Here's a closer look at The Mandalorian's armor

One of the most important and valuable pieces of gear for Mando, the protagonist of The Mandalorian, is his armor plating. Capable of taking several direct blaster bolts, it's an extremely effective type of protection — and the fact that it routinely saves his life means he can adequately protect Baby Yoda. What is it specifically that allows the armor to be as capable as it is? What are some of the special tools hidden inside of it? Here's our breakdown of everything you could ever want to know about Mando's shiny suit.

It's all in the materials

The core of what makes Mando's armor so effective is the material it's made of: beskar, which is an exceedingly rare metal from the planet Mandalore. Its extreme durability means that it's one of the best materials in the Star Wars galaxy for making armor. A properly-forged suit of beskar can absorb blaster bolt after blaster bolt without melting, and it can even withstand strikes from a lightsaber, allowing the warriors who have them to take on Force-wielders with a solid chance of success.

Beskar has been used for Mandalorian armor for countless generations, and as Mandalorians mined it from their planet, some of them took the opportunity to sell the valuable metal on the black market for a huge profit. Also, when the Galactic Empire occupied Mandalore during its war with the Rebel Alliance, they accrued a sizable portion of beskar for themselves. As a result, beskar has made its way around the galaxy over the years, although understanding how to forge it is a skill not many possess.

Know how to work it

While beskar itself is the primary reason why Mando's armor is so effective, it's important to note that the person who forges a suit of beskar must understand how to work it correctly. If they don't, the final product won't be as capable as the protection we see Mando wearing throughout The Mandalorian.

Since they have been using beskar for such a long time, Mandalorians like The Armorer in the show understand how to properly melt down ingots of beskar and mold them into plates that offer the desired protection. Because of their expertise, and because of how important it is to forge beskar correctly, Mandalorian armorsmiths are often approached for hire. However, most of them usually choose to keep trade secrets to themselves.

Tricks up the sleeve

Though the protective qualities of Mando's armor are incredible, the hidden tools he has at his disposal within the armor are also important to highlight too. Mandalorian armor like the suit Mando wears almost always has several tools within the vambraces that can be used either offensively or defensively.

In Mando's case, his vambraces have grappling cables, a flamethrower, and a whistling dart launcher. All three of these special pieces of gear have helped him immensely throughout the show, and in some cases even saved his life when he had no other options left.

Religious significance?

The final important thing to note regarding Mando's armor is that he, like all Mandalorians in his clan, adheres to a sort-of religious code where they can't take off their helmets in front of someone else, lest they lose the privilege of being able to put it on again.

It's unknown why this has become a Mandalorian custom, as it wasn't part of Mandalorian culture before this point. However, one can reasonably assume that due to the "purge" of Mandalorians that occurred prior to when the show is set, a system was put in place to ensure that nobody could know the true identity of a Mandalorian warrior and potentially use that information against them or others. Whether or not this speculation is why this rule exists remains to be seen, though.

Your thoughts

What do you think of Mando's armor? Are you excited to see it get some more action in the rest of The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments below.

The Mandalorian is available to watch right now with a subscription to Disney+.