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The Mandalorian may never cross paths with the Skywalker Saga, but with the third episode of season 2, it dives headlong into the history of Star Wars television thanks to the arrival of a long-rumored character and the mention of an animated series favorite. But in doing so, it is also forging its own path toward the Game of Thrones–style of storytelling series creator Jon Favreau teased earlier this year.
Of course, getting there was not an easy task for Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), so let’s take a look at where the Way took the Mandalorian this week.
The following contains spoilers about The Mandalorian, season 2, episode 3, “Chapter 11: The Heiress.” Stop here if you have not watched the episode.
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In Chapter 10, Djarin’s search for other Mandalorians led him to Tatooine, where he accepted a charter flight for someone with information regarding Mandos camped on the estuary moon of Trask. But as the charter, a Frog Lady, was carrying highly sensitive eggs, Djarin was forced to use sublight engines the whole way. The seemingly quiet trip turned into quite the ordeal.
Also, the Child started to eat the eggs, which dismayed some fans, who took to social media and called the Child a “monster” for slurping down Frog Lady’s eggs.
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The Razor Crest limps to Trask in the opening of “Chapter 11: The Heiress.” And though Djarin manages to get the ship to port, it crashes in the sea next to a landing pad. After recovering the ship and leaving it for repairs, Frog Lady reunites with her Frog Husband, who leads Djarin to a nearby cafe. There, a Quarren tells Djarin he knows the location of a Mandalorian encampment. This turns out to be a trick so the Quarren and his brothers can steal Djarin’s Beskar armor.
The Mandalorian is soon rescued by Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and members of her Nite Owl unit. The Clone Wars veteran, and heir apparent to the seat of Mandalore, reveals she is on Trask to steal supply shipments of Mandalorian weapons from the Imperial Remnant. She offers Djarin the location of a Jedi in exchange for assistance on their next raid.
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Leaving the Child with the Frog Couple, Djarin, Kryze, and the other Mandos attack the Imperial ship. The stormtroopers prove no match for the seasoned warriors and the ship’s commander (Titus Welliver) signals Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) for backup. Gideon declines to help and orders the commander to perform a suicide maneuver. The Mandos take control of the ship before he can crash it and Kryze learns a vital piece of information about the Darksaber: Gideon has it.
Though she would like to keep Djarin by her side, she tells him a Jedi called Ahsoka Tano can be found in the city of Calodan on the planet Corvus.
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While an action-filled episode with a number of laughs, the story-altering info revolves around Bo-Katan Kryze and the nature of mainstream Mandalorian culture. After first appearing on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the character returned in Star Wars Rebels. In both animated series, she was voiced by Sackhoff, so having her play the part in live action is both welcome and a very specific nod to the stories Dave Filoni and his team told about Mandalorians on those shows.
During the Clone Wars, Bo-Katan was a member of the terrorist organization known as the Death Watch, while her sister Satine ruled Mandalore as its duchess. At that time, Satine advocated a more pacifistic stance for the people, but Bo-Katan wanted to embrace the Mandalorian warrior culture of a bygone era. Unfortunately, all of their idealistic notions were undone when Darth Maul used the tension between Mandalore and the Death Watch to take control of the planet. He also executed Satine.
Eventually, the Old Republic took notice of Mandalore’s plight and launched an invasion. After the battle, Bo-Katan was left as the planet’s regent, but was soon deposed when the Empire came to secure the planet. Twenty-odd years later, Bo-Katan came into possession of the Darksaber, assumed the title of Mand’alor, and vowed to take back the planet from the Empire.
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Nearly a decade later, it seems Bo-Katan is still fighting to get her planet back. And, along the way, she lost the Darksaber. As she noted to the Imperial commander, she needs the Darksaber to legitimately rule Mandalore. This is the Way, you see.
As it happens, Bo-Katan’s Way differs a great deal from Djarin’s. For one thing: she can remove her helmet. This is consistent with all of the Mandos seen in Filoni’s animated shows. Thus, it is now clear the Way of the Mandalore is not a prevailing notion among mainstream Mando society. Instead, as Bo-Katan notes, it is the Way of the Children of the Watch, a group of religious zealots dedicated to re-establishing an even more ancient Mandalorian society than the one she espoused in her youth.
Curiously, it seems the Children of the Watch are distinct from the Death Watch despite seeing the latter group’s insigna in Djarin’s flashbacks to the Clone Wars last season. Of course, it is possible former members of the Death Watch joined the Fighting Corps who rescued Djarin and adopted the Way of the Mandalore.
Nonetheless, all of this history and Bo-Katan’s search for the Darksaber suggests the true liberation of Mandalore is in the series’ future. Considering Filoni’s involvement with The Mandalorian, it is only a matter of time before his on-going story threads join up with Djarin’s wanderings.
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And that brings us to Ahsoka Tano. From the moment Favreau revealed Filoni’s involvement with the show, it was only a matter of time before the character found her way to the series. This is the Way of Filoni, you see. But we found it interesting that Bo-Katan referred to her as a Jedi. The character quit the order sometime before the establishment of the Empire. And though she led the Republic’s siege of Mandalore — and captured Maul — she remained outside of the Jedi strictures into the Galactic Civil War era. The last time we saw her, in Rebels‘ closing moments, she was setting out to find Rebels main character Ezra Bridger shortly after the Battle of Endor alongside Mandalorian Sabine Wren.
We doubt Ahsoka’s ongoing tale will have much impact on The Mandalorian this season — although a live action Sabine would be welcome — but it will be interesting to see if she makes any mention of her own quest should she debut next week. We’re cautiously optimistic we’ll see her, but considering the way Boba Fett (Temeura Morrison) was teased in the season premiere, it is possible Ahsoka (reportedly set to be played by Rosario Dawson) will wait in the wings a bit longer.
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Bo-Katan Kryze’s pronouncements about Mandalorian society left us with a number of questions which feel particularly resonant to the future of The Mandalorian. If its scope truly does expand to a Game of Thrones level, then these issues will need to be addressed.
Will Djarin Take His Helmet Off? With his own tribe scattered, it is possible Djarin will find a home with the Nite Owls. If that is the case, he will be free to remove his helmet. After the events of this episode, it seems clear Bo-Katan will vouch for him as a true Mandalorian while freeing him of the more restrictive Way. But as any former adherent to a faith will tell you, letting go of ways ingrained as a child is not easy. This may actually form a long-term character arc for Djarin as he learns the Way of the Mandalore is not absolute. Considering the Way serves as emotional beskar for the orphaned traveler, seeing him share his face with another living being could represent true growth for the character.
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Is Gideon a Mandalorian? Since we still don’t know much about the Moff — according to Esposito, revelations about the character will have to wait until season 3 — we can’t let go of the sneaking suspicion he was the Fighting Corps or Death Watch member who rescued Djarin in the waning days of the Clone Wars. Such a thing would make him a very Star Wars–style Dark Father. Also, his interest in Mandalorian weapons may be more than a personal fascination. Has he been planning to take Mandalore for himself as a new base for the Imperial Remnant?
But then, why was he so interested in the Child?
Is Mandalore a Cursed Planet? Until his meeting with Kryze, Djarin was under the impression Mandalore was a cursed planet offering only death to its visitors. Bo-Katan maintained a more positive view, which leaves us to wonder what Djarin will find when he inevitably ends up there. Since Kryze is still trying to mount a liberation effort four or five years after the Battle of Endor, we’re inclined to believe it is still under some sort of Imperial control. Or, perhaps, those in change of the planet have turned isolationist and spread the rumors of death and destruction to heal from their own traumas. But one thing seems clear: Djarin’s path will eventually take him there whether or not he reunites the Child with his own people.
