The latest episode of The Mandalorian is the best with the original Star Wars style and a host of guest stars! Re:cap - The Pirate King, Gorian Shard, had his ship damaged was by the ships of Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze. His damaged Corsair opened fire on Nevarro City in a final action! Bo-Katan unloads massive fire on the pirate ship’s engines sending it falling into the hills. The citizens cheer and later Greef Karga thanks the Mandalorians. He declares that the hot springs land to all Mandalorians! Great, but next they have to work on planet defenses. Paz Viszla tells Bo-Katan that The Armorer asked for a meeting. She walks to the location of the former Forge that was in season one. It is an interesting call back to the Mandalorian’s past home, now dark and empty. The Armorer notes the Great Forge of Mandalore which Bo-Katan knows as well. She asks Bo-Katan to take off her helmet! Bo-Katan pauses at this breaking of The Creed. The Armorer says there only a few who follow it and says that all Mandalorians should come together! She has taken Bo-Katan’s encounter of the Mythosaur as a sign of the next age of Mandalore. The other Mandalorians by the ships can only watch as Bo-Katan unhelmeted walks with The Armorer. Paz Viszla notes her face is revealed which is good thing, Katee Sackhoff’s face should never be hidden.
The Armorer says she “walks both worlds” and can unify the Mandalorian tribes! She announces that together they can return to Mandalore! Captain Carson Teva’s X-Wing flies through the emptiness of space. He finds a Lambda-class shuttle adrift. Carson contacts Lieutenant Reed who patrolled Tatooine with him. He was last seen in The Book of Boba Fett, “Return of the Mandalorian” (2022). Reed tells him there was a lost ship, but records of it are classified, records like those Elia Kane might access? Carson asks his astromech, R-7, to launch a probe, very cool accesory to the Swiss Army knife droids. He is part of the Adelphi Rangers patrolling space. Carson sends Reed the transponder signal to find the ship’s record. Reed tells him that it is a New Republic Prison Transport, I thought Imperial material was not used by the New Republic, a mystery. He identifies that it took custody of Moff Gideon. Carson has the probe scan the ship, it is like the laser looking for salvage in Aliens (1986). He has the probe get in close to examine something in the cabin wall, a piece of beskar steel!, Moff Gideon took over the planet so he could have access to it and use the metal to set up Mandalorians! “Chapter 22: Guns For Hire” features the return of fan favorite director, Bryce Dallas Howard, she had directed “Return of the Mandalorian” (2022)!
We see the stars and move to a starship, this is the most Star Wars scene in all of The Mandalorian! On board, a door opens to a Quarren bringing a drink, they are Squid Head-like aliens who co-exist on Mon Cala. He pours it and a fish into a tank with the Quarren captain. Her name is Captain Shuggoth (Christine Adams), a Shoggoth is a creature from Cthulhu mythos! The female captain gulps it down and says she found a way around the trade routes to Task. I don’t think we have heard the Quarren language before. An Imperial ship is detected, but is found to be too powerful, the female captain orders the ship to be contacted. This draws down the tank to the captain’s chair. The ship is pursued by a Class 546 Cruiser, the type used by Moff Gideon, it is a reverse angle to the classic Star Destroyer opening! The captain says they are peaceful heading to the Mid Rim on business. She is very diplomatic communicating with the light cruiser captain. We see his bridge, there are Mandalorians on board, and the captain is Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides) and by his side is Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado)! Both Nite Owls were with Bo-Katan! He says they were commissioned to track her down and the Quarren ship is taken into the cruiser. Axe says a Mon Calamari Viceroy hired them to find her son!
He knows that the son has fallen in love with Captain Shuggoth. The Mon Calamari Nobleman (Harry Holland) enters and doesn’t want to go. It is great to see that not only do the former enemies have ended their war, but we also get a Romeo and Juliet situation. Axe doesn’t care and sends Koska since they already have to Plazir-15. They pledge their love to each other. Koska enters and takes the prince away. I’m already thinking this is my favorite episode. Bo-Katan’s Gauntlet fighter appears from hyperspace and heads to a green planet with thin clouds, Plazir-15, she heads toward several domes. Din Djain is in a rear cockpit seat and Grogu watches next to Bo-Katan. She heads towards a Class 546 Cruiser that has landed. Then, she notes that she assembled her fleet partly from the Empire. Bo-Katan knows that Axe Woves has taken over as leader. She reasons that it is an independent world and lands away from the fleet. A planetary greeting is heard, it sounds like a Nintendo game!, and directs them to a docking slip. The ship is locked into automated guidance. The city, unnamed, looks like the futuristic utopia of Tomorrowland (2015), clean, with vibrant greenery.
They are greeted by a black version of a protocol and astrodroid pair, the clever nods to the original Star Wars is on point. Protocol droid, RA-7, welcomes them to the planet. He is the insectoid-eyed droid seen on the Death Star. They are directed to a hyperloop pod. The name refers to the ultra high-speed transportation project developed by Elon Musk. Mando wonders about the Imperial tech. Inside, Bo-Katan requests to travel to a bay next to the Mandalorian fleet. They hear from the p.a. that the Coruscant Accords requires authorization from the High Council to reach self-defense forces. Bo-Katan and Din have their gauntlets out for their chain codes to be scanned. The p.a. notes that they are ordered to meet with the planetary leaders. So Din Djarin’s name is known by the government? The pod flashes away faster than any landspeeder! Then, it enters the city, this scene is right out of Logan’s Run (1976)! They enter a party, guards at either side have stormtrooper armor, and they are greeted by one of the leaders. He is Captain Bombadier (Jack Black!) and next to him is The Duchess played by Lizzo! I feel happy that Lizzo is in our universe and also the Star Wars universe.
At the table are a host of well-dressed aliens, almost a reverse of Jabba the Hutt’s palace, and we also see the Frog Lady! Captain Bombadier says he was a former Imperial officer, but the New Republic Amnesty Program sent him to the planet to restore it. So the New Republic restored the planet, but it is independent? Something wrong here. The Duchess is Plazir-15 royalty and married Captain Bombadier. She asks to hold the baby and Grogu leaps into her arms. The Duchess replies to Mando’s question about the fleet and says that they are hired because the New Republic won’t allow such ships. Bo-Katan asks to see the privateer and the couple takes it as an excuse to leave with them. The Duchess has an elegant dress with a train behind her is like a decorative kite resembling a decorative peacock, stunning! They explain that Imperial droids were re-programmed for peace by Captain Bombadier, but malfunctioned. The battle droids became hostile. I wonder if one of the droids is an IG-11? Bo-Katan says the Mandalorian garrison can take care of the battle droids. The Duchess says their charter prevents them from entering the city. So they can only protect outside and not the city itself? Captain Bombadier notes that they will recognize Mandalore as a soverign system to the New Republic. This is so important if true, that it is worth the risk.
Bo-Katan asks Din’s opinion and he is ready to take on battle droids, the same force that eliminated his family! At the control room, they are debriefed by Head of Security, Helgait played by Christopher Lloyd! This episode is so perfect! There is a Hellgate: London (2007) video game. He mentions that the battle droids were meant to sent to Karthon for the scrap yards. Helgait shows them the first malfunction with a Short-Range Transport Droid goes berserk smashing a refuse container against its transport. Then, other malfunctions that threaten the citizens. This is like the comic book, Magnus, Robot Fighter, with a utopia threatened by out of control robots. Bo-Katan suggests the droids be shut down and Helgait explains that the citizens voted against it since they just relax now, similar to the lazy humans of Wall-E (2008). He says he wants them to take out any rogue droids until they can deal with the droid’s programming. Helgait says the list of the droids is with the Ugnaught in the lower level! This is a love letter to Star Warriors. The episode has such important content that it will be continued in the next part! A flawless episode of The Mandalorian with stunning guest stars that don’t feel like stunt casting, and a complicated situation that will lead Bo-Katan to her forces!
Five+ Bars of Beskar Steel out of Five!
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