Summary
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars explored the character of Satine Kryze, the pacifist ruler of the Mandalorian system, who was caught in the middle of conflicts during the Clone Wars.
- Satine Kryze's rise to power led to a civil war among the Mandalorians and the emergence of the terrorist group known as the Death Watch.
- Despite her ideals of neutrality and peace, Satine was eventually captured and killed by Darth Maul, confessing her love for Obi-Wan Kenobi before her death.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars introduced many new characters, and went into more depth about already existing characters, including Count Dooku, Darth Maul, and Mace Windu. Some new characters only played a role in a single episode. Others, though, came back several times throughout the series, and played a significant role in the greater plot as a whole.
One character that came back many times throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the Duchess and ruler Satine Kryze. She ruled in a difficult time for her people, seeing much destruction, violence, and even terrorism directed towards the citizens she ruled over. For someone who wanted little to nothing to do with the Clone Wars, she found herself caught in the middle of many of its conflicts because of the forcefulness of the Separatists and the will of the Dark Side of the Force.
Who Is Satine Kryze?
Satine was the Duchess of Kalevala and ruler of the Mandalorian system. A strong pacifist, she advocated for peace and for her people to have no part in the Clone Wars, or any of the conflict before the wars. She did everything she could to stay neutral. Oftentimes, though, she found herself caught in the middle of the Separatists plans. The Separatists constantly tried to either swing her people to their cause, or simply take over the Mandalore system.
Before she became Duchess, the Mandalorians were a very violent people, often fighting in galactic wars and staying true to their bounty hunter lifestyles. However, as she rose to power, she followed the ways of the New Mandalorians, which sought non-violence and peace among the galaxy. Many of her citizens disagreed with the New Mandalorian ideals and revolted against her, starting a civil war among the Mandalorians before the start of the Clone Wars. This civil war would see the rise of the terrorist organization known as the Death Watch.
As the civil war put the Duchess in greater danger, the Jedi Council sent Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to protect her from any assassination attempts. The Jedi and Satine spent a lot of time away from Mandalore during the civil war, but finally returned after the New Mandalorians had been crowned the victors. While under the watch of the Jedi, Satine and Obi-Wan grew fonder of each other, but could never act on their mutual love because of Obi-Wan's oath to the Jedi Order. The Death Watch still remained in the shadows, eventually joining the Separatist movement and seeking to overthrow the New Mandalorians.
When Does Satine Kryze First Appear?
Despite having risen to power before the events of The Phantom Menace, Satine Kryze wouldn't be seen on screen until season 2, episode 12 of The Clone Wars, "The Mandalore Plot." During this episode, a group of Mandalorians attack a Republic ship, and Obi-Wan travels to Mandalore to discuss the violent act with Duchess Satine Kryze. She assures him that she wasn't behind the attack, and they both conclude that the Death Watch has resurrected after seemingly falling after the Mandalorian civil war.
Both Obi-Wan and Satine investigate the possible Death Watch revival. They learn that Satine's very own government colleague, Governor Vizsla, is at the head of the terrorist rebellion. Obi-Wan defeats the corrupt governor, but the Death Watch lives on, in which Obi-Wan suspects they are working with the Separatists. Despite this suspicion, Satine Kryze stands by her stance of staying neutral, wishing for no more violence or bloodshed with her people.
Satine appeared numerous times in The Clone Wars after "The Mandalore Plot." She remained a pacifist throughout her time in power, but she was eventually captured by the Death Watch, and held prisoner by Darth Maul himself. After being alerted that she was imprisoned, Obi-Wan embarked on a rescue mission to save the Duchess. However, Obi-Wan was captured before he could free Satine, and was brought in front of Darth Maul who presented his prisoner to the Jedi Knight. Greatly outnumbered, Obi-Wan was forced to watch as Maul stabbed Satine, who fell into Obi-Wan's arms and confessed her love to him before dying.
Will There Be a Live-Action Satine Kryze?
As of the plans moving forward right now for Disney and Star Wars, there is no indication that Satine Kryze will be reprised in any upcoming live-action projects. Besides a possible flashback of some sort, Satine could only come back to the franchise if there is a Star Wars project that takes place between The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith.
While Satine hasn't come back to live action, her sister Bo-Katan Kryze appeared in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Bo-Katan established herself as part of the Death Watch, and first appeared in season 4 of The Clone Wars. The actress who plays Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian had previously shared that she thinks Thor: Ragnarok alum Cate Blanchett would be a great option for the role of her sister in any live-action project. But as of now, Satine Kryze's live action potential remains slim.