‘The Mandalorian’: What Is Beskar?

Beskar is a big deal in the universe of The Mandalorian, now on Disney Plus. But if you’re not familiar with it, then it might be a bit of a mystery to you. Read on to learn more about it. This post has spoilers from The Mandalorian Episode 1.

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Beskar Played a Big Role in the Episode

Mando had a pretty major bounty meetup partway through the episode, where he was offered more money than most are willing to pay these days. His negotiations early in the episode gave viewers insight into the state of the Star Wars universe right now. No one wants to pay Guild rates for bail jumpers, so most opportunities that come to Mando won’t even cover the cost of fuel. But there is one job from a deep pocket that’s mysterious.

Mando eventually meets him, and the mystery only deepens. The man is an older Imperial leader who is still protected by some very rough-looking Stormtroopers. And he’s wearing an Imperial medallion on his neck.

The mysterious leader paid Mando in Beskar and a big deal was made about this moment and how it’s putting things back in the proper order to pay him this way. At the time, he was given a bounty to bring back an asset “preferably alive.” (That part was on the insistence of Dr. Pershing.)

The exchange between Mando and the Mandalorian blacksmith was also intriguing. The Beskar, we’re told, was gathered in the Purge. “It’s good to have it back in the tribe,” the blacksmith remarks.

More than likely, she’s referring to the Jedi Purge, which happened when the Jedi Order were destroyed by the Sith and hunted to almost extinction. But we don’t know this for certain.

She wants to know if Mando’s sigil has been revealed, and he says not yet.

The Beskar is melted and used to make a new piece in Mando’s armor. The blacksmith says, “This is extremely generous. The excess will be used to sponsor many foundlings.”

Then the Beskar is an alloy used to create a piece of Mando’s armor. As the process is underway, Mando has flashbacks from his childhood. It appears that his home was destroyed in some type of battle. He adds the Beskar piece to his armor and goes along his way.

There’s a nice explanation about what Beskar is in Wookieepedia. It’s also known as Mandalorian iron and is used in their armor because it is so strong. It can even withstand a blaster shot or a “glancing blow” of a lightsaber. (The wiki points out that a direct blow, however, can penetrate the armor.) It’s one of the toughest metals in the galaxy. (It kind of reminds me of the concept of Valyrian steel from Game of Thrones, if you want a good analogy.) Of course, unlike Valyrian steel, the process for making Beskar is still known in this universe.

In this universe, scrap pieces of Beskar are highly valuable. It’s part of their culture, of which Mando is deeply embedded.

READ NEXT: ’The Mandalorian’ Episode 1: Review & Recap

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