SPOILERS AHEAD... this is the way...
Well, that was AWESOME!
What a spectacular finale for the second season of “The Mandalorian.”
Having reviewed all 15 previous episodes on this blog, I’ve wondered where this story would go. Would the creators *stretch out* the search for a home for Baby Yoda (Grogu) indefinitely? Or would that storyline reach a resolution sooner rather than later?
In “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” we get what appears to be a bantha-sized answer to that question.
The episode starts out with Slave I (Boba Fett's ship) chasing down an Imperial Shuttle (a design first introduced in 1983’s “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi”).
The shuttle is carrying Dr. Pershing (Obid Abtahi), the doctor who has run experiments on Grogu for Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito).
An aside here... have I mentioned how cool Slave I is? I remember wanting the Kenner version of this ship when “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” was released in 1980, but never got it as a kid.
Back in the 1990s, Kenner re-released the ship (based on the original toy’s design and molds) as part of their “Shadows of the Empire” collection (based on a “Star Wars” novel that was released during my final semester at the University of Nebraska at Omaha).
So I picked up the refreshed Slave I ship for myself, and recently reacquired it from storage when Bridget and I cleaned out my dad’s house last summer.
Here’s my Slave I from my extensive “Star Wars” collection (mint in box):
Anyhow...
Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) temporarily disables the Imperial shuttle with Slave I's ion cannon, allowing his companions Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano) to board the ship. This allows them to grab Pershing and requisition the ship (more on that later).
After the snatch-and-grab, our heroes travel to a planet (it looks relatively rural) to find Mandalorians Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks) and ask for their assistance in rescuing Grogu.
Sackhoff is one of my favorite actresses these days, and it was nice to see a return appearance this season.
Bo-Katan is reluctant at first, but warms up to the idea when she learns she has a chance to face Moff Gideon, capture the light cruiser he commands, and re-obtain the “Darksaber” from his evil clutches (all part of her effort to retake Mandalore).
So, Mando, Fett, Bo-Katan, Koska, Dune, and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) hatch a plan to infiltrate Gideon’s vessel. Dr. Pershing informs the group about the dark troopers on board — and that they are third generation units that no longer have humans inside.
So far, so good. I liked the setup. I like a good “men and women on a mission” storyline — especially in “Star Wars.”
It’s an entertaining scenario. In many respects, the use of an Imperial Shuttle to infiltrate an Imperial stronghold echoes a similar move in “Return of the Jedi.”
The ruse is designed around Boba Fett chasing the shuttle in Slave I. As the plan progresses, he finds himself being chased by a pair of TIE Fighters. I thoroughly enjoyed all of this, including Ludwig Goransson’s terrific musical stylings.
The Imperial Shuttle (piloted by Bo-Katan) eventually makes it through, and “emergency lands” in the TIE Fighter launch tube.
I just want to say how completely cool it is to see TIE Fighters launching this way. More often than not, we don’t get to glimpse TIEs exiting a ship — they just sort of appear in a space battle.
It kind of reminded me of Viper ships launching via tubes in “Battlestar Galactica.”
I also want to say how entertaining the remaining scenes in the episode prove to be.
Cara, Fennec, Koska, and Bo-Katan launch their assault to gain control of the bridge, distracting the Imps so Mando has an easier path to the brig as he tracks down Grogu.
There are a number of kinks in the plan, including the fact that Mando has to go by the storage bay for the dark troopers on his way to the brig.
If you like action, you liked this episode. I mean, does it get any better than blaster battles against stormtroopers in steely-metal corridors??
Our heroes inevitably have to do battle with the dark troopers. Ever since they were teased in Chapter 12, I’ve been curious to see their capabilities.
They didn’t disappoint.
The dark troopers have the ability to fly and are resistant to blaster fire. Mando gets to experience one of the metallic soldiers firsthand on his way to Grogu — only having success when he disables it with his Beskar spear.
It always fascinates me when prequel content introduces technology that seems superior to the tech found in later movies. I felt that way when I watched George Lucas’s prequel movies back in the day, and I felt that way again when I saw the dark troopers in action.
Why didn’t the First Order have these things (or some improvement on the technology) in the sequel trilogy? Why go back to plain old stormtroopers when you can have something better??
(I’m not complaining at all... I just always find that an interesting narrative tactic.)
Mando launches the remaining troopers into space. I must admit, when I first saw the dark troopers, they reminded me a bit of Maximilian in the “The Black Hole,” Disney’s 1979 entry into the sci-fi movie craze.
I thought the all-female team assaulting the bridge was badass. If those four characters end up being the basis for the “Rangers of the New Republic” series announced by Disney, it could be really terrific.
Mando ultimately makes it to the brig and finds Moff Gideon holding the Darksaber over Grogu.
Gideon has proven himself a capable antagonist in “The Mandalorian.” Part of the appeal is Giancarlo Esposito’s smooth and convincing performance.
The Darksaber brings power to the one who holds it. That’s why Bo-Katan wants the saber — whoever wields the sword “has the right to lay claim to the Mandalorian throne.”
Din Djarin just wants the kid back.
But Gideon isn’t going to let go that easily, and the two eventually end up in a duel — Gideon wielding the saber; Mando with the Beskar spear.
Mando disarms the Imperial, and takes Gideon and Baby Yoda to the bridge.
Unfortunately, Bo-Katan needed Gideon to surrender to her to rightfully claim the Darksaber — so she could take back control of Mandalore. Djarin doesn’t want it and offers it to her, but she won’t accept.
What’s interesting about this is that Bo-Katan accepted the Darksaber from fellow Mandalorian Sabine Wren in “Star Wars Rebels” (which takes place five years prior to “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) in the episode titled “Heroes of Mandalore: Part 2” (read my review of “Star Wars Rebels”).
It’s not the first contradiction to appear in “The Mandalorian,” and I’m sure there will be an explanation for the change (for example, maybe Bo-Katan wanted to lay claim to the saber in a more legitimate way as she attempts to retake the planet).
We also don’t know how Gideon obtained the Darksaber in the first place.
Regardless, it does create an interesting scenario for Din Djarin going forward. The reluctant hero obviously has little interest in the geopolitics of Mandalore, and doesn’t desire to be the leader of the various Mandalorian factions.
But that might make him the perfect one for the job.
The dark trooper platoon that Mando launched into space returns to the ship. Because they are droids, they are none worse for the wear. Our heroes aren’t sure what they will do to fend off the shiny metallic troops.
“I think we all know after a valiant stand, everyone in this room will be dead, but me and the child,” chirps Gideon as the dark troopers start to “punch” their way into the bridge.
Like the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, an X-wing starfighter pops into view and is picked up by the Imperial cruiser’s systems.
At this point, you’re hoping it isn't a recently seen X-wing pilot, like Trapper Wolf (Dave Filoni) or Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) — the New Republic equivalent of officers Frank Poncherello and John Baker on “CHiPs.”
Those two dudes wouldn’t stand a chance.
I think every “Star Wars”-loving fan knew it was Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). I’ve got to say, it was a great introduction for the character.
The cloaked and shadowy Skywalker slices and dices the darktroopers with his green lightsaber and the Force.
I’m so glad to see that green saber again. I still don’t understand why Luke/Anakin’s blue lightsaber appeared in “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” — it was LOST in Cloud City when Vader chopped off Luke’s hand.
(Thanks a lot for NEVER explaining that, J.J. Abrams... read my thoughts on the lack of explanation in my review of “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”.)
I know some fans didn’t want Skywalker to be “the Jedi” that came to find Grogu. They would have preferred it to be one of the Jedis mentioned in one of the other “Star Wars” properties.
I liked it.
During Skywalker’s march to the bridge, Gideon tries to kill Bo-Katan and himself. He ultimately fails in that task (I think he’ll be causing trouble for episodes to come).
As much as “The Mandalorian” is a fresh take on “Star Wars,” it is also proving itself to be “sequel” content that “Return of the Jedi” really deserved.
Skywalker ulimately takes Grogu under his wing. Sometimes computer-generated “de-aging” efforts look fake and stilted (to be honest, I never think the mouths move correctly). While this effort on Luke was far from perfect, I thought they did a good job.
Anyhow, there are some terrific “nods” to previous “Star Wars” movies during this sequence — as Din Djarin says goodbye to Grogu.
First of all, Mando says “I’ll see you again. I promise” as he is about to hand Grogu to Skywalker.
It reminded me of the moment in “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” when Luke was leaving Yoda (Frank Oz) — and Obi-Wan’s Force ghost (Sir Alec Guiness) — on Dagobah and he said, “I will return. I promise.”
It was great to see Mando remove his face shield in this scene, so he could look at Grogu without the mask.
Then Din says, “All right, pal. It’s time to go. Don’t be afraid.”
At that moment I recalled the scene in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” when Anakin (Jake Lloyd) was leaving his hovel (and his mother Shmi) on Tatooine to go be trained as a Jedi.
Anakin’s mother says, “Be brave, and don’t look back.”
It is pretty cool to think about Luke training Baby Yoda the way Yoda trained him.
Some fans were concerned that this was the *final* episode of “The Mandalorian,” thinking the handoff of Grogu meant that the series was at an end.
The reality is that “The Mandalorian” will be returning for another season, but it is understandable why some fans were confused. As much as the show is about the journey of Din Djarin, it is also about the journey of Grogu.
We haven’t seen the last of either character.
Let’s face it, Disney isn’t going to surrender millions of dollars in merchandising revenue from Baby Yoda.
And, “The Mandalorian” is the show that is keeping subscribers hooked to Disney+ at the moment.
Some have suggested that actor Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) would be perfect as a young Luke Skywalker in a series about the training of Grogu.
That would definitely be interesting. In the 1990s-era “Star Wars” novels, Skywalker starts a “Jedi Academy” to train Jedi (the “Jedi Academy Trilogy” by Kevin J. Anderson was one of my favorite series back then). That could be an interesting basis for a show.
Anyway, the overall quality of the Season 2 finale of “The Mandalorian” was terrific. It was written by Jon Favreau and directed by Peyton Reed (who I praised in my review of “Chapter 10: The Passenger”). I’m excited to see where things go from here...
So, let’s talk about the “easter egg” at the end of the closing credit sequence...
Seeing an obese Bib Fortuna (the Twi’lek being played by Matthew Wood this time around) sitting at the head of Jabba the Hutt’s palace throne room on Tatooine was excellent.
I know most “Star Wars” fans favor “The Empire Strikes Back” as being the best of the original trilogy, but my favorite as a kid was 1983’s “Return of the Jedi” — and I saw it 13 times at Indian Hills Theater (on the big “Cinerama” screen) here in Omaha.
In the easter egg, we see Fennec Shand entering the throne roam, shooting a Gamorrean guard as she descends the stairway. She then shoots down the rest of Fortuna’s “entourage” (the exception being a Twi’lek slave dancer).
Then, Boba Fett walks into the room.
Despite some rapid banter by Fortuna, Fett shoots him with his blaster. He walks up to the dais, tosses Fortuna aside, and takes a seat on the throne.
Shand retrieves a bottle of Spotchka (a blue drink made from Krill), and perches on the arm of the throne by Fett’s right hand.
The scene cuts to black, and the words “The Book of Boba Fett Coming December 2021” appear.
I am so flipping excited about “The Book of Boba Fett” limited series coming to Disney+ next December.
We’d heard rumors about a Fett-centric show, and I’m glad we are going to get one. I think there are a lot of really cool opportunities to delve more fully into the world of galactic bounty hunters and the underworld in the SW universe.
This teaser was part of what left fans confused as to the future of “The Mandalorian,” but series creator Jon Favreau addressed that in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
I just think we are going to be treated to some really interesting “Star Wars” properties in the next few years. Disney teased a number of them at “Disney Investor Day 2020,” and I have a blog post with my thoughts on those shows coming soon.
I just want to close this blog post by thanking those of you who like and comment when I share these reviews on social media. It means a lot to me, and I really enjoy being able to chat with fellow fans about each of “The Mandalorian” episodes after they stream each week.
It does kind of suck that fans have to go into “standby mode” for awhile and wait to learn the fates of Mando and Grogu. I’m looking forward to seeing where Favreau & Co. take the “Star Wars” franchise from here — this is the best the franchise has looked in a long, long time.
Stay tuned...
