A week after Star Wars continued to polarize its fanbase with its feature films, The Mandalorian remains the most consistent Star Wars live-action franchise of all time. The first season wrapped up with another excellent episode, “Redemption.”
1. Cold open
Director/voice of IG-11 Taika Waitit is back behind the camera, and the opening sequence felt very much in line with his comedy chops. Two stormtroopers, played by Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudekis and Happy Endings‘ Adam Pally, share a scene where they have to kill time while guarding Yodel. They are comically bad shots, a longstanding stormtrooper trope, but they are also genuinely terrible to Yodel. The scene, tonally, is a little different from what we’ve seen elsewhere on the show, but it works because it continues to dig into the reality of these characters at this time and place.
The Empire is gone, but Moffs are still running around like there is a plan in place, but it is likely just feudal clans that fall in line under formerly powerful Imperials. The fear, confusion, and boredom of being a stormtrooper in 9 ABY is useful information for viewers to have, even if it was delivered in a less than serious way.
2. Revelations
This episode gave a lot of answers to questions, some of which we have been grappling with since the start of the season, and others we probably never considered: what is the Mando’s name? (Din Djarin) What does he look like? (Pedro Pascal) Where is Cara from? (Alderaan) Very little of the information informs more than our curiosities, but it shows that the series is committed to storytelling, not just the cramming of plot down our throats.
Of all this information, perhaps the most important is who delivered it: Moff Gideon. Again, the Empire is gone, yet remnants remain. Gideon has a ton of knowledge at his disposal, though we aren’t exactly sure how he got it. But the information isn’t the most interesting thing about Gideon…
3. Darksaber!
Gideon has the Darksaber! For those that didn’t watch The Clone Wars or Rebels, the Darksaber is a lightsaber created by the first Mandalorian Jedi, and has been passed down to the leaders of Mandalore for generations. We’ve seen Sabine Wren wield it, Maul wield it, and now, we see Gideon wield it. This opens up a ton of questions about Gideon.
Is he a Mandalorian? Did he kill a/many Mandalorian(s) to get it? While it is a powerful weapon, most of its value is in its symbology. Why does Moff Gideon need to have a symbol of Mandalorian power?
4. Clan of 2
The Clans of Mandalore get explored in more detail in Rebels, but it is essentially the system for organizing families within the Mandalorian system. That Din and Yodel are now a Clan is an interesting development I never really considered before. The idea of a Force-sensitive Mandalorian isn’t necessarily a new one, but one that hasn’t been seen in a long, long time. Whether or not Din will raise him as a Mandalorian remains to be seen, but I can’t imagine that isn’t the general idea.
5. Season 2’s charge
We know that Jon Favreau is writing a second season, and the show has been such a smash hit, it’s not surprising that Disney+ will cash in on the series for another go ’round. With Moff Gideon being introduced late in the season, the revelation of the Darksaber, and the fact that Yodel and Din are off on a mission to find his [Yodel’s] people, we have a pretty clear idea of what season 2 will be like.
But there is still the mystery of the caped figure from the end of episode 5. The boots do not match Gideon’s, and some still believe it will be Boba Fett. On Force Ghost Coast to Coast, Matt Belknap suggested it might be Cad Bane. Whoever it is, I am sure we’ll deal with it in season 2.
And that’s all for me until then, aside from an upcoming Force Ghost episode about the series. Thanks for reading!
