The Mandalorian season 1 ended in stunning, shocking fashion, as the bounty hunter and Baby Yoda fought off the Empire and set out on a brand new adventure, but what does their signet mean? For many, The Mandalorian has played out more like a video game than a conventional TV series. Not only have many of the episodes felt like levels or missions (protect the village from an AT-ST, break a criminal out of prison), but Mando has been gradually upgrading his armor throughout the series, first with a shoulder plate, then a full set of Beskar armor, then finally with a jetpack in the season finale.
Over the course of 8 episodes, The Mandalorian has hammered home the importance of a warrior's armor and weapons, with Mando himself treating them with an almost religious reverence, and the code of honor instilled into the way of Mandalore has also been made explicit. Mando himself appears more guided by honor than most, having rescued Baby Yoda from an inevitably grim fate with the Empire and has since fought tooth and nail to keep the youngster out of Imperial hands. Having temporarily seen off the threat of Moff Gideon, Mando (real name Din Djarin) is now free to take Baby Yoda back to his own kind...if he can find them.
While fighting against Gideon, Mando is reunited with the Armorer, played by Emily Swallow. As a parting gift, this mysterious figure not only gives her fellow warrior ammunition and a jetpack, but also bestows a signet upon his armor - one in the shape of a Mudhorn. To understand this moment, it's vital to go back to episode 3, in which Pedro Pascal's bounty hunter cashed in his raw Beskar steel to be crafted and the Armorer offered to make the Mudhorn Mando's signet - the animal represented on his armor - because he took one down in the course of completing his mission. Mando refuses, stating that he was unable to accept such an honor because Baby Yoda had used the Force and aided him in the fight.
After initially turning down the Mudhorn signet, why does the Armorer bestow it upon him anyway in The Mandalorian's season finale? The Armorer learns that Mando and Baby Yoda took down the Mudhorn together, with the tiny terror strong in the ways of the Jedi. Recognizing the bond that now exists between Din and the Child, the partnership they have created, and Din's responsibility of parentage, the Armorer places the Mudhorn signet on Mando's armor not to symbolize his strength in combat or bravery in taking on giant monsters, but to represent the relationship Mando and Baby Yoda have. They are now their own Mandalorian clan, a clan of two, born out of necessity and circumstance, but one that cannot be abandoned regardless of its strange creation and composition.
Placing the Mudhorn on the Mandalorian's armor in the season finale, rather than in episode 3, helps demonstrate the growth both characters (mainly Mando) have experienced over each episode. When the Mudhorn signet was first offered, Din was still debating whether or not he should get involved in the Child's fate, but by the finale, the bounty hunter is willing to give his life for Baby Yoda's safety without a second thought. Now with more to fight for than simple money or glory, the signet means far more than it would have earlier in The Mandalorian.