A shocking cameo leads to an uncertain future for the series [Review]

If there has been a big trend this season:The Mandalorian“Is that every apparent theory fan is opposed to this because there is no way the show is going to … that’s exactly what the show does in the end. Whether it’s Ahsoka who shows up at the beginning of her episode or Thrawn, it’s clear That this show isn’t afraid to make a big splash, which means that Luke Skywalker’s appearance was something we should have seen coming.

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But before that, Chapter 16, The Rescue, shows how different this season of The Mandalorian is from the first. Instead of a series of loosely connected set pieces that were united with a minimum of actions, it really seemed like this season had a purpose in mind – we believe Din Djarin looked after grogu.

Even in the greatest moments of fan service, the show ties it all together with the best father-son duo in the galaxy. Although Din has spent much of the season being angry at people who disregard the Mandalorian Creed, he has no interest in winning Mandalore back as his only mission is to save Baby Yoda. Meeting Ahsoka, one of the last remaining Jedi, was a fantastic moment for fans of the animated shows, but it was in the service of that moment when Grogu and Din’s bond enabled Grogu to harness his dormant powers. Boba Fett in full armor? Nothing but seeing Din react to Grogu being kidnapped by Dark Troopers.

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Of course, the show doesn’t have a bigger cameo than the one on this episode, as Master Jedi Luke Skywalker shows up in a moment of perfect preparation and payoff. After assembling a team to rescue Grogu, fight Moff Gideon, take his Darksaber, and then be surrounded by the aptly named Dark Troopers, a lone X-Wing emerges to help. There is no attempt to communicate with the ship and no idea who is piloting it. Even with fans having an idea of ​​who it might be, the show focuses on Grogu’s reaction and how his ears open to an approaching Jedi. The moment is of course important for the fans, but also for Grogu. When a single GREEN lightsaber ignites and the camera approaches a familiar black glove and an even more familiar lightsaber, we find that Ahsoka or Ezra didn’t show up.

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Once again, “war of stars“Shows that lightsaber users and hallways like peanut butter and jelly go together and Luke Channel Darth Vader in”Rogue One“Slicing through the Dark Troopers like butter is a moment that fans have been waiting for for decades. It helps that that moment was accompanied by phenomenal action choreography that looks right out of you Genndy Tartakovsky Cartoon, with a greater focus on long and steady sequences. It doesn’t hurt either Ludwig Göransson is one of the best things that can happen to the franchise as not only does it give us a phenomenal beat drop when the Dark Troopers are activated, but it also gives us a pretty good audition to get the next feature film “Star Wars” on with one John Williams-like orchestral piece as soon as Luke appears on the screen.

But the excitement of seeing a familiar character quickly subsides. For one thing, it still feels too close to the eerie valley, no matter how advanced digital de-aging technology has become. From a distance, bodies double Max Lloyd Jones looks just like a younger one Mark Hamillbut the moment the camera approaches and we see him speak, the young Jedi looks like he belongs to it. “The polar express, ”And nobody wants to belong there. It is particularly disappointing to see this technology being used again after seeing how little it has worked in both Rogue One and Rogue One.Rise of Skywalker“And given that fans (and even Hamill himself) pointed out how exactly Sebastian Stan resembles him and how the show stopped so clearly on fan casting, though Rosario Dawson was tipped to play Ahsoka.

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But the main reason it is sad to see Luke show up is because it is the end of the road for Din and Grogu as Luke is here to take the kid away and train him. It is without a doubt the most emotional moment “The Mandalorian” has ever made, and Peyton Reed does a great job reminding us what this is about. When Din tells Luke that the kid doesn’t want to go with him, Luke quickly points out that Grogu does, but he wants Din to go.

The entire season has built up up to this point. We knew from season one that Din was just trying to find a home for Grogu, but this season really showed us that the two had formed an unbreakable bond and when Grogu – not Din – accepted it was time for them Breaking up is a heartbreaking moment. At the same time, Din spent much of the season grappling with his guesses about the Mandalorian Creed, and seeing him reveal his face to Grogu with everyone in the room speaks volumes about his character development without speaking a single world. Grogus’s reaction is no different from that of a baby seeing his father without facial hair for the first time, and it will both melt your heart and grow Din’s heart three sizes.

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More importantly, this scene shows a very different side of Jedi history that we know. Ahsoka may have feared that Grogu’s bond with Din was dangerous and that it was better for him to fade his powers than to feed them. And we’ve seen how it turned out for Anakin Skywalker to be separated from his mother, but that it was the kid that Mando first let go of and decided to walk alone made all the difference. If anything, the attachment is more on Din’s side than Grogus’ side, which shows how he loved his 50-year-old son and makes the promise of a healthier breakup that hopefully doesn’t make Grogu a murderous maniac. Why does he have to go alone at the same time? Can’t Jedi training take place during the day like in a real school?

This leaves “The Mandalorian” at some sort of intersection. Would Disney really let her biggest character cash cow go for an entire season to attend Jedi preschool? How long will it be before Grogu and Din are reunited? Sure, the episode now strongly suggests that Din Bo-Katan will continue to help win Mandalore back, especially now that Din has the Darksaber and has a good claim to a throne that he doesn’t seem to want. If they go this route, The Mandalorian risks destroying what it has been building all season. The real story of the show was the story of Din and Grogu. Breaking up with them to explore fan service stories like Luke building a Jedi Temple or yet another Siege of Mandalore may appeal to some fans but disappoints those interested in this being a self-contained one Story of a Mandalorian and a Baby Remains. It’s great to see Luke show up, but it gives the impression that, despite all of the recently announced spin-off shows Disney has announced, the franchise isn’t interested in growing beyond the Skywalker saga.

Aside from the tearful farewell parties, this episode continued exploration of the way common people viewed the original movies’ Galactic Civil War and even the Clone Wars. Just as we’ve seen that the New Republic may not be as good as we’d like it to be, and like some worlds don’t care who rules it, this episode has shown us an Imperial soldier who has an equally great reason to be angry with our heroes for killing millions of his comrades as our heroes must anger the empire for genocide.

Whatever the future holds, it is clear that fan service will continue to be the main driving force behind the television broadcast of Star Wars. Let’s just hope they remember bringing “The Mandalorian” back to what made it so enjoyable to watch all season – the story of a lone wolf and his cub.