The Mandalorian S3 Episode 1 Review and Breakdown: The Apostate

Season 3 Episode 1 of The Mandalorian, “The Apostate”, is finally out on DisneyPlus! Din Djarin, Grogu, Bo-Katan, and more return to continue the story about the future of Mandalore. New faces, old enemies, and unknown dangers are yet to be revealed in the most anticipated Star Wars series of 2023!

The Mandalorian: Story recap

Bo-Katan needed the Darksaber to lead and unite her people but since Din Djarin is the one that defeated Moff Gideon he’s the rightful owner of this ancient weapon.

After leaving with Luke Skywalker, Grogu is presented with a difficult choice: he must pick between becoming a Jedi or his emotional bond with his father figure. He returned with Din Djarin and they’re now a clan of two.

Since Din Djarin removed his helmet, he’s no longer considered a Mandalorian. In order to be forgiven, he must bathe in the waters of Mandalore. The only problem is that many claim that this is no longer possible due to the Imperial bombardment of the city.

This review contains spoilers.

Initiation Ceremony

Mandalorians are people of traditions. Throughout their history, it’s the only thing that kept them together in their darkest moments. Their culture is one of the richest and most interesting in Star Wars.

Getting to know more about any important civilization or organization is one of my favorite things to see in Star Wars media. We’ve learned about these civilizations in series like The Bad Batch, Clone Wars, The Book of Boba Fett, and games like Star Wars The Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic.

With Season 3 of The Mandalorian making emphasis on Mandalorian culture it was certain that more about their history, politics, and way of life is going to be some of the main focus of the season.

Foundlings are children that end up being adopted by certain Mandalorian factions. They’re accepted into this new family and get trained to be the best warriors of the galaxy as long as they follow the rules. Rules that, as we’ve seen, are unbreakable.

The Mandalorian S3 Episode 1 Review and Breakdown: The Apostate

I don’t think the Children of the Watch (Din Djarin’s faction) get into relationships with each other, at least not enough to have the required amount of offspring to ensure that their numbers don’t decrease drastically. Foundlings are the base and future of the Children of the Watch.

The episode begins with the initiation ceremony of a foundling. The Armorer makes him a small helmet that represents his official acceptance as a Mandalorian. From now on, he’s to follow the creed and never remove his helmet in front of anyone.

While simple, the ceremony is very meaningful and something every Mandalorian should take seriously.

To be honest I thought we were witnessing Din Djarin’s ceremony but who else could have saved the day after that deadly reptile’s attack?

Prosperity

Nevarro has changed a lot since its first appearance in The Mandalorian. It used to be the den for mercenaries, hired guns, and bounty hunters. Greef Karga used to run the place and still does, but it has changed for the better.

The first time that Grogu went to Nevarro, a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard was offered as a snack on a street stall, but now they’re living freely and thriving as a species. We can see and hear the people enjoying their lives on this new and prosperous trading outpost that promises a lot if things are done properly.

The Anzellans are some of the best when it comes to technology. If some of them have chosen to establish on Nevarro then it’s truly a sign of opportunities for the most skilled crafters. Having masters of any craft living in your city will only elevate its status.

Speaking of status, Greef Karga really looks like a wealthy overlord, but at least he’s trying to lead his people and do what’s better for them. Though money and power can make people eccentric and Karga is no exception.

His cape and jewelry don’t look cheap and the two droids carrying the end of his cape say scream “I don’t know what to spend my money on”. Nonetheless, I found this to be very funny.

I love the statue of IG-11 standing over the Stormtrooper helmets. Its sacrifice is the only reason Greef, Din, and Grogu survived that encounter with the Stormtroopers. Without it, the prospering of Nevarro would have never been possible so it’s very satisfying to see that IG-11 is being honored.

Plague of pirates

Pirates are like cockroaches, a few of them are annoying but if you let them grow in numbers it can turn into something very ugly that you’ll never forget. Kidnapping, stealing, hijacking, and extorting are some of the many things that pirates do to maintain their lifestyle. Everything they do is to enrich themselves, it doesn’t matter who gets hurt in the process.

It’s arguably one of the oldest professions of the galaxy. Since the times of the Old Republic, pirates constantly attacked vessels, dispatching them of anything valuable and eliminating anyone who opposed them.

The Empire had zero tolerance for pirates, but not even they could stop this profession from existing. After the destruction of the second Death Star the Empire split into multiple groups but none of them were powerful enough to control trading or hyperspace routes.

The New Republic has been around for a short period of time and while they want to eliminate any remnants of the Galactic Empire there are still many systems that don’t have the luxury of protection.

A recently established power in a galaxy that’s seeing economic development is the dream scenario for pirates, there are plenty of places to raid and little to zero authority. Especially on the Outer Rim, a region of the galaxy that historically has been an outlaw zone, making it the perfect home for criminal organizations.

Rebuilding a friend

Since Season 1 of The Mandalorian, it was more than clear that Din Djarin doesn’t like droids. Not because there’s something wrong with droids, but due to the trauma that he suffered at such a young age.

His parents died at the hands of B2-Super Battle Droids and he almost shared the same faith, he survived only because of the Mandalorians that would later make him a foundling.

IG-11 self-destructed to ensure the survival of Grogu. While it was reprogrammed to protect our little green friend, Din Djarin still grow fond of it. Its offensive capabilities combined with the blaster-resistant materials made it the deadliest babysitter in the galaxy.

Now that he must head to Mandalore, a trustworthy companion is vital for his quest to succeed. Any organic would probably be less efficient, and there are not many people that he’d trust to join him. IG-11 might not be an Astromech Droid but it’s still well-equipped to navigate a desolate and unknown planet like Mandalore.

The only problem is the part he needs to find. I’m no expert in droids, but I assume that the memory circuit that he has to get is exclusive to the IG production line. If this is correct then there are only two options: Din Djarin has to buy it from someone or he must remove it from another IG unit. The second is something easier said than done.

There’s a good reason why IG droids are some of the most feared assassin droids in the galaxy. Even the most skilled warriors and gunslingers in the Outer Rim would think twice before messing with an IG unit.

Outmanned but not outgunned

Pirates are not the type of people who leave business unfinished. Once you’re between pirates and their treasure there’s only one way to settle things and this usually means that only one party is still standing at the end of it.

As soon as Din Djarin leaves Nevarro he’s ambushed by Vane and the other pirates. Little did they know, the heavily modified N1-Starfighter will make their ships look like old junk.

Numbers can alter the outcome of a fight but this was not the case. Incredible maneuverability, very high speed, and powerful weapons combined with Din Djarin’s pilot skills make this small ship something to fear and respect.

Space combat can be super entertaining and fun to watch, sadly it’s not common to see it fully exploited in live-action series. The most memorable one for me was when the Fondor Haulcraft showed all of its tricks on Andor.

There are more of course but very few were memorable. This isn’t up to par with Luthen decimating the Imperial Arrestor Cruiser but it was something very cool to watch. The Razor Crest was an awesome ship but its size and weight made it impossible to see dogfights like this one.

This isn’t a Rogue Squadron show, but I hope that we get more of these cool scenes every once in a while. It’s a good reminder that Din Djarin is a serious threat, regardless if he’s having a western-like gunslinger duel or facing multiple starfighters.

Broken leader

As I mentioned earlier, Mandalorians are people of traditions. These traditions are what once made them some of the best warriors in the galaxy, feared and respected by anyone with common sense.

However, these traditions became part of their downfall. The fact that Bo Katan’s forces abandoned her when she returned empty-handed is one of the many proofs of this. Blindly following anyone who wields the Darksaber is one of the reasons why they got even more divided in the Clone Wars era and now it keeps them from uniting as one group.

The Darksaber is a synonym for strength but leading an entire culture requires many more attributes and skills than simply being good at fighting. I firmly believe that Din Djarin is suited to eventually unite every Mandalorian clan and lead the people of Mandalore.

Bo-Katan Kryze is a proud warrior and member of one of the most remarkable clans of Mandalore, which is why it’s more painful for her to be in this state. She lost the respect of her forces and is now a ruler with no kingdom or followers to lead.

She has resentment against groups like the Children of the Watch because according to her these factions divided their people. Bo-Katan is being very hypocritical because she was once part of the Death Watch, a faction that tried to remove her own sister, Duchess Satine Kryze from the Mandalorian throne.

It’s no coincidence that the names of these splinter factions are so similar, the Children of the Watch were born after some members left the Death Watch. It’s understandable that Bo-Katan is frustrated at the current situation but ignoring her own responsibility for the current state of Mandalorians is something very foolish to do.

Bo-Katan with the Death Watch during the Clone Wars

She might be down, but I’m sure this is just temporary. Mandalorians might be stubborn or inflexible but they’re not quitters. They endured after losing the Mandalorian Wars, survived multiple galactic conflicts, and outlasted multiple iterations of the Republic.

Even after the Empire stripped everything from them, they found a way to maintain their culture alive. We haven’t seen the best of Bo-Katan yet.

Chapter 17 “The Apostate Easter Eggs

Like any other Star Wars media, The Mandalorian TV Show is full with easter eggs, references and secrets that you would recognize from other Star Wars platforms. Below you can read about the most important easter eggs from this episode.

The Mythosaur

Mythosaurs are legendary creatures that were once tamed by ancient Mandalorians. The Mythosaur skull became the most distinctive symbol of Mandalorian culture and many warriors use it on their armor. Boba Fett is one of them.

Purrgils

One of my favorite scenes because of what it means. Those intimidating silhouettes that you saw when Din and Grogu are called Purrgils. These animals or “space whales” are naturally capable of hyperspace travel. This is what inspired civilizations to develop hyperdrives for their ships.

In Star Wars Rebels, the Purrgils took Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridge into unknown space. The upcoming Ahsoka series will follow this story so this is not the last time we see the mysterious Purrgils.

Swamp Thing

Gorian Shard, the pirate lord has a very interesting design. It’s like Swamp Thing meets Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m very eager to know what inspired this character.

Mandalorian systems

Din Djarin mentions how Kalevala is a planet in the Mandalorian system. Mandalore is the homeworld of Mandalorians but they also occupy different planets. Clan Wren lives in Krownest, Clan Kryze occupies Kalevala, and so on. I mention this to prevent any confusion regarding the extent of Mandalorian territory.

Babu Frik

This is not the first time Anzellans appear in Star Wars. Babu Frik is the droidsmith who helped Rey, Poe, and Finn access C-3PO’s forbidden memory bank in The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode Reviews List

Reviews and Breakdowns of each episode from The Mandalorian Season 3. Each article details the events and analyzes how they affect and define the characters featured in the episode.

At the end of each article, there is a segment for Easter Eggs. There you can find interesting facts and references to and from other Star Wars media featured in the episodes of the show.

The reviews contain spoilers! We recommend watching the show first before reading the articles below.

The Mandalorian Chapter 18 Review: The Mines of Mandalore

In Season 3 Episode 2 of The Mandalorian, “The Mines of Mandalore” Din Djarin, Grogu and Bo-Katan are the main focus of an episode that brings back so many memories for fans of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. We also see, for the first time, a mythical creature that has existed in the Star Wars universe since the original trilogy era!