The Mandalorian Chapter 22 (Season 3, Episode 6) “Guns for Hire” is an entertaining but strange episode that explores a goofy side of Star Wars rarely seen in live-action shows.
Recap of the story so far
After Pirate King Gorian Shard invaded Nevarro, the Mandalorians came to rescue Greef Karga and his people. Because of this, they were given where they could settle and live for their remaining days.
Bo-Katan has proven herself multiple times; the Armorer recognizes her as the only one who can unite all Mandalorian tribes. She is sent to find and recruit other Mandalorians so that they can finally retake their homeworld.
Rumors about Moff Gideon never arriving at his trial are confirmed when Captain Carso Teva discovers the ship that transported Gideon. The crew is dead, there is no sign of Gideon, and Beskar alloy is found at the crime scene.
Read the other individual episode reviews to make sure you are not missing out on some easter eggs and secret references or hints.
The review contains heavy spoilers from The Mandalorian Chapter 22!
Mandalorian Mercenaries
For centuries, Mandalorians have served as mercenaries for anyone who could afford them. It might not look like it, but the galaxy hasn’t always been at war.
There have been times when prosperity and peace were widespread across the galaxy. Armed conflicts between individuals, races, and planets have always existed but galactic-scale war is on a different level.
Without the Darksaber, Bo-Katan lost any hope to continue leading her troops so it was natural that Axe Woves, Koska Reeves, and the other Mandalorians returned to do what they do best.
Even in their current state, Mandalorians are warriors that very few would like as enemies. With the Imperial forces scattered across the galaxy and the New Republic focused on rebuilding they can go almost everywhere they please and fulfill their expensive contracts.
Being a hired gun is something that few people consider “respectable”, especially if it’s Mandalorians who are doing it. Everyone knows how strict they are with their codes and rules; it’s ironic if we think about how warriors that are known and respected for being honorable will work for anyone with deep pockets.
As the legendary warriors that they are, Mandalorians deserve to be something more than hired thugs. Obviously, they have to make a living, and there’s nothing more profitable than war. Plus, it’s not like they know to do other things. I understand that they had to do such things to be able to survive but now they can finally come together and rebuild a legacy that has existed for thousands of years.
Utopian City
When the Gauntlet Fighter entered Plazir-15 I got goosebumps, for just a few seconds it felt like watching how Mandalore could be in the future. The green plains with the domes (a different type of dome, though) and a city that is more than evident that is flourishing.
This city is the embodiment of what a “fresh start” means. Captain Bombardier is a former Imperial Officer, the guards are using part of Stormtrooper armor, and droids from both Republic and Imperial eras have been refurbished so that they can serve a new purpose. Pretty much everyone in this place can start from zero without having to worry about an ongoing war.
Everything looks fantastic, the Duchess and Captain Bombardier appear to be decent folks so that makes it even better for anyone aspiring to start a new life. The fact that citizens do not have to work and can focus on recreational activities or personal growth is so mind-boggling, even for Star Wars.
Completely relying on droids for services, production, and even economic activities is something that very few would do. As much as it sounds like a great idea it also brings a lot of risks.
My main concern would obviously be depending so much on droids; droids can be hacked or reprogrammed to do much worse than just causing a few incidents on the streets.
I’m not entirely sure about the intentions of Commissioner Helgait, if he wanted the droids to do real damage there was nothing that would’ve stopped him from doing so. What’s the point of scaring the people and rulers of Plazir-15? Maybe I’m missing something but to me, this brief story felt like something taken out of Scooby Doo.
Normally I don’t mind goofiness in Star Wars but considering that there are only two episodes left of this season, I would’ve liked for it to be a little more serious.
They could’ve used this episode to tell a more intriguing story, it doesn’t matter that it would’ve lasted twenty minutes. The Clone Wars has done this plenty of times so it’s even more confusing to me.
There’s always the possibility that everything we saw here is some sort of facade to lure Bo-Katan and Din Djarin. Personally, I don’t think that’s the case but it’s always smart to think of all variables. For better or worse, we’ll only have to wait for just two more weeks to find out.
Understanding The Galaxy
When teaching Grogu about the Mandalorian ways, Din Djarin emphasizes the fact that being a Mandalorian requires more than just fighting skills. The galaxy is incredibly vast, it is important to understand as much as possible about the people that live in it; their story, culture, beliefs, etc.
Just like the Mandalorians, there are many species that have a specific way of conducting themselves. Dealing with Wookiees, Selkaths or Ugnaughts isn’t something that many know how to do.
Not only do you have to be very respectful of their culture but also speak in a way that they can understand you, and I’m not referring to the language.
As a man who has traveled across the galaxy, Din Djarin perfectly understands this. Bo-Katan isn’t aware of these unspoken rules so she tries to have a regular conversation with the Ugnaughts.
On top of this, she’s not very subtle when speaking about defective droids, something that Ugnaughts take very personally since they are excellent at what they do.
Being a badass Mandalorian warrior can help open many doors but there are non-fighting skills that can be more useful when establishing relationships with potential allies.
I’m glad that Din Djarin and Grogu went with her, they make an incredible team in and out of combat. However, if Bo-Katan intends to reclaim her title as the ruler of Mandalore she must learn how to deal with different kinds of people.
Trauma
Din Djarin’s dislike for droids is no secret. Since the first episode of the series, he shows zero trust in any type of droid or astromech. It has been a long way and since he tried to rebuild IG-11 and then accepted to use R5 on his N-1 Starfighter his rejection of droids decreased just a little bit.
This episode shows that it’s not entirely the case. Djarin immediately shows his concern when he and Bo-Katan are told that battle droids were reprogrammed and are now serving in the city. To be fair I had the same concerns, having a dormant army deployed in the streets is something that would worry me if I lived in said city.
It doesn’t matter that they have been refurbished, we saw how IG-11 defaulted to its old programming so there’s always a small chance that something goes wrong. In a city where not even law enforcers carry blasters, it would be nearly impossible to deal with an army of rogue battle droids.
It’s funny to see Bo-Katan and Din Djarin unintentionally play the “bad cop and good cop” roles when talking with the Ugnaughts and then immediately swap roles when interrogating the droid at The Resistor.
His over-the-top aggressiveness made me laugh a few times, the droids didn’t know what to reply and the frustration on Bo-Katan’s face made it even funnier.
Djarin’s reaction to seeing battle droids isn’t ideal but I can’t blame him. It was a bunch B2-Super battle droids that killed his parents, if it wasn’t for the Death Watch he’d also be dead. Life-changing traumas aren’t easily forgotten, many people have to deal with them until their last days and I think this is no exception. Unless it’s completely necessary Din Djarin will continue to look frown upon non-organics.
Mandalorian Duel
This was my favorite part of the episode by far. The first part was entertaining but what I really wanted to see was when Bo-Katan would finally meet Axe Woves. Tension builds slowly as she approaches the fleet. There is only one-way Bo-Katan would be able to leave with the troops and fleet under her command: defeating Axe Woves in a 1v1 duel.
Woves doesn’t look too excited when Bo-Katan challenges him, there’s a good reason she was the leader and he knows how tough the heiress of Mandalore really is. Not that he can’t deny the challenge, but declining the duel would taint his honor as a Mandalorian and instantly lose the respect of his followers.
It has been a while since we were able to witness an old-fashioned Mandalorian duel so this was super cool to me. Mandalorians are a walking arsenal but they’re also trained in a lot of fighting techniques.
These types of duels mean everything for the Mandalorian culture, the superior warrior should defeat the other Mandalorian with his/her hands. This is why they use different weapons but blasters.
The duel is intense and it does a good job showing how fierce any Mandalorian warrior can be in a melee fight. The result is what I expected, Bo-Katan may have failed as a leader but she’s far from being a pushover. She has the legacy of her family but this duel was important to prove that she can still lead Mandalorians on the battlefield.
After being defeated, Axe Woves questions her about not taking the Darksaber from Din Djarin. I really like that she’s not going to fight one of her own even if that means acquiring the weapon that gives her the right to rule, not many would do this.
Mandalorian rules can be confusing and many times there seems to be no logic behind them. This can be very frustrating but at least this time it worked in favor of Bo-Katan and Din Djarin.
I’m not the biggest fan of how the Darksaber returned to Bo-Katan but at the same time, I understand the reasoning behind it. Din Djarin was defeated by an enemy who was then slayed by Bo-Katan; if “X” is defeated by “Y” and then “Z” defeats “Y” it is normal to infer that “Z” is a better warrior than “X”.
It might be an oversimplification but that’s how I understand it. Mandalorian traditions can be confusing to understand but they’re practical. Either Bo-Katan is worthy of the Darksaber or she’s not, there’s nothing in between.
The final shot made me so happy, Bo-Katan is one of the coolest characters introduced in the Clone Wars, and to finally see that she’s uniting all Mandalorians is such a joy. With just two episodes left, I’m really expecting that the slow pace episodes have come to an end.
The story has given small hints about where everything is heading but nothing is one hundred percent clear yet. What do you think the final two episodes are going to be about?
Chapter 22 “Guns For Hire” Easter Eggs
This episode had a lot of guest appearances, some are very obvious while others are more discrete. On top of that, there’s an easter egg that was put in the episode as a silly gift for the fans.
Romeo & Juliet
The couple that appears at the beginning of the show reminded me so much of Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo & Juliet. The Quarren and Mon Calamari both live in Mon Cala but during the Clone Wars, a civil war turned their planet into chaos.
After many years the Quarren and Mon Calamari are finally on peaceful terms but due to their history, this peace is extremely fragile.
Special Guests
Every once in a while celebrities that you’d never imagine in Star Wars make small or not-so-small cameos. Bill Burr, Daniel Craig, and Tom Hardy are good examples of it. This episode expands the list with Jack Black as Captain Bombardier, Lizzo as the Duchess, Christopher Lloyd as Commissioner Helgait, Harry Holland (Tom Holland’s brother) as the Mon Calamari Nobleman, Jen Kober as a Lab Tech and Seth Gabel (Bryce Dallas Howard’s husband) as the Bartender Droid.
Bollux
One of the droids at The Resistor is a BLX-5 model, a droid of the same novel called Bollux was first introduced in “Han Solo at Star’s End”, a novel released in 1979. It’s so cool to see that they are taking elements from many Star Wars stories and adding them in the most subtle way.
Matthew Wood
Matthew Wood returns to lend his iconic voice to the B1 Battle Droids. His voice added so much personality to the Battle Droids during Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars animated Show so it was very amusing to hear him again.
Aurebesh
Translating Aurebesh is always very entertaining, it’s a way to learn just a little more about what’s happening in a scene. Most times there is nothing special to be found but this episode has what I consider the most hilarious Aurebesh sign ever!
“Refreshments”
Both signs spell “The Resistor”.
“Scope Active”
“Zoom Level”
“Controls”
“This means nothing. However, fans may interpret the hell out of it”
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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