History Recap / TheMandalorianS3E3Chapter19TheConvert

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The Mind Flayer is a clear allegory for electroshock therapy before the invention of the much safer ECT. The fact that Pershing recognizes it as a torture device may be a reference to how electroshock therapy was originally used to torture patients into "sanity", and later (mostly from the 1940's to 80's) used as a method of punishment for difficult patients. Even in it's safer modern version, memory loss is a common side effect.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: The Armorer asks Bo-Katan if she had ever removed her helmet since emerging from the Living Waters of Mandalore. It is there that Bo realizes that she ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness never]]'' did, even before Din advised her to keep her helmet on when meeting the Children of the Watch. After being unwittingly accepted into the clan, she looks at the skull of the Mythosaur and wonders if her encounter with the beast was a sign for her.

* YouAreNumberSix: All Imperials in the amnesty program are referred to be letter-number designations. They even use these designations among each other instead of names.

** Bo-Katan notes that the TIE squadron is too big to be sent by an Imperial warlord, suggesting that an old enemy is behind the attack.

** Kane's motivation: is she recovering the research for Gideon (or somebody else) to continue the strand-cast project? Is she ensuring the erasure of anything Pershing knows that could cause Gideon bother? Does she set up and betray Pershing to increase her own standing in the New Republic? A simple case of {{revenge}}? All of the above? It's eventually revealed that Gideon had Pershing incapacitated to deny Brendol Hux Pershing's research so he can work on his own cloning project.

** Rumors that Moff Gideon managed to escape custody or that he was hooked up to a Mind Flayer are mentioned by a couple of the former Imperials at the Amnesty Center, but whether there's any truth to them is never made clear. It's revealed the former was true due to Phase 4 Dark Troopers rescuing him from New Republic custody, while the latter was false.

* AlmightyJanitor: Despite talking about using his credentials to help the New Republic, Pershing is shoved into an undignified desk job where he can make little use of these skills, which have been outlawed by the New Republic.

** Kane's motivation: is she recovering the research for Gideon (or somebody else) to continue the strand-cast project? Is she ensuring the erasure of anything Pershing knows that could cause Gideon bother? Does she set up and betray Pershing to increase her own standing in the New Republic? A simple case of {{revenge}}? All of the above?

** Rumors that Moff Gideon managed to escape custody or that he was hooked up to a Mind Flayer are mentioned by a couple of the former Imperials at the Amnesty Center, but whether there's any truth to them is never made clear.

** Bo-Katan notes that the TIE squadron is too big to be sent by an Imperial warlord, suggesting that someone far worse and higher ranking is behind the attack.

* {{Foil}}: The New Republic is set up as a direct contrast to the Children of the Watch.
** The New Republic government on the surface appears very inviting. It's bright, colorful, and people have plenty to see and do to occupy their time. Even the former Imperials seem to enjoy it. But beneath the surface there are smug elites who don't really see any difference between current life and the time under Imperial rule, casual dismissal of outer rim territories, and a desire to bury their head in the sand in regards to forgetting the past. This leads to a dark turn when it's revealed they are brainwashing former Imperials into compliance and stripping them of their freedom of choice.
** The Children of the Watch on the other hand seem far less inviting. They are dogmatic in their beliefs, and are secluded in harsh living conditions in the outer territories. But beneath the surface, the Watch is fairly reasonable. When Din proves he has been redeemed, he is welcomed back with open arms. When Bo-Katan reveals she too went through the same process, she is also invited into the clan under the condition she never remove her helmet. The important difference is that the Children of the Watch emphasis the freedom of ''choice,'' as it is made very clear Bo can come and go as she wishes, which is a far cry from the conditions the former Imperials face in the New Republic.
** The small things show the biggest differences. Former Imperials are stripped of their names and jobs, living in an isolated barracks and working demeaning make-work jobs. Pershing is drawn in by Kane thanks to a gift of ''travel biscuits'', an admittedly crappy but common treat in the empire (think twinkies). By contrast, when Bo-Katan is welcomed into the covert, multiple Children come to her to place a hand on her shoulder in welcome, probably the greatest physical intimacy available to them in armor.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** The Mind Flayer is a clear allegory for electroshock therapy before the invention of the much safer ECT. The fact that Pershing recognizes it as a torture device may be a reference to how electroshock therapy was originally used to torture patients into "sanity", and later (mostly from the 1940's to 80's) used as a method of punishment for difficult patients. Even in it's safer modern version, memory loss is a common side effect.

** The Children of the Watch on the other hand seem far less inviting. They are dogmatic in their beliefs, and are secluded in harsh living conditions in the outer territories. But beneath the surface, the Watch is fairly reasonable. When Din proves he has been redeemed, he is welcomed back with open arms. When Bo Katan reveals she too went through the same process, she is also invited into the clan under the condition she never remove her helmet. The important difference is that the Children of the Watch emphasis the freedom of ''choice,'' as it is made very clear Bo can come and go as she wishes, which is a far cry from the conditions the former Imperials face in the New Republic.

* LEGOGenetics: In his speech, Dr. Pershing's research into cloning is described as such: figuring out how to splice genes from different organisms together in order to combine their strengths.

** When Pershing potentially returning to the field of cloning is discussed, a sinister low chorus is heard vocalizing. This calls back to not only ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' (which the motif was made for during the opera scene) and ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' (which repurposed the motif for Snoke), but also [[Recap/TheMandalorianS2E4Chapter12TheSiege "Chapter 12: The Siege"]] (which played the motif when the Mandalorian and his allies looked at a tank of clone experiment).

** Despite the fact that even the technicians operating it acknowledge that the only difference between a Mind Flayer and a 602 Mitigator is the power setting, the fact that it ''still has'' a brain-melting power setting with no failsafe to prevent it from being dialed up to the max is an issue. And since they leave Pershing strapped to it completely alone after starting it up, with no one around to notice or intervene if something goes wrong with the procedure, Kane gets the chance to dial it up just like that.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Bo-Katan's encounter with the Mythosaur -- a creature she once dismissed as mere religious superstition -- has shaken her to the point that she subconsciously ''never'' takes off her helmet in the entire episode after [[SymbolicBaptism emerging from the Living Waters of Mandalore]]. She herself doesn't seem to fully realize it until the Armorer [[ArmorPiercingQuestion directly asks her if she has]]. Basically it was the InvertedTrope of CrisisOfFaith--a very secular Mandalorian ''finding'' some faith.

* SignificantNameShift: After their bonding experience in the mines, and the second teamwork display of shooting down half a dozen TIE Interceptors together, Din calls Bo-Katan "Bo."

* ThreePointLanding: Averted: When Din lands after jumping out of Bo-Katan's ship, he sprawls forward, nearly sliding on his face.

* SecondComing: Bo-Katan and Din are welcomed back into the Watch as full members, with Bo even allowed to leave at any time if she wishes.