Bo-Katan Kryze

Two Starbucks in one week? We're one avocado toast away from never being able to buy a house! A gifted warrior, Bo-Katan Kryze is a legendary Mandalorian. She refused to align with the Empire's occupation of Mandalore. She sure did. And before that, she opposed the Republic, and before that she opposed other Mandalorians, so maybe it's not that she's especially principled, but just that she's naturally disagreeable. Bo-Katan was first introduced as a member of Pre Vizsla's Deathwatch, the radical isolationist group looking to overthrow Mandalore's legitimate government because they had mythologized their society's distant past. That sounds familiar somehow. The cartoon's creators named her Bo-Katan so that when we heard her called by name, it sounded like that was the whole thing - first name "Bo," last name "Katan" - to help hide the reveal that Obi-Wan's girlfriend, Duchess Satine Kryze, was her sister. Bo-Katan was played by Katee Sackhoff, best known for her role as Vic Moretti on Longmire. Also Robot Chicken's Bitch Pudding. This toy's sculpt seems to follow the lead of the Rebels figures, splitting the difference between the animated model and the real woman. It's handy that she's kept the same haircut from the days of the Clone Wars all the way up to the post-Empire era: her short red hair is pushed back with a metallic headband. It means this figure can fit into several different collection themes. The faction within the Deathwatch that Bo-Katan belonged to was called the Nite Owls - at the time, it seemed like they were all females, but eventually some men joined their ranks, as well. Anyway, the Nite Owls name is referenced in the paint on BK's Mando mask: her helmet has the "feminine" eyes, which are narrower and more angular than the boys', and there's a white owl face painted on the front. Star Wars has owls? Well, we already know they have falcons and rabbits, so why not? We already saw some female Mandalorian armor on Ahsoka, but this isn't the same mold - Ahsoka's great and all, but she's got a different body than a grown-ass woman. Like so many Mandalorians, her outfit is armor over a jumpsuit; the breastplate is shaped for a woman, without having separate boob-cups, and has the traditional long hexagon in the center between the plates. There are owl symbols painted on her shoulder pauldronss, and she wears a heavy, brown utility belt with gun holsters hanging down against the plates on the outside of her legs. Those plates actually run over the thigh swivels, a nice touch for the articulation. She's got all the usual joints - head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, torso, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles - but it's a shame she can't tip her head back far enough for flying poses. Come on, she's a Mandalorian: you knew she was going to have a jetpack. It plugs into her back, and is small enough not to overwhelm the figure. She's also got a pair of simple pistols to go in those holsters. The viewfinder on her helmet can move, like every Mando's should have from the beginning. We know from The Mandalorian that after the Clone Wars were over, there was an event called the Purge of Mandalore, in which the Empire basically destroyed the planet. None of that has been shown yet, just talked about, but given the way Dave Filoni works, he has a full plan for what happened. It seems likely that Bo-Katan Kryze will have a major part to play in it, so better to get her now than wait and hope they re-release the figure when that happens. She's not the first female Mandalorian ever, but Bo-Katan is an important one, and this is a good figure of her. -- 09/05/21

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