The Mandalorian culture is one of the most interesting in Star Wars, and one evil Mandalorian from the series’ distant past fits right in with the current lineup of Star Wars stories. The mad scientist Demagol is one of the most disturbing characters in the franchise, and fills an evil niche just ripe for exploration.
The history of Star Wars’ Mandalorians is a long one, especially in the pre-Disney acquisition canon now called “Legends.” One of the most interesting time periods for the Mandalorians is the Mandalorian Wars, approximately 4,000 years before the first Star Wars films. This period sees the Mandalorians, under Mandalore the Ultimate, almost conquer the galaxy. One story set during this time is the comic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This series follows Jedi Padawan Zayne Carrick after he’s framed for murder and goes on the run with various other miscreants, one of whom is heroic rogue Mandalorian Rohlan Dyre. Or so everyone believes.
Demagol is Terrifying on Multiple Levels
In fact, Rohlan Dyre is being impersonated by Demagol, a Mandalorian scientist whose obsession with the Force has led him to conduct inhumane experiments on countless people. Demagol, or Antos Wyrick, first appears in 2006’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #6 by John Jackson Miller and Brian Ching. After the prior Great Sith War ends with Mandalorian and Sith defeat, Demagol founds the New Generation Academy, using his role as headmaster to experiment on and genetically modify Force-sensitive children before the school is destroyed and he returns to the Mandalorians. He then takes on the identity of Demagol, continuing to experiment more openly as war once again breaks out and he finds a place in the Mandalorian hierarchy.
One of the reasons that Demagol is such an uncomfortable villain is because of how he plays with real-life fears. The idea of a school being the backdrop of experimentation on children is a skin-crawling one, even more so once Demagol’s reason for his impersonation is revealed. It turns out that crew member Jarael was actually genetically modified from birth by Demagol, who raised her in his school before the school was overtaken by The Crucible, a ring of slavers. The idea of being stalked by someone you think you trust is doubly frightening, even without the corruption of it being a former “teacher.”
The idea of a character like Demagol existing in Disney’s Star Wars universe at first seems too far beyond the pale considering just how gruesome his actions are, but he actually fits neatly with what recent Star Wars shows have established. The Mandalorian heavily features a mysterious Force-sensitive child whom evil forces want to experiment on, not to even mention the obvious cultural Mandalorian connection. Andor as well features its own scientist who conducts inhumane torture under the auspices of science. An evil Mandalorian like Demagol would work perfectly as an equal opposite to The Mandalorian’s titular hero. Alternatively, examples like his could also work to explore the Mandalorian culture’s dark past, now that Disney’s erasure of older canon has left ample room for new takes on that history. Demagol may be a monster, but he’s a monster who’d work perfectly in today’s Star Wars.
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