Keep your helmet on, Star Wars fans. A new episode of The Mandalorian has arrived on Disney+. Episode 4 of the second season of The Mandalorian finds bounty hunter Din Djarin continuing his quest to find sanctuary for his adorable, Force-wielding traveling partner, Baby Yoda , and brings back plenty of familiar faces — and places — from the show’s first season.
Titled The Siege, the fourth episode of season 2 is directed by Carl Weathers, who serves double-duty behind the camera and in front of it as recurring character Greef Karga. The episode has Djarin and Baby Yoda (aka The Child) return to a familiar location for a brief respite, only to get drawn into a dangerous mission that leads to some major revelations about the threat they face. There’s a lot to absorb in every episode of The Mandalorian, so we’ll provide a recap of the latest episode each week and take a deep dive into some of its noteworthy elements. (There will be a discussion of plot points from the episode, so consider this a spoiler warning.)
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Recap
After the explosive events of the third episode, Din Djarin and Baby Yoda find themselves in desperate need of repairs to their ship, the Razor Crest. They decide to return to Nevarro, the Outer Rim planet now governed by their old allies Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano), and discover that the once-lawless planet has become a kinder, gentler outpost under the duo’s care. One problem remains, however, in the form of a still-active Imperial base that Karga, Dune, and Djarin end up destroying with some help from the Mythrol who Djarin encountered in the series’ first episode (played again by Horatio Sanz). While doing so, they learn that Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is not only still alive, but continues to search for Baby Yoda.
The episode concludes with a brief scene aboard an Imperial ship, where Gideon is informed that a tracking device was placed on the Razor Crest. The stage is set for an explosive rematch, it seems.
Who’s that clone?
During the scene when Djarin and his allies learn that Gideon is still alive and the Imperial scientist played by Omid Abtahi in season 1 is still working on a mysterious experiment that uses Baby Yoda’s blood, a set of strange, deformed bodies can be seen floating in tanks around the room. With The Mandalorian set between the events of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, the series’ timeline presents a few intriguing possibilities when it comes to the entities in the tanks.
One possibility is that the entities in the tanks are precursors to Supreme Leader Snoke, the First Order villain introduced in The Force Awakens. Not only do the bodies seen in the tanks share a physical similarity to Snoke, but the Imperial scientist’s report suggests that Baby Yoda is uniquely able to provide the genetic material required for their experiments. Snoke was shown to be a powerful wielder of the dark side of The Force in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and was later revealed to have been artificially created by The Sith and their reborn leader, Darth Sidious (aka the former Emperor Palpatine).
It stands to reason that Baby Yoda’s genetic material could be the key to Snoke’s creation — a plot thread that could strengthen the ties between The Mandalorian and the greater Star Wars saga.
Paying respect
A lot has changed on Nevarro since Djarin and Baby Yoda were last on the planet, but one noteworthy element you might have missed during the allies’ stroll through town is a new statue. As Djarin discusses his run-in with the New Republic that occurred earlier in the season, a statue of IG-11 can be seen in the background.
The reprogrammed assassin-turned-caretaker droid not only saved Djarin’s life in season 1, but later sacrificed itself to save Djarin and the rest of Team Baby Yoda (which is what we’re going to call them) in the season finale. The statue is a nice acknowledgement that IG-11’s heroic act received the respect it deserves.
Creatures featured
Episode 4 of the second season was light on new alien introductions, but the opening scene did include a familiar species from the earliest chapters of Star Wars lore.
In a scene that unfolds after the episode’s title sequence, a group of Aqualish are shown dividing up some ill-gotten treasure in the former underground home of the Mandalorians on Nevarro. Their activities are brought to a violent end by the town’s new marshal, Cara Dune, who dispatches them in an action sequence that highlights the actress’ — and former MMA fighter’s — martial arts skills.
Aqualish were introduced in the very first Star Wars movie, 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, and went on to appear in a multitude of subsequent films, TV series, and Star Wars stories told in other media. The species hails from the planet Ando, and have been both ally and enemy of the Star Wars franchise’s protagonists over the years.
Disney’s The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney+, with new episodes premiering each Friday on the streaming service.
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