As soon as this got going, it was abundantly clear this was Taika Waititi’s episode. I’m a big fan of Taika’s original works, and thanks to Thor: Ragnarok, I knew he could work within a franchise but still make it his own. He did that here! 

Now, I know I didn’t have the best things to say about director cameos regarding Filoni and Favreau, but it feels different when it comes to Taika and IG-11. Maybe it’s just because I like Taika better as a creator, but he also just does this all the time. He’s in many of the works he directs (movies and TV shows), and I feel more comfortable because in both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s not a human. Besides the accent, you wouldn’t know it’s Taika. I respect that.

Names Have Meaning

Yes, we did find out Mando’s name is Din Djarin, but we also find out that Carasynthia Dune is from Alderaan. No wonder she wants to take down as many Imperials as possible. I think that brings the total of live-action Alderaanian survivors up to two? I hope Cara gets a message from Leia someday. 

Things I Loved

Everything the armorer does. She accepts that Mando’s foundling was worth the price their entire group paid for protecting her. She makes them a clan of two with the mudhorn signet (which looks badass). I was so worried that when the group left her alone that she was making her final, epic stand against the Imperials, but no, she got rid of those Stormtroopers in less than a minute. No wonder their entire group looked toward her for leadership.

THANK GOODNESS

That it was Pedro Pascal’s human face under the helmet! While I would’ve been sad if we never got to see Pedro’s face during the entirety of the show, I would’ve been FURIOUS if they had done something to drastically alter his appearance. Again, this is a matter of representation. Sci-fi, including Star Wars, has a long and egregious history of coding non-humans as people of color (e.g., Nute Gunray and his harmful East Asian stereotypes) and putting people of color in roles where their skin color and other characteristics are covered up (e.g., Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Femi Taylor as the twi’lek Oola, Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks). Being able to see Pedro Pascal’s face as it is in real life shows that Latinx people do have a place in Star Wars and belong in the fandom.

Give Me More of

The astromech with giant arms and legs paddling the lava gondola! I know it freaked a lot of people out, but I LOVE this droid abomination. I am so inspired by it that I want to do my own zine of droids with added arms and legs in classic pinup poses. 

The Real MVP

Oh boy, it has to be IG-11 – a droid that made our droid-hating Mando feel sad at the prospect of losing it. While I don’t believe IG-11 doesn’t count as another person, I appreciate it finding this loophole in order to get Mando’s helmet off so it can treat his wounds. In a real “it’s like poetry, it rhymes” moment, IG-11 insists on turning on their self-destruct to allow Mando and company to get away, while Mando keeps telling it to stop. The strained emotion can be heard through Mando’s helmet as he argues with IG-11. It’s truly heartbreaking, but IG-11 wanted to protect Yoddle in the best way possible. 

What is That?!

That fancy toy Moff Gideon uses is the Darksaber. It is powerful enough to hold its own against lightsabers, and it has popped up before in Star Wars animation. Mostly, I’m just glad it still looks as cool as it did as a cartoon, considering how silly the vibroblades looked.

Please Don’t Worry If

You haven’t seen The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels animated series. I know a lot of fans of these are pushing people to watch them because they do have Mandalore plot lines, including ones that involve the Darksaber. However, I firmly believe that any backstory about Mandalore and Mandalorians we need to know will be revealed to us as Season 2 progresses. If you want to check out those shows, get yourself a guide, but don’t feel like you’ll miss something if you don’t have the time or desire.

This was a fantastic wrap-up to Season 1. I am so ready for Season 2 to come out in Autumn 2020. My wishlist is for more women (including Cara and Omera returning), Mando to get proper locks on his gun cabinet, more diverse directors and writers, and for everyone to realize they’ve been misgendering Yoddle all along and she does use she/her. 

So until Season 2, take care of your blurrgs and drink lots of soup! I have spoken.