Warning! SPOILERS ahead for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5.The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 “Chapter 21 – The Pirate” is a game-changing episode. Some viewers have criticized The Mandalorian season 3 for an overall lack of direction, arguing stories felt disconnected from the overarching narrative. While the direction of growth for Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin, Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze, and even Grogu has seemed clear, it has often felt disjointed, with no discernible link to the B-plots.
All that changes in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5, which skillfully weaves the different treads together. It includes welcome cameos from old friends introduced in live-action for the first time, a return to Nevarro, and even the resolution of the Gorian Shard subplot. Even more excitingly, though, the episode begins to put the pieces of Moff Gideon's story together, with a reveal that could have massive implications not just for The Mandalorian but for the overarching Star Wars story at large.
The Mandalorians Finally Have A Home On Nevarro
The Mandalorians were scattered across the galaxy after the Great Purge of Mandalore, with the Children of the Watch living underground or on worlds riddled with dangerous creatures. The members of the covert have been used to hiding, but The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 sees their fortunes change significantly. Carl Weathers' Greef Karga thanks them for helping save Nevarro from Nonso Anozie's Pirate King Gorian Shard by offering them a large stretch of land. He previously made a similar offer to Din Djarin, but now makes it to the entire Mandalorian race.
This is a win-win offer; Greef Karga runs an independent planet, one not aligned to either the Empire or the Republic, so the Mandalorians can settle on Nevarro without fearing falling under the auspices of a galactic power. Karga, meanwhile, gains an expanding group of warriors who can ensure the planet is not attacked again. The story of Gorian Shard's defeat will surely spread across the Outer Rim.
The Armorer Wants To Reclaim Mandalore For The Mandalorians
The Mandalorians are finally stepping out of the shadows and into the light, but there is more work to be done. While they may have a home on Nevarro, it is not their homeworld, a planet that has vast cultural and religious significance to the Mandalorians. Mandalore was devastated by the Empire during the Dark Times, but Din Djarin and Bo-Katan have already learned the planet has not been totally poisoned - which means it can potentially be reclaimed.
The Armorer (Emily Swallow) has reflected on Bo-Katan's glimpse of a Mythosaur, and has tied it to the prophecy of a new age. For all her faults, all the Armorer has ever wanted is to see Mandalore reborn. She essentially sees Nevarro as a staging outpost for retaking Mandalore.
Why The Armorer Tells Bo-Katan To Remove Her Helmet
One of the most surprising scenes in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 sees the Armorer tell Bo-Katan to remove her helmet. This would seem contradictory given she kicked Din Djarin out of the covert for removing her helmet, but her logic is sound. She views Bo-Katan as the bridge between the covert and all other Mandalorians. Bo-Katan has walked both paths and can convince other surviving Mandalorians in hiding that teaming up with the Children of the Watch is necessary if they want to retake Mandalore.
Bo-Katan herself was extremely skeptical of the Creed and Din’s dedication to it, but now she has fought side by side with his covert, her opinion has likely changed; she is notably reluctant to remove her helmet when told to do so. Not only that, but Bo-Katan knows that she will need their help in the upcoming struggle. And, given the Armorer knows Bo-Katan has seen the Mythosaur, and the Mythosaur’s cultural significance arguably surpasses even that of the Darksaber, there’s no denying that Bo-Katan might be the future leader of Mandalore after all – a fitting ending for her character arc from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.
Moff Gideon Has Escaped The Republic - But Who Took Him?
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 takes the story back to the man who arguably started it all – Moff Gideon. At the end of The Mandalorian season 2, Gideon was taken into custody by the New Republic, but season 3 had made his fate something of a mystery. “Chapter 21 – The Pirate” finally confirms that Gideon escaped. Though this in itself is not entirely surprising, what was shocking is what was found at the scene of his escape. New Republic Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) used a droid probe and found a fragment of beskar alloy embedded into the walls of the ship Gideon was being transported in.
There are three possible explanations for why that piece of beskar was found at the scene of the crime. The most obvious explanation is that a different group of Mandalorians broke him free, presumably to hold him accountable for his crimes against Mandalorians. The second option is that the Empire deliberately left beskar alloy there to frame the Mandalorians, with the Empire trying to cause a war between the Republic and the Mandalorians. There have been strong hints the Imperial Remnant is run by Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the most ruthless Imperial strategists, and it's just the kind of approach he would take.
There may be an even more direct link, though; it's possible the Empire has established itself on Mandalore. This would explain why the Empire spread lies the entire planet was poisoned and uninhabitable, and it would be the perfect hiding place given the electromagnetic distortions caused by the Purge mean the planet cannot be scanned. It's the perfect hiding place, and would further explain why the Empire attacked Bo-Katan's castle as soon as she visited her homeworld and learned it was habitable after all.
What Moff Gideon's Escape Means For The Mandalorian S3 & Star Wars' Future
Moff Gideon was one of the ISB agents responsible for the Great Purge of Mandalore, and his freedom is a huge threat to any remaining Mandalorians who might want to retake the planet (especially if the Empire has indeed set up a base of operations on Mandalore). If Bo-Katan ends up leading different factions of Mandalorians to their homeworld, she may be risking their lives and endangering the future of Mandalorian culture at large. Additionally, Gideon may want to take back control of the Darksaber, setting up a future confrontation between Gideon and Din, who is still having trouble wielding it properly.
The Mandalorian season 3 is working to set up the Star Wars sequel trilogy, so there may be other connections in play too. Moff Gideon was the Imperial focused on acquiring Grogu, and it's believed this is in relation to Palpatine's return in a cloned body. That means the Mandalorians may well be going up against the very Imperials who will become the First Order. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 has certainly raised the stakes.
New episodes of The Mandalorian air Wednesdays on Disney+.