Review: “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Episode 5 (Disney+ Series)

SPOILERS AHEAD... 

“Star Wars” geeks had been anticipating this episode for 10 months. 

The fifth episode of “The Mandalorian” Season 2 is titled “Chapter 13: The Jedi” and viewers saw animated fave Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) featured for the first time in a live-action property (other than the character’s voice being heard in “Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker”). 

For a lot of fans of “The Mandalorian,” this was the first time they've seen Ahsoka Tano. The character originated in the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” film, was subsequently featured in the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series, and appeared in several episodes of the “Star Wars Rebels” animated series. 

(The character has also appeared in other properties, such as books and games.)

For those who experienced the character in the animated series, Rosario Dawson seems like perfect casting. Her look embodies the Ahsoka Tano character.

A couple episodes ago, the character’s appearance was teased when Bo-Katon told Din Djarin to find the Jedi on the forest planet Corvus. 

We figured Mando and The Child would meet Tano, but we didn’t quite know what form that meeting would take. 

The opening moments of Chapter 13 find Tano brandishing her two white lightsabers on Corvus (the part of the planet she is on looks charred and desolate). She is fighting visored scout guards from a gated village. 

Not long after, Mando and The Child land on Corvus. The pair eventually meets up with a village magistrate named Morgan Elsbeth (Diane Lee Inosanto) who offers a Beskar spear to Mando if he kills Ahsoka Tano. 

The Jedi are the ancient enemies of Mandalore. Mando has no intention of killing Tano, but feels like the proposition is an opportunity to expedite his search for the Jedi. 

With coordinates in hand, Djarin sets out with The Child to find Tano. When he does come across her, we glean a number of interesting details about The Child's origins. 

We learn that Baby Yoda is actually named Grogu. Some fans on the interwebs didn’t like the name. I’m not sure what they were looking for in this instance. 

We also learn that he was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He was trained by many Jedi Masters over the years and was hidden at the end of the Clone Wars.

Someone took Grogu from the Jedi Temple. That’s where his memory went dark. 

I know what you’re thinking. Why hasn’t an infant-like creature matured more in the intervening years? 

I’ve read that Grogu (it’s odd not calling him “Baby Yoda”) is 50 years old. For comparison’s sake, Yoda was 900 years old when he died in “Return of the Jedi.” So, the idea that he is still a toddler shouldn’t surprise any of us. 

I’ll be interested to see if Grogu is eventually trained to become a Jedi. It might be more intriguing if he was trained to be a Mandalorian — imagine the tiny set of armor and helmet he would wear! 

Tano tests Grogu’s skills, but ultimately says she can’t train him. She senses fear in the little critter, and his attachment to Mando makes him vulnerable. 

“Better to let his abilities fade,” Tano tells Djarin. 

Mando tells Tano about his meeting with Morgan Elsbeth. As a result, the Jedi and the Mandalorian strike a bargain. He’ll help her deal with the magistrate in exchange for seeing to it that Grogu gets proper training. 

What follows are some entertaining action sequences as Tano and Djarin take on the nefarious forces running the village. 

I should mention that actor Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese in “Terminator”) plays the gunfighter in charge of the village’s security. I haven’t seen him in anything for a number of years, and it was nice to have him in the “Star Wars” universe.

We learn at the end of all the excitement in the village that Morgan Elsbeth served Grand Admiral Thrawn (someone Tano is trying to find). 

Grand Admiral Thrawn first appeared in the novel “Star Wars: Heir to the Empire” in 1991. I remember reading the entire “Thrawn Trilogy” back then, and thought the character was really interesting. He is the creation of sci-fi writer Timothy Zahn. 

Thrawn has appeared in a number of SW properties over the years, including the “Star Wars Rebels” animated series. 

I watched all of “Star Wars Rebels” episodes (read my review) a couple years ago, and was excited to see the character in action. 

How that character might be incorporated into “The Mandalorian” is anyone’s guess at this point. 

Some fans aren’t terribly excited about the idea of tying this series into the “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series. 

Dave Filoni wrote and directed “The Jedi” episode. Filoni was a supervising director on “The Clone Wars“ and served as executive producer and as a supervising director on “Rebels.”

The idea that he might infuse more elements from those two series into “The Mandalorian” seems likely. I think fans are wondering just how closely they’ll be tied together. 

In the closing moments of Chapter 13, Tano tells Mando to take Grogu to the planet Tython. She says they’ll find the ancient ruins of a temple that has a “strong connection to the Force.”

Tython was apparently the original homeworld of the Je’daii Order — the predecessor to the Jedi Order. This is according to a Lucasfilm novel published during what has been dubbed the “Legends” era of content (not considered “canon” anymore). 

I’m not sure what any of it means exactly. 

Part of me is wondering if the appearance of Ahsoka Tano — along with the mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn — is a teaser for a potential live-action series focusing on Tano. If so, that could be really interesting. 

We’ll see how it all plays out. With only three episodes left in this season of “The Mandalorian,” I’m going to be interested to see what questions are left for the third season. 

Stay tuned for my review of “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Episode 6. 

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