision with blasters is quite similar. Whilst the Mandalorians were always instructed to use blasters, the Jedi can cheat and perfect their aim with the Force.
At this point, the list of similar strengths ends, and we can finally examine other weapons and abilities.
Mandalorian Weapons
The Mandalorian War against the Jedi might have destroyed the power of Mandalore, yet it helped local citizens to adapt.
The Warriors understood that they couldn’t beat the Jedi because they possessed abilities beyond expected. To match the power of the Force, the Mandalorians had to change their arsenal and armor.
The first such advancement was Beskad armor. A traditional Mandalorian armor proved to be not only a work of art yet perfect protection from the Jedi.
Another successful creation was a Mandalorian vambrace. These gauntlets had everything to kill the Jedi.
“Mandalorian vambraces? Where did you get these?”
“Try them on. Grappling line, paralyzing darts, repulsor. All designed to combat the abilities of the Jedi.”
―Sabine Wren and Fenn Rau from Star Wars Rebels – “Trials of the Darksaber“
They have also mastered flying using jetpacks.
Besides, because of the war, the Mandalorians created the Darksaber. A black lightsaber is reminiscent of a sword and traditional Jedi weapons.
Tarre Vizsla was the first Mandalorian to be a part of the Jedi order whose weapon was a powerful addition to an already impressive arsenal. After its original owner passed away, the weapon was stolen and used to destroy the Jedi.
“Legend tells that it was created over a thousand years ago by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order. After his passing, the Jedi kept the saber in their temple. That was, until members of House Vizsla snuck in and liberated it. They used the saber to unify the people and strike down those who would oppose them. One time, they ruled all of Mandalore wielding this blade.”
―Fenn Rau, to Kanan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels – “Trials of the Darksaber“
You can find out more about the Mandalorians in this guide here.
The Jedi and the Force
The first greatest advantage that makes the Jedi unique is the Force.
It is not only a power to lift objects. The Force allows the Jedi to enhance their movements, become more durable in the battles, heal and even predict possible moves of their attackers.
It would be terrifying to go against someone with the power to foresee the future, manipulate minds, and throw people round using their minds.
There is hardly anything that can compare with the sheer power of the Force!
Even though the Mandalorians developed a Mandalorian vault and used Force suppressing cuffs, it was only after the war.
However, Force is not the only strength of the Jedi. Their signature lightsabers are considered one of the most potent weapons in the Star Wars universe. The kyber crystal powering a lightsaber has a unique power that the Jedi can enhance.
One Darksaber is no match for the whole army with lightsabers!
The last point about the Jedi can be considered a strength and a weakness. It depends on your point of view and situation.
Unlike the Mandalorians, Masters trained the Jedi to let go of their emotions. In some cases, it would have been beneficial. Precisely this control would allow them to use the voice of reason even after witnessing the death of their comrades and seeing the distraction.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of the Mandalorians and the Jedi can be quite debatable. Surprisingly enough, both don’t have that many weak spots.
The Mandalorians
The Jedi have already won a full-scale war against the Mandalorians before. We would be foolish not to consider this victory a definitive indicator of Mandalore’s weaknesses.
“History Lesson! The Jedi won the war with Mandalore!”
―Kanan to Sabine (From Star Wars Rebels – “Trials of the Darksaber“)
Besides, the Mandalorians are driven by passion and their emotions. They use their hatred on the battlefield, much like the Sith.
We can determine that emotions sometimes can be powerful motivators. They would allow the Mandalorians to fight for their planet and beliefs.
Alternatively, they could lose focus during the fight with the Jedi.
The Jedi
Still, emotions border on being a weakness and a strength.
The same can be said about the Jedi. They follow a very strict Jedi Code.
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
-From Dark Disciple
The Code doesn’t only prohibit emotions. It allows the Jedi to stay on the light side of the Force. To do that, they cannot kill the innocent or even their attackers without a weapon.
We saw the Jedi kill, yet only during life and death situations.
Naturally, if the Jedi saw the Mandalorian without a weapon, they would not have killed them!
The same cannot be said about the Mandalorians…
“Jedi cannot help what they are. Their compassion leaves a trail. The Jedi Code is like an itch; he cannot help it.”
-Grand Inquisitor from the Obi-Wan Kenobi show
Finally, the Jedi haven’t changed much since the war. The peacekeepers implemented no new powers or weapons. They are still rather old-fashioned and unwilling to change.
If not for Order 66 and the total destruction of the Jedi Order, the Mandalorians had all tools at their disposal to be more powerful than the Jedi.
Who Would Win?
The Jedi have already won a war against the Mandalorians. However, Mandalore has significantly changed and evolved since that time. So let’s compare their strengths and weaknesses before the final verdict.
| Mandalorians | Jedi | |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | – Arsenal (blasters, Darksaber, Mandalorian vambrace, Beskad armor, jetpacks) – Skilled in combat – Efficient aim – Emotions (depending on the circumstances) | – The Force (enhances strength and durability, improves senses, unique abilities like Force visions) – The aim can be improved with the Force – Lightsabers – Lack of emotions (in some cases can be a strength) – Won the war |
| Weakness | – No Force – Already lost the war – Emotions (depending on the circumstances) | – Jedi Code – No evolution |
Overall, technically, a Mandalorian can kill a Jedi. The Mandalorians are more adaptable and have evolved since their war.
Still, the Jedi possess unmatched raw power, and only with proper tools and preparation can a Mandalorian defeat the Jedi.
Therefore, the actual outcome of the battle would depend on circumstances.
Mandalorian vs. Sith
| Mandalorians | Sith | |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | – Arsenal (blasters, Darksaber, Mandalorian vambrace, Beskad armor, jetpacks) – Skilled in combat – Efficient aim – Emotions (depending on the circumstances) | – The Force (enhances strength and durability, improves senses and aim, includes unique abilities like Force visions) – Lightsabers – No Jedi Code |
| Weakness | – No Force – Lost the war against the Jedi – Got rid of powerful weapons again the Sith | – Two at a time rule (no army) – No evolution |
The Sith seem to share almost all weaknesses with the Jedi. However, we think the Sith had more potential against the Mandalorians for one concrete reason.
They had no Jedi Code!
This Code and the Jedi’s connection to the light side were the only elements that stopped them from blindly killing all the Mandalorians. If not for these religious beliefs, they would behave just as ruthless as the Sith.
You can find out how a Sith Lord differs from an Inquisitor here.
From this perspective, the Sith posed a much bigger threat to the Mandalorians. With that said, the Mandalorian did what they do best — they have adapted.
For example, the Mandalorian still successfully captured Darth Maul using the Mandalorian vault.
By the way, Satine destroyed Mandalorian vaults and many weapons against the Jedi or the Sith.
“I thought your sister outlawed such devices.”
“She did. This is the last one.”
―Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze, on the rarity of Mandalorian vaults (From Star Wars: The Clone Wars – “Shattered“)
We are adding one more weakness!
The vault is meant to be resilient to withstand lightsabers and even the Force itself.
In this case, our conclusion is similar to the Jedi one. The Mandalorians would win a battle against the Sith if given proper weapons.
A Sith against a skilled and equipped Mandalorian would likely lose the battle.
Conclusion
Overall, the verdict is up to debate. Considering all the strengths and weaknesses, the winner would depend on circumstances.
The Force-sensitive will likely win if we put a Mandalorian against a Sith or a Jedi without prior preparation. The Jedi gain the upper hand when it comes to raw power. Besides, they don’t change equipment depending on the attacker and are always ready for combat.
However, if a Mandalorian knew they would be facing someone strong in the Force, they would have good chances.
After all, the Jedi and the Sith are stuck in a time when Mandalore actively progresses.
Considering the Darksaber, Mandalorian bravery, Beskad armor, and other tools, the Mandalorian probably would have won.
We might need to see another match between a Mandalorian and a Force-sensitive to decide!
You can find out more if Mandalorians can be considered good or evil here.
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