Movies News Talk
When the Great Purge was initially introduced in The Mandalorian, it was revealed that many Mandalorians had survived the ordeal by absorbing the Sith's most important lesson. Prior to The Mandalorian, Mandalore's post-Star Wars Rebels past was completely unknown in canon, making it a tragic revelation that many Mandalorians had died at the hands of the Empire. Not only that, but the planet had been destroyed, causing Mandalorians to scatter "like stars in the galaxy," as Din Djarin put it.
However, the Mandalorians are not the first group in Star Wars to have their homeworld and people annihilated in this fashion. Thousands of years previously, the Sith were considered to be extinct after being vanquished in the Jedi-Sith War, hence their reemergence in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace surprised the Jedi Order. The Sith, on the other hand, found a means to survive, even in small numbers - a lesson that the Mandalorians not only learnt, but also embraced, possibly even more successfully.
The Mandalorians' existence after the Purge depended on keeping both their location and their numbers secret. This was particularly noticeable among the Children of the Watch, which Din Djarin is a member of in The Mandalorian. In season 1, episode 3, "Chapter 3: The Sin," Paz Vizsla explains that they were only allowed above ground one at a time to conceal their numbers, to which the Armorer responds immediately, "Our secrecy is our survival." Keeping themselves secret was the only way to restore their people and society in peace.
This is exactly how the Sith behaved following the Jedi-Sith War, though they had to take much more drastic steps. The Rule of Two was formed, with one master and one student, to not only conceal their numbers and prevent their reemergence, but also to deny the Sith the power they desired. They dwelt in these pairs for thousands of years until making themselves known again, as Darth Sidious and Darth Maul did in The Phantom Menace.
The Sith also had another formidable tool at their disposal to conceal their existence and presence: the Force. The Sith were able to cloak their presence in the Force, preventing the Jedi from detecting the darkness that encircled them and keeping them hidden at all times. This was most recently seen in The Acolyte, where the Sith assassin Mae (Amandla Stenberg) was able to stroll inside a Jedi Temple on Olega without being detected due to her ability to conceal herself in the Force. This is what has kept the Sith concealed for so long.
The Mandalorians may have outperformed the Sith at their own game because they were able to sustain larger groups in stealth, as there were no power cravings to contend with. The Children of the Watch on Nevarro were only one of many Mandalorians who made it through the Purge, including Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls. Some Mandalorians even managed to survive on Mandalore for many years, living right beneath the Empire's nose.
Unlike the Jedi following Order 66, the Mandalorians were able to escape the Purge and emerge victorious because to their ability to work together secretly. The Jedi were, admittedly, pursued more aggressively as a result of Palpatine's command, with Imperial Inquisitors tracking them down. Despite the fact that beskar hunters and other creatures existed after the Purge, as seen with Gor Karesh in The Mandalorian season 2, the Mandalorians survived because to their communities. The Jedi were mostly on their own, which prohibited them from doing the same.
Both the Sith and the Mandalorians survived by remaining hidden in their own groups, even though the Sith's groupings were much smaller than the Mandalorians'. This concealment benefited both sides, as the Sith eventually achieved their desired reemergence, while the Mandalorians were able to recover their homeworld in The Mandalorian season 3. While the two parties still disagree on many points, the Mandalorians certainly absorbed and applied this Sith lesson in The Mandalorian, and it is undoubtedly the reason they survived to see their homeworld reclaimed.
The Mandalorian takes place after the Empire's defeat and before the First Order emerges in the ever-expanding Star Wars world. The series recounts the exploits of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a lone gunfighter in the galaxy's distant reaches, apart from the authority of the New Republic. The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars series, has grown extremely popular on Disney+, thanks in part to Mando's friendship with Grogu, whom the internet called "Baby Yoda" when he first appeared in season 1.