Now that 2023 is over, I thought I’d do a personal ranking of the streaming content we got in Star Wars during the course of the year (excepting Young Jedi Adventures, which I have not watched). Here’s my list, beginning with my favorite, on down to my least favorite:
One of the most wrenching scenes of TBB S2 (besides that one): Crosshair is brought to the brink.
The Bad Batch S2. I think you all know how much I love the Bad Batch, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Season 2 had some great story arcs, more characterization, a new villain, and some heartbreaking moments. The Clone Conspiracy arc was especially fantastic; Echo and Tech both got some quality-time episodes that help us understand their characters more; Dr. Hemlock is creepy, cold-hearted, ambitious, and probably a little insane; and Plan 99–well, you know. I’d like to give a shoutout to Crosshair’s episodes, The Solitary Clone and The Outpost, as nominees for Best Star Wars content probably ever. Once we see a trailer for Season 3, my anticipation will reach a fever pitch, lol.
Oh Baylan, we hardly knew ye. The mystery of Baylan Skoll was one of highlights of Ahsoka, as well as the great performance of the late Ray Stevenson.
Ahsoka. This series was a bit uneven for me, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I will say it’s basically Rebels Season 5, but it was great to see some of my favorite animated characters in live-action. It has great mystical elements (Dathomirian witches!), warp-speed space whales, zombie stormtroopers, ancient artifacts, lots and lots of lightsaber battles, Baylan Skoll (he warrants a category of his own), the return of Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn, and oh yeah, Anakin Skywalker in the World Between Worlds. It was quite the spectacle, it was fun, and I love Ahsoka.
I loved the look of this episode (“Sith”) and the theme of leaving your past behind to become a better person. Also: Force Art.
Visions S2. I really enjoyed Season 1 of Visions–I thought it was a great way to get new, original Star Wars-inspired stories. I had some clear favorites, while others didn’t grab me, but overall it was great fun. So I was excited to learn about Season 2, and I think I loved it even more. Every single episode was a strong installment for me, and I loved the global feeling of this season as well. Some standouts for me were Sith, Screecher’s Reach, and The Spy Dancer. But seriously, I loved them all. I hope we get more Visions in the coming years.
“Bad baby!” Grogu is always the best part of The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian S3. Sad to say, this was my least favorite Star Wars offering of last year. I’m not saying it was bad; it was entertaining, and I enjoyed it. But it just didn’t grab me the way the first two seasons did. Part of this is because a good portion of it consists of the Mandalorians trying to get along with each other as they attempt to retake their homeworld (I’m not sure why, since it’s almost completely destroyed), and Din and Grogu’s part in it. That’s fine, I understand why this story needed to be told, but I really just prefer the more intimate story of Din and Grogu, what they mean to each other, and their adventures together. I hope we get more of that if a Season 4 happens; the Mandoverse is in a bit of flux right now. Will we get a S4? What about an Ahsoka S2? How will Filoni’s movie fit into it all? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but this is the only series I have not rewatched yet, and that says a lot.
What about you? What was your favorite Star Wars streaming content last year? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
I got “What is your favorite Grogu moment?” and oh my word, how am I supposed to choose? The little guy is a scene-stealer. I love literally every single scene he is in, lol. Will I go with cutest, most integral to the plot, most heartfelt, or best character moment?
He’s cute in every single scene, so I can’t pick just one of those. Impossible.
Most integral to the plot? Anytime he uses the Force: healing Greef Karga, holding off the fire of explosions, communing with a Jedi on Tython (which brings Luke along). He comes in handy that way in many instances.
Here’s my pick for most heartfelt:
Not a dry eye in the house.
But if I’m going with a moment that truly defines who Grogu is, then it’s the scene where he breaks up the fight between Paz Viszla and Axe Woves (over some dumb thing) while he’s in the IG droid (Season 3, Episode 7). He keeps repeating “No, no, no, no.” Grogu is a Mandalorian through Din Djarin, but he’s also got a Jedi background, from growing up in the Temple and also with his training with Luke. He knows that if the Mandalorians keep fighting amongst themselves, they’re doomed to fail. Cute and smart, and pretty brave for getting in between two Mandalorians poised for violence. He’s a little hero in that moment.
Again, I could choose just about any scene with him in it for my favorite because, duh, Grogu. But that one shows how far he’s come since Season 1, how he’s grown and accepted the different parts of himself.
Since I was kind of lazy about writing up each episode this season, it’s time for a Season 3 cumulative impressions post.
This season was markedly different from the first two seasons, in that the first two were focused primarily on Din and Grogu, their relationship, and Din’s efforts to get him back to his “folk.” Season 3 breaks into a wider world, that of Mandalorians and their quest to reclaim their homeworld of Mandalore. Din and Grogu are a part of that, but are players in a larger story that includes the Children of the Watch, Bo-Katan, and her assembled Mandalorians. I enjoyed it, but if I’m being honest, I enjoyed the first two seasons more. Or maybe I was just side-tracked by the simultaneously-running The Bad Batch, which, if I’m again being honest, was far more compelling to me for some reason. Go figure.
So Bo-Katan didn’t have to fight Din for the dark saber. I thought it was a fairly clever way of getting it back into her hands, as Din never wanted it in the first place.
There was a lot of Bo-Katan in this season, naturally, as she aspires to unite the Mandalorians; but since Din had the dark saber for most of the season, her people trickled away. I found it ironic that Bo-Katan and her people initially ridiculed the Children of the Watch for their silly ways–their no-removing-the-helmet rule, their saying “This is the way,” etc. But she didn’t have a particular laser sword, so she can’t lead them? Mandalorians are weird, lol. But it wasn’t until they were willing to set aside their respective rules–Bo-Katan keeping her helmet on while with the Children, and the Armorer accepting that she straddles both worlds and should take it off and unite them–that they find success.
I never really liked Bo-Katan in the animated series. The fact that she was opposed to her peace-loving sister Satine (who, um, wanted to unite Mandalore) and joined Death Watch and initially supported Maul made her more than a bit villainous to me. She came around in the last season of Clone Wars as she fought Maul with Ahsoka, and then received the dark saber from Sabine in Rebels. In The Mandalorian, her character arc came full circle as she ‘fessed up to her past mistakes and worked to bring Mandalorians together. She even earned Din’s respect, and he hers. It was nice to see.
Din’s character on the other hand fell a bit flat for me this season. He sought redemption in the Living Waters on Mandalore and received it within a couple of episodes. I was kind of hoping he’d move beyond that, join Bo-Katan and her people and remove the helmet, but no. He’s remained staunch about the rules, lol. I suppose the Children are the people who saved and raised him, so their traditions run deep in his bones. Mostly, I just wanted to see Pedro Pascal’s face again, but oh well.
“No. No. No. No. No.” Grogu is a Jedilorian.
Grogu is, of course, as adorable as ever. He’s grown, too, stronger in the Force and not needing a nap right after using it. He’s starting to come into his own, with the paintball competition with Paz’s son, going to find Bo-Katan with R5 when Din was in trouble, and helping Din and Bo-Katan fight off Gideon. He’s a big, helpful boy, lol. And I loved his new ride in IG-11. I was hoping for his first words, but I didn’t expect them to be “yes” and “no” in IG’s voice. Grogu is a new sort of Mandalorian–one who is clearly not human, first of all (and I love that he was accepted as Din’s apprentice without hesitation or comment on that), and he clearly has Jedi sensibilities. Not just his Force abilities, but the fact that he makes Jedi-like choices. When Axe and Paz were having their silly fight about a game, none of the Mandalorians intervened–that’s not what you do–but Grogu did. I was so proud in that moment! That’s our boy.
Moff Gideon in his beskar-plated armor. He wanted to combine the strengths of the Jedi and the Mandalorians without understanding the cultural significance of any of them. Typical of the Imperials–taking without understanding.
The finale was a great episode, with lots of action and plot resolution, but it did seem rushed a bit. I was surprised that the dark saber was destroyed, but I suppose it’s symbolic. Mandalorians don’t need their “trinkets,” as Gideon called it, at least not anymore. Gideon’s clones were super creepy, but were destroyed by Din as soon as we learned about them. To my surprise, the season ended with a happy ending–Gideon was killed (unless one of his weird clones somehow escaped and shows up later), his Mandalorian base and clones destroyed, no good guys were killed (at least main characters), and the Mandalorians relit the Great Forge. Din and Grogu got a nice little cottage on Nevarro, and it seemed like a series finale more than anything else. Will we get a Season 4, or will their story continue in the Filoni Mandoverse movie? It truly doesn’t matter to me; I’m just kind of relieved it ended on a positive note. After the trauma of The Bad Batch, I don’t think I could have taken more tragedy.
A few last thoughts:
That pirate king who looked like plastic Easter grass–wow, lol. The camp was strong in that one.
Some complained about the CSI-like episode of “Guns for Hire,” but I thought it was refreshing. The appearance of Lizzo and Jack Black were a bit jarring, but I’ll chalk it up to more Star Wars goofiness.
R5 referred to as a “hero of the Rebellion” warmed my heart.
I loved the Dr. Pershing episode of “The Convert.” I always love seeing Coruscant. I didn’t trust Elia Kane for a second. She’s creepy.
Zeb! Purgill! I just can’t wait for the Ahsoka series.
The Mythosaur was cool. I thought we’d see somebody riding it into battle, like Boba on his rancor, but that’s probably for another season.
The Armorer fighting with just her tools is incredible. Don’t mess with her, lol.
Kelleran Beq! I wasn’t familiar with the character, but now I am and I love him. So glad for Ahmed Best, who deserves all the love.
The Shadow Council was intriguing. Seeing Brendol Hux, Armitage Hux’s father, is a nice tie-in to the sequels. And Pellaon–Thrawn is near!
I think that’s about it. What did you think of Season 3 overall? What’s your favorite moment? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
With the release of the latest Mandalorian Season 3 trailer and the upcoming release date of March 1st, I decided to do a Mando rewatch of Seasons 1&2, as well as the two episodes in The Book of Boba Fett (and perhaps all of BoBF). Since it seemed so far away for so long, I hadn’t really thought about the show for the last year or so, but I’m definitely getting back into that Mando vibe. The spaghetti western beats, the music, and of course, Baby! I forgot how much I love it. Here’s the trailer for S3, in the off chance you haven’t seen it yet:
As expected, it looks like we’re going to get more focused on Mandalore, what it means to be a Mandalorian in this post-Empire period, what role Din Djarin will play, and of course, Grogu’s growing Force powers. I won’t unpack everything in this trailer, but suffice it to say, I’m psyched!
And of course I’ve been watching Season 2 of The Bad Batch. I really missed these guys, too. Here are some thoughts on the first four episodes:
Omega is back and badass.
Eps 1&2 “The Spoils of War” and “The Ruins of War”: The two-part opener has our crew going on a mission for Cid, but also for themselves–if they can snatch some of Count Dooku’s “War Chest” that the Empire is confiscating, then they can retire to an easier, safer life, which is something Hunter in particular would like for Omega. Echo thinks they should be doing more against the Empire, and makes his thoughts known to Hunter; unfortunately, Omega overhears and misunderstands him, thinking she’s put a wrench into their style of life. This makes her particularly keen on succeeding in the mission.
While not spectacular as a season opener, it’s still entertaining, and I really like how it focuses on character development. Echo and Tech, in particular, get more screen time; Echo has a few touching moments with Omega, and Tech has a learning moment with Romar. Tech also comports himself admirably in combat with the clone regs, despite a broken leg. Wrecker, not normally the innovative one, throws together a new weapon out of Separatist wreckage, and Hunter has to do a bit of tech work that, well, Tech usually does. Romar also reminds Omega just to be a kid.
The clone reg in charge of defending the War Chest mission for the Empire, Wilco, makes his report to Rampart, telling him that it’s Clone Force 99 that tried to steal the treasure. Thinking they had died on Kamino, and in fear of consequences for his failure, he tells Wilco to change the report and lie. Wilco refuses, and Rampart kills him. Truly, the clones are too good for the Empire. Despite the inhibitor chip (the influence of which seems to be waning), some clones are still operating under the principles of the Republic, as Cody will demonstrate in Episode 3.
Cody and Crosshair at the Battle Memorial on Coruscant. I’m assuming these are names of fallen clones.
Episode 3 “The Solitary Clone”: This exceptional episode catches us up with Crosshair, and reintroduces Captain Cody. Crosshair was finally rescued from Kamino after, I don’t know, 32 rotations or something, after being left for dead. And yet he still remains loyal to the Empire, something that even Rampart questions. “I’m a soldier of the Empire,” he responds. I’m starting to think that Crosshair stays with the Empire, despite removing the chip, because he doesn’t know how to do anything else except be a soldier. The rest of the Batch aren’t soldiers anymore, not really, and their future is vague. Perhaps he doesn’t know who he is outside of his assassin skills. The rest of the Batch are willing to find out who they are beyond soldiers, but Crosshair is stubbornly refusing, perhaps out of fear. Anyway, that’s my take on it.
So Rampart has a mission for him, although he’s not in charge–Cody is. Fans have been wondering what has happened to Cody after Order 66 (at least in canon), and I’m happy to see that he’s questioning the Empire and himself. (In Legends, he remains loyal to the Empire, which makes me sad, lol). So he and Crosshair are assigned to go to Desix to rescue an Imperial Governor named Grotton after he’s taken prisoner by the world’s rightful governor, Tawni Ames. The planet was a Separatist world during the Clone Wars, and feels the Empire has no jurisdiction there. The Empire, of course, feels differently.
We get a really amazing sequence of events as Cody’s team makes their assault and battles B-1 battle droids and droidekas, and it feels like old times with clones against battle droids again. But this time they’re fighting for the Empire, and the rules have changed. Cody and Crosshair are impressive as they work together to gain access to Grotton, but Cody negotiates with Tawni Ames (definitely Kenobi’s man) and convinces her to release him. He seems not to understand that the Empire does not negotiate, that the principles of the Republic do not apply here, and Grotton commands him to shoot her. Cody hesitates, but Crosshair doesn’t and kills her. Cody watches helplessly as stormtroopers arrive on Desix, and realizes this is not a galaxy he recognizes.
Back on Coruscant, Cody asks Crosshair if they’re making the galaxy a better place. Again, Crosshair replies with “We’re soldiers, we do what needs to be done.” Cody remarks that what makes them different from battle droids is that they make their own decisions, and have to live with them. Later, Rampart tells Crosshair that Cody has gone AWOL, and I’m so happy about that! I’m hoping he comes across Rex and we see him again, fighting against the Empire. But now Crosshair is, once again, all alone. The regs don’t like him, and now even Cody is gone. And despite his loyalty, the Empire doesn’t trust or respect him. What’s it gonna take, Crosshair??? Lol. I’m really looking forward to his arc this season.
Tech saves Cid’s neck.
Episode 4 “Faster”: Some fans might call this one “filler,” and maybe they’re right in a way. I don’t care for the word, though; I prefer “breather.” It is a bit jarring after the super-heavy episode 3, but it’s nice once in a while just to have a bit of fun. And this one focuses on Tech, who is my favorite at the moment.
This one has Tech, Wrecker and Omega (Hunter and Echo are off on a transport mission) accompanying Cid to Safa Toma, which hosts a form of podracing called “Riot Racing.” Cid has a droid racer named Tay-0 who’s quite annoying and funny, and who loses the race to a racer owned by a Dowutin named Millegi. Cid and Millegi, who seem to have a shady past together, made a bet on the race, and now Cid owes him credits she doesn’t have. Omega, who seems fond of Cid but probably shouldn’t be, proposes another race. But Tay-0 gets busted up and Tech decides he’ll step in and be the racer.
Tech employs his own strategy to win the race: instead of focusing on hurting or disabling the other racers, he gets rid of his own weapons in order to go faster; he also takes a risk on a shortcut, using his pilot skills to win the day. Using thoughtfulness over aggression is very Star Warsy, and I think George Lucas himself, who had a need for speed, would appreciate this episode.
I think this episode also sets up some trouble ahead with Cid. When they’re leaving, they’re warned by Millegi that their loyalty to Cid will not be rewarded in kind. Perhaps a Cid betrayal will spur the Batch on to bigger and better things. I can’t wait to find out!
I was going to wait on the Bad Batch rewatch until just before Season Two premieres next year, but after I finished Clone Wars I just naturally segued into it.
The first time around, I really wanted Omega to be Force-sensitive, but despite some clues, it didn’t seem to be going that way, so I let the thought go. Not everyone has to be Force-sensitive, right?
But now with this rewatch, I’m picking up on those clues again, and I just can’t let go of the idea that it will be discovered she’s Force-sensitive. Here’s my reasoning:
Several times during battles or crises, Omega comes through and succeeds and states, “Guess I just got lucky.” Well, okay, maybe. But the fact that she says this not once, but a few times makes me think otherwise. (And Obi-Wan always said, there’s no such thing as luck). And yes, it may be part of her “enhancement,” but just what is her enhancement? Hmmm…Force sensitivity, maybe?
When the squad visits Cut on Saleucamai, he tells Hunter that all of Clone Force 99’s defects were for a purpose. So what is Omega’s defect, and its purpose? With the others, it’s obvious what their skills are, but with Omega, it’s a mystery. Perhaps it will manifest more obviously with age, but it just seems strange that not even Omega knows what her enhancement is. It seems hush-hush, which suggests something amazing–like a Force-sensitive clone.
When Omega picks up the Zygerrian weapon, she’s not immediately good at it, which is natural. Like everyone, she needs to practice. Echo tells her she needs to ignore distractions, which is also true for everyone. But later, during the heat of battle with some droids, she hits her mark every single time. She manages to ignore all the distractions, which includes fear. Sounds very Jedi-like to me…
When they meet Cid, Omega is the only one who figures out that the first person they meet there is Cid. Almost immediately. Precociously perceptive? Yes. From the Force? Maybe.
We know from The Mandalorian that cloners in the post-Rebellion era were tinkering with making clones that were Force-sensitive. They’re not Kaminoans, but maybe they were inspired by the Kaminoan’s work, including any secret Force-sensitive cloning. In fact, in The Mandalorian, Dr. Pershing, the cloning scientist, wears an emblem on his uniform that is reminiscent of a Kaminoan symbol the clones wore in AOTC. And at the end of S1 of The Bad Batch, the Empire has taken Nala Se, the Kaminoan scientist who tinkered with Omega and the Batch, to their own cloning facility. I know all of this is for cloning Palpatine, but it just seems to suggest that Omega may have been the prototype. Nala Se did have access to Jedi on Kamino, after all.
Dr. Pershing’s emblem…And the emblem on the clones in AOTC. Hmmm…..
None of this is solid proof that Omega is Force-sensitive, of course. And even if she is, she may not have the powers of a Jedi, like telekinesis. She could be more like Chirrut Imwe, from Rogue One: aware of the Force and able to take advantage of that, but unable to manipulate it.
Or I could be completely wrong, lol. I could be reading into things to see what I want to see. Because I would LOVE Omega to be Force-sensitive. Only time will tell, and I can’t wait for Season Two!
What do you think? Do you think Omega is Force-sensitive? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
So I’m still working on two books, Out of the Shadows and I Was Anastasia. It’s taking me a while because I’ve started another Loki book called Truth and Other Lies, by Lyra Wolf (what can I say, I’m obsessed, lol). It’s another mythical version of Loki, with all the usual players, just mixed up a little bit differently. It also borders on the paranormal romance with quite a few racy sex scenes. I don’t mind it, but it’s not exactly what I was expecting when I picked up the book, lol. The storyline is keeping me interested, though. It’s the first in a trilogy, and I have the first two on my Kindle, and pre-ordered the third, so I guess I have high hopes, lol. I may do a separate post on all the Loki books I’ve been reading, so stay tuned.
Speaking of Loki, I just finished watching the Loki series for the fourth time. I did say I was obsessed, lol. And so did I notice anything I missed during the first three viewings? Not really (although I’m sure there are plenty of easter eggs I don’t know about), except to realize that Loki is clearly more mischievous in this show than he was in the movies. In the films, he’s a trickster–which is similar but not quite the same–but mostly he’s a villain, an anguished family member, or a wise-ass. He’s angry a lot. But as the God of Mischief, you’d think there would be more tomfoolery. And in the show, we do get glimpses of this: when he plays around with the time device with Hunter B-15, clearly taking joy in tormenting her with it; when he and Mobius are in Pompei, and he just throws caution to the wind, exclaiming on top of the goat cart; and on the train on Lamentis, when he gets drunk and sings. These are just delightful moments, worthy of Loki’s elemental nature, which is just plain fun, and the show gave the creators time to explore that.
Come on, the end of the world is fun!
I also watched the latest What If? episode, which saw an assassin take out the Avengers one by one. At first I thought maybe it was Loki, but it didn’t quite make sense. It surprised me who it turned out to be; and Loki did make his appearance, at first to avenge Thor’s death, and then to help Nick Fury nab the killer. And then, of course, to take over Midgard, lol. It was a neat episode, as they all are. Fun little nuggets of Marvel.
In more Marvel news, I did catch the Spiderman: No Way Home trailer, after the whole leak debacle. I was more excited about seeing Dr. Strange in it than anything else, but he looked a bit…off, lol. Sweatpants? Snow in the Sanctum? And actually helping Peter with his request to change the fact that people knew who he was? It’s just all wrong. Is he an imposter? A variant? Possessed? What the hell’s going on? Very excited to see him, though, no matter how weird he is.
Finally, in the Star Wars universe, I watched the Mandalorian Gallery on Disney+ on the final episode of Season Two. You know, the one with Luke freaking Skywalker. Very cool, very fun to watch how they put it all together. I had no idea how they brought back a young Luke, except, you know, “technology.” The details are fascinating, and a bit bewildering. It’s so much work! And we are so glad and very lucky we have these dedicated people bringing our favorite characters to life, with so much care and respect. That’s why I love these behind-the-scenes specials, because it’s easy for us to take for granted the amazing shows we watch. But there’s literally an army’s worth of people, tons of talent, and painstaking work behind these shows and films, and I’m awed and thankful at all these souls who bring us such joy. So yeah, check it out if you can, lol.
That’s it for this week. What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
I’ve done several posts on Star Wars fan art, and it was great fun. I haven’t done one for The Mandalorian yet, and I’ve found some great artwork that I wanted to share. Enjoy!
This one is absolutely lovely, with Grogu touching Din’s face as in the final episode of Season Two. The blue butterflies are a nice touch.
Cecilia G.F., Artstation.com
I love how this one shows the two faces of Din Djarin.
Isotoniclab, etsy.com
This one is a whimsical, colorful rendition of Din, Grogu, and Ahsoka. I love her staff (the one we see her with at the end of Rebels) leaning against the tree.
Marsxit, wattpad.com
This is a great one of Din and Grogu with Cara Dune. I love that shiny, iridescent armor!
Laurens Spruit, artstation.com
I’m guessing that’s one of Tatooine’s suns reflecting off Din’s helmet in this great piece.
Liam Brazier, reddit.com
And because my daughter constantly plays Fortnite, I just had to include this official screen art. Baby looks like he’s having a blast as Din shoots off laser bolts.
Official loading screen art for Fortnite.
Hope you enjoyed this fantastic fan art. There’s so much great talent out there, I’m sure I’ll be posting more now and then as I can’t help myself. Do you have some favorite Star Wars fan art, or make your own? Share in the comments below!
Image of Grogu with Ball courtesy of He-Be, redbubble.com.
We finally made it to the Mandalorian finale, and it’s taken me a few days to recover and get my thoughts together, lol. This is a long one, sorry, but it can’t be helped!
I was so nervous going into this episode: would Grogu be rescued? How is Din’s team going to do it? Will he battle Moff Gideon? Will anyone die? Will we see the Jedi? And if so, who would it be? I was squirming with questions and anxiety, but I took a deep breath, sipped my tea, and just took it all in.
I was happy to see Din pick up Bo-Katan and her sidekick, Koska; now the team is complete. All the players are assembled, each with their own agenda and goals: Din, of course, just wants Grogu; Bo-Katan wants Moff Gideon dead and her Dark Saber back; Cara Dune wants to help Din get Grogu, and possibly capture Gideon so the New Republic can get some Imperial intel. Boba and Fennec are just there to fulfill their obligation to Din.
Everyone has their own motives, and there’s not a lot of love lost between Bo-Katan and Boba Fett. There’s some initial squabbling between the Mandalorians and Boba at first: Bo-Katan recognizes his voice as belonging to a clone (she’s met plenty of them during the Clone Wars) and says he disgraces his armor. Boba bites back, calling her “Princess” and again defending his right to the armor; he and Koska even wrangle a bit until Bo-Katan tells them to knock it off.
The meeting of the Mandalorians.
All of this just reinforces the idea to Din that there are more ways than one to be a Mandalorian; in fact, it’s kind of up in the air as to what, exactly, makes one a Mandalorian. Is it the armor? The creed? Being born on Mandalore? It’s a big Mandalorian mess. And we’re still left wondering: IS Boba Fett a Mandalorian? His father was a foundling, like Din; so Boba has a right to the armor through lineage, but he didn’t grow up in the culture. Like everything else with Mandalorians, it’s confusing and contentious.
Anyway, off they go and capture Dr. Pershing, who is on an Imperial shuttle traveling–well, who knows where, maybe just being escorted back to Gideons’ ship. There’s an interesting exchange between one of the Imperials flying the shuttle, who is using Pershing as a human shield, and Cara Dune, who has her weapon trained on him, along with Din. He taunts Cara; he recognizes her as from Alderaan, and tells her he was on the Death Star when they blew up the planet. He states that millions of people were killed on those space stations when they were blown up by the Rebellion, and that Alderaan was worth it to stop terrorists. We’re not used to looking at the Rebels or the Resistance as terrorists (although the idea is explored more in the books) and it makes us a little uncomfortable. We know they’re the “good guys”, and of course they were right to blow them up. But again, “from a certain point of view,” they’re the bad guys. And in real life, it’s not always so crystal clear as in the movies or TV shows.
Anyway, Cara’s having none of it and she shoots him in the head, leaving poor Pershing nearly deaf. They get information from him about the layout of Gideons’s ship and make a plan: the team will create a distraction and head for the bridge while Din goes to find Grogu in the brig, taking into account the dreaded Dark Troopers, who need time to power up.
Boba pretends to be firing at the shuttle and Bo-Katan flies them into the TIE fighter launching bay; once that’s done, Boba jumps into hyperspace and we don’t see him until later (after the credits, as it turns out). The ladies plow through the ship, killing every stormtrooper in their path (I just love these 40ish women kicking ass), while Din heads for Grogu. He doesn’t quite get there before the Dark Troopers power up and start to come out. He manages to close the door, but one gets out, and he nearly gets killed fighting this thing. He manages to rip one apart with the beskar spear, and then flushes the rest of them out into space.
Don’t trust this guy.
Meanwhile, the team have made it to the bridge and kill everyone there, but Gideon is not there. Turns out, he’s anticipated their moves and is in the brig with Grogu, holding the Dark Saber over Baby (in his little baby manacles). He looks tired, because Gideon has taken a lot of his blood. Gideon tells Din about the Dark Saber, that it’s what Bo-Katan wants, and Din says, “Keep it. I just want the kid.” Gideon pretty much replies that he can take him and go, since he got what he wanted out of him; I can’t believe Din believed him and turned his back on him. The man’s a treacherous jerk. And of course, he attacks Din with the Dark Saber and we get the confrontation I knew was coming.
Gideon’s not bad with the Dark Saber, but Din is still better, even with just a beskar spear. He knocks the saber out of Gideon’s hand and bests him, but he doesn’t kill him. He cuffs him and brings him to the bridge, holding Grogu–and the Dark Saber. This is where things get interesting, as Bo-Katan looks with bewilderment as they enter. She made it perfectly clear that Gideon was HERS to defeat; and here was Din herding him onto the bridge as his prisoner.
I foresee problems.
Gideon takes advantage of this, goading them both with the fact that Din can’t just hand over the saber to Bo-Katan. Din owns it now, since he won it in battle. And if Bo-Katan wants it, she must win it from Din in battle, as well. Din tries to simply give it to her–he doesn’t have any interest in fighting her for it–but Bo-Katan hesitates and says that Gideon is right.
So time out here–I think many of us who watched Rebels were wondering WHY she couldn’t just take it. Because Sabine had simply handed it over to her, and Bo-Katan accepted it. So why can’t she do that now? Are they suddenly changing the rules? Well, I don’t think so. Obviously Dave Filoni and John Favreau are aware of what happened in Rebels, so they wouldn’t have arbitrarily changed the rules. They know what they’re doing. And so, trusting in that, I think that Bo-Katan probably feels that, since she lost the Dark Saber and Mandalore along with it, she CAN’T simply take it yet again. She MUST fight for it, she MUST earn it back, or she may be considered a pretender to the throne of Mandalore. She must earn the Mandalorians’ respect and loyalty. That’s my take on it anyway. So even though Din tries to give it back to her, he’s stuck with the stupid thing.
But before she can do anything, the Dark Troopers return. They fly now, remember? And they march toward the bridge, and start pounding on the blast doors. And they can’t do anything except watch and wait for them to crash through that door. Gideon is again annoyingly arrogant, telling them only he and the Child will survive. He also shoots Bo-Katan with a blaster he’d hidden under his cloak on the floor, but I believe she survived. The others point their weapons at him, and he decides to kill himself, but Cara Dune knocks the blaster out of his hands and knocks him out.
Luke Skywalker!!!!!!!
This is when the lone X-Wing appears, and my heart skipped a beat. One X-Wing. I can’t imagine it’s Trapper Wolf or that other guy, what’s his name. Can it be? Can it really be? They watch on the monitors as a Jedi floats down the hallways, his robes swishing, and engages the Dark Troopers. A green lightsaber flares. A GREEN lightsaber. A black-gloved right hand. OH MY GOD, it is! It’s Luke freaking Skywalker! My fingers dug into my poor husband’s arm.
He makes quick work of the troopers, and Din lets him in. The hood comes off, and there’s young Luke. It’s a CGI Luke, and as such there’s something a little off about him, but who cares? Din asks kind of a silly question: “Are you a Jedi?” Since he’s seen Ahsoka in action, can there be any doubt? But Luke simply says yes. He reaches out for Grogu. Din says he doesn’t want to go with him, but Luke corrects him: He wants Din’s permission to go.
So there’s the whole goodbye scene with Din and Grogu, and Din takes his helmet off in front of everyone so Grogu can see his face and even touch it. It’s painful for Din, for Grogu, for everyone watching. I love it when R2D2 rolls in and has a little conversation with Grogu, and Baby’s ears perk up a little bit. Then Luke leaves with Grogu, and that’s it. He’s gone.
Din shows his child his face.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful season-ender. And now everyone’s up in arms about what’s going to happen to little Grogu, is Kylo going to kill him at Luke’s Jedi Academy in 25 years? I don’t think so, and here’s why: at first I thought Din would give Grogu his little silver ball as a goodbye token. But he didn’t. Maybe he forgot in the heat of emotion. But that just proves to me that he WILL see Grogu again, and give him his little ball. I’m guessing Grogu will stay with Luke as long as he needs, to learn how to control his abilities, and then he will return to Din. How long will this take? Who knows. Five years? Ten? Twenty? But I think he’ll be gone by the time hell breaks loose with Kylo. At least, I have to believe this, or my heart will utterly break into a thousand pieces.
There’s also questions about Season Three. I’m assuming Grogu will be gone, so where do they go from here? Well, there’s the whole Mandalore question. Will Din help Bo-Katan take it back? Will Bo-Katan fight Din for the Dark Saber? I think those are the questions next season will address, and perhaps lead up to the big crossover between it and the new shows, Ahsoka and Rangers of the New Republic. Thrawn? Lots of possibilities here.
Of course, on my first watch, I missed the Boba Fett scene at the end of the credits. We usually watch the concept art during the credits, and then shut it off when they’re done. This one had no concept art, so it got shut off sooner than usual. I had to find out about the scene on social media, naturally, and I watched on my second viewing. It was intriguing. Not sure I’m too excited about it yet. If it also crosses over with The Mandalorian, I’m sure I’ll tune in.
So if you’re still with me at this point, I’m impressed! I don’t usually ramble on this long, but there was so much to unpack and comment on. It’s the finale, after all. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you thought of the show in the comments below!
This was another great episode (is there any other kind?), with a lot going on in terms of action and characterization. And let me just say, I had no idea who Bill Burr was before The Mandalorian, but he’s great in my book.
“Heh heh, for a minute there I thought you were someone else.” Oh s**t.
Before the episode aired, the return of Migs Mayfeld was seen by some fans as unnecessary and underwhelming. Not a lot of people liked him, I guess, but I did. Even though he was part of the group that betrayed Din on that prison ship in Chapter Six, there was something about Mayfeld I liked. Maybe it was just his funny quips (I’m a sucker for humor). At any rate, I’ve always believed you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and that there was probably more to him than met the eye.
And guess what? There WAS a lot more to Mayfeld, as we find out in this episode. In his conversation with Din in the juggernaut (well, it’s more like a Mayfeld monologue), we find out that he tends to look at the galaxy philosophically, stating that it doesn’t matter who rules the galaxy–Empire or New Republic–there will always be rulers and the ruled. He also challenges Din on his strict Mandalorian “rules,” asking him if he can’t take off the helmet, or he just can’t show his face? ‘Cause there’s a difference. And how we all get a bit lax on our principles when we get desperate.
The show further pushes Din when he has to take the helmet off in the mess hall to access the terminal they need for the codes. And he does what I knew he would do eventually–break his stubborn rules for Grogu. It’s what this show has been leading up to–challenging Din on what it means to be a Mandalorian. Challenging his very identity. And for Din, there was no question–he took the helmet off in a room full of people, even scanned his face so that it’s now permanently in the Imperial files. All for Grogu.
I loved that we got to see his face again finally. I like his face. It’s a nice face. I’d like to see more of his face in future episodes, which is what I think we’re working up to.
The “I don’t know how to function without my helmet” look.
Anyway, we get more insight into Mayfeld, as we find out he was a part of Operation Cinder, a battle that took place in the Aftermath books (which I shamefully have not read). We find out that this battle is the reason Mayfeld walked away from the Empire–the Imperials had incinerated an entire city, along with Mayfeld’s comrades, at least 10,000 of them. You can see Mayfeld getting worked up as he asks this commander, Valin Hess, if it was worth it. And of course this maniac replied it was, that they died for the glory of the Empire. And that was nothing compared to what they’re going to do with the rhydonium they’re mining. He says people think they want freedom, but they don’t: they want order. And when they’re done, the galaxy will be begging for the Imperials to come back and instill order.
During this whole conversation, you can just see Mayfeld’s ire rising until he looks as if he’s about to burst; while Din, as vulnerable as a child with his helmet off, is wishing Mayfeld will just shut up already. Finally, Mayfeld blasts Hess and they have to shoot their way out. But not before giving Din the stormtrooper helmet back and saying, “I never saw your face.”
Wanna get away?
I just love how this episode turns these two characters on their heads a little bit. Mayfeld rises in our esteem, while Din has to show vulnerability (even during the pirate action scenes, that stormtrooper armor is no match for his beskar armor–even though he’s still a bad ass warrior, he gets beat up. Those bruises are gonna hurt for awhile).
So who’s the Believer in the episode? It’s not as straightforward as we’d like. You have to think about it a little bit. Is it Din, who has to let go of some of his beliefs to find Grogu? Is it Mayfeld, who perhaps believes in himself again, and comes to believe in his own principles (“we have to sleep at night”)? I think it’s perhaps both, and that the title is deliberately ambiguous. It could mean many different things.
In addition to the great character development with Mayfeld and Din, here are a few other things I liked about this episode:
Cara Dune and Fennec Shand girl-power.
Walker cranes.
Boba’s new paint job.
That sigh of weariness from Din when he sees even more pirates coming.
“Brown Eyes.” That is all.
That Fett sonic boom!
And of course, Din’s message to Moff Gideon at the end of the episode, in which he throws Gideon’s own words back at him: “You have something that I want….He means more to me than you can ever know.” Not only is it a huge F**k You moment, we see that Din doesn’t just look at Grogu as his responsibility, a task, or a quest; he’s his child. And he will do anything to get him back. Which we already knew in our hearts.
Moff Gideon has no idea who he’s messing with: Mando Dad.
So even though Grogu wasn’t even in this episode (I missed his adorableness), it was okay, because we got a fantastic episode. I can’t believe the last episode of the season is next week, and I’m looking forward to how epic it’s inevitably going to be.
P.S.–I’ve never watched The Office, so I didn’t get the TPS reports joke. And I know, I should watch it.
So we got to Tython a lot faster than I thought, and that’s just fine, because this was another great episode! When I saw the title, “The Tragedy,” however, I thought, uh-oh. Things are going to go very bad. And they did.
But not before we were wowed by Boba Fett, a character I was never particularly interested in; I just didn’t understand all the brouhaha over him. But this is The Mandalorian. If he was introduced into the show, I knew he’d do great things. And he did. The damage he did to those stormtroopers, both in and out of his armor, was colossal. Fennec was pretty cool, too, but clearly Boba was the star of the show. I was glad he got his old, beat up armor back, and also glad we got an answer to the question: is Boba Fett a Mandalorian? Turns out he is, as Jango had been a foundling and was in the Mandalorian Civil War. Cool to know. He wants the armor, and in return will help protect Din and the Child.
Boba returns.
Backing up, Din had put Grogu on the stone in the center of the Jedi Temple, and waited for him to do his thing. Baby just played with blue butterflies, which, of course brings to mind Ben Solo and the blue butterflies the fandom has associated with him, mainly in the guise of redemption, hope, transformation. What could this mean for Grogu?
Anyway, Grogu succeeds in linking up with the Force and sending out the vibes, and Din can’t get to him when he sees Slave 1 and decides it’s time to leave. So he tries to buy him time, and he, Boba and Fennec fend off an endless stream of stormtroopers. This is a very impressive fight sequence, and we see that Boba, though older and scarred, is an amazing warrior indeed. Unfortunately, Moff Gideon is high above in his ship and blasts the Razor Crest to bits.
Baby and Butterflies
Then Gideon sends down his Dark Troopers to retrieve the Child, who has collapsed out of his Force meditation and is drained from the experience. Din had taken off his jetpack in his initial confrontation with Boba, and either forgets about it or is too far away, and can’t reach Grogu in time before the nasty droids haul him away.
Tragedy indeed. No ship, and Grogu kidnapped. It’s what I expected (at least the abduction), but I’m still anxious for Baby. I enjoyed the scene of Grogu smashing the stormtroopers against the walls and each other on the ship, but he exhausted himself. Then Gideon showed up, taunted him, and cuffed him. I REALLY hated that guy just then. And off to Dr. Pershing they went.
Gideon’s Dark Troopers
Meanwhile, Din retrieves the little silver ball Grogu loves from the wreckage of the ship, and the beskar spear. I see a battle between that spear and the dark saber in a future episode (and gleefully imagining the spear piercing Gideon’s gut, but we’ll see). Boba and Fennec reiterate that in return for the armor (which was Boba’s to begin with, but whatever), they will help him get the Child back.
They take Slave 1 back to Nevarro, where Din asks Cara Dune (now a New Republic Marshal–THAT’S what that medal was for) for help. He wants her help in springing Mayfeld from prison (from Chapter 6, the leader and the one with the cool over-the-shoulder gun). Din thinks he can help get the kid back, probably because of his Imperial past. I liked that guy, so it will be fun to have him back.
So Din is assembling his rescue team, but we’re left to wonder: who will answer Grogu’s call? Man, I really want it to be Luke, but I’d be surprised if was him. But this show has surprised us before. Again, we’ll see. And as much as I want Grogu to stay with Din, it’s clear the kid needs Jedi guidance. As much as I loved his stormtrooper-smashing, he was using the Force in fear, anger, and hatred–and we all know where that leads. I don’t want to see Baby go down that road. And yet, separating him and Din may lead to that as well. What’s the answer? Is he doomed?
Darth Grogu?
Comment below with your thoughts on this, on the episode, or what you think might happen next.
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