Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x08

"The Rescue"

Plot

Using Slave I, the Mandalorian and his allies capture an Imperial shuttle carrying Dr. Pershing, and confirm the presence of the child aboard Moff Gideon's ship. He then enlists the aid of Bo-Katan & Koska Reeves, offering Bo-Katan Gideon's ship and to reconsider joining her fight for Mandalore in exchange for their help. The group then uses the captured shuttle & Slave I to force a landing onto Gideon's cruiser, with Cara, Fennec, Bo-Katan, and Reeves heading for the bridge while the Mandalorian attempts to shutdown the Dark Troopers and rescue the child. As his allies capture the bridge, he manages to blow the Dark Troopers into space, then finds Gideon waiting for him in the child's cell. Gideon attacks him with the Darksaber. Using his beskar staff, the Mandalorian defeats Gideon, but leaves him alive for Cara Dune. They enter the bridge, and Gideon reveals to the Mandalorian that by defeating him in battle, he has claimed the Darksaber for himself, not Bo-Katan. Just then, the Dark Troopers, under their own power, reboard the ship, and proceed towards the bridge. As the Mandalorian and his allies brace for a battle they're unlikely to win, an X-wing flies into the cruiser's landing bay, and a figure in black emerges wielding a lightsaber. As Gideon realizes who it is, he grabs a fallen blaster and tries to kill the child and then himself, but the Mandalorian blocks his shot and Cara disarms him. As the figure in black cuts through the Dark Troopers and arrives on the bridge, he reveals himself to be the Jedi Luke Skywalker, and offers to take the child for training. The Mandalorian tells the child to go with him, and assures him they will meet again. He then removes his helmet to say goodbye, and Luke takes the child, leaving behind a teary Din Djarin. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x07

"The Believer"

Original Airdate

December 11th, 2020

Plot

With Cara Dune's help, the Mandalorian retrieves Migs Mayfeld from a New Republic prison, pressing him into helping locate Moff Gideon. To do so, Mayfeld says he will need to access an internal Imperial terminal, with one nearby on the world of Morak. On Morak, Mayfeld and the Mandalorian commandeer an Imperial transport and, disguised as Shoretroopers, proceed to a rhydonium refinery. Along the way, the transport is attacked by pirates attempting to destroy the rhydonium, but the Mandalorian manages to fight them off until they reach the refinery, where they are greeted as heroes. Inside, Mayfeld & the Mandalorian head toward the officer's mess; Mayfeld spots the terminal, but his former superior officer, Hess, is inside, requiring the Mandalorian to access it instead. To do so, he must remove his helmet. He gets the location of Gideon's ship, but draws the attention of Hess, and Mayfeld is forced to intervene, which leads to Mayfeld and the Mandalorian getting a drink with Hess. When Hess notes Mayfeld's familiarity, Mayfeld reminds him of their service together, and how Hess ordered the execution of a number of Mayfeld's fellow soldiers as part of Operation: Cinder. Mayfeld then shoots Hess, and the refinery explodes in gunfire. With Cara Dune & Fennec Shand providing cover from a nearby ridge, Mayfeld and the Mandalorian head to the roof of the refinery, where Boba Fett retrieves them in Slave I. As they fly off, Mayfeld fires back at the refinery, hitting the rhydonium and triggering an explosion that destroys the entire facility. Impressed with his actions, Cara Dune allows him to go free, suggesting he was officially killed in the explosion. Later, Moff Gideon receives a message from the Mandalorian, who tells him that soon the child will be back with him. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x06

"The Tragedy"

Original Release Date

December 4, 2020

Plot

The Mandalorian and the child arrive on Typhon, and proceed to a temple-like structure. But when the child is placed on a plinth surrounded by ritualistic stones, nothing happens. Just then, the Mandalorian spots an approaching ship. Spooked, he prepares to leave with the child, but when he turns to get him, he discovers Grogu in some kind of trance, surrounded by an impenetrable field of blue energy. Checking on the new arrivals, he is forced into a stalemate by Fennec Shand and her ally, Boba Fett, seeking the armor the Mandalorian acquired from Cobb Vanth.. The trio make a deal: safe passage off the planet by the Mandalorian and the child in exchange for Boba Fett's armor. Just then, Imperial forces arrive on the planet. As Stormtroopers swarm towards the child, the Mandalorian & Fennec fight to hold them back, while Boba Fett dons his armor and joins the fray. However, Moff Gideon's Star Destroyer arrives in the atmosphere and destroys the Razor Crest, after which he dispatches a force of Dark Troopers which manage to capture the child. As the Imperials depart, Boba Fett tells the Mandalorian he intends to honor their agreement and ensure the child is safe, and brings him to Navarro, where the Mandalorian enlists Cara Dune's aid to find someone who can help him track Moff Gideon. Meanwhile, Gideon visits the captive Grogu, marveling at the Force abilities which exhaust him, then leaving the child along in his cell, shackled and powerless. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x05

"The Jedi"

Plot

On Corvus, the local magistrate and her hired gun deal with a series of attacks carried out by former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, who is looking for information from the magistrate. Shortly thereafter, the Mandalorian and the child arrive on the planet. They are taken to the Magistrate, who offers the Mandalorian a staff made of beskar to eliminate Ahsoka. He proceeds out into the woods surrounding the city, but after a brief skirmish, convinces Ahsoka he needs her help, telling her Bo-Katan sent him. He introduces her to the child, and through the Force, Ahsoka learns his name is Grogu. The Mandalorian asks Ahsoka to train him, but she refuses, citing Grogu's clear attachment to the Mandalorian. He makes a deal with her: if he helps her defeat the magistrate, she will train Grogu. The pair work together to assault the town, with the Mandalorian taking on the magistrate's guards and her hired gun while Ahsoka duels the magistrate, fighting her with the beskar staff. When the magistrate is defeated, the town appoints one of its own to lead in her place, and Ahsoka gifts the Mandalorian the beskar staff. However, she still refuses to train Grogu, and instead directs the Mandalorian to a temple on the world of Typhon, which may draw another Jedi to their side. The Mandalorian and the child depart Corvus, while Ahsoka walks off into the forest alone. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x04

"The Siege"

Plot

The Mandalorian decides his ship needs further repairs, and decides to return to Nevarro. On Nevarro, Cara Dune flushes a group of Aqualish raiding the old Mandalorian culvert. Shortly thereafter, the Mandalorian arrives, reuniting with Cara as well as Greef Carga. Greef offers to repair the Razor Crest in exchange for the Mandalorian's help destroying an old Imperial base on the planet, the last thing standing in the way of true independence for the planet. Leaving the child in the care of a protocol droid school teacher, the Mandalorian sets out with Cara, Greef and Greef's associate Mythrol, to the base. They plan to use the volcano generating power for the base to destroy it, but after initiating that process, they realize the base is actually a front for the cloning operations that had been targeting the child, run by Moff Gideon. The Mandalorian blasts off to retrieve the child while the other three fight their way out of the base before it explodes. They commander a Marauder troop transport but a squad of Scout Troopers followed by a trio of TIE fighters set out after them. Manning the guns, Greef is able to destroy one of the TIEs, but the guns are damaged in the process. Just then, the Mandalorian sweeps in aboard the newly repaired Razor Crest and destroys the rest of the TIEs, then departs. Later, Cara meets with New Republic Captain Teva, who tells her something nefarious is happening in the Outer Rim, while Moff Gideon receives word from a spy on Nevarro, one of the mechanics who repaired the Razor Crest, that the tracking device has been successfully installed, along with confirmation that the Mandalorian still travels with the child.  

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 03

"The Heiress" 

Plot

The Razor Crest (just barely) makes it to Trask, but crashes into the water upon landing. Leaving repairs in the hands of a Mon Calamari dockmaster, the Mandalorian reunites Frog Lady with her husband, who directs the Mandalorian to a nearby inn for further info about the whereabouts of his people. There, he makes a deal with a Quarren sailor, who promises to take him to other Mandalorians. They head out to sea, but the Quarren have set a trap, intending to feed the child and the Mandalorian to a mamacore in order to harvest his armor. They are saved by three Mandalorians led by Bo-Batan Kryze, heiress to the throne of Mandalore. Hoping to free the planet of Imperial occupation, she agrees to direct the Mandalorian to a Jedi in exchange for his help stealing a cargo of weapons from an Imperial transport. The four Mandalorians storm the ship and easily capture the cargo bay, but then Bo-Katan reveals she intends to capture the entire ship, and use it to find Moff Gideon, whom she believes possesses the Darksaber she needs to reclaim her throne. The Mandalorians manage to capture the ship before it crashes, but the captain kills himself before Bo-Katan can get any info out of him. Bo-Katan then honors her word and directs the Mandalorian to the planet Corvus and a Jedi named Ahsoka Tano. He departs, and shortly thereafter, he and the Child blast off Trask aboard the (just barely) repaired Razor Crest. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x02

"The Passenger"

Plot

Raising across the Tatooine desert, the Mandalorian is attacked by a gang of bounty hunters after the child. He fights them off, but his speeder bike is damaged, forcing him to walk back to Mos Eisley. There, he meets with Peli, who introduces him to Frog Lady, an amphibious being willing to trade him information on the whereabouts of some Mandalorians in exchange for transporting her and her eggs to the moon of Trask - without traveling through hyperspace, which would destroy her eggs. As they slowly make their way towards the moon, two New Republic pilots perform a fly-by. When they attempt to identify his ship, the Mandalorian races towards a nearby planet, successfully evading the pilots but damaging the Razor's Crest in the process. Settling inside an ice cave for repairs, the child draws the attention of a pack of ice spiders, which quickly overwhelm the Mandalorian. Just then, the New Republic pilots return, blasting away the ice spiders and saying that after they looked him up, they decided the Mandalorian's good deeds while participating in a recent prison break just barely outweigh his bad, and let him off with a warning. Later, the Mandalorian manages to repair the ship's engines, but not its hull, so the trio resumes their journey, all crammed inside the Razor Crest's cockpit as they slowly make their way through space. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2x01

"The Marshal"

Plot

Hoping to find other Mandalorians to aid him on his quest to reunite the Child with its people, the Mandalorian learns from fight promoter and beskar-dealer Gor Karesh that someone in beskar armor has been seen recently on Tatooine. He and the Child proceed to Tatooine and reunite with mechanic Peli, who points them to the city of Mos Pelgo. There, the Mandalorian meets Cobb Vanth, who is serving as the town's marshal and wearing the beskar armor. He strikes a deal with the Mandalorian: help him rid the town of a krayt dragon threatening it, and he'll hand over the armor. Together, Vanth and the Mandalorian form an alliance with a local tribe of Tusken Raiders, and both the tribe and the townspeople come together to destroy the dragon. In the aftermath of their success, Vanth hands over the armor, and the Mandalorian and the Child speed back to the ship, as they're unknowingly watched by someone familiar with Vanth's now-former armor. 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Season 2 Trailer

Disney finally released a trailer for the second season of The Mandalorian (a season which, reportedly, completed filming before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, preventing it from being impacted in any way by that, so whatever we're getting, it's being presented as intended), which is set to debut on Disney+ on October 30th. Here are five things of note which caught my eye from the trailer. 

(And, quick note on future Force in Focus posts - my plan is to run a series of posts closing out the original Marvel Star Wars comic in the next few weeks, leading up the release of Mandalorian Season 2. Then I'll review each episode of the season as with the first, and after that...maybe something a little different, at least in terms of my approach).

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 08

"Redemption"

Plot
Outside of town, two Scout Troopers retrieve the child, then await further orders. However, IG-11 soon arrives and, following its programming as the child's nurse, kills the troopers. Meanwhile, Moff Gideon gives the Mandalorian, Cara & Greef until nightfall to turn themselves over to him. The Mandalorian suggests escaping via the tunnels beneath the city, used by the Mandalorian covert, but they are unable to open the access hatch. Just then, IG-11, the child in tow, blazes into town. During the ensuing melee, the Mandalorian is injured. Regrouping inside the tavern, Cara & Greef take the child into the tunnels while IG-11 removes the injured Mandalorian's helmet in order to administer medicine. Everyone reunites in the tunnels, where only the Armorer remains of the covert. She tasks the Mandalorian with returning the child to his people, calling them a clan of two and awarding him a Mudhorn signet (along with a jet pack). The group then follows her directions out of the city as she holds off a group of Stormtroopers. But another squad is waiting for them outside the tunnels, and IG-11 sacrifices himself to take them out. Outside, Moff Gideon attacks from his TIE fighter, and the Mandalorian takes to the sky via jetpack to send him crashing down. In the aftermath, Cara decides to remain on Nevarro to work as Greef''s enforcer, while the Mandalorian sets out with the child to find his people. Elsewhere, Moff Gideon emerges from the wreckage of his TIE fighter, wielding the Mandalorian Darksaber.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 07

"The Reckoning"

Plot
Receiving a message from Greef Carga calling for a truce in an effort to free both Navarro and the Mandalorian of the client, a suspicious Mandalorian recruits backup in the form of Cara, Kuiil, and a reprogrammed IG-11. Arriving on Navarro, Carga promises them the client remains lightly guarded, and tells the Mandalorian he plans to use the child as bait to get them close so the Mandalorian can kill the Client.. As the group journeys towards the city, they are attacked by flying creatures who badly injure Carga. However, the child uses the Force to heal his wounds, and this act of compassion prompts Carga to reveal that he intended to double-cross the Mandalorian. Instead, they will truly take out the Client together. The Mandalorian then sends Kuiil back to his ship with the child; he & Cara will pose as Carga's prisoners, along with the empty hover pram. But when they reach the city, they find the Imperial presence to be greatly increased, and when they reach the client, they are interrupted by a call from Moff Gideon, who arrives on the scene and targets the group with a furious volley of shots, killing the client. The Mandalorian and his allies survive, but are pinned down, while on the outskirts of the city, Kuiil is killed by a pair of Imperial scout troopers, who scoop up the child and head back to a waiting Gideon.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 06

"The Prisoner"

Plot
The Mandalorian reunites with an old crew run by a man named Ran, which includes an old flame named Xi'an. One of the crew's members has been captured, and they need the Mandalorian's help - specifically his ship, the Razor Crest - to break him out of the prison ship on which he's being transported. After a risky maneuver executed by the droid Zero piloting the Crest, the Mandalorian joins the crew, led by Mayfield, as they board the prison ship. The Mandalorian & Mayfeld butt heads over whether or not the kill the lone New Republic officer aboard the ship, and in the ensuing scuffle a beacon is activated that will call a New Republic kill team to the ship within twenty minutes. The crew quickly locates their associate, Xi'an brother Qin, and double-crosses the Mandalorian, locking him in Qin's cell before heading to the Razor Crest. But the Mandalorian escapes and hunts down Mayfeld, Xi'an & Burg before reaching his ship just as Qin is boarding. Qin offers to give the Mandalorian the rest of the crew's cut to let Qin leave with him. The Mandalorian & Qin then return to Ran's station and, after receiving his payment, the Mandalorian quickly departs. As Ran orders his station to fire on the Mandalorian, three New Republic X-wings drop out of hyperspace, and Qin realizes the Mandalorian stashed the emergency beacon on him. As the Mandalorian flies away, the New Republic opens fire on Ran's station, while the rest of the crew awaken inside a cell on the prison ship.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 05

"The Gunslinger"

Plot
Following an outer space dogfight with another bounty hunter, the Mandalorian lands on Tatooine. Looking for work to cover the repairs to his ship, the Mandalorian sets out on the streets of Mos Eisley, leaving the Child in the care of mechanic Peli Motto. Inside a cantina, he meets a young bounty hunter named Toro Calican. Toro is hunting notorious assassin Fennec Shand; needing the bounty get into the Guild, he agrees to give the Mandalorian all of the monetary bounty for his help. The two set out over the Jundland Wastes in pursuit of Fennec. Working together, they overpower her, but when the Mandalorian leaves Toro alone with Fennec, she tries to convince him to betray the Mandalorian. Instead, Toro blasts Fennec, intent on capturing the Mandalorian and the child and becoming a legend in the process. When the Mandalorian returns to Mos Eisley, he finds Toro holding Peli & the child hostage, but manages to distract & kill Toro. Giving Toro's credits to Peli as payment, the Mandalorian and the child board the repaired Razor's Crest and blast off into space once more.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 04

"Sanctuary"

Plot
Seeking a place to lay low with the Child, the Mandalorian arrives on the planet of Sorgan. There, he meets Cara Dune, a former solider with the Rebellion. When he encounters a pair of villagers from a remote area of the planet looking to buy help repelling a band of raiders, the Mandalorian convinces Cara to help him lead the villagers in defense of their homes. When they discover the raiders are in possession of an Imperial Scout Walker, the Mandalorian & Cara try to convince the villagers to leave, but they insist on fighting back. Working together, the Mandalorian, Cara, and the villagers succeed in destroying the walker and repelling the raiders. In the wake of their victory, Cara suggests the Mandalorian could settle down in the village; instead, he plans on leaving the Child there for safe-keeping. However, when bounty hunters track down the Child, the Mandalorian realizes the Child will only be safe with him, and the pair depart the planet together.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 03

"The Sin"

Plot
The Mandalorian hands over the Child to his eager client in exchange for his payment of Beskar. He then gives the Beskar to the Armorer, who crafts a new set of armor for him. As she works, the Mandalorian is hassled by his fellow Mandalorians for taking the Beskar as payment, considering the Empire stole it from Mandalore in the first place. Later, clad in his new armor, the Mandalorian meets with Greef Carga, eager for a new job. But unable to shake his concern for the Child, he instead breaks into the client's facility, taking out his Stormtroopers and escaping with the Child. The Mandalorian heads for his ship, but finds his way blocked by Greef and every bounty hunter in town. A fight breaks out, and just when the Mandalorian is almost overwhelmed, his fellow Mandalorians intervene, helping the Mandalorian reach his ship and blast off-world with the Child.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 02

"The Child"

Plot
Returning to his ship with the child in tow, the Mandalorian is attacked by a group of Trandoshans. He defeats them, but when he returns to his ship, he discovers it being scavenged by Jawas. He pursues the scavengers, reaching the top of their sandcrawler before being blasted off it. The Mandalorian returns to Kuiil, who agrees to help him bargain with the Jawas. After some haggling, they agree to return his ship's parts in exchange for "the egg". This leads to the Mandalorian disturbing the nest of a massive horned creature, which brushes off most of his attacks & damages his armor. Just as the creature moves in for the kill, however, the child uses the Force to suspend the creature in midair, allowing the Mandalorian to get close enough to kill it. Retrieving the creature's egg, the Mandalorian gets his parts back and with Kuiil's help, restores his ship. After offering Kuiil a job crewing his ship (which Kuiil turns down), the Mandalorian blasts off into space, at which point the exhausted child awakens.

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian Episode 01

"Chapter One"

Plot
After successfully completing a round of bounty hunts, an unnamed Mandalorian accepts his next, higher-paying, job from Greef Carga. Meeting with the client, the Mandalorian receives a tracking fob to locate his quarry and a block of beskar steel as down payment. He brings the beskar to a Mandalorian armorer, who fashions it into a pauldron for the hunter adds to his armor. Later, the Mandalorian lands on a desolate planet. He encounters the diminutive Kuiil, who agrees to help him reach his destination. But first, the Mandalorian must tame a blurrg mount. After doing so, he ends up overlooking a fortified camp where his target is being guarded. Another hunter, the droid IG-11, is after the same target, and the two hunters agree to team-up. Together, they fight their way into the camp and reach their bounty, a small green infant with long ears. IG-11 is prepared the kill the child, but the Mandalorian blasts the droid to take it for himself.

Force in Focus: The Future

Having finished reviewing every issue of the original Marvel Star Wars comic, the question becomes: what next? Star Wars is a huge part of my pop culture life, and I want to keep that reflected in my writing. Fortunately, the short-term answer is fairly straightforward; after that, it becomes more murky.

Beginning next week, I will be reviewing every episode of The Mandalorian, the hot new Star Wars show from Disney+. Not only will this maintain a steady flow of Star Wars content here for the next few months, it will also get me back into TV reviewing, something long-time readers may remember was once a far more regular part of this site's output than it is these days. My plan is to review one episode a week, which will put me behind the release of the show a tad (word is Disney is releasing the first three episodes upon the launch of Disney+ next week, then releasing subsequent episodes once a week after that) but not too far behind (Mandalorian coverage will probably also get extended a bit thanks to at least one or two Rise of Skywalker posts around the time of that film's release interrupting the regular reviews).

Based on the episode count, that should bring us well into the first of the year. After season one of The Mandalorian concludes, I've got a few additional posts wrapping up the comic book series in mind (including a straight-up review of the 2019-dated issue #108). All of that should carry us over to when Disney+ releases the final "season" of The Clone Wars animated season which, at this time, I am also planning on reviewing on an episode-by-episode basis.

After that, things get a little murky. There will undoubtedly be subsequent seasons of The Mandalorian to review, as well as, eventually, whatever the pre-Rogue One Cassian Andor series is called (and even more eventually, the Obi-Wan show). But in and around those shows, I'd still like to review something on a regular basis. So I turn to you, for suggestions and guidance: what would you like to see me review next(ish)? The Star Wars newspaper strips? The UK comics? Should I plunge forward and tackle the Dark Horse comics (and if so, would you prefer the usual issue-by-issue stories, or should I take a story-by-story approach)? Or jump even further ahead and do contemporaneous reviews of the current comic book output? Or is there something else entirely I'm not even thinking of you think I should cover? Sound off in the comments and let me know!

And in the meantime, check back next week for a review of the first episode of The Mandalorian! 

Force in Focus: The Mandalorian & Rise of Skywalker D23 Trailers

Disney held their annual "D23" convention this weekend (basically, Comic-Con for Disney), during which they unveiled trailers for both The Mandalorian, the upcoming Disney+ series set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and The Rise of Skywalker (though I'm not sure if this footage constitutes an official trailer - whatever that entails - or if it's just supposed to be a bit of D23-specific footage). Here are five things that caught my attention/got me excited from each.

Spoilers below, obviously.

First up, The Mandalorian.