The Mandalorian that started it all is back.
Written by Jon Favreau
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Release date: December 4, 2020
"I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy, like my father before me."
—Boba Fett
Din and Grogu arrive on Tython to potentially call a Jedi that might train Grogu. They are followed there by Boba Fett, who's dead set on retrieving his armor, and a very much alive Fennec Shand. Dozens of Stormtroopers also soon start to invade the place, having followed the tracking device that was installed onboard the Razor Crest by a double agent working for Moff Gideon.
Tropes:
- 1-Dimensional Thinking:
- The Stormtroopers open up on Fennec's position with an E-Web, and she takes off sprinting along a ridgeline running perpendicular to the gunners' position, as opposed to just diving down the backside of the ridge into cover. Possibly justified because she was also drawing aggro so the Troopers wouldn't focus on Boba Fett.
- Later, when Fennec sends a large boulder rolling down a hill, several troopers try to outrun it rather than just jump to the side. Which is still smarter than the E-Web gunner who tries to shoot the giant rock rolling towards him.
- Accidental Aiming Skills: Boba targets one of the fleeing transports with his rocket launcher, only for the missile to change course and hit the one flying above it, which crashes into the first below it and sends both plummeting back to the ground. Din comments "Nice shot", to which Boba replies, with complete honesty:Boba Fett: I was aiming for the other one.
- Ancestral Weapon: Boba confirms that his armor is the same suit his father Jango wore in Attack of the Clones, which in turn was given to him by a Mandalorian named Jaster Mereel back when he was a foundling, according to the chain code data imprinted on it.
- Armor-Piercing Attack: Boba's gaffi stick is able to not only pierce Stormtrooper armor, but to shatter it when swung with sufficient strength — he even staves in an unlucky trooper's helmet with a mighty blow.
- Badass Boast: Fennec boasts to Din, "I never miss," as a Call-Back to Chapter 5. Then we see her in action against a whole platoon of Stormtroopers, and she really doesn't.
- Badass Normal: Unlike the now-Cyborg sniper Fennec Shand and Din Djarin with his masterwork beskar armor, Boba Fett completely trashes several Stormtroopers with nothing more than a gaffi stick. Then he gets his armor back and becomes a straight-up One-Man Army.
- Bad Boss:
- The Stormtrooper sergeant, whose strategy is to use most of his men as meat shields to distract Fennec and Boba while they set up the E-Web cannon.
- Gideon lets Grogu have at it on the Stormtroopers guarding him so he can admire his abilities in the Force, and to tire him out so he can be approached safely.
- The Bad Guy Wins: The episode sees Moff Gideon capture Grogu and destroy the Razor Crest.
- Big Damn Heroes: Twice. Din comes to the aid of Fennec when she's surrounded by Stormtroopers, and Boba does the same for both Din and Fennec a short while later after recovering his armor.
- Bilingual Bonus: Boba's chain code
reads in Mando'a that his father is Jango, who was a foundling from Concord Dawn and was raised by a man named Jaster Mereel. - Body Horror: We get a much better look at Boba's scars. Most of his scalp is subtly teal.
- Bulletproof Human Shield: Din teams up with Fennec against the Stormtroopers, allowing himself to be used as mobile cover by her since his beskar will absorb the blaster fire.
- Butt-Monkey: The Razor Crest was repaired only two episodes ago after various mishaps in the season, and now, it has been completely blown into smithereens by Gideon's cruiser.
- Call-Back:
- The Stormtroopers use the same mortar weapons from Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Umbara Arc
- Fennec was rescued by Boba at the end of Chapter 5.
- Din decides to spring out Mayfeld from New Republic custody, where he's been since the end of Chapter 6, since as an ex-Imperial sharpshooter, he's the best source he has for intel on the Imperials.
- Once Boba Fett gets his armor back, his assault against the Stormtroopers is very similar to how Cobb Vanth used that same armor to fight back against the invaders in Chapter 9: the man in Mandalorian armor gets into a blaster fight with the enemy, and guns a large portion of them down, prompting the small army to retreat in a vehicle, only for the man in Mandalorian armor to use the rocket on the jetpack to blow them up.
- The badge that Captain Teva gave Cara at the end of Chapter 12 was to show she's officially a marshal for the New Republic.
- Also from Chapter 12, the tracker on the Razor Crest allows Gideon's forces to follow Din and Grogu to Tython, and Gideon deploys the Dark Troopers to kidnap Grogu.
- Just like with Bo-Katan, Mandalorian lines come up. Boba Fett's Chain Code is a description of his Master-Apprentice Chain.
- Canon Immigrant:
- Jaster Mereel, the mentor of Jango Fett in the Legends continuity, is officially brought back into canon with the reveal that Jango was his foundling, which can be seen in the translation of Boba's chain code.
- The Dark Troopers are from the Legends-era game Dark Forces.
- Carry a Big Stick: Functionally, Boba's gaffi stick works a lot like a warhammer: it's a two-handed weapon with a heavy knob on one end, which also has a spike and is heavy enough to crush armor. He's terrifyingly effective with it.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Fennec coolly comments that the situation is "not looking good" while she and Din are rushed by literally dozens of stormtroopers. Din replies, equally casually, that he's seen worse.
- Character Aged with the Actor: Boba Fett is now an older middle aged man, and significantly huskier than he appeared in the original trilogy. This matches the aging of the actor playing Boba, who also played Jango in the sequel trilogy 20 years earlier.
- Chekhov's Gun: The beskar spear that Din received in the previous episode survives the destruction of the Razor Crest, and it seems he plans to use it.
- Circle of Standing Stones: The seeing stone is surrounded by six stone megaliths.
- Clown Car: One hell of a lot of stormtroopers come out of a transport smaller than the Razor Crest. Justified in that it's a troop transport, a vehicle designed for carrying soldiers and nothing else.
- Composite Character: The design of the new Dark Troopers is clearly based on their original appearance in Dark Forces, while also combining elements of the more recent DT-series sentry droids from Rebels and the KX-series security droids (like K-2SO) from Rogue One and Fallen Order.
- Continuity Nod:
- Boba is seen twirling his sidearm after the Imperials flee, just like his father used to. A few of the other Fett clones, like Rex, did the same thing.
- Jango fought in the Mandalorian Civil War, an important part of the backstory to the Mandalorians in The Clone Wars. It was the conflict that led to Satine Kryze becoming Duchess of Mandalore, exiling the Old Mandalorians from Mandalore, and attempting to instate a pacifist ideology among the Mandalorians. In the show, Prime Minister Almec dismissed Jango as being a fake Mandalorian, but what Boba says about his father confirms that Almec was being an Unreliable Expositor.
- When Boba Fett meets Mando, he tells him "I'm a simple man making his way through the galaxy." Almost exactly what his father said to Obi Wan more than 30 years previously (and young Boba was there to hear it).
- On top of the line above, Boba also adds "Like my father before me," which echoes Luke saying "I am a Jedi, like my father before me," in Return of the Jedi.
- Cool Helmet: Deconstructed. Fennec's helmet gives her a "zoom and enhance" ability that greatly assists her aiming, but narrows her field of vision enough that the Stormtroopers can set up a blaster cannon in plain sight without her noticing.
- Darkest Hour: The Razor Crest is destroyed, Grogu has been taken by Gideon's forces, and Gideon's cruiser is heading to Dr. Pershing to continue the experiments. However, Din has Boba and Fennec to help him take Grogu back, he plans to break out Mayfeld for more intel on Gideon, and Cara seems to be considering joining despite her new job needing her to stay on Nevarro.
- Death Glare: Boba Fett shoots off some impressively murderous looks while fighting the Stormtroopers, at least while his helmet is off.
- Deflector Shields: When Grogu activates the seeing stone, a barrier of force energy surrounds him, repelling anyone who approaches. This stops Din from fleeing with him when the Imperials arrive.
- Double-Meaning Title: "The Tragedy" in question is as much the loss of the Razor Crest as it is the loss of Grogu.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: During the negotiation, Din agrees to take off his jetpack to show that he's standing down. When the Imperials arrive, he rushes back to Grogu first but ends up having no time to put his jetpack back on. As a result, he can't do anything to stop the Dark Troopers when they fly away with Grogu.
- Enemy Mine:
- Boba and Fennec end up working together with Din to hold off the Imperials, and him saving their lives is why they decide to help him rescue Grogu.
- After losing Grogu, Din resorts to teaming up with Mayfeld to get him back.
- Enfant Terrible: Grogu is not a happy child after the Imperials capture him, using the Force to throw around and choke the Stormtroopers in his cell on Gideon's cruiser.
- Evil Gloating: Gideon indulges over the captive Grogu, taunting him about the limits of his powers and showing off his possession of the Darksaber, for no reason except that he can.
- Faux Affably Evil: Gideon menaces Grogu in his cell, brandishing the Darksaber and ordering the infant stunned and shackled, all in a pleasant tone of voice and a smile on his face.
- Fire-Forged Friends: "Friends" might be pushing it, but Boba and Fennec started out as enemies of Din. After fighting together against the Stormtroopers, they come to an understanding and decide to team up to rescue Grogu.
- Gave Up Too Soon: Din tries several times to flee with Grogu, but is stymied by the forcefield generated by the seeing stone and can't snap Grogu out of his trance. He finally gives up and switches to playing defense, and seconds after he leaves the forcefield drops and Grogu passes out from exhaustion. This allows the Dark Troopers to grab Grogu before Din can get back.
- Groin Attack: One Stormtrooper suffers from this during Boba's initial attack, leaving him kneeling on the ground and vulnerable to a follow up blow to the head.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Boba and Fennec, until Boba gets his armor back. Fennec acts as a Cold Sniper who always hits what she aims at, while Boba is thumping bucketheads left and right with his gaffi stick.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: Boba Fett is still a non-aligned mercenary, is willing to kill Grogu or Din, and is largely only interested in getting his armor back. However, he helps Din and Grogu beyond what was asked of him out of a sense of reciprocity, and he seems to have given up on his vengeance crusade against the Jedi, especially considering the Jedi who killed his father, Mace Windu, was killed years ago.
- Heroic BSoD: Din, after Grogu is captured and the Razor Crest is blown to smithereens. He finds the lever ball which Grogu likes to play with among the wreckage, followed by the beskar spear. When Boba and Fennec offer to help find Grogu, Din replies that he's gone, as if in despair.
- He's Back!: Boba Fett's Big Damn Heroes moment when he flies into battle wearing his old armor, and proceeds to send the Imperials fleeing for their lives.
- "Hey, You!" Haymaker: Boba Fett taps the shoulder of the Stormtrooper sergeant with the tip of his gaffi stick to make him turn around, before laying the hurt.
- Hitler Cam: The first shot of Boba after getting his armor back as he starts to kick plenty of Stormtrooper ass was taken from a slightly lower angle.
- Hollywood Tactics: Played with when the Stormtroopers try to attack Fennec, who's set up on a hill with good cover and an elevated firing position. Their sergeant orders his men to charge up the mountain and flank her, only for them to be cut down one by one as they try to advance uphill. However, once more troopers arrive with heavy weapons like an E-Web and a mortar, they are able to put Fennec on the defensive, and the battle turns in their favor.note
- Hope Spot: Just as Boba takes out the two Stormtrooper transports and the battle seems won, a turbolaser blast suddenly bolts down through the clouds and hits the Razor Crest, reducing it to a debris-strewn crater.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Defied by Din. When Boba threatens to have Fennec kill Grogu unless Din returns his armor, Din responds that he'll kill both of them if any harm comes to Grogu, and in full beskar armor he has the means to back that up. Seeing that Din's beliefs won't let him hand over the armor without cause, Boba decides to negotiate instead.
- I Gave My Word: Din and Boba make a deal: in exchange for Boba getting his armor back, Boba and Fennec agree not to harm Grogu, who has a bounty on his head worth ten times the value of Boba's armor. When Boba steals his armor back from the Razor Crest but Grogu is kidnapped by the Empire, Boba and Fennec insist to Din that they still have to fulfill their end of the bargain because they agreed that Grogu would be safe.
- Internal Reveal: When Boba Fett breaks through the clouds while pursuing the Dark Troopers to discover an Imperial cruiser overhead. Up to this point, they assumed they'd been dealing with Remnant stragglers operating out of remote outposts.Boba Fett: They're back.
- I Owe You My Life:
- Fennec has been helping Boba ever since he rescued her on Tatooine.
- Boba and Fennec drop their vendetta against Din since they saved each other's lives against the Imperial attack, and even go as far as helping him rescue Grogu by using Exact Words of their deal.
- Killed Off for Real: More like "Destroyed for Real". After surviving Jawas, Ice Spiders and dogfights, this episode sees the Razor Crest being blown to smithereens, removing any possibility of it being repaired.
- Leg Cannon: Boba's knee mounted rocket launchers are among the many ways he slaughters the stormtroopers after getting his armor back.
- Loophole Abuse: Boba Fett never took the Mandalorian Creed, so Din can't give him his armor, as the Creed states beskar belongs to the Mandalorians. After Boba recovers the armor, he shows Din his chain code, citing Boba's father Jango Fett as a foundling adopted by Jaster Mereel. Since Jaster and Jango were both Mandalorians, the Creed states that the armor is Boba's ancestral armor. This is enough for Din to let Boba keep the armor.
- Made of Indestructium: The beskar spear Mando picked up last episode is one of the only things to survive the destruction of the Razor Crest completely intact.
- Mathematician's Answer: Din asks Boba if he is Mandalorian, and Boba replies that he's just a simple man making his through the galaxy like his father, and he's simply here to reclaim his father's armor. He never actually answers if he is Mandalorian though Din does get him to admit he follows no creed or allegiance except himself.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The seeing stone. Din calls it a "magic rock" and then he's not able to find any kind of control button or interface. There are ancient runes carved into the rock which light up when Grogu reaches out in the Force. However, it is unclear if the rock itself has some power or if it is merely a glowy marker showing a place on Tython where the Force is particularly strong.
- Mecha-Mooks: We finally see the recanonized Dark Troopers in action.
- Mood Whiplash: The episode starts with an adorable bonding moment between Din and Grogu, before flashing to the episode's title.
- Morality Pet: Cara tells Din upon learning he's going after an Imperial remnant that she would join him if she weren't obligated to keep an eye on Nevarro per her marshal job, especially since she was newly minted by the New Republic. She then seems to reconsider after learning the Imperials took Grogu.
- Mythology Gag: Boba's Chain Code indicates that Jango Fett received his armor from a man named "Jaste-". Jaster Mereel was the pre-Prequels Legends true identity of Boba Fett himself, later reconned after Attack of the Clones to be Jango's mentor and father figure.
- Neck Lift: A downplayed example. Boba grabs a downed trooper this way as a show of dominance but doesn't lift him off his feet, instead knocking him back to the ground before finishing him off with a spear stab.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The Stormtroopers accidentally dislodge a large boulder with their mortar fire, allowing Fennec to give it a solid push and send it rolling down at them, taking out the E-Web cannon and crushing quite a few of them along the way.
- No MacGuffin, No Winner: Boba offers to blast the Dark Troopers that have abducted Grogu, denying Gideon his prize, but Din calls him off because he wants to rescue Grogu.
- Not Quite Dead: Turns out this was the case with Fennec Shand after Toro gut-shot her. Now she's back, thanks to Boba and some cybernetic surgery.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Din has one when he sees Slave One coming in for a landing shortly after he's put Grogu on the Seeing Stone.
- Fennec and Boba have just finished dealing with a transport loaded with stormtroopers... and a second transport lands.
- Boba has a subdued version when he realizes these Imperials are the real deal, since they have a light cruiser in orbit.Boba: They're back.
Fennec: Who?
Boba: The Empire. They're back.
Fennec: That can't be. The Outer Rim is under the jurisdiction of the New Republic.
Boba: This isn't a spice dream. I can see the Imperial cruiser with my own eyes.
- Old Master: Despite being about the same age, Boba comes across as this to Din, having already lived a life similar to the one Din's getting involved with and using tenets familiar to him to keep life from chewing him up. In this case, living as a hunter and treating beskar as truly a part of himself. Compare to Bo-Katan, who — despite being older and more experienced than either of them — was too alien to Din to teach him anything other than academic facts.
- One-Hit Polykill: As the two Stormtrooper transports attempt to flee, Boba hits one with his jetpack-mounted missile launcher, causing it to crash into the other one and sending them both down in flames. Din compliments him on the shot, only for Boba to say that he was "aiming for the other one."
- One-Man Army: Fennec and Boba easily dispatch squads of stormtroopers on their own. Fennec is incredibly deadly with her sniper rifle. Boba destroys a bunch of troopers with only a melee weapon and is unstoppable once he gets his armor back. He even kills two transport shuttles by himself (if unintentionally).
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: A rare positive example, while Din is playing with Grogu. He plays around with Grogu's clear happy reaction whenever he uses his name and, when Grogu grabs the silver ball using his Force powers, Din audibly laughs in joy. This marks the first time that he's actually laughed in simple happiness in the series.
- Orbital Bombardment: Gideon has his cruiser destroy the Razor Crest with a salvo from orbit to prevent Din from fleeing the planet.
- Pet the Dog:
- Din acknowledges that he owes Fennec for the trouble he caused her with Toro.
- Boba and Fennec agree to help Din rescue Grogu since their side of the deal was to "ensure the safety of the Child", even though in the original context that simply meant they wouldn't kill the Child or collect on his bounty.
- Pillar of Light: Generated from the seeing stone, which of course only lets the Imperials know exactly where the Child is, if they didn't know already.
- Pocket Rocket Launcher: Fett uses the rocket mounted on his jetpack to shoot down a pair of imperial drop ships. He misses, shoots the other one by accident, and they ram into each other, blow up, and crash. He's got the good graces to admit he didn't mean to do that. He also kills a few stormtroopers with a rocket launcher hidden in his kneepads.
- Poor Communication Kills: Boba refuses to give straight answers to Din about his Mandalorian heritage, leading to Din thinking he's a pretender and thus refusing to return his armor to him. It's only after the scuffle with the Imperials does Boba clarify his relation to the Mandalorians.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Boba Fett wants his armor back and is willing to threaten Grogu to get it, but he also recognizes that he'd have a hell of a time killing Din if it came down to it, so he goes the diplomatic route when Din doesn't immediately give in to his demands.
- The Promise: Boba tells Din that he and Grogu will be safe if Boba gets his armor back. While at the time it simply meant that Boba and Fennec wouldn't attack them, after Grogu is kidnapped Boba says that he is bound to help Din recover him.
- Ret-Canon: Legends continuity had already established Jango as having been a foundling taken in by the Mandalorians, mentored by a man named Jaster Mereel.note This episode reconfirms this for the Disney canon.
- The Reveal:
- The mysterious figure approaching the unconscious Fennec at the end of Chapter 5 was Boba.
- Jango's, and by extension, Boba's, connection to the Mandalorians is finally explained; Jango was a foundling and even fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars.
- The project Moff Gideon was working are the Dark Troopers, powerful battle droids with flight capabilities.
- Rewatch Bonus: The rocket Boba Fett fires does stay on course for the closer transport for nearly its entire flight, only to divert for the farther one at the last second.
- Rock Beats Laser:
- Literally in this case. Fennec manages to take out several Stormtroopers by rolling a huge boulder at them. An E-Web gunner, rather than jump out of the way, tries to shoot the boulder to pieces. His E-Web's withering fire does break up the boulder... but not enough in time to stop it from bowling right over him.
- Before getting his armor back, Boba Fett makes the best use that he can of weapons he got from Tusken raiders when he was on Tatooine, that is a bullet-shooting rifle and a gaffi stick. He's particularly deadly with the stick, Stormtrooper armor be damned.
- Rule of Three: Averted; Din attempts to reach through the Forcefield to grab Grogu twice, but is thrown back each time. Instead of succeeding with his third attempt, he ends up getting knocked away once more, at which point he decides to help Boba and Fennec whittle down the Imperial forces.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The Stormtroopers very wisely retreat when they realize just how badly outclassed they are against Boba Fett in full armor.
- Shout-Out: Everything about Boba — from his gaffi stick to the way he fights to the way he wears his robes with his armor — is a shout-out to Maori culture.
Confirmed in the behind-the-scenes special, where native Maori Temuera Morrison talks about the influence he had on the prop weapon and choreography. - Spoiler Title: As the title said, this episode had a major tragedy.
- Sword Drag: Boba does this for a brief shot with a gaffi stick before relentlessly smashing Stormtrooper armor to a terrifying effect.
- Tempting Fate: Din tells Grogu he will protect him and will be right back. Any movie fan knows what the infamous line of "I'll be right back" usually leads to.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: The Razor Crest is attacked by the turbolaser batteries of a light cruiser, weapons designed to slug it out with capital ships and for orbital bombardment. The Razor Crest would be lucky to survive a hit fully shielded. Grounded as it is, a single shot is enough to reduce nearly the entire ship to ash, leaving a smattering of debris.
- Too Dumb to Live: When Fennec kicks a giant boulder down on the Imperials, the Stormtrooper manning the E-Web decides that instead of getting out of the way like a sensible person, he'll stand there and try to shoot it to death. To his credit, he blows off nearly half the boulder's mass, but what's left is more than enough to flatten him.
- Tragic Keepsake: Grogu's ball survived the destruction of the Razor Crest. Din pockets it before grabbing the beskar spear.
- The Unreveal:
- Did any Jedi hear Grogu's call? If so, who? This question is answered in the Season 2 finale.
- Even after a brief reveal that Fennec survived thanks to cybernetic enhancements, we still get nothing on how Boba escaped the Sarlacc, other than an oblique comment that someone might have helped him. We also never learn how his armor wound up in the hands of Jawas or where he got his gaffi stick. This is all explained in the another Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett.
- Unusual Weapon Mounting: Boba's armor has anti-personnel missiles similar to Din's whistling birds, except they're mounted on his right poleyn (knee armor).
- Visual Pun: While Grogu is meditating on the seeing stone, Din is prevented from reaching him by a Force field.
- Vocal Evolution: When he redubbed Boba Fett's lines for the 2004 DVD release of The Empire Strikes Back, Temuera Morrison used his normal speaking voice, which he had also used while playing Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. Here, Morrison goes with a much harsher voice that's somewhat closer to how Jason Wingreen had voiced Boba in the theatrical version of Empire. Justified, given his time in the Sarlaac pit.
- Watsonian versus Doylist: Why does Boba demand Din take off his jetpack during the Mexican Standoff?
- Watsonian: Because the second Fennec lowers her weapon, Din could take her out then go rescue Grogu.
- Doylian: Because if Din had his jetpack he would have been able to move quickly between locations and prevent the Darktroopers from taking Grogu.
- Wham Episode: The Razor Crest is destroyed and Grogu has been captured by Gideon's forces.
- Wham Shot:
- The Slave I approaching Tython to land.
- Also, the destruction of the Razor Crest. After all Din went through with that poor ship, to see it so suddenly and completely eradicated is a huge shock.
- Would Hurt a Child:
- Fennec and Boba threaten to hurt Grogu if Din doesn't give back Boba's armor, though Din asserts that, from his position of strength under a suit of masterwork beskar armor, he could make sure such an act would be a fatal mistake for both of them. Averted in the end when Boba does get his armor back and they work together to fend off the Imperials, they use their earlier phrasing of their deal (that the Child's "safety would be assured") to help Din rescue Grogu.
- Boba is willing to shoot down the Dark Troopers that nabbed Grogu to deny the Imperials their prize though he complies when Din asks him not to.
- And, of course, there's Gideon and his experiments involving Grogu.
- Younger Than They Look: At 41, Boba is in fact the youngest pre-established character in the show, but thanks to the Sarlacc pit and years living on Tatooine he looks a few decades older (Temuera Morrison was 59 at the time of filming).
