I wanted to talk a little about the hauling 8-year-olds into active war zones thing, and how I’ve sort of come to the conclusion that it’s not even remotely standard practice. It seems to me it’s more likely very specifically a “those Skiratas are weird as fuck but they keep to themselves so we don’t really do anything about it” kind of a deal instead.
For years, I have been convinced that the Mandalorian Syndrome is the star wars equivalent of the Stockholm Syndrome and, generally speaking, the pathology of Mandalorian culture is a really interesting topic and an even more interesting phenomenon, as fans either do not see it or do not want to see it.
I’m glad the Republic Commando has devoted enough detail to Kala’s past to let us know that his notion of Mandalorian culture is by no means a generally accepted norm - on the contrary, it is very flawed view. At least here we can look for origin of his manipulative and strange misogynistic behavior (here, or in the trauma related to divorce with his wife?) And, unfortunately, this is where the behavior he reproduces towards his own - biological and adopted - sons and closest environment probably stems from.
(Is anyone in the Republic Commando books trauma free ??)
While answering the latest asks about Republic Commando in regard to Etain’s pregnancy it hits me that all the mess was avoidable if only Kal Skirata - a man that was fully aware of Darman and Etain (sexual) relationship and how babies are made - actually acted as a father should, give a proper talk to his son (if not to them both) and provided them with condoms for a safe sex. Here, the most simple resolution that no one apparently thought at all.
Hell, the talk should not be only with Darman but with Ordo and Atin (the RC series / old canon stated Twi’leks and humans weren’t capable of conceiving children, was the sex betwen human and alien Twi’lek actually safe from the medical standpoint then? I know that Twi’lek ladies are the top sexy image in-universe and between a great part of fandom, but c’mon, there are no consequences like some venereal diseases from copulation between two actually different, incompatible species?). And let’s no forget the rest of Omega and Nulls. Especially the Nulls, who work out there somewhere in the galaxy and have freedom they did not have before.
What, from the perspective of time is one of the wildest thought I had about Republic Commando and the implication that no clones nor Jedi* had idea of safe sex and/or contraception is just… disturbing.
(Okay, in case of Besany and Laseema, who were naturally born citizens, there is a high probability that both women took this issue into account, but the realization that once again all “responsibility” for contraception / safety matters may fall solely on women irritates me to no end.)
*I still need to research more about Etain in that regard, since Order 66 says “She’d deceived Darman from the start, planning to conceive, making him think there was no risk of pregnancy. It was her fault” but I do not remember them even talking about the potential danger of pregnancy in Triple Zero, as in she reassured him of the lack of consequences and I’m pretty sure the idea to have a kid with him came after they start sleeping together, not before so I’m not sure if that was Etain’s guilt speaking due to Kal’s influence or an actual plan of her but I’m kinda already deep into researching other stuff for myself so not feeling like touching that aspect right now.
I’m deep in research mode so I’m currently digging a lot of Clone Wars-era source materials at once and along the way it hits me the funny realization about Mandalorian training sarges. Like, I knew this fact for years, but having this knowledge collated with other data makes it plainly visible how Clone Commandos were special compared to common troopers and ARCs. Not only in how their training was structured differently but also they are like one of few clones who actually get officially their (nick)names way before it became the norm (with a clear Jedi influence there).
I mean, Legends sources, especially around 2002-2005/6, were quite consistent that before Geonosis, clones rather did not have a proper (nick)name. Kaminoans considered names to be a weakness - something that changed after Jedi and clones started working more closely together and ARC-17 took over training the future clone officers (x). This approach against names (individuality) mostly touched the common troopers (mass trained) but also Advanced Recon Commando (personally trained by Jango Fett). And then we have Mandalorian training sarges like Kal Skirata and Walon Vau - men with a very different training methods and approach to their trainees - who apparently decided to fuck that rule on the spot.
As Prima Guide states, Vau literally gave his Delta Squad - and logically assuming all subordinates - nicknames (or a full Mandalorian name, at least in case of Atin) so they have a sense of uniquenessandimportance
which is pretty much the opposite of what Kaminoans originally wanted.
So it is really hilarious in insight, because whatever we could say about Kal Skirata and Walon Vau - and there is plenty to say about both - they came to Kamino, got bunch of little clone cadets who were meant to be obedient and expendable and totally disagreed with Kaminoans take on clone troopers individuality and were like,
No names for clones? We are gonna fixthat.
And this is both sweet and hilarious at the same time.
Sweet because even if names were clone commandos’ private secret, something to share only with the closest brothers and training sergeants (x), they had the names, identity, something personal and just theirs outside of Kaminoan control.
Hilarious because trust Mandalorians to be a bunch of stubborn individuals who most likely were the biggest thorn in Kaminoans side for like eight to ten years (and Jango apparently not helping much in that regard).
There are plenty of good and bad things I could say about Republic Commando books but one of my favorite parts of the series is the plot twist of Kal Skirata’s recruitment into the Cuy'val Dar - the training sergeants recruited personally by Jango Fett to train clone commandos on Kamino.
Majority of the recruited people in fact were Mandalorians but apparently out of 100 needed people, Jango managed to hire only 75 of his “compatriots” while 25 were (foreing) specialists. The Republic Commandos: Order 66 even mentions the possibility of Jango’s problem with finding enough Mandalorians for the jobs:
The four Mandalorians exchanged a few words and disappeared. Without his helmet systems, Scorch couldn’t overhear anything at that distance. “Why did Fett recruit any non-Mando sergeants at all?”
Sev shrugged. “He said it was for the skills mix, but I reckon he just couldn’t find a hundred Mandos to front up for him.”
From the Imperial Commando: 501st we known that Jango hired Isabet Reau and Dread Priest who in mentioned book joined Death Watch and tie-in source material, Bounty Hunter Code, strongly implied that Jango was familiar with their mindset by wondering if the Death Watch Manifesto was really written by Tor Vizsla since it sounded more like something Reau and Priest would say. Yet despite the ideological conflict between Mij & Skirata clan and these two Mandalorians, there is little to none(?) hints that Jango despited Isabet or Dread on personal level or had doubts about hiring them (the only one conflict I remember was Jango’s intervention that put to the end Priest’s Battle Circle, after Mij reported it Fett and that happened at least some time after hiring the man).
On one hand, it could be desperation that forced Jango to hire any available Mandalorian at that time. But here comes the funniest part: even with such limited human resources, Jango Fett didn’t really choose (and most likely didn’t want) Kal Skirata on this secret project.
“You never told me what you got up to on Kamino in the time before the rest of the Cuy'val Dar showed up,” Skirata said, trying to look as if he’d taken the outburst in stride. “So what else are you going to tell me?” Shab, they might not have been best buddies from birth, but they were as close as two Mando'ade could get. Vau owed him some honesty. “You were the galactic freestyle dancing champion, too?”
Vau didn’t meet Skirata’s eyes for a moment, but he glanced at Jusik. “I could have been at Galidraan, but I wasn’t, and I never forgot that. Not my fight. Should have been my fight.”
“And you could have been dead, now, too. Bard'ika, if you don’t know-”
“Oh, I know what happened at Galidraan,” Jusik said. “I know Jedi wiped out Jango’s entire army.” He paused. “And I know Jango killed Jedi with his bare hands, too, because I once talked to a Jedi who was there”
Vau nodded approvingly. “See, if you want to take out Jedi,” he said, “only the likes of Jango could really do it. Only his clones, trained by him, and by men and women like him. That’s why he knew it had to be done. He couldn’t take them all down alone, but he knew an entire army of Jangos could.”
Skirata thought of the abuse he’d heaped on Jango. He knew the man; he’d fought with him, in every sense of the word, and he’d also had comradely moments with him. The thought that he might have done him a disservice was one burden of guilt too many. He shut it out. If Jango had been playing the long game, Skirata had never caught a whiff of it. He knew it wasn’t all about the credits. He’d seen Jango cradling Boba in the early days, and that man wanted a son as much as any man ever had. So Skirata hadn’t looked for any motive beyond that. It was the only motive Skirata would have had.
“I stand corrected,” said Skirata. How do I apologize? Where do I even start, with the osik I have to deal with now? “So I was wrong about Jango.”
And now I know why Shysa wants Jango’s legacy to live on at any cost.
Vau shrugged. “I let him down once.” Vau would never shake off that feeling of having failed, the legacy of his vile father. He’d instilled it into his clones, despite himself. “But I never let him down again.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. I should have been at Galidraan, too.”
“I know,” said Vau. “That’s why I chose you for the Cuy'val Dar.”
Skirata grappled with the stomach-knotting realization that he really didn’t know Vau half as well as he thought he did.
He chose me. Shab, he chose me.
“Okay, Walon, answer me this, will you? No osik. Did Jango want me on the team?”
“We discussed all personnel fully.”
“Don’t talk like some shabla administrator to me. Did he want me?”
Vau wavered for a moment. Outbursts and wavering in one night; it was all revelations. “You know Jango. He could get his downs on people, and then he’d see sense. Does it matter a shab now?”
For context, Kal learned the truth during the time of Order 66 - which means 11 years has passed between getting the job and the current moment. Skirata spent eight years training clone troopers on Kamino and for most of that time, he and Walon weren’t the best of buddies. His dislike of Vau was so strong that both men not only got into violent fights about how to train clones but came close to killing each other a few times. Skirata warmed up to Vau during the three years of Clone Wars when both Mandalorians put aside their differences and joined forces to save their former charges (and the few millions of the credits that Vau stole from bank on Mygeeto to help finance Skirata’s ambitious plan for sure helped a lot).
Which means that Vau for over a decade knew that he was responsible for putting Kal on Kamino where the man found a new family and purpose in life. Skirata saved the Nulls, yes, but in many ways, the little boys saved the Mandalorian over the years too. Vau had a lot opportunities to turn that truth into emotional blackmail or insult to hurt Skirata in their ongoing brawls and spats but for the whole time he endured Kal’s ire and sentimental twaddle about Jango or social injustices without giving any hint he was more involved in this project than any other training sarge.
And Vau told the truth to Skirata only after the man asked if there were more things he should know about Jango and/or training clones and the truth didn’t matter anymore.
What is both pretty impressive on Vau’s part but also ironic in the context of the books and the general idealization of Kal Skirata by almost all characters interacting with him. He is the “dad” to clones and other “strays”but he wouldn’t be part of all of this if Vau, for whatever reason, didn’t decide to drag him on Kamino, despite the Jango’s potential disapproval and then for decade did not even bring that matter even once?
Apparently, Walon and Jango discussed all personnel which may as well mean not only a person’s fighting skills or field expertise but also psychological matters (being cut away from the “living world”, maybe even the side-effects of training literal little kids into killing machines for hated Jedi Order / Republic?) and it seems Vau needed to argue for Kal’s sake before Jango actually agreed to hire Skirata.
What in itself:
↪ shows that Walon to some degree could influence Jango’s decisions - or, alternatively, out-stubborn Jango Fett what is pretty impressive feat on its own too
↪ raises a question how close they truly were, since Jango chose Vau way before the rest of Cuy’val Dar showed up on Kamino. I don’t think it would be a mistake to assume Walon was one of the first Mandalorians - if not literally the first one - picked by Jango.
Kal himself wasn’t really fond of Jango Fett but respected him as a very skilled warrior (and most likely he wasn’t the only one Cuy’val Dar to feel like that about the former leader of True Mandalorians, as was hinted in the Order:66, “The Mandalorian training sergeants handpicked by Fett hadn’t all been fond of him, but they respected his prowess.”). Quite likely the dislike could be a mutual thing and Kal had a complicated relationship with Walon and yet Vau seems to maintain his relationship with Jango and Kal despite whatever was happening on Kamino and was in that regard like, the less problematic of their trio and maybe worrying about others the most?
Like, seriously, this scene really put upside down what we knew about the dynamic between these characters and showed Walon Vau in a totally new light for me. It also makes me laugh everytime I think about how almost everyone has this weird soft spot for Skirata while Jango apparently did not want Kal on his team and to be honest, I feel solidarity with Jango in that regard.
(The whole situation also puts hiring Priest and Reau in a totally different light, but that is a matter to discuss in another time).
Just a random idea that Vau knows how to cook and he is very good at that (in case of more complicated things, good instruction is all he really needs ). And because he likes Etains, he doesn’t mind make a cake for her, when she needs something sweet or other specific food. I think he was a good company for her, when others were busy with “important stuffs”.
And because Skirata always thinks first about his boys, it must be funny/relief for Etain, when Vau keeps her needs above anyone else. And makes fun of Skirata
[Btw, tihaar is a very strong alcohol made from varos fruits. I just assume (for the needs of comics at least) that those fruits are not good for pregnant woman]
In case anyone is on the fence about reading the Republic Commando book series:
It’s fantastic. Seriously. I’m about halfway through the second book and I’ve been grinning like an idiot for most of the half I’ve read. And if you - like me - feel like the clones need more in-universe love, just know that Kal Skirata (pictured below) is going to be your hero.
Here’s a direct pull from the book:
Then he [Skirata] leaned across the table, seized Ordo two-handed by his shoulder pauldron, and gave him a noisy and exaggerated paternal kiss on the top of his head.
(Triple Zero, Page 102, para. 3)
And if you want a little backdrop to make it even better, they’re in a public place, Kal just bought his adopted murder son a greasy breakfast, and they are both highly trained and willing to kill people. But Ordo had a good idea, Kal was proud, and a true Mandalorian isn’t ashamed to show feelings.
Not only is Kal Skirata Dad Goals, he’s one of the few characters in the prequel trilogy era we see care* about the clones - and without the fear of attachment we see in most of the Jedi characters.
(*Granted, I could be horribly wrong about this since I have so much of the series still to read, but I’m just so happy that I had to share this!)
I’ve seen a lot of posts about why these books are problematic, and there are definitely some not-great parts, but I would still say they’re worth a read!
