- "You named your weapon after my sister? The former ruler of Mandalore?"
"It was a series of bad decisions, okay?" - ―Bo-Katan Kryze and Sabine Wren
The Arc Pulse Generator, nicknamed "the Duchess" after Duchess Satine Kryze, was a superweapon designed by Sabine Wren during her time at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore. The weapon targeted the beskar alloy used in Mandalorian armor, superheating it, resulting in the disintegration of the individual wearing it, though it could also be reconfigured to target other materials such as plastoid, a component of stormtrooper armor. Wren defected from the Galactic Empire and attempted to destroy the prototype upon realizing what the Empire intended to do with the weapon, but the Empire and their regents on Mandalore salvaged and reconstructed it. The weapon was unleashed during the civil war that occurred on Mandalore during the Imperial Era until Wren and Bo-Katan Kryze finally destroyed it.
History[]
Creation[]
- "…the Arc Generator's energy pulse is drawn to the beskar alloy in the Mandalorians' armor, superheating it and instantly vaporizing the target, and all the while, doing no harm to our Imperial stormtroopers."
- ―Tiber Saxon, to Grand Admiral Thrawn
Years before the early rebellion against[2] the Galactic Empire,[5] Sabine Wren was a cadet at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore. Wren, the top of her class, was a highly competitive student and often took on challenges other students found too daunting. One of those was the development of a superweapon that became the Arc Pulse Generator. The weapon was cruelly nicknamed "the Duchess" after the late pacifist Duchess Satine Kryze who ruled Mandalore during the Clone Wars. Wren developed the weapon to target beskar alloy used in Mandalorian armor and disintegrate the soldier inside.[2]
Once Wren realized that the Empire had tested the weapon on her own people and intended to continue using it, she sabotaged it, destroyed the plans, and defected from the Empire, eventually joining with rebels who became part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Wren believed she had destroyed the weapon, but the Empire salvaged and rebuilt it. Rumors spread that the Empire had tested such a device, but there was never confirmation amongst other Mandalorian clans that the Duchess was real.[2] In fact, by 6 BBY the Empire had used the Arc Pulse Generator at least once to exterminate the Dizonites, the sentient natives of Dizon Fray who had been resisting the construction of a refueling station in their homeworld.[6]
Destruction[]
- "You came here to make things right. Will the future of Mandalore be one of honor or cowardice? Hope or fear? The choice is yours."
- ―Bo-Katan convincing Sabine to destroy the Arc Pulse Generator, rather than use it against the Empire
![WrenWarrior TheDuchess Beskar HeroesOfMandalorePart2](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/5/55/WrenWarrior_TheDuchess_Beskar_HeroesOfMandalorePart2.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20191115201953)
The Arc Pulse Generator targets a Clan Wren warrior's beskar armor
A civil war broke out on Mandalore after Clan Wren rebelled against Clan Saxon, the ruling clan of Mandalore that was allied with the Empire. Governor Tiber Saxon prepared the weapon for use against the insurrectionists, and fitted it on an AT-DP Arc Cannon Prototype. Though it was weaker than Wren's original design, Saxon ordered it tested against Clan Wren during the war, and the weapon was used to kill multiple members of the clan. Grand Admiral Thrawn was disappointed that the weapon was not up to its full capabilities, and suggested that Governor Saxon capture Wren so she could modify and improve it.[2]
After witnessing the destructive capabilities of the weapon, the rebels planned to destroy it, with Wren volunteering to lead the mission, as she felt personally responsible. Wren boarded Saxon's Star Destroyer with a strike team to destroy the weapon and erase all data on it from the Imperial databanks. As Ezra Bridger, Fenn Rau, and the others engaged Imperial forces in the hangar, Wren and Bo-Katan Kryze located the weapon. However, they were captured by Saxon, who threatened to kill Bo-Katan if Wren did not fix the weapon. Thinking quickly, Wren tricked him into believing that she amplified the weapon's power. Instead, she adjusted it to target stormtrooper armor instead of the beskar in the Mandalorian's armor, and when Saxon activated it, he incapacitated his own Imperial troops. Wren then used the Darksaber to breach the weapon's core, and it exploded and destroyed the Star Destroyer as Wren and her strike team escaped.[2]
Appearances[]
Star Wars Rebels — "Trials of the Darksaber" (First mentioned) (Indirect mention only)
Star Wars Rebels — "Legacy of Mandalore" (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars Rebels: Heroes of Mandalore (First appearance) (First identified as Duchess)
Non-canon appearances[]
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Indirect mention only) (DLC)
Sources[]
"Trials of the Darksaber" Episode Guide | Star Wars Rebels on StarWars.com (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
"Heroes of Mandalore" Episode Guide | Star Wars Rebels on StarWars.com (backup link) (First identified as Arc Pulse Generator)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 74 (Databank A-Z: Sabine Wren)
Star Wars: Destiny — Spark of Hope (Card: Chain Lightning) (backup link)
Sabine | Star Wars A to Z on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars: Timelines
- Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
Heavy Metals: Exploring Cortosis and Beskar on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
Bo-Katan Kryze in the Databank (backup link)
Captain Hark in the Databank (backup link)
Clan Wren in the Databank (backup link)
Mandalore in the Databank (backup link)
Sabine Wren in the Databank (backup link)
The Duchess in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑
Captain Hark in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Star Wars Rebels: Heroes of Mandalore
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sabine was a member of the Ghost crew by 5 BBY, meaning she left the Imperial Academy of Mandalore, where she created the Duchess, before then.
- ↑ The trivia guide for Star Wars Rebels: Heroes of Mandalore states that Bo-Katan Kryze was redesigned to advance the character's age by "18 years or so." As she was last seen in The Lawless, which was dated to 19 BBY by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, it can be assumed that the events of Heroes of Mandalore take place in approximately 1 BBY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1
The Duchess in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire