Summary

• The Great Purge of Mandalore, also known as the Night of a Thousand Tears, was a tragic event orchestrated by Moff Gideon. Bo-Katan Kryze failed to prevent the Purge and surrendered to Gideon in hopes of saving her people, but he betrayed her and massacred the majority of the Mandalorian population.
• The Purge of Mandalore was a part of Operation: Cinder, a destructive campaign carried out by the Imperial Navy after Emperor Palpatine's death. This explains why the New Republic couldn't offer assistance during the Purge, as their resources were spread thin all over the galaxy.
• The Night of a Thousand Tears was even more devastating than the Jedi Purge that came with Order 66. It resulted in the loss of millions of Mandalorian warriors and the destruction of their homeworld. Survivors had to go into hiding, but with the return of the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, Mandalore is now liberated and the healing process can begin.

Star Wars timeline.

The Book of Boba Fett, released in 2021, was the first instance in which the Great Purge was shown on-screen, with the Armorer also clarifying the roles played by Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon and Katie Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze during the tragic event. That being said, the details were left sparse until the release of The Mandalorian season 3 episode 7, in which Bo-Katan Kryze finally explained the truth about the Great Purge, and Ahsoka, in which Professor Huyang revealed what happened to specific Mandalorian characters as well as why the New Republic was unable to offer assistance.

When The Purge Of Mandalore Happened & How It Fits Into The Star Wars Timeline

As revealed by Professor Huyang in Ahsoka, it's revealed that the Purge of Mandalore was a part of Operation: Cinder at the end of the Galactic Civil War following Emperor Palpatine's death. Operation: Cinder was a truly dark campaign of pure destruction to be carried out by the Imperial Navy in the event of Palpatine's death. Also known as the Great Contingency, Cinder was carried out across several different worlds simultaneously. Although it was first referenced in the canonical novels as well as the narrative for EA's Battlefront II video game, Cinder was also referenced in The Mandalorian season 2, foreshadowing this confirmed connection to the Purge of Mandalore.

Because Operation: Cinder was so sudden and carried out all over the galaxy, it now makes sense why the New Republic was presumably unable to help during the Purge of Mandalore. It stands to reason that their resources were spread too thin and that they had become overwhelmed, allowing the Empire to gain one of its final dark victories before it was shattered, becoming the Imperial Remnant following the definitive Battle of Jakku (the official end of the Galactic Civil War in the Star Wars canon).

Bo-Katan Surrendered To Moff Gideon - But Failed To Prevent The Purge

The Empire's Moff Gideon was the first to mention the Night of a Thousand Tears at the end of The Mandalorian season 1, revealing that Imperial gunships opened fire with heavy ordnance on "fields of Mandalorian recruits". The episode also implied that this is where Moff Gideon took possession of the Darksaber from Bo-Katan Kryze, the current ruler at the time of Mandalore's great fall. However, The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 confirmed how directly involved Gideon truly was. According to Paz Viszla and the Armorer, "the blood of millions" is on his hands.

This suggested Gideon wasn't just involved in the purge but likely orchestrated the genocide himself, claiming the Darksaber as a trophy. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7 confirmed this is indeed the case. The episode saw Bo-Katan, Din Djarin, Grogu, and a group of Mandalorians travel to the Great Forge of Mandalore, with Bo-Katan ing the Purge. She revealed that, after Gideon began his attack on Mandalore, she met with him to negotiate a truce. Gideon told Bo-Katan that if she surrendered and disarmed herself, all remaining cities and surviving Mandalorians would be spared. However - despite submitting to his demands - Gideon betrayed Bo, took the Darksaber, and continued with the Purge regardless, massacring the majority of the Mandalorian people.

The Children Of The Watch Survived On Mandalore's Moon Of Concordia

Flashbacks to the Mandalorian Purge itself revealed the planet of Mandalore was decimated by countless Imperial TIE Surface Assault Bombers who carpet-bombed the planet, including the domed capital city Sundari. However, the Armorer confirmed their sect - known as the Children of the Watch - only survived because they had been operating in secret on Concordia, Mandalore's moon. This was once again confirmed in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7, with the Mandalorian survivors who have been roaming the planet’s surface since the Purge questioning the Armorer. She reiterated that being hidden on Concordia led to their survival during the Night of a Thousand Tears.

Bo-Katan Kryze Was Blamed For Mandalore's Destruction

Aside from Bo-Katan’s failure to prevent the Purge, The Book of Boba Fett also confirmed another reason as to why she was blamed for the event: receiving the Darksaber by gift rather than through combat. Such was the case for Bo-Katan, who was gifted the Darksaber by Sabine Wren rather than earning it in Star Wars Rebels. Assuming she could lead by the power of her bloodline and the saber alone, Kryze did not follow the Creed. This was followed by the Purge, which Boba Fett confirmed the Armorer once viewed as a curse on the planet due to Bo’s failure to win the saber by Creed.

According to the Armorer: "If it (the Darksaber) is not won in combat and falls into the hands of the undeserving, it will be a curse unto the nation. Mandalore will be laid to waste and its people scattered to the four winds." Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened under the rule of Bo-Katan with the Night of a Thousand Tears. As such, it's likely that Kryze was once viewed by many surviving Mandalorians as the one responsible for the tragedy, making her leadership role in The Mandalorian season 3 all the more impactful.

Sabine Wren Blamed Ahsoka Tano For The Purge Of Mandalore

Ahsoka also confirmed the tragic deaths of Sabine Wren's family during the Purge of Mandalore. During Star Wars Rebels, Clan Wren had been instrumental in fighting back the Imperial occupation alongside Bo-Katan. As such, they were likely some of the first targets to suffer the Empire's wrath during the Night of a Thousand Tears. It's also revealed that Sabine blames Ahsoka for the Purge, the implication being that Ahsoka didn't listen to her fears that Mandalore was set to become a target during the events of Operation Cinder.

The Purge of Mandalore is also why Ahsoka and Sabine drifted apt as master and apprentice. In the aftermath, Ahsoka came to realize that Sabine was training to become a Jedi for the wrong (and likely dark) reasons. Caught up in her grief, Sabine's determination to save the missing Jedi Ezra Bridger makes perfect sense in Ahsoka, as she was unwilling to give up or lose anyone else she cared about.

Was The Night Of A Thousand Tears Worse Than Order 66?

Now that Star Wars has shown the true devastation of the Night of a Thousand Tears on-screen along with these new insights, it's not hard to argue that the Mandalorian Purge is more tragic and worse than the Jedi Purge that came with Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith. While the galaxy lost the Jedi Order with the rise of the Empire, the Jedi were one group rather than an entire world full of millions of warriors. By numbers alone, the Night of a Thousand Tears was far worse and just as brutal.

Not only were fields of recruits slain by gunships while TIE Bombers laid waste to the capital city, but The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 also revealed that Imperial droids were also sent in to comb the devastation. These droids were utilized to make sure those who had fallen were truly dead and couldn't survive to oppose the Emperor in the future. While the same happened to the Jedi, most Jedi warriors were killed in combat rather than in their own homes, surrounded by their families.

Those who survived the Night of a Thousand Tears had no choice but to go into hiding, losing their homeworld in the process. However, the Darksaber has found its way back to Bo-Katan Kryze once more at the end of The Mandalorian season 3. Likewise, Mandalore is now liberated and redeemed, meaning that the process of healing for the planet and its people can finally begin.