SEASON ONE
CHAPTER 1: THE MANDALORIAN
Five years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, a Mandalorian bounty-hunter (Pedro Pascal) seizes an unnamed Mythrol fugitive (Horatio Sanz), saving his life in the process, on the ice-planet Pagodon and brings him back to his own planet in his ship, the Razor Crest. He meets the leader of the Bounty Hunters Guild, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) but discovers that the bounty will not even pay him for his fuel. He is forced to accept a mysterious commission and meets his new client (Werner Herzog).
The client has former Stormtroopers as bodyguards and gives only a vague description of the target to bring back alive. The target is 50 years old. The client will pay a container full of a rare metal called Beskar that Mandalorians use for their armor. He meets with the armorer (Emily Swallow) at a Mandalorian enclave. The armorer melts the single-bar down payment of Beskar into a Pauldron armor piece and tells him the metal was gathered in the Great Purge and will help to sponsor foundlings like the bounty hunter himself.
He travels to the desert planet Arvala-7 and meets a moisture farmer named Kuiil (voice of Nick Nolte) who fears the outlaws hiding in the area. Kuiil teaches the Mandalorian how to ride a Blurrg and sends him to the place where the bounty is supposed to be. Reaching the outlaw hideout, he teams up with IG-11 (voice of Taika Waititi), a bounty droid hunting for the same target. They defeat the Nikto Guards and discover that the bounty is a green, big-eared, childlike creature of the same species as Yoda. IG-11 has orders to kill the creature, but the Mandalorian decides to shoot the droid instead.
This was the first episode of the popular Star Wars-inspired TV series released on Disney+ written by Jon Favreau and directed by Dave Filoni, and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy of Lucasfilm, and Colin Wilson. Much of it was inspired by Samurai films and Westerns, mostly Clint Eastwood vehicles.
CHAPTER 2: THE CHILD
Returning to his ship on foot with the Child, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) is ambushed by three Trandoshan mercenaries. He disintegrates one who is trying to kill the Child and discovers a tracking fob on the young creature. He returns to his ship and discovers a team of Jawas taking it apart. After a battle, they retreat in their sandcrawler and knock out the Mandalorian with ion blasts. He awakens to find his ship stripped bare and his weapons gone. Helped by Kuiil (voice of Nick Nolte), he bargains with the Jawas: they will return his ship’s parts in exchange for the egg of a Mudhorn.
The Mandalorian is battered by the powerful creature, his armor is damaged, and his weapons fail. But suddenly the Child lifts the Mudhorn into the air with the Power of the Force and the Mandalorian is able to kill it. He brings the egg to the Jawas, who devour it. Kuiil and the Mandalorian repair the ship, but Kuiil will neither accept a reward nor join the ship’s crew, but they part as friends. In space, the child awakes, exhausted from using the Force.
Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy saw the series as an opportunity to allow diverse writers and directors to create their own Star Wars stories, but most of the scenes are right out of the original movies. Still, they are gritty and exciting, using the Western-like “scum and villainy” of Tatooine and the rest of the Star Wars universe, and the series quickly became popular. Director Favreau kept the existence of the Child a secret as long as he could, but it quickly became a beloved character, unofficially called Baby Yoda.
CHAPTER 3: THE SIN
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) delivers the Child to the client (Werner Herzog), who will not explain what he intends to do with the creature. The Mandalorian returns to the Mandalorian Enclave, where his damaged armor is replaced by the Armorer (Emily Swallow) with a new set forged from Beskar. Another Mandalorean accuses him of working with former agents of the Galactic Empire, but the armorer reminds everyone of the Way of Mandalore. He returns to the Guild and learns from Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) that nearly everyone in the Guild had been looking for the Child. Greef wants him to rest, but the Mandalorean wants to take on another job. Greef himself has no idea what the client wants to do with the Child and even asking about it is against Guild Code. The Mandalorean begins to feel guilty and infiltrates the Client’s base of operations.
He ends up killing many imperial stormtroopers and rescues the Child from a laboratory. He is attacked by Greef and other bounty hunters, who demand the child. A fight breaks out and the Mandalorean is outnumbered and cornered, but Mandalorean warriors from the Enclave attack the bounty hunters and he escapes. Greef appears on his ship and gives him one chance to surrender, but the Mandalorean shoots him and throws him off the ship. The Child’s hand appears and the Mandalorean drops a control knob into his hand.
The episode was directed by Deborah Chow, the first woman to direct a live-action Star Wars film. One source of inspiration was the comic book Lone Wolf and Cub, and another was the John Wick film series.
CHAPTER 4: SANCTUARY
On the planet Sorgan, a swampy and forested planet with a tiny population, a village of farmers is raided by Klatooinian bootleggers. The Mandalorean (Pedro Pascal) lands there with the Child, hoping to hide from his pursuers. In a local tavern, they meet a pit fighter and mercenary named Cara Dune (Gina Carona), a former Rebel shock trooper hiding out there as well. She wants the Mandalorean to leave immediately. On the ship, the Mandalorean is approached by two villagers asking him to drive off the Klatooinians. He agrees to do so in return for lodging and uses their payment to hire Dune. A widow named Omera (Julia Jones) agrees to house them. Dune and the Mandalorean find tracks in the mud outside the village that seem to be those of an All-Terrain Scout Transport. Dune thinks they should all leave, but the villagers want to fight.
The Mandalorean and Dune train the farmers and set traps in the krill ponds for the AT-ST. They attack the raiders and provoke a fight. Chasing them back to the village, the AT-ST manages to avoid the traps. Dune shoots out one of the viewports from below and the AT-ST collapses into the pond. A thermite detonator blows it up and the raiders flee. A few weeks later, the Child is playing with the local children and the Mandalorean considers leaving him there. But a Kabuzi bounty hunter gets the drop on the Child and Dune shoots him. The Mandalorean realizes that the Child has to remain under his protection.
The episode was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, much to the surprise of her father, Ron Howard, who had directed Solo: A Star Wars Story. Writer Jon Favreau took his lead from The Seven Samurai and the Magnificent Seven. Pedro Pascal was actually not in the film because he was doing King Lear on Broadway, and his character was played by stunt actors and body doubles. Gina Carona was highly praised as Sara Dune and compared to Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
CHAPTER 5: THE GUNSLINGER
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) defeats a bounty hunter in a dogfight, but the Razor Crest is damaged and he lands at a repair facility in Mos Eisley, Tatooine, run by Peli Motto (Amy Sedans). Looking for work at a local cantina, he meets Toro Calican (Jake Carnavale), a young hired gun hoping to join the Bounty Hunters Guild by capturing a famous assassin named Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). Not too sure about this, the Mandalorian agrees to let Calican take credit for Shand’s capture in exchange for the cost of his ship’s repair. Meanwhile, Peli is taking care of the child on the ship.
The Mandalorian and Calican travel into the Dune Sea on speeder-bikes, looking for Shand. They find a travelling band of Tusken raiders. The Mandalorian trades Calican’s new binoculars for safe passage. They run across a dewback with a dead bounty hunter attached, but this is bait set out by Shand. They manage to escape her sniper fire and capture her, but one of the speeders is destroyed.
The Mandalorian goes to replace the speeder with the dewback, while Calican watches Shand. She tries to con him by pointing out that the bounty on the Mandalorian and the Child are more than her own. Calican doesn’t care, but Shand points out that taking down the Mandalorian would make Calican a legend. She offers to help him do that. Calican simply kills her, returns to the spaceport and kidnaps Motto and the Child. The Madalorian arrives, takes down Calican with a flash grenade, and shoots him dead. The Mandalorian gives Calican’s money to Motto for his ship’s repairs and leaves Tatooine. Out in the desert, a mysterious figure approaches Shand’s body.
The episode was written and directed by Dave Filoni. Inspiration came from Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. The voice of the bartender droid was Mark Hamill. We know Ming-Na Wen from Agents of Shield and Stargate Universe, as well as roles in the Joy Luck Club, Mulan, and ER.
CHAPTER 6: THE PRISONER
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) contacts an old friend named Kanzar “Ran” Malik (Mark Boone Jr.) who hires him to work with an ex-Imperial sharpshooter named Migs Mayfield (Bill Burr), a Devaronian strongman called Burg (Clancy Brown), the assassin droid and pilot Q9-0 (voice of Richard Ayoade), and a blade-wielding Twi’lek named Xi’an (Natalia Tena). They are to hijack a prison transport containing Xi’an’s brother Qin (Ismael Cruz Cordova), who is convicted of serious crimes against the New Republic. They fight their way through the ship’s security droids, but the captain activates an emergency beacon. The Mandalorian is double-crossed and locked in Qin’s cell as the others escape.
The Mandalorian escapes by using a security droid’s arm to unlock the cell door. He appears to hunt down and kill Mayfield, Xi’an, and Burg before confronting Quin, who persuades him to spare him, and they return to the ship, where Q9-0 is shot and destroyed trying to capture the Child. Ran honors the contract and pays the Mandalorian for delivering Qin safely but orders a fighter after him. Quin realizes the captain’s beacon had been slipped into his pocket. Three X-wing fighters show up and lay waste to Ran’s spaceport. In the end, Mayfield, Burg, and Xi’an are seen alive because the Mandalorian had locked them inside the ship, where the New Republic authorities find them.
The episode was written by Rick Famuyima and Christopher Yost, and was directed by the former. It received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. The story was inspired by the TV series Prison Break and the opening scene of the western For a Few Dollars More, plus a little bit of Batman. The X-wing pilots Trapper Wolf, Jib Dodger, and Sash Ketter were played by the directors Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyima, and Deborah Chow. It was praised for its fun and action but criticized for adding little to the series plot.
CHAPTER 7: THE RECKONING
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) receives a message from the Head of the Bounty Hunters Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), whose town has been overrun by Imperial troops led by the Client (Werner Herzog), who wants to get the Child back. Karga suggests that the Mandalorian use the child as bait to kill the Client and free the town. Then, the Mandalorian and the Child will live in peace. Naturally, the Mandalorian doesn’t believe a word of this—Karga actually plans to kill the Mandalorian and take the valuable Child.
The Mandalorian recruits Cara Dune (Gina Carona) and Kuiil (voice of Nick Nolte) to help him. Kuiil brings the rebuilt droid IG-11 (voice of Taika Waititi), who is now programmed as a nurse. Arriving on Nevarro, they meet Karga and his gang, but en route to the town, they are attacked by large flying reptiles. Karga is injured but the Child heals him with the Force. Karga changes his mind and shoots his own gang.
The group puts together a new plan: Karga will pretend that Dune captured the Mandalorian and they will meet the Client while Kuiil returns the Child to the ship, where IG-11 is waiting. During the meeting, the Client receives a call from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), whose stormtroopers and deathtroopers surround the building and open fire, killing the Client. Moss Gideon arrives and boasts that the Child will soon be his. In the desert, two scout troopers capture the Child and kill Kuiil.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Deborah Chow. It was released early so it could be aired with a sneak preview of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The episode received high praise for action and performances, score, Chow’s direction, and cinematography, which won a Primetime Emmy Award. It was inspired by Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and the film High Noon. Sooner or later, the series will visit every significant western ever made. When the production realized it did not have enough stormtroopers, it contacted the 501st Legion, a cosplay group who brought their own uniforms.
CHAPTER 8: REDEMPTION
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), Cara Dune (Gina Carano), and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) are trapped. IG-11 (voice of Taika Waititi) rescues the Child and tells the others of Kuiil’s death. The Mandalorian finds a sewer vent he hopes will lead to his people’s hidden stronghold. Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) gives them till nightfall to surrender or he will order his troops to fire. He speaks the Mandalorian’s real name—Din Djarin. The Mandalorian knows that Gideon, a former member of the Imperial Secret Police, took over Mandalore. IG-11 arrives on a Scout Trooper bike with the Child, blasting his way through the stormtroopers.
The Mandalorian takes down some as well but is wounded by Gideon. The defenders take cover inside the tunnel but Gideon orders a flamethrower to incinerate them. The Child uses the Force to reflect the flames back. The Mandalorian and IG-11 remain behind while Dune and Karga take the Child into the sewers. IG-11 removes the Mandalorian’s helmet and sees his face, not technically a violation of the Mandalorian creed because IG-11 is a Droid. After treating his injuries, they both join the group in the sewers.
In the Mandalorian Enclave, they find only the Armorer (Emily Swallow) left behind. Seeing the Child, the Armorer is reminded of the Jedi, who are the Mandalorian’s ancient enemy, but she tells the Mandalorian to take the Child to the Jedi. She gives him a jetpack. She remains behind, but the Mandalorian, Dune, Karga, IG-11 and the Child escape through a subterranean lava river. IG-11 sacrifices himself, walking into an ambush and activating his self-destruct. Once they have emerged from the tunnel, Gideon attacks them in his TIE-fighter. With his jetpack, the Mandalorian plants explosives on the fighter, bringing it down. Karga invites the Mandalorian to return to the Guild, but he refuses so he can take care of the Child. Dune becomes Karga’s enforcer. The Mandalorian buries Kuiil’s body beneath a stone cairn and leaves. Gideon uses his darksaber to cut his way out of his wrecked TIE-fighter.
This was the final episode of the first season, written by Jon Favreau and directed by Taika Waititi. The episode received critical acclaim for action, emotion, performances, score, and direction. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmies and received one of them. The darksaber until then had appeared only in animated series. Jason Sudeikis appears as a scout trooper who punches Baby Yoda. The young Mandalorian, Din Djarin, was played by Aidan Bertola, his mother by Alexandra Manea, his father by Bernard Bullen. The musical score of the first season was released on eight CD-discs. The story was praised for the sensitive portrayal of Droids and for showing the hero’s real face.
SEASON TWO
CHAPTER 9: THE MARSHAL
Looking for other Mandalorians to help him return the Child to his own species, The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) runs into a gangster named Gor Koresh (Voice of John Leguizamo), who tries to kill him for his valuable Besar armor but does not succeed. Under interrogation, he mentions that a Mandalorian was seen in the town of Mos Pelgo, Tatooine. The Mandalorian goes to Tatooine and reconnects with mechanic Pell Motto (Amy Sedaris), whose droid R5-D4 finds the town on an old map. Once there, the Mandalorian confronts the town marshal, Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), who wears Mandalorian armor which he had bought from Jawas. A Krayt Dragon is seen eating the town’s livestock and Vanth agrees to give up the armor if the Mandalorian will kill the dragon.
Heading for the dragon’s lair, Vanth and the Mandalorian run into Tusken raiders who agree to help kill the dragon if the people of Mos Pelgo will also help. The Tuskens can have the dragon’s carcass if they agree not to threaten the town. They bury explosives in front of the cave, hoping to lure the dragon out and blow it up, but the dragon survives and spews acid on them. The Mandalorian tricks the dragon into swallowing him, protected by his armor, along with a Bantha full of explosives. He escapes and blows up the dragon, and the Tuskens find a valuable pearl inside the body. Vanth gives up the armor and the Mandalorian leaves, though a scarred figure watches him depart.
The episode was written and directed by series writer Jon Favreau, the first episode directed by him because he had been busy with The Lion King. Cobb Vanth came from a novel trilogy called Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) also appears. The Krayt Dragon fight at the end was expanded to nearly IMAX format, which, along with the music by Ludwig Goransson received particular praise from critics.
CHAPTER 10: THE PASSENGER
On the way back from Mos Pelgo, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) defeats a gang of bandits who try to capture the Child, but his speeder bike is destroyed. He walks to Mos Eisley and finds Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) playing cards in a bar. His next job: The Mandalorian will transport the Frog Lady (Misty Rojas) to the estuary moon called Trask, where her husband will fertilize her eggs. He has information about other Mandalorians. The eggs are fragile and have to travel at sub-light speeds, which makes them vulnerable to pirate attacks. The Razor Crest has to escape a New Republic patrol and hide in an ice canyon on the nearby planet Maldo Kreiss. It is damaged crashing through the ice.
The Mandalorian says it is too cold to repair the ship at night, but the Frog Lady, using the severed head of droid Q9-0 (voice of Richard Ayoade) to translate, says they cannot wait and accuses him of breaking his word. He begins repairs and they find the Frog Lady in a hot-water pool with her eggs. The Mandalorian says it is not safe and collects the eggs. No-one knows that the Child has been snacking on the eggs. He explores the ice-cave and finds other eggs to snack on, but they hatch and the cave is filled with white spiders. They are attacked by a particularly large one, but they make it to the ship. The Frog Lady vaporizes a spider climbing on the Child.
A giant spider attacks the ship as it takes off. They are saved by X-wing pilots who use their blasters on the spiders. There is an arrest warrant for the Mandalorian because of a prison break he was involved in during an earlier episode, but he locked up the worst prisoners and they decide to overlook the incident. He finishes the repairs and the ship limps away. The Frog Lady and the Mandalorian, exhausted, fall asleep, but the Child goes on eating eggs.
This episode, written by Jon Favreau, was directed by Peyton Reed. The spiders, called Krykna, were based on conception art by Ralph McQuarrie made for the planet Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back. Dee Bradlee Baker was the voice of the Frog Lady, who was loved by audiences. The whole episode was well-liked as entertainment but criticized for not moving the plot forward.
CHAPTER 11: THE HEIRESS
The Razor Crest crash lands on the moon of Trask, where the Frog Lady (Misty Rojas) reunites with her husband and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) is directed to a local inn, where three Mandalorians have been sighted recently. The captain of a Quarren trawler offers him passage. At sea, the captain shows off a mamacore they are transporting. Suddenly, he throws the Child’s carrier into the cage and the Mandalorian dives in after it.
The idea was to kill the Mandalorian for his armor, but the Mandalorian trio show up to save him and kill the entire crew. The leader, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackoff) and her team Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado) and Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides) remove their helmets. He distrusts them for this, but Bo-Katan explains that they are part of a group of zealots who follow the ancient way of the Mandalore. But he leaves, refusing Bo-Katan’s help.
He is then attacked by the brother of the dead captain and Bo-Katan comes to his aid again. Imperial remnants are still plundering Mandalore and the trio are stealing weapons from cargo ships. In exchange for his help on the next raid, she will give him the information he needs. The Child is staying with the Frog Lady. They easily defeat the stormtroopers on the freighter and seize the cargo, but Bo-Katan decides to seize the whole ship. She is looking for a relic that had been stolen from her: the Darksaber.
The Mandalorian hesitates to get involved, but she says, “This is the Way.” The captain, however, has already alerted Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), who has the Darksaber in his possession. He tells the captain to sacrifice the ship and kill them all. The Mandalorian attacks a group of stormtroopers, which helps the others take control of the ship. Bo-Katan demands the location of the Darksaber but the captain commits suicide. Bo-Katan thanks the Mandalorian and invites him to join them, but he refuses because of his quest. She directs him to the city of Calodan on the forest planet Corvus, where he is to seek out a Jedi called Ahsoka Tano.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, whose direction was highly praised by critics. We know Katee Sackoff from the series Battlestar Galactica, where she played Lieutenant Thrace, and from the erotic fantasies of Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory. She wanted Bo-Katan to be regal and stoic without becoming wooden. Bryce Dallas Howard compared her to Pinocchio and told her to be a Real Boy. Composer Ludwig Goransson wrote particularly energetic music for Bo-Katan’s Theme. A powerful re-entry sequence was based on the one from Apollo 13, directed by Bryce Howard’s father Ron.
CHAPTER 12: THE SEIGE
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child go to Nevarro after the ship-repairs done on Mon Calamari prove to be inadequate. They reunite with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano), who have improved the planet significantly. Cara is the local Marshal and Greef is the Magistrate, assisted by Mythrol (Horatio Sanz). To pay for the ship-repairs, the Mandalorian agrees to help destroy an old Imperial base on the other side of the planet. The Child is placed in a school, where he uses the Force to steal candy from another student.
The base has more than just the skeleton crew they expected. Stormtroopers patrol the corridors. The attackers deactivate the lava cooling system so the lava will destroy the base. They find vats of cloned bodies and scientists who try to destroy the evidence. Mythrol finds a recording in which Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi) reveals that he has been transfusing the blood of the Child, with a high midichlorian count, into test subjects. Stormtroopers force the attackers to escape before the lava destroys the base.
The Mandalorian uses his jetpack to retrieve his ship, while Karga, Dune, and Mythrol steal a stormtrooper transport. They are pursued by stormtroopers on speeder bikes. Greef Karga kills the last one but TIE fighters fire upon them, disabling the transport’s cannon. The base explodes. As the TIE fighters close in on Dune, Karga, and Mythrol, the Razor Crest appears and destroys the Imperial forces.
His ship repaired and Nevarro secure, the Mandalorian heads for Corvus to search for Ahsoka Tano. The New Republic investigates the incident and Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) notes that something brewing needs to be stopped. Teva speaks with Dune and asks her help in fighting what remains of the Empire. When the planet Alderaan is mentioned, Dune reveals that she lost everything when it was destroyed. A mechanic working for Greef Karga reveals that a tracking beacon has been hidden aboard the Razor Crest. Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is informed. Gideon looks out over a line of Dark Troopers waiting to be activated.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Carl Weathers. It was praised for its action sequences, the direction, and a building tension. The accidental appearance of a crewman in jeans and a T-shirt in one scene was digitally removed. It was compared to a famous shot of a modern coffee cup in Game of Thrones. Director Carl Weathers, aside from being a linebacker for the NFL and the CFL, is known for playing Apollo Creed in four Rocky Films, Colonel Al Dillon alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura in Predator, and in many TV roles, including The Mandalorian.
CHAPTER 13: THE JEDI
On the forest planet Corvus, Jedi Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) confronts the Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), ruler of the city of Calodan, and her lieutenant Lang (Michael Biehn). She gives her one day to surrender and divulge her Master’s location. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child arrive in search of Ahsoka, sent there by Bo-Batan Kryze in an earlier episode. They are taken to Elsbeth, who offers the Mandalorian a Beskar spear if he will kill Ahsoka.
The Mandalorian finds Ahsoka and she speaks with the Child through the Force. His name, it seems is Grogu, and he was raised at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. He escaped when the Jedi order collapsed and has been suppressing his powers to survive. Ahsoka refuses to train Grogu, worried about his attachment to the Mandalorian and the fear and anger inside him. The Mandalorian asks Ahsoka if she will get Grogu to training if he will help her confront Elsbeth.
Ahsoka and the Mandalorian storm the city, killing all the guards and freeing the citizens. The Mandalorian kills Lang and Ahsoka duels with Elsbeth. She defeats her and demands the location of her Master, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ahsoka gives the Beskar spear to the Mandalorian and tells him how to get to the ruins of a Jedi temple on Tython, where Grogu may be able to contact a Jedi Master.
The character of Ahsoka Tanu was created for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, created by writer Dave Filoni. This was her live-action debut, which took place because Ahsoka knew Yoda and therefore could reveal the Child’s name. Fans suggested Rosario Dawson for the role. We know her from Men in Black II, Sin City, Death Proof, The Lightning Thief, and Unstoppable. She lent her voice to Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and the Book of Boba Fett. Unfortunately, it seems most of the fans hated Grogu as the Child’s name. You can’t win ‘em all.
The episode was suggested by Akira Kurosawa’s films. It was nominated for a number of awards, including eight Primetime Emmys. Filoni thought of Ahsoka as a wandering Samurai, who will later enter a kind of Gandalf stage. The live-action version is somewhat different from the animated version, notably in the size of her head tails and the tone of her orange skin. Composer Ludwig Goransson used Kevin Kinear’s Ahsoka theme from the animated series, with a bit of John Williams’ Yoda theme thrown in. Reviewers loved the episode, as did the fans. There is talk of an Ahsoka series to be spun off of The Mandalorian.
CHAPTER 14: THE TRAGEDY
The Mandalorian and the Child Grogu arrive on the planet Tython and climb to an ancient temple on top of a mountain. The Mandalorian places Grogu at the center and the Child begins to meditate under a protective force-field that appears to surround him. Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) arrives with a mercenary named Fennec Shand (Ming Na-Wen), whose life he saved on Tatooine, and he demands the return of his Mandalorian armor.
The Mandalorian agrees to trade the armor for the safety of Grogu. A pair of Imperial troop carriers arrive and the stormtroopers try to capture Grogu. Fett and Shand and the Mandalorian join together to fend off the stormtroopers and inflict heavy casualties on them. Bobba Fett retrieves his armor and wipes out many a stormtrooper wearing it, until he fires a rocket that destroys the fleeing ships. Grogu collapses from exhaustion and the force-field around him vanishes.
Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) arrives in a light cruiser and destroys the Mandalorian’s ship Razor Crest. Gideon sends four Dark Troopers, who capture Grogu and take him to the cruiser. Fett and Shand agree to help the Mandalorian save him. The Mandalorian asks for help from Cara Dune (Gina Carano), now the New Republic Marshal and they break out the criminal Migs Mayfield (Bill Burr) to track Gideon and rescue Grogu. Impressed with Grogu’s power, Moff Gideon shows Grogu the Darksaber and has a stormtrooper stun and shackle him. Then Gideon informs Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi) that he now has the donor.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Robert Rodriguez, whom we know from El Mariachi, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Kill Bill, Sin City, and Grindhouse, to name a few action masterpieces. Composer Ludwig Goransson created some special music for Boba Fett’s theme with a didgeridoo. The film received rave reviews and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for its emotional impact, the return of Star Wars fan-favorite Boba Fett, and the spectacular choreography filmed by Rodriguez.
CHAPTER 15: THE BELIEVER
Prisoner Migs Mayfield (Bill Burr), working on the Karthon Chop Fields, is remanded into the custody of Marshal Cara Dune (Gina Carano). The Mandalorian (Pablo Pascal) wants Mayfield, who is a former Imperial soldier, to reveal the co-ordinates of the warship belonging to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), where the Child Grogu is imprisoned. Mayfield leads them to a hidden and highly dangerous Imperial rhydonium refinery on the planet Morak, as all the others are known to Imperial Security. The Mandalorian himself has to accompany Mayfield into the refinery to obtain the necessary coordinates.
Mayfield and the Mandalorian hijack one of the transports and disguise themselves as soldiers. The rhydonium shipments, which are highly explosive, are attacked by pirates and the Mandalorian is nearly overwhelmed, but two Imperial TIE fighters swoop in and kill the pirates and the Mandalorian’s transport gets through. The terminal Mayfield is looking for is in the officer’s mess, but Mayfield spots his former commanding officer, Valin Hess (Richard Brake), and is afraid he will be recognized. The Mandalorian goes through the facial scan himself but has to remove his helmet to do so, violating the Way of the Mandalorian.
He is confronted by Hess, but Mayfield intervenes. They have a drink together and Hess callously dismisses all the Imperial soldiers and civilians who died in Operation Cinder and Mayfield shoots him dead. Mayfield and the Mandalorian have to fight their way to the roof, while Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) and Cara Dune cover them with withering fire, and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) comes to the rescue in Slave I. Mayfield destroys the refinery with a well-placed shot. The ship is pursued by two TIE fighters, but Fett destroys them. Dune lets Mayfield go free as a reward, and the Mandalorian sends a warning message to Moff Gideon, vowing to rescue Grogu.
The chapter was written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa and it was well-received, particularly for Bill Burr’s powerful performance. The Child Grogu did not appear. Many episodes of the series were criticized as not forwarding the plotline but praised for compensating the fans with amazing action. This has been one of those. The highly unstable cargo was compared to that in the French film The Wages of Fear (1953) and Sorcerer (1977) by William Friedkin.
CHAPTER 16: THE RESCUE
The Mandalorian (Pablo Pascal) boards an Imperial shuttle with Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and captures Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi). He and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) visit Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackoff) and Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado), who criticize Fett over the purity of his Mandalorian lineage. Bo-Katan agrees to help rescue the Child Grogu from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in exchange for the Darksaber, now in Gideon’s possession. Learning from Doctor Pershing that the cruiser is defended by Dark Trooper Droids, Fett deceives the Imperials into allowing the rescuers to crash-land in the cruiser’s launch tube. Bo-Katan, Reeves, Fennec Shad (Ming-Na Wen), and Dune fight through the stormtroopers to the ship’s bridge while the Mandalorian tries to seal off the Dark Troopers. He ejects them out an airlock.
Moff Gideon, who is guarding Grogu, tries to bargain with the Mandalorian when confronted but suddenly attacks with the Darksaber. The Mandalorian overpowers Gideon and takes him and Grogu to the others on the bridge. Gideon tries to goad Bo-Katan into attacking the Mandalorian to obtain the Darksaber—if she won the weapon in combat, she would have a claim to Mandalore itself. The Dark Troopers, returned, begin slowly to cut through the bridge’s defenses.
An X-wing lands, piloted by a Jedi Knight who engages and destroys all the Dark Troopers. Gideon grabs a chance and shoots Bo-Katan with a hidden blaster, but the Mandalorian blocks the shot from hitting Grogu. Refusing to surrender, Gideon tries to shoot himself but is disarmed by Dune. The Mandalorian opens the blast-doors to the Jedi, who we see is Luke Skywalker (a de-aged Mark Hamill). Grogu does not want to leave, but the Mandalorian persuades him to go with Skywalker to complete his training. The Mandalorian removes his helmet to say good-bye to Grogu and tearfully watches him leave. In a post-credits scene, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand invade Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine and kill Bib Fortuna (Matthew Wood, who had played him in The Phantom Menace) and his guards.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Peyton Reed. It was a great hit with fans, particularly the surprise cameo of a digitally de-aged Luke Skywalker. When Mark Hamill reveals himself, John Williams’ theme for The Force is played. The episode featured a dedication to Jeremy Bulloch, who originally played Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and had just died. The episode was nominated for six prime-time Emmy Awards and won for Ludwig Goransson’s music and Lateef Crowder’s outstanding stunt performance. The robot Dark Troopers are impressive as hell.
SEASON THREE
CHAPTER 17: THE APOSTATE
The Armorer (Emily Swallow) and other Mandalorians hold a ceremony to induct a young child, Ragnar Vizsla (Wesley Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel’s nephew) into the tribe. The ceremony is interrupted when a dinosaur turtle attacks. The clan struggles to defend itself, but it is saved by The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, (Pedro Pascal) and by Grogu, who have been reunited. The Armorer confirms that if the Mines of Mandalore still exist, Djarin may become a Mandalorian again.
He travels to Nevarro to meet the High Magistrate Greef Karga (Carl Weathers). The Mandalorian helps him fight off a group of pirates, led by the dread Pirate Vane (Marti Matulis). Karga offers Djarin the Marshal job, but he refuses because he only wants to rebuild the droid IG-11 (voice of Taika Waititi). He revives the droid but it defaults to its original, violent programming. The Mandalorian brings the parts to a group of Anzellen mechanics, who tell him that he needs a new memory core.
As Djarin leaves Nevarro, the pirates, led by Vane’s superior, Gorian Shard (Carey Jones and Nonso Anozie) attacks his ship, but the Mandalorian escapes. He meets with Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackoff) in an old Mandalorian castle on Kalevala, who reveals that after losing the Darksaber she abandoned her plans to reclaim Mandalore and he must travel there alone.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Rick Manuyiwa. A sigil on a cave-wall is the Beskar-crafted skull of the Mythosaur, a race of huge creatures from Mandalore. They were driven extinct by Mandalore the First but became a symbol of the people. It also appears on a banner carried during the induction of young Ragnar Viszla. The pirate crew includes a Nikto (Vane), a Weequay, a Trandoshan, a Klatooinian, and a Quarren. The planet Kalevala is probably named after the Epic Poem of Finland, and the droid IG-11 crawling on the floor is probably a reference to the end of the first Terminator movie.
CHAPTER 18: THE MINES OF MANDALORE
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu travel to Tatooine and meet up with Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), who may have the memory core needed to repair IG-11 (voice of Taika Waititi). She doesn’t have one but offers to sell him R5-D4 instead. The Mandalorian uses the droid to scan Mandalore but it does not return. He tracks it to a cave where he is attacked by troll-like Alamites, which he dispatches with the Darksaber. The Mandalorian and Grogu enter the city of Sundari in search of the mines, where they find an old helmet which turns out to be a trap set by a cyborg. It captures the Mandalorian.
He sends Grogu to find Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and ask her to rescue him. She agrees to do so and with Grogu finds the Mandalorian in a trap. The cyborg wants his blood. She kills the cyborg with the Darksaber and takes the Mandalorian to the mines. He bathes in the living waters while reciting his creed. He sinks to the bottom and Bo-Katan dives in the save him. On the way up, she sees the Mythosaur.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Rachel Morrison, who was a cinematographer on The Black Panther. In this episode, Grogu is saving the Mandalorian instead of vice-versa. The Alamites look a bit like the Morlocks of The Time Machine and have a similar backstory. The cyborg looks a bit like General Grievous.
CHAPTER 19: THE CONVERT
After the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) recovers from the Living Waters, he and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) leave Mandalore. She does not tell him that she saw the Mythosaur. Returning to Kalevala, they come under attack by an Imperial TIE squadron. They are able to fend off the attackers, but a large squadron of TIE bombers appears and destroys Bo-Katan’s castle. She loses her cool and attacks the squadron, destroying several with heat-seeking missiles, but a swarm of TIE interceptors forces them to flee.
Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi) is pardoned by the New Republic but finds Elia Kane (Katy M. O’Brien) once part of Moff Gideon’s followers, among his amnesty program recipients. Kane promises to help Doctor Pershing in his clone research, outlawed now by the Republic. They sneak onto a decommissioned Imperial-class Star Destroyer to steal the materials they need, but Kane betrays Pershing and keeps the stuff himself, Later, he sabotages his own mind-wiping procedure, making it worse.
The Mandalorian and Bo-Katan arrive at a secure Mandalorian enclave, where he presents the Armorer (Emily Swallow) with a sample of Living Waters. Because they both went into the water, Bo-Katan is welcomed into the enclave with him.
The episode was written by Noah Kloor and Jon Favreau and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. The place where Doctor Pershing speaks to the people of Coruscant is the Opera House where Anakin met with Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. The music in the background of the entertainment plaza is based on “March of the Resistance” from the Second Trilogy—the theme of the New Republic.
CHAPTER 20: THE FOUNDLING
At a secret Mandalorian enclave, the Mandalorian introduces Grogu to Mandalorian combat training. Grogu wins a match, but his opponent, Ragnar Vizsla (Wesley Kimmel and Temuera Morrison) is snatched by a huge raptor. The Mandalorian and Ragnar’s father, Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher and Jon Favreau) set off after the raptor but their jetpacks run out of fuel. But Bo-Katan Fryze (Katee Sackhoff) pursues the creature in her ship and finds the location of its nest.
Later, the Mandalorian and Vizsla reunite with Bo-Katan at the enclave and devise a plan to rescue the child. Vizsla says that the noise of jetpacks will alert the raptor, so Bo-Katan suggests travelling to the nest on foot. They gather a hunting party and set off.
Meanwhile, the Armorer (Emily Swallow) leads Grogu to her forge and creates a piece of Mandalorian armor for his tiny body, featuring the Mandalorians’ Mudhorn Sigil. Grogu has visions of the siege of the Jedi Temple under Order 66 and his own rescue from the temple by Jedi Master Kelleran Beq (Ahmed Best), supported by Naboo armed forces
The next morning, the hunting party reaches the raptor’s nest but it is empty. The raptor is alerted and there is an aerial confrontation in which Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian rescue the boy unharmed, kill the raptor, and collect its chicks to be trained. As the Armorer replaces Bo-Katan’s pauldron, lost in the scuffle with the raptor, Bo-Katan reveals her encounter with the Mythosaur, but the Armorer does not believe the story.
The script was written by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni and directed by Carl Weathers. Ragnar was played by Wesley Kimmel--Jimmy Kimmel’s son--and by Temuera Morrison, who is best known for playing Jango Fett. He also appeared in the James Bond film Never Say Die and portrayed Aquaman’s lighthouse-keeper father. Ahmed Best appeared as Kelleran Beq despite having been nearly driven to suicide by the cruel behavior of Star Wars fans after he played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy.
CHAPTER 21: THE PIRATE
Pirate King Gorian Shard (Nonso Anozie) invades Nevarro in retaliation for Vane’s (Katy M. O’Brien) expulsion. Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) contacts Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) asking for help evacuating people from the city. Teva thinks the attack points to a new rise of the Empire, but Colonel Tuttle (Tim Meadows) does not believe it. Teva tracks down the Mandalorian covert and asks Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) for help. The Mandalorian and his team come to Karga’s aid and Bo-Katan assumes command of the attack force. The Mandalorians overcome the pirates, and Din and Bo-Katan battle Shard’s fighters. Nearly beaten, Vane flees and Shard is killed when his command ship is blown up.
Greef Karga and the people of Nevarro welcome the Mandalorians back into the city. The Armorer (Emily Swallow) meets with Bo-Katan and acknowledges that she saw the Mythosaur. This means that she can reunite all Mandalorians and she removes her helmet. Returning to Adelphi, Teva sees the wreckage of Moff Gideon’s prison transport and finds a fragment of Beskar alloy, suggesting that Mandalorians have broken Gideon out.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Peter Ramsey. It garnered 100% approval on Rotten Tomatoes for the way the diffuse stories of the season come together in a rousing battle story.
CHAPTER 22: GUNS FOR HIRE
Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Grogu head for the idyllic planet Plazir-15, where her previous army, now led by Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides), are working as mercenaries. But the planetary authorities divert them, Captain Bombardier (Jack Black) and the Duchess of Plazir-15 (Lizzo) ask for their help against a number of malfunctioning Imperial and Separatist droids.
Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian (Pablo Pascal) follow the trail of one rogue droid to a droid bar called The Resistor and convince the barkeep and the patrons to help them. The droids, it seems, were sabotaged with nanodroids obtained by Commissioner Helgait (Christopher Lloyd), head of the Planetary Security Office. Confronted, he reveals himself as a Separatist trying to create battle droids. Bo-Katan knocks him out and the Duchess sends him into exile on the Moon of Paraquaat.
Bo-Katan challenges Woves for leadership of the Mandalorian privateers and defeats him. Woves tries to trick her into challenging the Mandalorian for the Darksaber, but she thinks the Mandalorians need to join forces. The Mandalorian reveals her rescue of him from the cyborg on Mandalore and everyone agrees the Darksaber should be hers.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. Favreau hired Jack Black and Lizzo because they are big Star Wars fans and have created parodies of the series on the Internet. They were very happy to work with the Grogu puppet. The music was composed by Joseph Shirley. The episode was well-received as an amiable comedic lark.
CHAPTER 23: THE SPIES
Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) hears from Elia Kane (Baty M. O’Brian) that the Mandalorians intend to retake their planet. He informs the Shadow Council, made up of the remaining Imperial warlords. He calls for reinforcements from Commander Brendol Hux (Brian Gleeson) and questions Captain Pallaeon (Xander Berkeley) about the absent Grand Admiral Thrawn, wondering if the council should have a new leader.
Gathering on the planet Nevarro, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) unites the Mandalorian Clans and gathers a reconnaissance party to explore the surface of Mandalore and find the Great Forge. Before leaving, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) gives the Mandalorian (Pablo Pascal) a droid named IG-12, which is a rebuilt IG-11 (Taika Waititi) which can be piloted by the Grogu Child. The Mandalorian is not certain he likes that idea but allows it.
On Mandalore, they meet up with another clan loyal to Bo-Katan. She admits that she once surrendered herself and her Darksaber after the Night of a Thousand Tears, hoping her people would be protected, but Moff Gideon betrayed her and continued to bomb Mandalore. The clan shows her the way to the Great Forge, while the armorer (Emily Swallow) returns with the fleet to be healed.
They find the Great Forge but are ambushed by Gideon’s Beskar-enhanced stormtroopers and lured into a trap. Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides) flies through an opening to warn the Mandalorian fleet. The Mandalorian (Pablo Pascal) is captured by Gideon in Beskar armor, who intends to create an army of Dark Troopers and finish the Great Purge. He tries to kill the search party, but Bo-Katan uses the Darksaber to make an escape for her army, with Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher) staying behind to warn the Mandalorian fleet of the trap. Vizsla is killed by Gideon’s Praetorian Guard.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni and directed by Rick Famuyiwa. The episode was well received, though not considered one of the best, because it deftly set up the impactful final episode.
CHAPTER 24: THE RETURN
Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and her recon squad retreat from Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) base. On returning to the Mandalorian flagship, Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides) sends the remaining Mandalorian fleet to reinforce the planetary troops and uses the ship as a decoy for attacking the Imperial TIE squadrons. Helped by Grogu, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) escapes from captivity and searches for Gideon, fighting off Beskar-enhanced stormtroopers all the while. The Mandalorian and Grogu discover cloning tanks filled with clones of Gideon and destroy them. Bo-Katan and the Armorer (Emily Swallow) lead the Mandalorian reinforcements into the Imperial base and battle Gideon’s stormtroopers.
The Mandalorian confronts Gideon, who tells him the clones were able to use the Force. The Mandalorian cannot defeat Gideon’s Beskar armor, but Bo-Katan arrives and duels Gideon with the Darksaber, allowing the Mandalorian to defeat the Pretorian Guards with Grogu. Gideon destroys the Darksaber, but is overwhelmed by the Mandalorian, Bo-Katan, and Grogu using the Force. Axe Woves rams the Mandalorian ship into the Imperial base and Gideon is consumed. Grogu protects Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian from the blast.
After the battle, the Great Forge of Mandalore is restarted and Grogu is adopted by the Mandalorian as Din Grogu. The Mandalorian eventually teams up with Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and lives in an unpretentious cabin on the outskirts of Nevarro’s capital. IG-11 is refit as Nevarro’s new Marshal.
The episode was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Rick Famuyiwa. It was given a score of 76% by 22 critics, thought a bit disjointed and creaky, but ending on a high note. The teamwork in battle by the Mandalorian and Grogu was a high point.