‘The Mandalorian’: The Children of the Watch, Explained

When The Mandalorian first premiered, viewers weren’t aware of the existence of the Children of the Watch. As the first season progressed, the story honed in on just one Mandalorian bounty hunter, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal). The Mandalorians don’t have an extensive history in Star Wars TV and film, so most of what we knew about Mandalorians came from Djarin in season 1. He explained that it was part of the Mandalorian creed, referred to as “The Way,” that one must never remove one’s helmet or be seen helmet-less by another living being. It was a creed he swore to after the Mandalorians adopted him as a Foundling and raised him in their culture.

Hence, both Djarin and viewers were surprised when a few more Mandalorians jetpacked into the series in season 2 and casually removed their helmets. Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), and Axe Woves (Simon Mario Kassianides) are introduced in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 3, “Chapter 11: The Heiress.” They are revealed to be Mandalorians who survived the purge of Mandalore and have been working to wipe out remnants of the Empire. Djarin declares that they must not be Mandalorians, because they removed their helmets.

This is when Kryze explains that not all Mandalorians follow “The Way.” She, Reeves, and Woves are part of the more mainstream society of Mandalore, which is more lenient in its rules regarding armor. However, Djarin is part of a religious sect of Mandalorians known as the Children of the Watch.

Who are the Children of the Watch?

Not a whole lot is known about the Children of the Watch, including when they were formed and who they were founded by. However, as said above, they are a religious group of Mandalorians who adhere to the Way of the Mandalore. The Way of the Mandalore was the ancient religion of Mandalore that had largely fallen away by the time of the New Republic. The Children of Watch seem to be trying to preserve the ancient religion. They never explain the reasoning behind their beliefs, but the most major one is that it is disgraceful to ever remove one’s helmet.

These strict rules result in Mandalorians having to find hiding places to eat with their masks removed. They face exile from the clan if they break the rules. The only way to be redeemed after being declared an apostate is to bathe in the Living Waters of Mandalore. While those outside of the Children of the Watch view them as a cult, they don’t seem particularly malicious. They just seem a bit misguided in their odd practices. However, they are also known for especially revering Foundlings, such as the orphaned Djarin and Grogu. They protect them above all else and raise them as their own before inducting them into their creed or reuniting them with their own people.

Given these limited details, many anticipate that there may be a lot more to the Children of the Watch than meets the eye. Some viewers have speculated that they may have arisen from the terrorist group, the Death Watch, which arose during the Clone Wars. This faction was also very much preoccupied with following the old ways of the Mandalorians, particularly their martial history. Plus, both the Death Watch and Children of the Watch have ties to Concordia, one of the moons of Mandalore previously governed by Pre Vizsla (Jon Favreau). It’s possible that some of the Children of the Watch were descendants of the Death Watch. But their true history, origin, motivations, and even trustworthiness remain ambiguous.

(featured image: Disney)