Meet the key ‘Clone Wars’ leader ‘The Mandalorian’ just introduced

This story contains spoilers for “The Mandalorian” Chapter 11, “The Heiress.”

Mando’s search for other Mandalorians this season just took a giant leap forward.

In “The Heiress,” the third episode of “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Mando and the Child find themselves in a bind. Thankfully, a small team of jetpack-clad warriors arrive just in time to save them.

For fans of the animated “Star Wars” TV shows, the leader’s armor (and voice) is unmistakable: It’s Bo-Katan Kryze.

Voiced by Katee Sackhoff — who also plays the live-action version of the character in “The Mandalorian” — Bo-Katan first appeared in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” as part of a Mandalorian terrorist group called Death Watch. These insurgents aimed to restore the ancient warrior ways of Mandalore by any means necessary. (Yes, that sounds a lot like the “Children of the Watch” that Bo-Katan mentions during this episode.)

At the time, Mandalore’s pacifist government was led by Duchess Satine, Bo-Katan’s sister who was committed to keeping the Outer Rim planet peaceful and neutral during the Clone Wars.

Though Bo-Katan was skeptical about teaming up with Sith (Mandalorians have a long history of fighting against Jedi, and to her they’re all the same), Death Watch was able to depose Satine with the help of Maul, his brother and their new crime syndicate. But when the leader of Death Watch tried to turn against Maul, Maul killed him, then he killed Satine and claimed Mandalore for himself.

Bo-Katan was not willing to recognize an outside leader and left Maul’s Death Watch with other like-minded Mandalorians. She eventually returned to reclaim Mandalore with the help of Ahsoka Tano and Republic reinforcements before the conclusion of the Clone Wars.

Unfortunately, Bo-Katan’s initial tenure as leader of the Mandalorians was short-lived because she refused to obey the Empire.

In “Star Wars Rebels,” it is revealed that even though Mandalore is occupied by Imperial forces and many Mandalorians work for the Empire, plenty of them still consider Bo-Katan their rightful ruler.

Bo-Katan and her allies joined Sabine Wren (a Mandalorian member of the Rebellion) and her family to liberate Mandalore from the Empire’s control. After they defeated the Imperial forces, Sabine gave Bo-Katan the Darksaber — a one-of-a-kind black-bladed lightsaber created by the first Mandalorian Jedi — to lead Mandalore once again.

But it appears that didn’t last. According to “The Mandalorian,” Imperial forces later managed to wipe out nearly all of the Mandalorians during something called the “Great Purge.” Plus, Moff Gideon has come into possession of the legendary Mandalorian weapon.

So Bo-Katan is once again trying to rally the remaining Mandalorians to reclaim the Darksaber and their rightful place on Mandalore. This is the way.