Tamal Kundu
Created by Jon Favreau, ‘The Mandalorian’ is set in the ever-sprawling ‘Star Wars’ universe and revolves around Din Djarin or The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), a bounty hunter tasked to take the child Grogu to his people. As they travel across the outer reaches of the galaxy together, a father-son bond begins to develop between the two. The third season of the series focuses on Mandalore, the home planet of the war-like Mandalorian people. The planet was believed to have become inhabitable because of the heavy bombing in the Night of a Thousand Tears by the Galactic Empire.
However, in season 3 episode 2, ‘Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore,’ Din and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) discover that the planet’s atmosphere supports life. Din is there to bathe in the Living Waters to redeem himself. He tries to do so while wearing his Beskar armor and vanishes in the depth of the water, prompting Bo-Katan to jump in after him. As she tries to pull her friend up from the bottom of the water, she encounters a giant eye, which focuses on her, prompting Bo-Katan to swim up faster. If you are wondering what type of creature it is, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Creature Does Bo-Katan See in the Living Waters?
Bo-Katan Kryze sees a Mythosaur in the Living Waters inside the Beskar mines of Mandalore. In the canon continuity, the Outer Rim world of Mandalore is the native world of the Mythosaurs, a reptilian creature with massive downturned horns and of colossal proportions. If the Mandalorian lore is to be believed, the Mandalore the Great and other ancient Mandalorians once tamed and rode Mythosaurs. However, in the ensuing centuries, the species apparently went extinct long before the purge happened. In ‘The Mandalorian,’ Mythosaur is first mentioned in the self-titled pilot episode. In 9 ABY, while training Din to ride blurrgs on the planet Arvala-7, the Ugnaught Kuiil remarks, “You are a Mandalorian! Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur.”
In ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ ‘Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian,’ the Mandalorian Armorer tells Din that the songs that foretell the resurgence of Mandalore are connected to the Mythosaur. “We shall see. The songs of eons past foretold of the Mythosaur rising up to herald a new age of Mandalore,” she says. With what Bo-Katan finds in ‘The Mines of Mandalore,’ it seems that the songs were right. At least one Mythosaur has survived in the Living Waters underneath the ruins of Sundari, once the capital city of Mandalore, and it is safe to assume that the creature will play an important role in the narrative going forward.
Even though the Mythosaur is believed to be extinct, it lives on in the Mandalorian iconography as the Mythosaur skull emblem. In the old ‘Star Wars continuity,’ also known as ‘Legends,’ the Mythosaurs had existed for eons on their native planet until the arrival of the Mandalorian Taung around 7,000 BBY. Under the leadership of Mandalore the First, the Taung drove the Mythosaurs to extinction, establishing their new home on the planet. The Taung then started to call themselves “Mandalorians” and dubbed their new world “Mandalore” after their leader.
Like in canon, the extinction of Mythosaurs secured their place in the Mandalorian lore. The skull of the Mythosaur became the most prominent symbol of Mandalore as a planet. A bone from the creature’s sternum was carved and decorated to serve as the ceremonial mask for the rulers of Mandalore. Furthermore, the creature’s calcified bones were used to build various weapons, including the Mythosaur axe.
‘The Mines of Mandalore’ marks the first time a live Mythosaur has appeared in canon. A Mythosaur skull can be found in Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities in Black Spire Outpost, Batuu, in the ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ multimedia project. The appearance of Mythosaur in ‘The Mandalorian’ probably indicates that the narrative will revolve around the restoration of Mandalore. Both Din and Bo-Katan seek redemption. While Din is content with achieving that by bathing in the Living Waters, his destiny is interconnected with that of Bo-Katan. And as things stand now, the living Mythosaur will likely play a crucial role wherever their paths take them.
Read More: Is Cara Dune Dead? Why Was Gina Carano Fired from The Mandalorian?
