‘The Mandalorian’ Returns and it Brings Back a Legendary Character

In the months since the season finale of The Mandalorian, Star Wars fans have been active online trying to speculate on what could happen in Season Two. Would a Jedi appear? Would we learn how Moff Gideon got the Darksaber? But most important, would we see the return of fan favorite characters such as Boba Fett and Ashoka Tano? While the jury’s out on Ashoka (despite what this post says,) the season premiere just confirmed the return of a certain legendary bounty hunter. The original Mandalorian himself, back from the dead.

I wanted to do this review spoiler-free, but after seeing the season premiere, I can’t do that. You have been warned!

Tatooine: It just can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight.

Tatooine, home to Jawas and Tusken Raiders; birthplace of the Skywalker family; and a planet that just can’t seem to avoid attracting attention! In his quest to return Baby Yoda to his people, Mando follows a lead about a Mandalorian back to Tatooine. There, deep in the deserts, is the old mining town of Mos Pelgo. He doesn’t find a Mandalorian, though. It’s just a resident of Tatooine, Cobb Vanth, wearing Mandalorian Armor. After the Second Death Star blew up, the town was taken over by bandits. Vanth managed to buy Mandalorian armor from a group of Jawas and uses it to protect the town.

It’s not just any armor that Vanth’s wearing, though: it’s the armor of the legendary bounty hunter, Boba Fett. The last time we saw him in the canon, he was eaten by the Sarlacc, but a character that badass would have their story end like that. Somehow, Jawas got their hands on his armor, and now the Mandalorian wants it. To him, a non-Mandalorian wearing it is an insult to his people.

I’ve never seen the actor playing Cobb Vanth before, but I’ve seen a lot of people singing his praises, and I can see why. He carries himself like a classic, old west sheriff; the John Wayne to the Mandalorian’s Clint Eastwood. And thankfully, these two fight over the armor, because there are bigger fish to fry.

Krayt Dragons Scare Me

If you don’t know what a Krayt Dragon is, I don’t blame you; you should be grateful you haven’t seen one. It’s like if you crossed the Sandworms from Dune with an acid-spitting T-Rex: terrifying! And to save Mos Pelgo from destruction, Vanth enlists Mando to help him kill it. But it’s so dangerous they have to enlist the townspeople; and the Tusken Raiders.

Yeah, given how vicious they’ve been to people in the franchise, it’s hard to see anyone allying with Tusken Raiders. However, when you think about it, they’re indigenous people trying to take back their home from the outsiders who are trespassing. Sound familiar? As a result of that mindset, the writers go out of their way to show that the Tuskens and Settlers can work together.

What follows is an epic battle that I refuse to spoil because it’s as good as anything the movies could ever give us. All you need to know is they win, and Mando gets the armor.

Boba Fett is Alive

In the final moments of the episode, as the Mandalorian rides into the sunset, we get a look at this guy.

If you guys don’t know who that is, I don’t blame you. But that’s the guy who played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. Jango Fett was not only the template for the Clone Troopers, but the father of Boba Fett. Ergo, this guy is most likely Boba Fett himself! He’s alive!

How Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc is of little concern. He’s a badass, so it wouldn’t be that hard. What we should be asking is how did is armor get stolen? Was he too weak to stop that from happening? And why would he remain on Tatooine all this time when he could have left and continued his bounty hunting career? My only guess is that he was hunting for his armor, and now that the Mandalorian has it, he will want it back.

This brings us to an interesting idea: will Boba Fett be a recurring character this season? More importantly, will he be a friend or foe to Mando and Baby Yoda? I wouldn’t mind seeing the three working together, but I’m also curious to see what would happen if they fought. It would show us just how good the Mandalorian really is or isn’t. Regardless, Boba Fett has a role to play in this season, and I only hope that they do his character justice. Without Boba Fett, there would be no Mandalorian!

I also hope that we see more of Cobb Vanth. He and the Mandalorian have a good dynamic going, and I’d like to see them work together more the future. Vanth may not be a foundling or Mandalorian by birth, but he’s got the heart of one.

I Give “The Marshal” A 5/5. Best Episode Yet.

Stray Observations

• You guys noticed how Mando let those Pit Droids work on his ship? Maybe working with IG-11 made him soften his hatred for droids. That’s character development!

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