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Description

This is my concept for a Mandalorian Holocron. This is a natural outgrowth of the idea that the Mandalorians develop their own order of good, Force-wielding protectors, similar to the Jedi Knights, but with armor, energy shields, and Darksabers. (See my “Knights of Mandalore” stories to learn more about my headcanon about the Mandalorian Knights.)

Who made it?: The first Mandalorian holocron was constructed and left behind by the great Tarre Vizsla, who was both a Mandalorian and a Jedi Knight. Newer holocrons, like the one shown here, were created by Captain Synn and his new order of Mandalorian Knights, an order which was, in a sense, modeled after Tarre Vizsla.

The Shape: In selecting the main “featured” geometric shape, I decided to go with the elongated hexagon, as we see this shape appear repeatedly in Mandalorian culture. The smaller facets end up being squares and triangles, which subtly echo the designs of both the cube-shaped Jedi holocrons and the pyramidal Sith holocrons. To be clear, however, I don’t see the Mandalorian Knights as being “half-way between” the Jedi and the Sith. I conceive them as being closely allied with the Jedi and sworn enemies of the Sith. This elongated shape is more practical than either a large cube or a pyramid, as it might much more easily be shoved into a cylindrical pouch on a belt. Whereas a large cube or pyramid are among the worst shapes that one might conceive of for quick and easy storage.

The Metal Structure: While Jedi and Sith holocrons both commonly feature gold components, I couldn’t see a rough-and-tumble warrior race like the Mandalorians using a lot of gold. So instead, I made it silver. It’s probably beskar of course. This is the way.

The Mythosaur: The use of the familiar Mandalorian Mythosaur emblem was really necessary if anyone was going to recognize this as a Mandalorian artifact. And as the Armorer says, “The Mythosaur is always appropriate.”

The Color: The purple color seemed appropriate for some reason, perhaps because it is the combination of Jedi blue and Sith red, and yet is clearly distinct from both of them. While this particular Mandalorian holocron is purple, I don’t see any reason why all of them would have to be this color. I rather like the idea that they might be made in any one of a wide range of possible colors. This might even be a way to help tell them apart. This would be in keeping with the tradition of Mandalorian warriors all painting their armor in distinct personalized color schemes.

The Finish: I thought about making the Mando holocron notably more rugged looking than the Jedi and Sith holocrons, but ultimately I decided against that direction because I felt that it needed to be instantly recognizable as a holocron.

Use: Like the Jedi and Sith holocrons, the Mandalorian holocron can only (under usual circumstances) be operated by a Force-wielder. Unlike Jedi holocrons, the Mandalorian holocron does not “open up” into multiple pieces while it is being used. Instead, it hovers in the air and slowly twists, as a series of holographic images is projected out of the top square facet, (and sometimes out of additional facets as well.) Mandalorian holocrons contain many of the teachings of the Mandalorian Knights including the secrets of designing and building Mandalorian armor as well as Darksabers.

Darksabers: Most Mandalorian Knights wield Darksabers. (A select few wield lightsabers, but this is the rare exception.) As such, the Darksaber quickly becomes the symbol of the Mandalorian Knights, clearly distinguishing them from the Jedi, Sith, or other saber-wielding groups. It is because of this instantly recognizable symbol that the Mandalorian Knights are frequently referred to as, “The Darksabers.” While Darksabers all have dark centers, the glow around the edges can appear in a wide variety of possible colors. So the luminous area could be white, blue, gold, green, orange, red, amber, etc.

Description

This is my concept for a Mandalorian Holocron. This is a natural outgrowth of the idea that the Mandalorians develop their own order of good, Force-wielding protectors, similar to the Jedi Knights, but with armor, energy shields, and Darksabers. (See my “Knights of Mandalore” stories to learn more about my headcanon about the Mandalorian Knights.)

Who made it?: The first Mandalorian holocron was constructed and left behind by the great Tarre Vizsla, who was both a Mandalorian and a Jedi Knight. Newer holocrons, like the one shown here, were created by Captain Synn and his new order of Mandalorian Knights, an order which was, in a sense, modeled after Tarre Vizsla.

The Shape: In selecting the main “featured” geometric shape, I decided to go with the elongated hexagon, as we see this shape appear repeatedly in Mandalorian culture. The smaller facets end up being squares and triangles, which subtly echo the designs of both the cube-shaped Jedi holocrons and the pyramidal Sith holocrons. To be clear, however, I don’t see the Mandalorian Knights as being “half-way between” the Jedi and the Sith. I conceive them as being closely allied with the Jedi and sworn enemies of the Sith. This elongated shape is more practical than either a large cube or a pyramid, as it might much more easily be shoved into a cylindrical pouch on a belt. Whereas a large cube or pyramid are among the worst shapes that one might conceive of for quick and easy storage.

The Metal Structure: While Jedi and Sith holocrons both commonly feature gold components, I couldn’t see a rough-and-tumble warrior race like the Mandalorians using a lot of gold. So instead, I made it silver. It’s probably beskar of course. This is the way.

The Mythosaur: The use of the familiar Mandalorian Mythosaur emblem was really necessary if anyone was going to recognize this as a Mandalorian artifact. And as the Armorer says, “The Mythosaur is always appropriate.”

The Color: The purple color seemed appropriate for some reason, perhaps because it is the combination of Jedi blue and Sith red, and yet is clearly distinct from both of them. While this particular Mandalorian holocron is purple, I don’t see any reason why all of them would have to be this color. I rather like the idea that they might be made in any one of a wide range of possible colors. This might even be a way to help tell them apart. This would be in keeping with the tradition of Mandalorian warriors all painting their armor in distinct personalized color schemes.

The Finish: I thought about making the Mando holocron notably more rugged looking than the Jedi and Sith holocrons, but ultimately I decided against that direction because I felt that it needed to be instantly recognizable as a holocron.

Use: Like the Jedi and Sith holocrons, the Mandalorian holocron can only (under usual circumstances) be operated by a Force-wielder. Unlike Jedi holocrons, the Mandalorian holocron does not “open up” into multiple pieces while it is being used. Instead, it hovers in the air and slowly twists, as a series of holographic images is projected out of the top square facet, (and sometimes out of additional facets as well.) Mandalorian holocrons contain many of the teachings of the Mandalorian Knights including the secrets of designing and building Mandalorian armor as well as Darksabers.

Darksabers: Most Mandalorian Knights wield Darksabers. (A select few wield lightsabers, but this is the rare exception.) As such, the Darksaber quickly becomes the symbol of the Mandalorian Knights, clearly distinguishing them from the Jedi, Sith, or other saber-wielding groups. It is because of this instantly recognizable symbol that the Mandalorian Knights are frequently referred to as, “The Darksabers.” While Darksabers all have dark centers, the glow around the edges can appear in a wide variety of possible colors. So the luminous area could be white, blue, gold, green, orange, red, amber, etc.