The Mandalorian Chapter 21 (Season 3, Episode 5) “The Pirate” is full of action, intrigue, and a final scene that teases where everything is heading up. This has been my favorite episode so far!
Recap of the story so far
Elia Kane infiltrated the New Republic, apparently, she’s trying to remove anything and anyone that is related to Moff Gideon. There are rumors that he never made it to the trial.
Grogu is starting to learn the way, his small size and appearance make everyone underestimate his abilities but the little green guy is more than meets the eye. The other foundlings will learn this the hard way.
Bo-Katan proved that she’s a brave warrior willing to risk her life for any Children of the Watch. This has earned her the respect and gratitude of Paz Vizsla.
This review contains spoilers.
Pirate Attack
As someone who previously dealt with pirates, bounty hunters, smugglers, and mercenaries; Greef Karga should have foreseen that Gorian Shard would not let the killing of his men be forgotten so easily. One can’t mess with a pirate lord and expect them not to retaliate in any way, it doesn’t matter if it was provoked or not.
Nevarro is slowly but surely becoming an important trade outpost. Not only because of its location but its independent state makes the planet an excellent place to make business without New Republic regulations, for better or worse.
A system that is flourishing economically is a magnet for the worse scum of the galaxy. If we add the fact that there’s no one to protect the people then I can only wonder why the pirates didn’t attack sooner.
Greef was too naive to think that his city could continue to grow without anyone trying to take a piece of the cake. At least he stayed with his people and led them to safety. It’s nice to see that someone who was only interested in profit has become a leader that really cares for his people.
New Republic Incompetence
The Galactic Empire was full of bureaucracy and people who put first their personal interests. On many occasions, this was beneficial for everyone that defied the Empire. Having to rely on protocols and permission from the higher-ups to take proper countermeasures allowed many rebel operations to succeed.
Now, the tables have turned and it’s the New Republic’s own enforcers who are suffering the lack of sense of urgency from the officials who have gotten way too costumed to their fancy offices in the middle of Coruscant.
Reconstructing a galaxy basically from scratch is no small feature. Rebuilding habitable planets, allocating refugees to new homes, organizing a new government structure, and hunting down Imperial remnants while also trying to protect planets from all parts of the galaxy is a titanic labor.
Building something is way harder than causing mass destruction. Obviously, the New Republic is overflooded with work and they don’t have the manpower to do everything at once. But, it feels like they haven’t learned anything from the past.
When the Jedi Council learned about the possible presence of a Sith they didn’t give it the required importance. As a result, Palpatine destroyed the Jedi Order from the inside and was very close to eliminating every single Jedi.
Darth Vader and Palpatine were defeated, yes, but an Empire is more than just the head. Every Stormtrooper, Officer, Admiral, Moff, or employer was in the Empire because of either loyalty or fear. Many of them left when the second Death Star was destroyed, but a few of them took as many resources as they could and formed smaller factions.
Some to control resources and territory and others because they still believed in Emperor Palpatine’s vision. From what I can tell, Moff Gideon and his crew were part of the second category.
Instead of prioritizing everything related to Moff Gideon’s plans, the New Republic digs its head into the ground like scared Ostriches. Probably they do not fully understand the nature of Gideon’s work but the reports should have been enough to make it at least a high priority, especially since he never arrived at the trial.
The Mandalorian Way
We have heard so much about the legendary Mandalorians, warriors that were once so numerous and powerful that they could challenge the entire Republic and Jedi Order. Star Wars fans have also experienced what they’re capable of in games like Bounty Hunter, Knights of the Old Republic, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The Clone Wars and Rebels taught us more about their traditions, clans, and fighting philosophy. We saw Bo-Katan fight alongside Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan, and Anakin to recover the city from Maul and his Mandalorian Super Commandos.
Years later, she was supported by many Mandalorian clans to fight against the Empire. Both shows did a good job showing how good Mandalorians can be in battle.
As much as I enjoyed The Clone Wars and Rebels, it’s still not the same as watching good live-action combat. Din Djarin and Grogu were saved by the Children of the Watch in Season 1 but the camera didn’t focus them that much.
In this episode, we were finally able to see what they can really do. The teams deployed by the Gauntlet Fighter work as tight teams, advancing efficiently as they wipe out every pirate.
My favorite part about this whole sequence was watching them use all of their arsenal to take out the pirates; rockets, vambraces, carbine rifles, jetpacks, and lariats to take down an enemy that outnumbers them.
A New Home
With the pirates eliminated, Greef Karga and the people of Nevarro can return to their homes. As promised, Karga gives the Mandalorians a piece of land where they’ll be able to settle. This deal works perfectly for both sides, the Children of the Watch can now be in a place where they are welcomed and Nevarro will be protected by the best warriors in the Outer Rim.
Having to worry about an essential need like having a roof is something that consumes a lot of time, effort, and resources. With a place of their own, the Mandalorians can finally start thinking about their future.
Mandalore will always be their homeworld, no matter its conditions. Their bond with it is incredibly strong, it is a crucial part of their identity and one of the main motivations to always look forward.
The bond that Mandalorians have with their planet is abnormally strong, even for Star Wars. The only comparable examples I can think of are the Nightsisters of Dathomir and the Wookiees on Kashyyyk.
Even those who have never been to Mandalore have a deep connection that transcends bloodlines or ideologies. This connection has been made through the stories and legends of the ancient Mythosaur, the creation of the Darksaber by the first Mandalorian Jedi, the war between the Jedi and Mandalorians that almost destroyed their culture, and many more stories that tell how glorious the Mandalorian way of life can be.
They are the best warriors in the galaxy because they are Mandalorians, and they are Mandalorians because they are the best warriors in the galaxy. Nevarro will be a good place to settle but the true goal will always be returning to the planet where everything began.
Bo-Katan: The Unifier
Once again, Bo-Katan Kryze has proved that she’s more than just the princess of a fallen empire. A natural leader, an experienced warrior, and most importantly, someone that has seen the best and the worst of Mandalorians.
Bo-Katan understands now more than ever that if Mandalorians want to recover what was taken from them, they have to leave behind small and big differences. Being so easily divided is what weakened them in the first place. It doesn’t matter if a group removes their helmets or not, only the combined efforts of many clans can restore Mandalore.
Despite this, it doesn’t look like she takes on this new task with excitement, Bo-Katan looks kind of lost. I loved that when she is asked to remove the helmet, her vulnerability is completely exposed. It makes sense, she’s accepted as a member of the covert but it’s not like she can go anywhere else.
Her eyes say everything, she’s been in this situation before and it ended tragically. Who wouldn’t doubt after something like that? Maybe what she needs to regain her self-worth is the trust of others so that she can finally confront the ghosts of her past failures.
There are many strong clans that could still be out there; Eldar, Rook, Fett, Cadera, Wren, Awaud, Ordo, Varad, Farr. Alone, none of these clans could build anything that comes close to what Mandalore used to be. But together and under a good leader, they might have a chance to return to the glory days.
Moff Gideon
Moff Gideon’s whereabouts are still a mystery but we’re finally going to get some answers. That he never made it to the trial and no one seems to know why is quite concerning.
Someone very high on the ladder is covering up Gideon’s escape, and the only two reasons I can only think about are either self-preservation or corruption. To be honest I don’t know what’s worse.
Captain Teva isn’t going to stay quiet about the situation. Unlike other New Republic officials, he can actually smell that something is wrong. Hopefully, he’s able to reach someone with enough power that can actually do something.
The intriguing thing about Gideon’s escape is obviously the Beskar found in the cockpit of the Lambda shuttle. I think it’s too soon to point fingers at the Mandalorians, the Empire was able to acquire a lot of Beskar during its reign.
I don’t think that it is mentioned but the Dark Troopers could be made of Beskar alloy, this would explain why blasters are practically useless against them. Attacking a single transport to rescue Moff Gideon would be incredibly easy for these deadly droids. But, what if it was actually Mandalorians?
Clan Saxon would be my first choice. They sold out their homeworld to acquire Imperial favor and fought against clans Kryze and Wren. They have a history of siding with the Empire to gain power over other Mandalorians.
However, the Empire no longer exists and it wouldn’t make any sense (at least in my mind) to risk so much for a defeated Imperial Moff. It’s very confusing but this is also part of the fun, being surprised by a plot twist or appearance is one of my favorite feelings when watching, playing, or reading anything Star Wars related.
Who do you think rescued Moff Gideon?
Chapter 21 “The Pirate” Easter Eggs
I always enjoy it when things connect to different movies, series, games, or books. Which is why this episode’s easter eggs made me so excited about references from the past and (possibly) the future. Star Wars Rebels, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Rogue One, and the original trilogy are all linked to this week’s episode.
Ralph McQuarrie concept art
One of Greef Karga’s protocol droid designs is based on the concept art that Ralph McQuarrie originally created for C-3PO.
Sabacc
Gorian Shard tells Greef Karga that he can’t bluff his way out of this like a game of Sabacc, a popular card game in the galaxy. By winning a game of Sabacc, Han Solo won over the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian.
Spectre-4
Star Wars Rebels fans rejoice! The Lasat that appears in the cantina with Captain Teva is in fact Zeb. It is confirmed on the credits and the best thing is that Steve Blum has returned to lend his voice to Spectre-4.
Zeb is the second member of the Ghost Crew that we’ve seen in live-action, Chopper appeared briefly on Rogue One. With the Ahsoka series coming up it is even more exciting to see Zeb. I’d really like to see Sabine appear on at least one of the remaining episodes of Season 3.
Pirate Ship
The Cumulus Class Corsair that Gorian Shard uses, has a Ship Wheel just like a ship from the 17th century! In fact, a Corsair is a type of ship that was commonly associated with pirates.
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.
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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!
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The Mandalorian Chapter 23 Review: An unexpected turn of events
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