Episode five of The Mandalorian brings back a familiar X-Wing pilot, his investigation, and attempt to help Greef Karga deal with pirates! Re:cap - “The Foundling”, it is a desperate battle as the Children of the Watch try to stop the reptavian with Ragnar in its clutches! Bo-Katan had lost parts of her armor to the creature’s claws. The Mandalorians use grappling lines, Bo-Katan reaches the reptavian’s head, and starts slashing it. Paz Vizsla crashes down. Din knocks Ragnar free, but the youngling falls! He catches hold of the boy as the tied up reptavian crashes into the lake.
The gigantic Dragon Turtle crushes it in its jaws, “There’s always a bigger fish”, very like the pterandon eaten by the Mosasaurus in Jurassic World (2015). Din takes Ragnar to his father. Paz Vizsla thanks Mando. Bo-Katan’s Gauntlet ship lands as The Armorer leads Grogu. Father and son leave the ship to the cheers of the other Mandalorians, clanging their gauntlets cross-wise together. Din and Bo-Katan follow, he picks up Grogu, and The Armorer says Bo-Katan’s actions honor House Kryze. The highest honor of the Creed is to save a foundling. Bo-Katan points out three more foundlings. Mandalorians lead out the three reptavian chicks from the ship. Sparing them, not eating or killing them, like the Roc chicks in 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)! Do they later learn to ride them?
The Armorer takes Bo-Katan to the Forge to replace her missing pauldrons. Bo-Katan asks for a symbol of her Nite-Owls and the other of the Mythosaur! As The Armorer forges the shoulder armor, Bo-Katan notes that she saw a Mythosaur, The Armorer says it was a vision. Bo-Katan looks at the large Mythosaur symbol at the Forge. “Chapter 21: The Pirate” moves to Nevarro where a ship lands at the spaceport. At the square is the statue of IG-11 with one arm and legs. He will soon be restored somehow, have they checked Kuiil’s place?
In his office, Magistrate Greef Karga is making plans with two engineers for the city with a projected holomap. Then, he hears a disturbance outside, the crowds are looking at the Corsair of Gorian Shard descend! I wonder why there is a ship detection alarm for the violating Nevarro space, ship patrols or city defenses? Karga’s Copper Droid asks about negotiations. Greef wants the protocol droid to evacuate the city. He answers the hologram call of the large pirate captain. Gorian says he knew Greef in charge of the Nevarro Hunters, but nope, he has gone the path of Lando Calrissian! The pirate notes the death of his helmsman and Greef counters that the New Republic protects Nevarro.
Gorian says that Nevarro is independent, but the magistrate notes that the Spinward Patrol stops by to the pirate’s laugh. He is told that Pirate Nation has the Mid-Rim. Gorian shuts down the transmission, Greef looks from the balcony, and calls over an R5 droid. The Corsair’s guns, reminds me of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, blast the streets of Nevarro City! The protocol droid brings up an escape pod, but Greef wants to be there for his citizens. A Y-Wing descends to the coastal New Republic base of Adelphi. There are a number of roundish military bunkers. An alien song is heard as New Republic pilots play a game like shuffleboard on a table.
The bartender (a Snivvian like the cantina patron, Snaggletooth, really named Zutton) brings a message to Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). We last saw him in The Book of Boba Fett, “Return of the Mandalorian” (2022). His leather jacket with patches makes him like he is born to be wild. The bartender takes out a case, a holo-viewer, for Carson. Greef in Princess Leia style a request for aid calling in the favor from “The Siege” (2020). The consequence will be that Gorian will make it a pirate base! He is met by Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) from Star Wars: Rebels! Freaking out. The Lasat people are based on an early design of Chewbacca. He had left to find the new Lasat homeworld of Lira San in “Family Reunion - and Farewell” (2018).
Carson wants to try to ask for additional forces from Coruscant. He takes his X-Wing there and walks to the same New Republic building we saw with Dr. Pershing. Carson notes his appointment and this is seen by Elia Kane, a slight connection with “The Convert.” In his office, we see Colonel Tuttle, played by Tim Meadows. The show likes bringing in comedy actors for parts, but this character is too much like a SNL skit. Carson walks in, but Tuttle hasn’t heard of Nevarro, and the colonel cuts off Greef’s message. Elia takes the time to ask if Tuttle needs something from the commissary.
Ok, she is an Amnesty Officer, but has access to New Republic command? I think she is a sleeper agent for Moff Gideon. Elia says she was on Nevarro, too much of a coincedence, and says it is not part of the New Republic. Carson eyes her Amnesty badge. Tuttle rejects the request since they can barely help the member worlds. Carson notes that there were TIE Fighters seen there, he sees a connection with Moff Gideon and now the pirate king, then he says he heard Moff Gideon didn’t go to trial! The pirate king disrupts that part of the sector, probably given all of the intel from Elia Kane, and then Gideon's forces can easily reclaim it.
Elia notes the conflict will make Nevarro sign the New Republic Charter, kind of like the Trade Federation occupying Naboo? Carson is of course distrustful of Elia’s Imperial thinking. I wonder if this is in part what the Rangers of the New Republic show would be if it wasn’t cancelled. On the dusty sands of the lava flats, the citizens of Nevarro walk, it looks like there is twenty-five of them. They take refuge by a cave as Greef sees the pirate occupation of Nevarro City through macrobinoculars. He makes an announcement that they will be help. Carson’s X-Wing flies to the rocky terrain of the Mandalorian covert.
He spots the Gauntlet fighter and begins to land. Carson introduces himself with arms open as snipers watch him from above. Paz Vizsla is there to meet him, Din says they should be a secret, but Carson says he has a colleague from the Rebellion there, R5-D4! Mando says the covert, but move to another hidden location. He says he owes a favor to Carson who shows the holo-message from Greef, the Mandalorians ready their guns, seriously? He would be easily gunned down. Carson tosses it to Mando. Talking confidential, Carson says Mando will help Greef, and also that it has something to do with the Empire. He goes to his X-Wing, makes a promise to keep their location a secret, and leaves. Bo-Katan asks what he will do and we see in the cave, Din speaking to the others. He notes that they saved him from Greef, but Greef has saved his life and also Grogu.
Din adds that it was the Imperials chased them out and about the land offer from Greef! Good Greef! A chance for them to settle permenantly, tempting for that alone to risk lives.
The Armorer takes the speaking hammer and Paz Viszla takes it telling about the hunters on Nevarro. He brings up why? And then adds that they are Mandalorians! He owes Din and Bo-Katan, yes!, love the loyalty! Paz Vizla finishes with “This is the Way” repeated by the others. Bo-Katan shows them her ship which drop them off to fight. The plan is that she will assist with her ship and Din’s ship.
The N-1 and Gauntlet fighters leap into hyperspace! Inside her ship, Bo-Katan notes that Gorian’s ship will have snubfighters, she tells them they can be heroes, just for one day, going Bowie there. The two ships drop out of hyperspace towards Nevarro. The city is smoking with large areas of burn patches. Some of the pirates push around a drink server, “You sons of a motherless goat!”, and a drunken Quarren blasts at the Kowakian monkey-lizards in the tree. The N-1 Starfighter flies overhead, the Ugnaught Pirate Coxswain points out the ship making a strafing run on the Corsair. The snubfighters are launched and Vane taunts The Mandalorian.
Greef thanks Mando and Din pulls his fighter away so Bo-Katan can blast the pirate fighter! He has led the Corsair away for the drop. This is similar to the Edge of Tomorrow (2014). The lil’ Anzellian droidsmiths watch the ground level combat and cheer on the Mandalorians! The second team lands near the courtyard. Din blasts another subfighter and the Corsair. Bo-Katan makes a run on the Corsair destroying an engine! The Coxswain recalls the fighters to the Corsair. A Kowakian monkey-lizard points out the pirates in time for the Mandalorians to take cover! The second team is surrounded. A Mandalorian is hit!
Then, Paz Viszla lands and unloads his heavy fire from his blaster cannon! He mows down pirates on both sides! The pirates install a blaster cannon from Greef’s office railing. A Trandoshan gunner blasts several Mandalorians. Vane can only watch as Mando destroys ships up and down, one crashes into the Corsair! The Coxswain reports that they lost another engine and shields are going down. The gunner continues, but we have walking in the office, The Armorer with her hammers, she takes them down painfully! The tide has turned for the pirates and Paz Vizsla orders the others to advance! The pirates start to run, but are covered by Greef’s blaster along with the other citizens! Still, Gorian wants to go down fighting! “The Pirate” has some great action, Carson Teva putting together the rise of the Imperial remnant, and Bo-Katan showing her ability to lead!
Five Bars of Beskar Steel out of Five!
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