Armorer

Lore & Background

The Armorer is portrayed by Emily Swallow, who provides both the character's voice and live-action performance, while her stunts are performed by Lauren Mary Kim. When Swallow auditioned for the role, she knew little about the character and did not know it was for a Star Wars series. The voice Swallow uses for the Armorer has elements of British and Mid-Atlantic accents, which stemmed from a suggestion made by a casting associate during her audition. She also partially modeled the Armorer's voice after characters from the Lord of the Rings film series. Aspects of The Mandalorian director Deborah Chow's personality influenced Swallow's performance. Kim's combat style in the Armorer's fight scenes was inspired by the Filipino martial art known as Kali. The Armorer's costume took several weeks to make, and it proved to be challenging to perform in due to limited visibility and the fact that small movements in the costume were very noticeable. Swallow wore the helmet and armor costume for up to nine hours at a time during filming.

In Their Own Story

The Armorer made her first appearance in the series premiere "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian". The show's protagonist, a bounty hunter known simply as "The Mandalorian", brings her money he received from having collected his most recent bounties, including a bar of beskar steel. The Armorer explains that the Empire stole the beskar from the Mandalorians during an event known as "the Great Purge". She uses the beskar to make a single shoulder spaulder for the Mandalorian. The Armorer reappears in "Chapter 3: The Sin", in which the Mandalorian brings her a large amount of beskar, which he received as a bounty for collecting a young alien known as "the Child". The Armorer uses the steel to make a full cuirass for him. She also makes him a set of explosive projectiles called "whistling birds". In the first-season finale "Chapter 8: Redemption", the Armorer instructs the Mandalorian to watch over and protect the Child, whom she calls a "foundling". She engraves onto the Mandalorian's pauldron the likeness of a Mudhorn, declaring it his signet. She also gives the Mandalorian his first jet pack. When five Stormtroopers enter the enclave, the Armorer fights and kills all five in under a minute.

Reader's Guide

The Armorer appeared in three episodes in the first season of The Mandalorian. She is the leader of a tribe of Mandalorian warriors on the planet Nevarro, where they live in a secret enclave. She provides spiritual guidance for the clan, and forges and repairs their armor. Little is revealed about her backstory, and, like other Mandalorians, she wears highly durable armor and conceals her face with a helmet that she never publicly removes. The Mandalorians are in hiding after having suffered persecution by the Galactic Empire. The Armorer reappears in The Book of Boba Fett in "Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian". Now hiding in the ringworld of Glavis, the Armorer and Paz Vizla are found by Din Djarin. Inspecting the Darksaber, the Armorer explains her history and the saber prophecy to Djarin. Later, the Armorer trains Djarin in the Darksaber's use. When Djarin admits he has removed his helmet, the Armorer banishes Djarin from the tribe. The Armorer returns in "Chapter 17: The Apostate". At the covert's new hideout on a different planet, she forges a helmet for a young boy named Ragnar Vizsla. In "Chapter 19: The Convert", Djarin returns with a sample of the Living Waters, and the Armorer accepts him back into the creed. In "Chapter 20: The Foundling", The Armorer forges a new piece of Mandalorian armor for Grogu, a rondel bearing Djarin's mudhorn sigil. In "Chapter 21: The Pirate", the Armorer says to Bo-Katan Kryze that she is the one who will reunite all Mandalorians.

Did You Know?

• The Armorer's costume took several weeks to make, and small movements in the costume were very noticeable.
• Emily Swallow wore the helmet and armor costume for up to nine hours at a time during filming.
• The Armorer's combat style in fight scenes was inspired by the Filipino martial art known as Kali.
• The Armorer's voice has elements of British and Mid-Atlantic accents, stemming from a suggestion by a casting associate during Swallow's audition.
• The Armorer kills five Stormtroopers in under a minute using only her forging tools in "Chapter 8: Redemption".