diff --git a/addons/mariadb/Chart.yaml b/addons/mariadb/Chart.yaml
index 753d050a5..bfb538af0 100644
--- a/addons/mariadb/Chart.yaml
+++ b/addons/mariadb/Chart.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: MariaDB is a high performance open source relational database manag
 
 type: application
 
-version: 1.2.0-alpha.26
+version: 1.2.0-alpha.29
 
 appVersion: "11.4.10"
 
diff --git a/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_switchover_spec.sh b/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_switchover_spec.sh
index f21cae412..4d955df2f 100644
--- a/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_switchover_spec.sh
+++ b/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_switchover_spec.sh
@@ -958,9 +958,9 @@ EOF
       The output should equal "1"
     End
 
-    It "Chart.yaml literal version is current (alpha.26 - replication merged topology)"
+    It "Chart.yaml literal version is current (alpha.29 - galera OrderedReady stop ordering)"
       chart_yaml="${SHELLSPEC_CWD:?}/addons/mariadb/Chart.yaml"
-      When call grep -c '^version: 1.2.0-alpha.26$' "${chart_yaml}"
+      When call grep -c '^version: 1.2.0-alpha.29$' "${chart_yaml}"
       The output should equal "1"
     End
 
@@ -3012,13 +3012,13 @@ EOF
     }
     Before "setup_chart_alpha65_env"
 
-    It "alpha.65 v1: Chart.yaml chart bump pattern from alpha.64 due to CmpD immutability — current bumped further to alpha.26 [contract-no-regression]"
+    It "alpha.65 v1: Chart.yaml chart bump pattern from alpha.64 due to CmpD immutability — current bumped further to alpha.29 [contract-no-regression]"
       # alpha.65 v1 originally locked chart at alpha.65; subsequent alphas
       # bumped further under the SAME CmpD immutability rule. Literal
       # kept in sync with latest chart version.
       When call grep -E "^version:" "${CHART_FILE}"
       The status should be success
-      The output should equal "version: 1.2.0-alpha.26"
+      The output should equal "version: 1.2.0-alpha.29"
     End
 
     It "alpha.65 v1: Chart.yaml appVersion still 11.4.10 (mariadb engine version unchanged; this bump is packaging-contract only)"
@@ -3073,13 +3073,13 @@ EOF
     Before "setup_chart_alpha66_env"
 
     Context "chart bump for CmpD immutability (per alpha.65 lesson)"
-      It "alpha.66 v1: Chart.yaml chart bump pattern locked — current bumped to alpha.26 [contract-no-regression]"
+      It "alpha.66 v1: Chart.yaml chart bump pattern locked — current bumped to alpha.29 [contract-no-regression]"
         # Subsequent alphas all bumped further under the same CmpD
         # immutability rule. Literal kept in sync with latest chart
         # version.
         When call grep -E "^version:" "${CHART_FILE}"
         The status should be success
-        The output should equal "version: 1.2.0-alpha.26"
+        The output should equal "version: 1.2.0-alpha.29"
       End
 
       It "alpha.66 v1: Chart.yaml appVersion still 11.4.10 (mariadb engine version unchanged) [contract-no-regression]"
@@ -3289,13 +3289,13 @@ EOF
     Before "setup_chart_alpha67_env"
 
     Context "chart bump alpha.66 → alpha.67 → alpha.68 (CmpD immutability rule)"
-      It "alpha.67 v1: Chart.yaml chart bump pattern locked — current bumped to alpha.26 [contract-no-regression]"
+      It "alpha.67 v1: Chart.yaml chart bump pattern locked — current bumped to alpha.29 [contract-no-regression]"
         # Subsequent alphas all bumped further under the same CmpD
         # immutability rule. Literal kept in sync with latest chart
         # version.
         When call grep -E "^version:" "${CHART_FILE}"
         The status should be success
-        The output should equal "version: 1.2.0-alpha.26"
+        The output should equal "version: 1.2.0-alpha.29"
       End
     End
 
diff --git a/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_user_convergence_spec.sh b/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_user_convergence_spec.sh
index 7ab13412f..3981ae5ef 100644
--- a/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_user_convergence_spec.sh
+++ b/addons/mariadb/scripts-ut-spec/replication_user_convergence_spec.sh
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@ Describe "alpha.72 v1 replication user path convergence (static gates)"
   MEMBER_JOIN="${ADDON_ROOT}/scripts/replication-member-join.sh"
 
   Describe "Gate 1: Chart.yaml literal version"
-    It "is exactly 1.2.0-alpha.26 (alpha.26 bump: replication merged topology)"
-      When call grep -c '^version: 1.2.0-alpha.26$' "${CHART_YAML}"
+    It "is exactly 1.2.0-alpha.29 (alpha.29 bump: galera OrderedReady stop ordering)"
+      When call grep -c '^version: 1.2.0-alpha.29$' "${CHART_YAML}"
       The output should eq "1"
       The status should be success
     End
diff --git a/addons/mariadb/templates/cmpd-galera.yaml b/addons/mariadb/templates/cmpd-galera.yaml
index 199f0339d..11a495bf1 100644
--- a/addons/mariadb/templates/cmpd-galera.yaml
+++ b/addons/mariadb/templates/cmpd-galera.yaml
@@ -12,7 +12,17 @@ spec:
   serviceKind: mariadb
   serviceVersion: {{ .Values.defaultServiceVersion.galera }}
   updateStrategy: Serial
-  podManagementPolicy: Parallel
+  # OrderedReady makes Stop and scale-in delete instances strictly one at a
+  # time, highest ordinal first, waiting for each pod to fully terminate
+  # before deleting the next — pod-0 shuts down last, as the final Primary
+  # Component member, so Galera grants it grastate safe_to_bootstrap=1 and
+  # the next Start can bootstrap automatically. Parallel deletion killed all
+  # members concurrently: the cluster never shrank to a last member, every
+  # grastate ended safe_to_bootstrap=0, and the (correct) fail-closed
+  # should_bootstrap refusal left Stop/Start permanently in manual recovery.
+  # Creation also becomes sequential, which matches Galera anyway: joiners
+  # SST from a donor one at a time.
+  podManagementPolicy: OrderedReady
   exporter:
     containerName: exporter
     scrapePath: /metrics