DuracellEnergizer said:

Prior to the release of the PT, I had come to envision the Mandalorians as this formidable society of relentless warriors who were able to rival the Jedi even though they weren't primarily made up of Force-users. Unfortunately, the PT and the subsequent EU have spoiled that perception.

I had a similar concept of them. Warriors who relentlessly train to hone their skill and use advanced technology to offset the advantage a Force-user may have. That they'd look down on Jedi as archaic and generally see themselves in the vein of "the modern world" vs "tradition and mysticism" in theme, without having some very specific credo or culture.

Or, more plainly said, knight vs wizard.