Star Wars: Episode VII Villains Could Be Mandalorian Mercenaries

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Boba FettIn the Star Wars universe, Mandalorians are known to generally be badass mercenaries and assassins for hire. Clad in awesome armor, grim, vicious characters like Boba Fett have become fan favorites, and according to the latest scuttlebutt going around the Internet, these ruthless folks could play a key role in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.

Lately we’ve heard rumblings that the primary villains in Episode VII could be a trio of what people were initially calling “Jedi Hunters,” though that term has largely been supplanted by the less-specific mercenaries. Franchise newcomers Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave) and Adam Driver (Inside Llewyn Davis) are rumored to be two of these characters trying to rid the galaxy of the Jedi, while the identity of the third is a hotly debated topic.

According to Latino-Review’s well-placed sources, these mercenaries could be a three Mandalorians. This would certainly fit in with their overall identity as a people. Originally a nomadic people, their culture has always revolved around war and battle, and they eventually drifted towards the bounty hunting game, selling their talents to the highest bidder. These morally questionable practices, which often allied the Mandalorians with the evil Sith, created a conflict and general distrust between them and the Jedi Knights, which would explain why they might be particularly interested in hunting them to extinction.

These are ominous villains, and total badasses, and would certainly be a harsh foe for Luke Skywalker and company to face off against. The villains have been described as wearing black, and with helmets, but no one has yet made a comparison to either Boba or Jango Fett, which seems like it would be the first out of the hatch if there were any resemblance. So we’ll have to wait and see. If the Mandalorians do figure prominently into Episode VII, what, if anything, does that mean for the potential Boba Fett standalone movie that is supposedly in the works? One of the main characters in Star Wars Rebels, Sabine, is also a Mandalorian.

SabineBut this isn’t where LR’s report ends. The article goes on to say that in addition to these Mandalorian mercenaries, fans can expect to see what they’re calling a “Sith Witch” or “Sith Witches” when Episode VII opens on December 18, 2015 (assuming it doesn’t get delayed by Harrison Ford’s broken leg). There aren’t any names or details to throw around, but people are speculating that this character, or these characters, could be based on the Nightsisters, a sect of the Witches of Dathomir, which is Darth Maul’s home planet. Using dark, Force-driven magic, these witches employ forbidden, heretical techniques to cast Force illusions, and fought for Count Dooku in the Clone Wars. They sound like a suitably nasty, sinister bunch, not a group you choose to tangle with if you can avoid such a clash.