THE MANDALORIAN
NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by DissedHerb
SEASON 3 – EPISODE 1:
Chapter 17: The Apostate
In flashback, we are reminded of IG-11’s sacrifice to protect Mando and Grogu, Greef’s praise of the restoration of Nevarro, and Mando’s confession to the Armorer in Book of Boba Fett that he removed his helmet, relinquishing his status as Mandalorian. We are reminded that he may atone in the Living Waters beneath the mines of Mandalore, which were bombed by the Galactic Empire during the Purge.
Open on the Armorer hammering hot metal into a blue helmet. She walks outside of a cave to a procession of Mandalorians on the beach, and a young unnamed foundling standing in the waters. He begins to speak the Mandalorian oath before donning the helmet, never to reveal his face again. But before he finishes, a gargantuan alligator attacks the Mandalorians on the beach. Paz Visla orders the young ones back to the cave as the rest work to fend off the creature. The monster is difficult to handle, but the Mandalorians are saved by a Naboo fighter jet, piloted by Mando, with Grogu as a copilot. He launches a proton torpedo into the creature’s side, killing it.
In the cave, Mando and Grogu approach the Armorer. She reminds him that he willfully removed his helmet, and is no longer Mandalorian. He attempts to negotiate redemption, providing a green crystal he claims to have obtained from Jawas who got it from a traveler who claimed to have come upon it on the surface of Mandalore. The Armorer claims this as proof that the entire surface of Mandalore was crystallized by fusion rays. Mando proposes that if the surface is only crystallized and not poisoned, he should be able to bathe in the Living Waters beneath the mines, thereby redeeming himself. Grogu watches and looks to the Armorer, effectively pleading with Mando. She tells them, “This is the Way,” before dismissing them.
As they travel through hyperspace on autopilot, Grogu marvels at the stars and planets as they zoom by. He then notices several Purrgil traveling alongside them in the shadows of light speed. Frightened, he cozies up to a sleeping Mando. They arrive on Nevarro to meet with Greef. Mando and Grogu notice how different the space port is, complete with a statue of IG-11. High Magistrate Greef Karga invites the two inside.
Greef shares that Nevarro is now an official trade spur of the Hydian Way. He offers Mando a plot of land to retire on, since his quest for bounties is over. Mando explains that he has become an apostate for removing his helmet. Grogu used the Force to eat some berries out of a bowl on Greef’s desk. A droid interrupts to inform the High Magistrate of pirates in his courtyard.
Greef immediately recognizes their leader as Vane. He invites them to speak in his office, but Vane continues the conversation to reveal how Greef used his cut of a reward from Gorian Shard to buy the saloon, which has been transformed into a school. Vane attempts to demand a drink from Greef, citing the dirty work he used to pay them to do back in the day. Vane tries to intimidate Greef with his holstered blaster, but Greef reveals his own to show that he hasn’t gone soft. Vane draws on Greef, but has his hand blasted by the latter. Greef tells Vane to send a message to Shard that pirates are no longer welcome on Nevarro. Vane signals his crew to shoot, but Mando and Greef take them all out before they can even aim. They two then turn their blasters on Vane before Greef shoos him away.
Greef tells Mando that, in the absence of Cara Dune, he is in need of a marshal. Dune was recruited by Special Forces after she brought Moff Gideon into custody. Gideon was sent off to a New Republic War Tribunal. When Mando suggests he hire someone from the New Republic, Greef explains that he wants Nevarro to become the first completely independent trade anchor in the sector. Mando formally declines the offer, and Greef acknowledges that he is here on business.
Mando asks that IG-11 be rebuilt from the parts used to build his statue. Mando says that he needs a droid he can trust to help him explore Mandalore. Mando personally reconnects IG-11’s upper torso to power in an effort to power him up. The droid turns on, and upon seeing Grogu, recalls its original protocol to terminate the asset. Mando protects Grogu as the droid claws its way off the operating table and across the floor, fixed on its directive. Greef’s protocol droid manages to crush IG-11’s head using a bronze bust, deactivating him.
Greef guides Mando to a group of tiny Anzellan droidsmiths to fix up IG-11, led by Babu Frik. Frik tells Mando that the droid’s memory circuit is no good, and it will not recognize him or Grogu as friendly. Mando offers to find a new memory circuit, which Frik says is hard to find. Grogu attempts to hug Frik, who relents on account of his size. Mando apologizes, explaining that Grogu is still very young. Mando and Grogu board the fighter and leave Nevarro.
Mando explains the properties of the spaceship to Grogu, but they are interrupted by Vane, seeking vengeance for his crew killed by Mando and Greef. He and five other pirates chase Mando and Grogu through a small asteroid field, but Mando’s superior piloting and navigation allows him to take out the pirates, leaving only Vane to pursue. Vane leads Mando right to Pirate Captain Gorian Shard’s ship. As several gunmen lock onto Mando, he hails Gorian Shard, who demands he surrender his ship in exchange for his life. Mando reminds Grogu to never trust a pirate, before jumping to hyperspace to evade them.
They arrive at the planet Kalevala, a planet in the Mandalorian System, with its own Mandalorian castle, the House of Kryze. Mando lands and exits his ship, with Grogu by his side. The two approach Bo-Katan, sitting alone on her throne. She shares that, without the Darksaber, her forces dissipated and now operate as mercenaries throughout the galaxy. She tells Mando that he can command the forces of Mandalore as wielder of the Darksaber. She tells him that his “cult” gave up on Mandalore long before the Purge of the Empire. She tells him that the Children of the Watch destroyed the Mandalorian people. Mando informs her of his plan to bathe in the Living Waters of Mandalore and be forgiven for his transgressions. She tells him there is nothing for him on Kalevala, and that his pursuit of the Living Waters of Mandalore is foolish. She tells him that the mines of Mandalore served no purpose other than to supply beskar ore to their Mandalorian ancestors and that the rest is superstition. She tells him that the mines are located beneath the civic center of Sundari on Mandalore. Mando thanks her for the intel, and promises to find out if the planet is truly poisoned, as she said. Bo-Katan dismisses them, and Mando walks with Grogu back to his ship.
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SEASON 3 – EPISODE 2:
Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore
As a race takes place in Mos Eisley, Peli Moto haggles with a Rodian over the labor and parts needed to repair his speeder. He pays her upfront, but once he leaves she distributes money to the Jawas she hired to boost the parts, given that Boonta Eve would mean ripe pickings for such. She quickly disperses them as Mando arrives. Grogu leaps out of the cockpit into Peli’s arms before mumbling something when he sees her. Mando asks her for an IG memory circuit, which she says hadn’t been made for years. Instead, she offers him R5-D4, the red unit with a “bad motivator” from A New Hope. The droid fearfully rolls back as it hears Mando’s description of required duties to test the atmosphere on Mandalore. Peli assists the droid to present itself more confidently and goes on with her pitch. She installs it as the ship’s copilot, which means Grogu rides in front. The three leave with little more than Peli’s word that the droid can do what she said it can.
As they approach Mandalore, Mando tells Grogu the story of the planet. He grew up on one of the moons, and had never been there. They enter the planet’s atmosphere, and Mando realizes the magnetic field will cut them off from any outside communications. Mando sends R5 out to take an air sample from the mines. R5 does so, but is terrified. Grogu is scared for it, but Mando shows Grogu that the droid is safe. Unfortunately, the signal gets lost, and Mando agrees to pressurize his helmet so he can go out to get the droid. He leaves Grogu alone in the ship and continues into the cave where R5 went. Mando is attacked by creatures who he fights using the darksaber. Though the blade is still very heavy for him, he is able to use it to defeat all of them. He hears R5 whimpering from a corner, but assures him that he is ok, and guides him back to the ship. R5 shows Mando that the atmosphere is breathable. Grogu accompanies Mando in his hover egg as they leave R5 in the ship.
Mando brings Grogu to where he was attacked, overlooking the civic center, where Bo-Katan told him to find the beskar mines. Mando uses his jetpack to descend with Grogu. Once they land, Mando guides them to a passageway. Along the way, he finds a Mandalorian helmet, but is suddenly captured by a gigantic droid spider. Grogu quietly watches as the droid is revealed to be a bio-mech piloted by a cyborg creature. Grogu finds Mando and tries to use the Force to open his case, but only succeeds in getting the creature’s attention. Mando shouts, “Get to Bo-Katan,” as Grogu narrowly escapes being hit by an electric blast. He pilots his egg back to the opening of a cave, and uses the Force to protect himself from another creature before getting to the ship. He and R5 fly to Kalevala.
Bo-Katan is approached by her droid announcing an unscheduled visitor. She immediately recognizes the ship, but is surprised to find Grogu alone and frightened. She has R5’s memory downloaded to find Mando’s whereabouts. She flies them to Mandalore in her ship. She tells Grogu the same comment Mando made about how the planet didn’t always look this way, and he becomes more worried. She dons her helmet and has Grogu lead her to Mando, while R5 watches from inside the ship.
Bo-Katan and Grogu come to the civic center, and descend down. Grogu becomes scared as he recognizes the sounds of creatures that attacked him before. Bo-Katan empathizes with his fear, but reminds him that she needs him to guide her to Mando. As they walk, she tells him that the Mandalorians and jedi used to get along. They both stop as they sense something unusual. Grogu hides as Bo-Katan takes the ambush of creatures full-on. She identifies the creatures as Alamites, who lived in the wastelands during better times on the planet.
Mando is approached by the cyborg, who begins to drain fluid from his body. Bo-Katan attacks the cyborg and frees Mando before picking up the darksaber. She fights the cyborg and stabs it through the torso. She turns away to check on Mando as the cyborg scurries away to get into the mech. Bo-Katan uses the darksaber to destroy the mech and kill the cyborg.
Mando wakes up and talks to Bo-Katan about old Mandalore. She serves him pog soup, a delicacy among Mandalorians in her age. Mando gets up and tells her that he is continuing to the mines so that he can be redeemed. She agrees to take him to the Living Waters. As they walk, Bo-Katan and Mando discuss the youth of the destruction to the planet by the Empire. Bo-Katan dismisses her own taking of the Creed as a royal duty done for spectacle, rather than honor.
They arrive at the Living Waters, once said to be a Mythosaur lair. Its skull symbol signifies the engagement of Mandalore the Great with the ancient mythosaur. Mando removes his jetpack and all of his weapons. He enters the waters and repeats the creed spoken to the boy at the beginning of the last episode. He is dragged underneath suddenly, and Bo-Katan immediately dives in after. She uses her jetpack to explore the depths, and she pulls Mando up from the clutches of a mythosaur, which she looks right in the eye before pulling Mando out of the waters.
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SEASON 3 – EPISODE 3:
Chapter 19: The Convert
Mando awakes and Bo-Katan confirms his redemption without mentioning the Mythosaur. Mando takes a sample of the water with him to prove to the Armorer. He can only remember how deep the chasm was as he fell. She tells him that the bombings may have triggered seismic activity, because it wasn’t always that deep. She asks him if he remembers seeing anything alive. Mando doesn’t understand the question, and she dismisses it. Bo-Katan takes one last look before they depart.
They leave in Bo-Katan’s ship. Grogu is interested in her offer of a feast, although Mando will not remove his helmet now (“This is the Way”). They are attacked by Imperial TIE Interceptors. Mando takes the rear gun and fires at the TIEs. He reminds her that she is piloting a stolen Imperial ship, which would explain the attack. She flies into Kalevala but cannot slow down to drop Mando safely. Luckily, his jet pack makes up for the drop speed.
Mando pilots the Naboo fighter and makes quick work of the TIE Interceptor on his tail. R5 sits in Bo-Katan’s ship worried as Mando pilots alone. She navigates the canyon cliffs as Mando closes in on the TIEs chasing her. They work together to take them out. Mando detects another attack taking place at House Kryze. Three TIE Bombers take out the castle and fly away as Bo-Katan angrily gives chase. She fires a missile at one, but Mando detects a battalion of fighters approaching the area. He tells her they need to escape, and sends her hyperspace jump coordinates.
On Coruscant, former Imperial Dr. Pershing is giving a speech about the Amnesty Program offered by the New Republic to former servants of the Empire. He discusses the misuse of his cloning technology by the Empire. He goes on to talk about his devotion to science of cloning organs, and later the theory that the best genes can be manipulatively selected to create a new individual. Afterward, Dr. Pershing talks with the attendees, mostly wealthy folk of different planetary origin. They all express admiration for the work he has done. On his way back to Amnesty housing, the droid taxi driver talks his ear off about what there is to see in Coruscant.
Dr. Pershing arrives at the house and sees a small group, who invite him for a drink. He acknowledges his pin, transferring from the Re-Integration Institute. He is introduced to the group, and recognizes the communications officer on Moff Gideon’s ship. Her identity is a surprise to the others. One shares a rumor that he escaped en route to the War Tribunal, while another recalls hearing that he had been hooked up to a mind flyer. The former officer Elia Kane says she prefers not to think of her time in his command, and they all toast the New Republic. While the rest reminisce about time served under the Empire, she quietly offers to show Pershing around Coruscant. Pershing contributes to the conversation, and feels good to be accepted by the group for once.
While Pershing listens to facts about Coruscant in bed, he responds to a knock at his door. When answers, no one is there. He notices a box on his doorstep, filled with the travel biscuits he had shared before that he loved when he served the Empire. The next day, he works as an archivist for the New Republic, much to the surprise of his peers who saw his speech the night before.
Pershing and Elia walk through an outdoor fair and enjoy the sights and snacks. She shares that she had trained at the Imperial academy on Coruscant. Pershing shares his doubt that the New Republic would favor cloning as a scientific pursuit. She encourages him to propose his idea. They approach Umate, the peak of the highest mountain on the surface of the planet.
The next day, Pershing speaks with a social worker droid. He asks it if he can pursue his own research independently. The droid responds that his work in cloning and genetic engineering would violate the Coruscant Accords. Pershing shares his necessities to do the research with Elia. She tells him that they can break the rules in order to get him what he needs. He rejects the idea, as it would mean that they go back to the Re-Integration Institute if caught.
At work, Pershing asks his supervisor if he could be granted access to the Imperial files before their destruction to show how they might be used for good in the New Republic. Though skeptical, the supervisor tells him what form to submit to gain such authority, but Pershing doesn’t like the way he is told, so he dismisses the answer. Later, he hesitates when the social worker droid asks if he is experiencing feelings of anger toward the New Republic. He approaches Elia about getting a mobile lab station.
Pershing dresses in an overcoat and tells himself that what he is doing is to help the New Republic. Elia walks him to a station in plain clothes. They pass through a turnstile to board a transport. They depart Amnesty Housing, bound for the disposal yards. She tells him that they can take whatever they need from the Imperial labs left for junk along with all the ships. She promises they’ll be back before curfew.
Pershing notices two droid conductors passing through to inspect tickets, and Elia guides him to jump to the next car. They are being pursued by one of the droids, and go all the way to the end of the train. Elia suggests they jump a timed jump onto a nearby rooftop. They come to an Imperial research center, and Elia is able to guide him through. At one point, the two are formally introduced to one another.
They come to the lab, which Pershing marvels at as it reminded him of a dream he had when working with his mother. A noise outside distracts Elia as Pershing takes a large case from the lab. They know they are being followed as they continue on together. Outside, they are immediately caught by New Republic officers. Elia reveals herself as the mole who got him to reveal what he would need to get started on his cloning research. Without a minute to explain himself, Pershing is handcuffed.
He wakes up shackled to a mind flayer, which the mon calamari administrator begins to explain to him. Pershing anxiously tries to explain himself and how Elia lured him into a trap. He calls to her from behind the glass, but she cannot hear him. Elia is left alone with the control, which she dials up to maximum capacity to watch as Pershing is tortured.
Mando and Bo-Katan come out of hyperspace and breach the atmosphere of a Mandalorian covert, the cave from the first episode. Paz Viszla initially dismisses Din Djarin, but he responds that he visited the mines of Mandalore, which is immediately denied by Paz. Bo-Katan identifies herself to identify as witness, and Paz dismisses her as well, naming them both apostates to the Way. Mando again asserts that they visited the Living Waters, and provides his sample of the water as proof. Paz admits them entry to see the Armorer.
Mando offers the sample of the Living Waters to the Armorer. She pours it into a large chalice, and confirms that Din Djarin is redeemed. She also acknowledges Bo-Katan’s redemption, though the latter denies following the Way. The Armorer confirms that she did bathe in the Living Waters, and has not removed her helmet since. Therefore, by creed, she has earned the right to live amongst the covert. She and Mando are welcomes by the rest of the Mandalorians. Bo-Katan sees the Mythosaur pendant hanging on the wall, realizing her situation.
