The Mandalorian - Chapter Twenty One - The Pirate

[ctg]

The people of Nevarro need protection from rampant pirate attacks.

IMDB score: 8.8 Runtime: 44 minutes (minus intro and credits)

 

[ctg]

Man...

The Mickey Mouse house is one of the biggest corporations in the world and it's not just dealing with fantasy products. It is producing and developing all sorts of technologies. Some that aren't really screen related as they've like all the other tech companies dabbled into Ai and Robotics, majorly. But still their core business is in the entertainment and fabrication of the franchise products for the geeks and geek likes to consume.

So why is that they can't get their sh*t together and publish the details when it comes available. The biggest things, No Title, No mini synopsis. And then they added on top of that, no freaking thumbnail. What the hell is going on because it can't be the secrecy surrounding the episodes, it is in my eyes a production failure that comes up in Disney+ more often they it should. Once is a mistake, repeated week-after-week is a major ef up.

Why the hell this is called episode 5?

 

[The Crawling Chaos]

So why is that they can't get their sh*t together and publish the details when it comes available. The biggest things, No Title, No mini synopsis. And then they added on top of that, no freaking thumbnail. What the hell is going on because it can't be the secrecy surrounding the episodes, it is in my eyes a production failure that comes up in Disney+ more often they it should. Once is a mistake, repeated week-after-week is a major ef up.

While it is a glitch or an oversight, I'm really glad it happened. I love going in blind and some of the episodes' descriptions are sometimes a little too revealing for my tastes. I suppose I could avoid reading them, but my eyes always seem to dart to it before I have time to press play.

Aaaaand this was the best episode of the season so far. Which compared to the first four isn't saying much, but it really was entertaining and fun to watch.

Fingers crossed Bryce Dallas Howard and Rick Famuyiwa can keep the ball rolling for the following three. But of course they will, because they are the best directors on The Mandalorian's team.

 

[ctg]

I'm already pissed off so let's see if the actual episode cures it...

There we have it, the darkness comes out with the 'Pirate Nation' unleashing a terrorist attack on Navarro's people trying to escape to the lava fields. I was going to write about the lack of bunkers, but being on top of a lava field makes it extra hard to fabricate stuff. It is also evident that the High Magistrate struggles to incorporate defence thinking in his urban development as all he was thinking before the Cpt SeaWeed chose to interrupt the meeting were how to make his citizens lives better.

In my eyes that's a good mayor, but in the hindsight, knowing the pirates and being one part of the Outer Rim colonize should have made him to really think about the defences. The whole thing is weird, and I get why in the Imperium era the business was handled by the Emperor's Fist, the Darth Vader. But looking deeper, planetary attacks should be common and back in the day of the rebellion, the rebels evidently used planetary defences in the form of Ion Cannons, Single-Stage-To-Orbit star vessels and so on. So what went wrong?

Can High Magistrate be so stupid, or is it for the story reason that he placed the call?

Dear Lord Captain Teva confession to first live-action member of Lasat species that he has to go to Coruscant to request an act to rebel the pirates. Speaking of bureaucracy the New Republic really inherited the Imperium polices and made them in effective for allowing Imperium Officers like G68 to influence a face-to-face meeting to leave minors on their own devices. Even though it is evident in their history that the rebellion was small acts against massive opponents throughout its history. Big clashes just didn't happen that we see in the Clone Wars era at the end of the Old Republic didn't exist because the Rebellion didn't had the numbers.

The New Republic inheriting all the Imperium stockpile, they can't effectively police most parts of its area for even struggling against the pirate in the Mid Rim locations. And yet, the Star Wars is effectively around the size of Mancester as Toby put it for the Cpt Teva to make the trip to the capital in his X-Wing.

Lasat knew that it was an effed trip to make it face-to-face and get only a casual denial, because Nevarro isn't a cool place.

R5, the traitor. I would not be surprised if it gets jettisoned into deep space after it revealed the Creed location to Cpt Teva. Mandos called him "Blue" for some reason, and I get their resentment for the big political unions because of the Purge. Yet, Din's claim for "secrecy" isn't actually true, as the Night Sisters were far more mysterious than the Mandalorians during the previous two eras and longer.

They were warriors and they lived on their hard reputation. So it is a good thinking that Neva knows his history and he knew that Mandos would do well against the Pirates as rebelling pirates were their everyday duty when they still had a home world.

He swore to not reveal covert location before he departed, but it was also revealing that he confessed to Din that Coruscant doesn't care, even if Mandos doesn't have enough of ships. He knew that opening up and letting out a request will make Din's tribe to go bold out on the Cpt SeaWeed. But he also said, "The New Republic has to know that the Empire is growing again..." meaning that he already knows that the First Order is there, but there's nothing he can do because his hands are tied.

Din spoke to the tribe and reminded them that he'd been offered a part of land for against his services. He reminded them that it is the place were he got his foundling, and then Paz Vizla told them that it was the place where many of them had died to save Groku. And then he asked, "Why should we fight? Because we are the Mandalorians," reaching all the way back to the days of old Mand'lore. For the reason of why they are called a warrior race.

"Bold of you to return, Mandalorian," the pirate lauded from his cockpit of SnubFighter as Din swarmed them over the skies of Nevarro's capital. Swarmed as in meaning he was all over them and the capital ship as part of the plan like a proper acepilots, evidently making his tally up to ten on just opening the opening fight, while the Mandos on streets below met no real resistance from drunken pirates.

Eleventh kill came over the frigate before Din led the chasers into mach canyons, while the pirates started to wake up that they were facing a resistance in terms of Mando uprising. To lend a better words, Sheriff Eli's words, "You are not trapped here with us, you are trapped here with me," the tribe put up a helluva fight even if the Pirates somehow had already managed to make barricades and fortifications in the ruined city.

Above the capital skies Din scored three more kills while the Pirates engaged "the Gauntlet" manoeuvre on Bo's heavy fighter making his tally up to fifteen. And the Shard lost its engine , while the Armourer engaged the fortified position in melee by sneaking behind and taking down the whole lot that were pinning her fighters down on the streets.

I cried, it was so beautiful. And ballsy. It was also good to see that Vane left Cpt SeaWeed to go down with his ship for trying to unleash vengeance on Nevarro's people and its liberators. The High Magistrate brought up the past in his speech, and declared: "I, Magistrate Greef Karga... High Magistrate hereby cede all land from the Western Lava Flats to Bulloch Canyon to the fine people of Mandalore."

This is the way. The Children of Watch have a new home.

Bo with the Armourer at the Old Forge. A question, why is she always in ready position? The old westerns showed the dual wielders being more relaxed in the ways they moved, but ever since Bo came off from her throne, she's been in that ready position.

Is she expecting Paz to shoot her in the back?

The Armourer said after Paz left them two alone, "This once was a forge of our covert. I have been to the Great Forge on Mandalore."

"I remember the forge well," Bo replied and for the first time crossed her hands at the back. Just like her father would have done in similar kind of meetings.

The Armourer rubbed her hands together and admired the forge covered in cobwebs. "It was large and ornate. And the air rang with the music of a hundred hammers. And here stood a simple one. Yet, they were both forges. They served the same purpose." Then she looked at Bo and ordered, "Remove your helmet."

Dazzled Bo didn't know what to do.

"Do you respect my position?" The Armourer asked and getting a nod back she ordered again, "Remove your helmet."

After Bo hesitantly committed to the act, she added, "Our people have strayed from the Way and it is not enough for a few to walk it. We must walk it together."

"This is the Way," Bo nodded.

"We must walk it together." The Armourer stared at her and added. "All Mandalorians."

"I understand," Bo said, even though she didn't know what to say.

"I was taught that the Mythosaur existed only in legends, and yet you saw it. It is a sign that the next age is upon us. Mandalore must come all together," The Armourer said as she approached Bo. "You have walked both worlds. You are the one who can unite us."

Then she walked with helmetless Bo to the tribe and announced, "Bo-Katan Kryze is going off to bring other Mandalorians in exile to us so that we may join together once again."

Paz questioned her, "But she shows her face."

"Bo-Katan walks both worlds," The Armourer answered. "And she can bring all tribes together. It is time to retake Mandalore."

This is the Way!

What does the end scene revelation means?

 

[The Crawling Chaos]

first live-action member of Lasat species...

And not just any member of the species. It's that guy Zeb from Rebels.

The High Magistrate brought up the past in his speech, and declared: "I, Magistrate Greef Karga... High Magistrate hereby cede all land from the Western Lava Flats to Bulloch Canyon to the fine people of Mandalore."

A fine nod to a fine gentleman.

What does the end scene revelation means?

Yes. It can mean any number of things:
A/ It's a setup to make the Republic think Mandalorians are on Gideon's side. Machiavellian but hard to buy considering Gideon was instrumental in the Purge of Mandalore. However the New Republic are consistently depicted as idiots, so...
B/ A group of Mandalorians wanted revenge on Gideon for his destruction of Mandalore and captured him to judge him/execute him themselves. Unlikely since that would mean we'll never see Gideon again.
C/ A traitorous Mandalorian faction sided with Gideon and freed him. Possible, but that had to happen before or at the time of season 2 and we never saw Mandalorians at his side. But for all we know, Gideon might have been a Mandalorian himself in a past life, so perhaps he has some old friends he can count on.
D/ Gideon's men rescued him and they have access to beskar armor/weapons. This is highly likely since the show has already established that the Empire has Beskar at its disposal (season one) and that non-Mandalorians sometimes wield Beskar weapons (season 2)

 

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And not just any member of the species. It's that guy Zeb from Rebels.

I've got confirmation from a couple of sources that it was indeed Zeb. But my mind cannot comprehend him in the x-wing or y-wing cockpit. I would have expect him to stay as a ground pounder and not as a pilot.

This is a very comprehensive article on Zeb to those who don't know that usually he wears a yellow armour and has yellowish eyes.

Yes, That's Who You Thought It Was on This Week's Mandalorian

On this week’s episode of The Mandalorian, when a certain familiar-looking character from Star Wars Rebels arrived, your first instinct may have been that it wasn’t the character. But it was, 100 percent, and here’s what we know about them.

gizmodo.com

 

[BT Jones]

Best episode of the season so far, no question. Enjoyed it. A classic Mando / Shane-style story, rescuing the beleaguered townsfolk. This is what The Mandalorian is all about; a small, personal story about honor and sacrifice, not a galaxy-spanning saga covering major threads. Loved that 'Old Mate' the X-wing pilot was back, and also the Zeb character, who was well done. Good battles. Nice little touches about the New Republic beaurocracy. Only negatives, the horrible line from El Scumbago pirate in the fighter, during the trench chase: "You won't get away this time!" - and he was literally recalled 10 seconds later. Also, the Pirate chief character - let's call him Greenbeard - who has to be the single most laughable, least threatening villain in all of Star Wars; a physical, live-action character with a ridiculous, puppet-operated mouth. Just... what? Ever single one of his pirate underlings was more threatening and could have done a better job. He could have been a human character, or at least a sinister-looking alien. He could have had a proper motivation. Instead, just a pointless rip off of the Davy Jones character from Pirates of the Caribbean.

But that doesn't detract from a solid, entertaining episode.

 

[ctg]

Also, the Pirate chief character - let's call him Greenbeard - who has to be the single most laughable, least threatening villain in all of Star Wars; a physical, live-action character with a ridiculous, puppet-operated mouth. Just... what? Ever single one of his pirate underlings was more threatening and could have done a better job. He could have been a human character, or at least a sinister-looking alien. He could have had a proper motivation. Instead, just a pointless rip off of the Davy Jones character from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Well we have Hondo. There's no need for other ones if Dave Filoni allows him into Jon's show.

Hondo Ohnaka was a male Weequay pirate and outlaw whose varied exploits garnered him notoriety and infamy throughout the galaxy. Over the course of Ohnaka's storied and decades-long career as the head of self-styled operations such as the Ohnaka Gang and Ohnaka Transport Solutions, he often became intertwined with the conflicts of his time. Although primarily self-serving, he provided crucial aid and assistance to his allies in the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War, and the Resistance during the First Order-Resistance War. In addition to his prolific escapades, Ohnaka authored several books and inspired many outlaws to follow in his footsteps.

Hondo Ohnaka

Hondo Ohnaka was a male Weequay pirate and outlaw whose varied exploits garnered him notoriety and infamy throughout the galaxy. Over the course of Ohnaka's storied and decades-long career as the head of self-styled operations such as the Ohnaka Gang and Ohnaka Transport Solutions, he often...

starwars.fandom.com

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

I take the last scene with Bo Katan and the Armorer to mean that the Armorer is not quite as close-minded as she seems. She's had time to think about the events of the previous 2 episodes, and about the prospect of living openly on Navarro. Up to this point, she's concentrated on the goal of keeping a fundamentalist sect of the Mandalorian religeon going in secrecy and permanent exile. Now, it it finally looks possible to achieve more. She recognises that to rebuild Mandalore, they'll have to unite all the other survivors who identify as Mandalorian, be it culturally or politically. The fact that Bo Katan (a politician not especially noted for her piety) has seen the Mythosaur also makes this course more acceptable to the Armorer's beliefs. And Bo Katan will be more convincing to secular Mandos if she doesn't follow the way of the sect.

 

[ctg]

The fact that Bo Katan (a politician not especially noted for her piety) has seen the Mythosaur also makes this course more acceptable to the Armorer's beliefs. And Bo Katan will be more convincing to secular Mandos if she doesn't follow the way of the sect.

Well, she is a princess. That is for sure, but politician... I doubt that, and I honestly don't think she's good material. In the previous seasons, Armourer sent Din to do somewhat impossible missions, like taking a dip in the mines or that play with the dark sabre. And now she's going against the grain even though Bo was already adapting to the tribe. She's not a good leader, but she keeps the Children of the Watch together.

It'd be better if Din and Groku went with her. Just two show two aspects of the belief system.

 

[Parson]

Thank you to those who are posting insights here. I enjoyed the episode, for sure. And it leaves a lot of questions that need to be dealt with. I find myself drawn to Bo Katan, someone trying to do the best she can with what she has available.

 

[BT Jones]

Thank you to those who are posting insights here. I enjoyed the episode, for sure. And it leaves a lot of questions that need to be dealt with. I find myself drawn to Bo Katan, someone trying to do the best she can with what she has available.

I, too, am drawn to Bo Katan, but possible more because Katee Sackhoff is suh-weeeeeeeeeeet!

 

[ctg]

A good look on Shard's dedicated pirate vessel. I agree that is a very interesting ship, that the Pirate Nation is most probably putting together to exploit Outer Rim systems. And it makes me wonder what else they might have been producing, because it is the dedicated part that's most intriguing in this whole scheme things.

The reason is that we are mostly making exploration, commercial, military or pleasure boats. The pirate vessel is a second thought, even though with system's wide coalition of Pirate Worlds is plausible in the Star Wars. And in their case they are not reusing military or commercial vessels for such activity, but actually purposely built crafts.

In the history, there are a very few notions of such things. Most of them are in the games, and very few of them are purposely built for the piracy activities. Which itself opens a can of goodies, if you are a ship designer and can think outside the box, because you can do so many things. Maybe even include drop pods and specially designed breaching vessels for specific tasks. Some of them cross the activities with the military class, because the activities are the same, but the end result is quite different.

 

[The Crawling Chaos]

When I watched the episode the silhouette of that ship rang a bell for some reason but it took your message for me to actually try and remember where I had seen it before. Now I think it probably reminded me of the Eclipse Super Star Destroyer, from the 1990s comic Dark Empire.

My first foray into the now-decanonized Expanded Universe and a story I will always cherish. I've mentioned it before on these boards but at the time, before the Prequel Trilogy had even been announced, those comic were the only way for me to prolong the high of the original movies.

Anyway, I quite liked that pirate ship and its crew. I think they would make a good departure point for some short EU stories, maybe an animated mini-series. We need more stories about pirates, smugglers and the general populace, and less about the Empire and Rebels, or whatever other label they identify as (New Republic, First Order, etc.)

 

[BT Jones]

I

A good look on Shard's dedicated pirate vessel. I agree that is a very interesting ship, that the Pirate Nation is most probably putting together to exploit Outer Rim systems. And it makes me wonder what else they might have been producing, because it is the dedicated part that's most intriguing in this whole scheme things.

The reason is that we are mostly making exploration, commercial, military or pleasure boats. The pirate vessel is a second thought, even though with system's wide coalition of Pirate Worlds is plausible in the Star Wars. And in their case they are not reusing military or commercial vessels for such activity, but actually purposely built crafts.

In the history, there are a very few notions of such things. Most of them are in the games, and very few of them are purposely built for the piracy activities. Which itself opens a can of goodies, if you are a ship designer and can think outside the box, because you can do so many things. Maybe even include drop pods and specially designed breaching vessels for specific tasks. Some of them cross the activities with the military class, because the activities are the same, but the end result is quite different.

I liked the ship, too. It was like he stole an old model Star Destroyer and painted it in pirate stripes. A Star Destroyer floating over a city is a great look (provided you can ignore the ridiculous physics connotations).

 

[Dave]

Sorry, I'm a little behind.

Aaaaand this was the best episode of the season so far.

Easily so, but yes, this had everything.

Star Wars is effectively around the size of Manchester as Toby put it for the Cpt Teva to make the trip to the capital in his X-Wing.

That was the only problem. It was worse than that, because after his trip to Coruscant, he then went to find the Mandalorians. They had a meeting and then they went to the Outer Rim to free Nevarro, and during all of this travel time, the colony still hadn't surrendered under the intense bombardment from the Pirates.

R5, the traitor.

Yes, he should have insisted on a battered old R2 unit with a restraining bolt instead.

How come the Creed would have to relocate when Teva discovered their location, but that they can live on Nevarro where, presumably, everyone in the Galaxy now knows their location (and they are going to tell the few that don't)?

What does the end scene revelation means?

Yes. It can mean any number of things:

I think your D/ is most likely, but any are possible. Good suggestions.

 

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How come the Creed would have to relocate when Teva discovered their location, but that they can live on Nevarro where, presumably, everyone in the Galaxy now knows their location (and they are going to tell the few that don't)?

They are not stupid, and they know that the last tribe location was so dangerous for losing people to the big birds and megacrocs. Nevarro is what they know, the Mandalore however is a bit unknown. And the High Magistrate keeps them in jobs, and whatever else they might need, as long as they stay in to do the security business.

He also knows that they are a good ally, and that's what he needs if he's going to make his corner a worthwhile place to visit.

 

[Dave]

You will know the situation better than I do, but the Mandalorians are Wanted man and women, presumably for their association with the Empire (I think) and so are hiding out on a Outer Rim world (with all the dangers that entails from big birds and megacrocs). However, now they are going to a Mid Rim world, and announcing their presence there (in much easier reach of their enemies, despite everywhere only being a few minutes away anyway) and this being a world that has been shown to have no planetary defences of it's own.

This is the Way!

 

[ctg]

but the Mandalorians are Wanted man and women, presumably for their association with the Empire

No, they are not wanted. Only the Imperium has beef with them. The rest are pretty cool for having them around.

 

[Toby Frost]

This was a perfectly solid episode, and a lot better than I was expecting. There was nothing especially great about it, but it was decent stuff. As ever, there are a few niggling questions about the choices that the writers and designers made, but nothing glaringly awful. So long, ridiculous seaweed man.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect was the subplot about the X-wing pilot and the New Republic. It makes "plot sense" that the same former Imperial from the Pershing story should hamper efforts to help Navarro, and that the same pilot should discover that Moff Gideon has escaped, but it does make it seem that the Star Wars universe is tiny.