Films and Fiction

*Spoilers ahead for S3E7 ‘Spies’*

With season three of The Mandalorian nearing its conclusion, things have really gotten serious, with this week’s episode being one of the strongest ever.

Mandalore

You think seeing their home planet almost obliterated would have brought the Mandalorians together, but no, they still argue over petty things, bringing up past grievances with long-dead factions. As Bo-Katan said, no enemy can destroy them, it was always their own infighting that did that.

Paz Vizsla has proven himself to be a true follower of The Way, sacrificing himself to save the other Mandalorians, including Bo-Katan. It’s sad to see such a great fighter go down, especially as there’s more conflict to come, but his death was an honourable one, everything a Mandalorian warrior could have hoped for. It’s such a shame about Ragnar, though. Will he get to avenge his father’s death?

Who are the spies the title refers to? Is it the Armorer, or someone else? Could it be the Mandalorians who were picked up from the surface, or Axe Woves, who went to ‘get help’ and conveniently avoided the ambush. Did he know what was coming? No doubt one of the spies referred to is Elia Kane, but there must be one working from Nevarro or within the Mandalorians who could keep Gideon informed.

Could The Armorer actually be Rook Kast, the Mandalorian who supported Maul’s rule of Mandalore alongside Gar Saxon? There’s a hint she was a member of Death Watch once, maybe she changed her ideals after Maul’s defeat, believing that a return to The Way was the only way to save her people.

Imperial entanglement

What’s left of the Empire is in a similar way to the remaining Mandalorians, full of petty fighting and without a unifying cause. Maybe Thrawn will make them come together for once. Seeing Pellaeon and hearing the Grand Admiral being mentioned makes him appearing in the final episode more likely, even if only a cameo, leaving a cliffhanger for the Ahsoka series.

Commandant Hux, General Hux’s father, is involved in something called Project Necromancer. That sounds like the attempts to clone Palpatine, but that does raise the question of what Gideon was trying to do with Grogu. Did he want him to try and revive the Emperor, or was it related to something else, he did mention that the Jedi had strengths, so does he want Force-sensitive super soldiers? He’s clearly a master of playing the long game, with his involvement in Gorian Shard’s attack on Nevarro, but where does it all lead in the end? Why does he have such a thing for the Mandalorians? Could he be one himself? It would explain his love of Beskar, and where did his Imperial Mandalorians come from?

It looks like the Empire put out the story that Mandalore was uninhabitable so they could get on with their mining in peace. What else have they been doing there, though? Was the cyborg from episode two something to do with them?

The Praetorian Guards are cool but does it mean that Sidious is already around? Or is it Snoke? Has the First Order begun building new ships, or is it still the Imperial Remnant?

Finally, where is Pershing? Is he safe, is he alright?

There are so many questions which I’m sure will be answered in the coming years with the many new Star Wars projects announces. It’s such an exciting time!

Grogunator

Giving Grogu a droid suit to walk in seems like a bad idea in some ways, providing him with a way to cause lots more trouble, but it also shows his expending role among the Mandalorians and his increasing abilities. It will also be crucial if he takes part in Din’s rescue.

The droid voicebox means he almost said his first word, too, in a way, but I expect he’ll speak for the first time in next week’s episode!

All in all, this was an amazing episode, with some of the best story and acting this season. It’s set up a finale that is sure to be epic, and maybe a little emotional, too.

Thanks for reading!

‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Episode 7 Prepares for an epic conclusion!

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