Summary
- The Great Purge of Mandalore, also known as the Night of a Thousand Tears, was a tragic event orchestrated by Moff Gideon. Bo-Katan Kryze failed to prevent the Purge and surrendered to Gideon in hopes of saving her people, but he betrayed her and massacred the majority of the Mandalorian population.
- The Purge of Mandalore was a part of Operation: Cinder, a destructive campaign carried out by the Imperial Navy after Emperor Palpatine's death. This explains why the New Republic couldn't offer assistance during the Purge, as their resources were spread thin all over the galaxy.
- The Night of a Thousand Tears was even more devastating than the Jedi Purge that came with Order 66. It resulted in the loss of millions of Mandalorian warriors and the destruction of their homeworld. Survivors had to go into hiding, but with the return of the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, Mandalore is now liberated and the healing process can begin.
The Mandalorian season 3, Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka have revealed key insights into Star Wars' infamous Night of a Thousand Tears, the Great Purge of Mandalore first referenced in The Mandalorian season 1. The Great Purge was an offensive against Mandalore by the Empire after the latter regime realized they could not control the Mandalorian people. After The Book of Boba Fett revealed more information about the Night of a Thousand Tears, The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka outlined more of the tragic events that took place during the Great Purge and when they actually happened in the Star Wars timeline.
The Book of Boba Fett, released in 2021, was the first instance in which the Great Purge was shown on-screen, with the Armorer also clarifying the roles played by Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon and Katie Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze during the tragic event. That being said, the details were left sparse until the release of The Mandalorian season 3 episode 7, in which Bo-Katan Kryze finally explained the truth about the Great Purge, and Ahsoka, in which Professor Huyang revealed what happened to specific Mandalorian characters as well as why the New Republic was unable to offer assistance.
Your browser does not support the video tag. When The Purge Of Mandalore Happened & How It Fits Into The Star Wars Timeline 
As revealed by Professor Huyang in Ahsoka, it's revealed that the Purge of Mandalore was a part of Operation: Cinder at the end of the Galactic Civil War following Emperor Palpatine's death. Operation: Cinder was a truly dark campaign of pure destruction to be carried out by the Imperial Navy in the event of Palpatine's death. Also known as the Great Contingency, Cinder was carried out across several different worlds simultaneously. Although it was first referenced in the canonical novels as well as the narrative for EA's Battlefront II video game, Cinder was also referenced in The Mandalorian season 2, foreshadowing this confirmed connection to the Purge of Mandalore.
Because Operation: Cinder was so sudden and carried out all over the galaxy, it now makes sense why the New Republic was presumably unable to help during the Purge of Mandalore. It stands to reason that their resources were spread too thin and that they had become overwhelmed, allowing the Empire to gain one of its final dark victories before it was shattered, becoming the Imperial Remnant following the definitive Battle of Jakku (the official end of the Galactic Civil War in the Star Wars canon).
Bo-Katan Surrendered To Moff Gideon – But Failed To Prevent The Purge 
The Empire's Moff Gideon was the first to mention the Night of a Thousand Tears at the end of The Mandalorian season 1, revealing that Imperial gunships opened fire with heavy ordnance on "fields of Mandalorian recruits". The episode also implied that this is where Moff Gideon took possession of the Darksaber from Bo-Katan Kryze, the current ruler at the time of Mandalore's great fall. However, The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 confirmed how directly involved Gideon truly was. According to Paz Viszla and the Armorer, "the blood of millions" is on his hands.
This suggested Gideon wasn't just involved in the purge but likely orchestrated the genocide himself, claiming the Darksaber as a trophy. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7 confirmed this is indeed the case. The episode saw Bo-Katan, Din Djarin, Grogu, and a group of Mandalorians travel to the Great Forge of Mandalore, with Bo-Katan remembering the Purge. She revealed that, after Gideon began his attack on Mandalore, she met with him to negotiate a truce. Gideon told Bo-Katan that if she surrendered and disarmed herself, all remaining cities and surviving Mandalorians would be spared. However – despite submitting to his demands – Gideon betrayed Bo, took the Darksaber, and continued with the Purge regardless, massacring the majority of the Mandalorian people.
