(Heavy spoilers ahead. Do not read if you haven’t seen the show but want to.)
Since the release of episode 5 on Nov. 27, tons of characters and factions, old and new, have added to the universe that is growing in the highly acclaimed second season of “The Mandalorian.” Although we are seeing plenty of popular elements introduced before the series, we’re seeing them from a new perspective.
Din Djarin, the main character, lives a relatively sheltered life, and has only known mostly rumors about the galaxy he lives in. Now that the audience knows that he’s been living in a secretive cult, suspicious and fearful of even their own home planet, it makes sense that everything he’s encountering is new and bewildering.
Slowly this season, we’ve seen Jarrin’s world open up, where he encounters dangerous wildlife, such as the Krayt Dragon of Tatooine in episode 1 and the ice spiders of Maldo Kreis in episode 2, and even finding a “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” favorite, Bo Katan, in episode 3. We last saw Katan with the darksaber, which is essentially the key to the Mandalorian throne. Last time we ever saw the darksaber, it was in the hands of the Imperial Remnant’s Moff Gideon, the main villain back in this series’ season 1 finale.
Episode 5 was especially a banger, expanding the story in so many ways that viewers would have never thought of. It saw the anticipated return of Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalkers former apprentice in “The Clone Wars,” it saw Baby Yoda referred to by his name for the first time, and it even saw a surviving Nightsister that escaped their genocide (Credit to StarForceOne on YouTube for helping point it out). Also revealed was a sinister plot involving Baby Yoda and the Imperial Remnant, and a name drop that has alluded to a new main villain, which could open up so many doors in this undeveloped time of anarchy and lawlessness.
We’re left to see what happens in the remaining three episodes, and we can only speculate where it will go. We’re supposed to meet another Jedi, and we know of a few that are active in this time period. There’s Ezra Bridger, who may return from “Star Wars: Rebels”, Cal Kestis from the video game “Star Wars: Fallen Order”, and then there is the original we all know and love, Luke Skywalker.
During this time period, Luke was actively building up the Jedi Order after the Empire fell, so it would make sense for him to take Baby Yoda, now dubbed Grogu, as an apprentice for the growing order. It is possible for other Jedi to come in as well, and we may see what they’ve been up to for the past decade. Either way, it’s all up in the air, and only the next episode can tell us what will happen.
This leads us to the next question: What is Grand Admiral Thrawn’s role in all of this? The cunning and ruthless commander, first introduced in the “Heir to the Empire” novel trilogy, was easily Star Wars’s most brilliant commander. Able to study a civilization’s war culture just by looking at their art, author Timothy Zahn’s character brought the more powerful New Republic down to its knees before being assassinated.
Although the books were declared non-canon when Disney took over Lucasfilm, the Grand Admiral was re-established as canon in the divisive TV series “Star Wars: Rebels.” Some fans seemed to question his portrayal in the show, but fans of Zahn’s work could agree that the team working on the Mandalorian would most likely concentrate on making Thrawn potentially one of the most amazing villains in Star Wars lore. (This information about Thrawn is credited to EckhartsLadder on YouTube.)
Knowing the writers and directors Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, they will stay faithful to Star Wars lore and continuity, and they will most certainly deliver more than viewers have asked for as they have done before. Not much else is known about what comes next, so as the Mandalorian travels into new territory with Grogu, nothing can prepare us for what’s to come.
Featured Image courtesy of Razor Cure via Flickr Creative Commons
