Katee Sackhoff Gladly Got Bruised Up For The Mandalorian's Bo-Katan
For fans of the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels," seeing Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica") play the live-action version of Bo-Katan Kryze in "The Mandalorian" was incredible. I include myself in this group. Sackhoff voiced the role of the Mandalorian scion created by Dave Filoni beginning in 2012. Bo-Katan is the sister of the late pacifist ruler of Mandalore, Satine Kryze. (You remember her — the woman Obi-Wan Kenobi loved and would have left the Jedi Order for.) While Satine didn't want war, Bo-Katan wanted to recapture the culture's warrior past. She helped liberate Mandalore from Darth Maul and was eventually given the Darksaber (the black lightsaber that entitles the bearer to rule Mandalore) by "Rebels" character Sabine Wren.
She lost the Darksaber to Moff Gideon, which was later won from him in combat by Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in "The Mandalorian." That saber has to be won in battle for a ruler to rightly sit on the throne, meaning season 3 of the show could show us a fight between Din (who doesn't want the saber anyway) and Bo-Katan. We're definitely going to see some action from Sackhoff in the new season, according to a feature from Empire Online, promoting their "The Mandalorian" issue, out on newsstands now. Sackhoff got a bit bruised and battered during the action scenes, but she's happy to do it for this character.
'If I came home with bruises, it was a good day'
Of course, Katee Sackhoff isn't doing every single stunt for the role. According to the publication, "five different women donned Bo-Katan's armor" during the third season's shooting. Sackhoff explained, "If one person has a better skill-set than the other, well, that person needs to put the suit on that day." Sackhoff's particular skill was, as she revealed, a "wicked knee-slide," which sounds very painful. That's especially true because, according to a 2006 interview with Variety, she injured both her knees as a teenager, requiring physical therapy. Sackhoff is committed to this character, who she cares deeply about. She told Empire, "I really do know her — her pain is my pain. When she experiences something, I really feel it."
That includes knee pain, though she was happy to do it. Sackhoff continued:
"I've been practicing my knee-slides on my mum's kitchen with dish rags since I was five years old, so when that knee-slide comes up, you'll know: that's me. There are holes in my suit because I had to do that so many times. I came home with so many bruises on my knees. But I love that. If I came home with bruises, it was a good day!"
My own knees hurt just thinking about that, but that is a serious commitment to a role. Less than a week to go before we see if Bo-Katan will knee-slide her way to taking the Darksaber from Din Djarin and what will become of the ruined Mandalore and its refugees.
"The Mandalorian" season 3 will premiere on March 1, 2023, on Disney+.