In last week’s episode of The Mandalorian, Din, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Cara Dune, and a fresh-out-of-prison Migs Mayfeld journeyed to Morak. Their mission was to infiltrate a secret Imperial mining hub and access a terminal in order to obtain the coordinates to Moff Gideon’s cruiser (and therefore Grogu). They succeeded, though not without hitting a few explosion-filled bumps along the way. Keep reading to find out what happened in the season 2 finale, “The Rescue.”
We open with our crew on the Slave I pursuing Dr. Pershing’s shuttle. Once they’ve boarded, they take the clone engineer hostage and head off to recruit additional help for their mission. Landing on another planet, Din and Boba Fett enter a cantina to find Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves, garnering many stares from the patrons inside along the way.
Din doesn’t waste any time as he tells Bo-Katan that they need her help, because Moff Gideon took the Child. Bo-Katan brushes him off, as she’s already tried and failed to find Gideon, and Fett remarks that they should just leave, because they don’t need them. Bo-Katan’s hackles rise at this, and she accuses Fett of not being a Mandalorian. Din interrupts their bickering to explain that they have Gideon’s cruiser’s coordinates, which immediately garners Bo-Katan’s interest. Fett scoffs when Din mentions that taking Gideon’s cruiser in the aftermath could be helpful in her effort to regain Mandalore, and they trade barbs once more.
BO-KATAN: You are a disgrace to your armor.
BOBA FETT: This armor belonged to my father.
BO-KATAN: Don’t you mean your donor?
BOBA FETT: Careful, princess.
BO-KATAN: You are a clone. I’ve heard your voice thousands of times.
BOBA FETT: Mine might be the last one you hear.
Koska, who had already been chomping at the bit for a fight, takes this as her cue. She and Fett go at it, breaking a handful of things in the cantina in the process, until Bo-Katan eventually breaks them up and tells Din that they’ll help him. However, in exchange, she will be keeping both Gideon’s cruiser and the Darksaber — which she explains is an ancient weapon that once belonged to her, which can cut through anything but pure beskar. Din has no issue with this whatsoever, as he only has one goal, “Help me rescue the Child, and you can have whatever you want. He is my only priority.”
The fully assembled team gathers around to look at the schematics of Gideon’s cruiser to plot their attack. Lucky for them, Dr. Pershing pipes up that they have a garrison of dark troopers on board. Din isn’t phased by this, until Pershing explains that they’re a third-generation design; the weakness was the human inside, they’re droids now. Pershing then shows them the cargo bay that the dark troopers are held in, and tells them that they require a few minutes to power up before they’re weaponized. He also indicates where the brig that Grogu is being held is located. Bo-Katan devises their plan, in which she, Koska, Fennec, and Cara will go after Gideon while Din rescues Grogu.
As they exit hyperspace in the Imperial shuttle, Fett puts on a “good show” in the Slave I, firing missiles on them. Bo-Katan sends a hurried message over the comm to Gideon’s cruiser, requesting emergency docking because they’re under attack. The cruiser deploys its TIE fighter squadron, which begins its pursuit of the Slave I.
Despite their instructions to stay clear of the launch tube while all of the fighters deploy, Bo-Katan takes advantage of the opportunity to quickly (but roughly) slip the shuttle into the hangar. Fett, meanwhile, makes a hasty escape into hyperspace. Bo-Katan, Koska, Fennec, and Cara disembark, taking out all of the stormtroopers, TIE pilots, and other Imperial officers milling around the launch bay. They continue to make their way to the bridge, picking off the rounds of stormtroopers that they encounter along the way. Gideon signals the activation of the dark troopers. Din exits the shuttle shortly after, heading off on his own mission to retrieve Grogu, blaster raised and his trusty new spear on his back.
Din’s timing is incredibly tight, because he arrives at the holding bay where the dark troopers are being held moments after they’ve finished charging up. The doors begin to open, and Din uses Dr. Pershing’s code cylinder to seal it off, but one of the dark troopers manages to slip through. With a single punch, the droid sends him flying. His blaster, flamethrower, and whistling birds all prove to be virtually useless against the ruthless machine. Finally, after a harrowing battle, the dark trooper tosses Din right beside where his discarded spear is laying, and the bounty hunter manages to rip its head off just in the nick of time. Noticing that the remaining dark troopers are on the verge of busting the door open, he runs over and pulls the lever to open the cargo bay’s outer doors, sending the entire platoon flying off into space.
Bo-Katan, Koska, Fennec, and Cara arrive at the bridge to see that Gideon is nowhere to be found. Din finds him in the brig, holding the Darksaber menacingly in front of Grogu. The Child perks up at the sight of Din, hands still in a tiny set of handcuffs. Din makes a deal with Gideon, explaining that he can keep the Darksaber, he just wants the Child. Gideon concedes, stepping aside so that Din can retrieve Grogu. However, once he’s standing behind him, Gideon reignites the Darksaber. He and Din are soon locked in a vicious battle, but Din quickly gains the upper hand because the ancient weapon is useless against his beskar spear and armor.
The doors to the bridge slide open and Din enters, carrying Grogu, wielding the Darksaber, and leading a cuffed Gideon in front of him. Though Cara is happy to see that Din brought Gideon alive (for the sake of the New Republic), Bo-Katan has other concerns. We learn that the Darksaber technically belongs to Din now, and in order for Bo-Katan to take it, she must defeat Din in combat. Unfazed, Din repeatedly tries to give it to her, but Bo-Katan refuses on principle with a stony expression on her face.
They’re interrupted by the sound of an alert, the ray shields have been breached. The dark troopers have returned, and they mean business. The army marches across the ship and begins to punch their way through the blast doors until the ray shield alert goes off again. A lone X-wing approaches, docking inside of the cruiser, and the dark troopers halt in their tracks. A Jedi makes their way through the ship, wielding a green lightsaber and effortlessly taking out every single dark trooper in their path.
Gideon, who managed to get his hands on a blaster, shoots Bo-Katan and then aims for Grogu. Din, however, quickly dives in front of the Child to save him. Cara then manages to stop Gideon before he can turn the blaster on himself. Grogu, now placed in front of the screen playing the security footage, reaches out toward the Jedi. Despite the hesitance from everyone else in the room, Din opens the doors to the bridge. The Jedi enters and removes their hood — it’s Luke Skywalker.
Luke beckons Grogu to come to him, but the Child doesn’t move. Din tells the Jedi that he doesn’t want to go with him, and Luke corrects him by explaining that Grogu just wants his permission.
LUKE SKYWALKER: He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the Child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.
Din accepts this, and he picks up Grogu to say goodbye, speaking to him softly as he promises that he will see him again. Grogu reaches out to touch Din’s helmet, and in a breathtaking moment, Din slowly removes it to show the Child — his child — his face for the very first time. Grogu regards him with a look of wonder, reaching out to touch Din’s chin, and the bounty hunter closes his eyes, face full of emotion. He tells the Child not to be afraid as he sets him down on the floor.
R2-D2 then comes rolling over, beeping happily as he communicates with the Child. Grogu seems to decide that he’s ready to go, holding his arms out for the Jedi to pick him up. Luke bids Din farewell as he says, “May the Force be with you.” Din and Grogu stare at one another as Luke walks away, and Din’s eyes are ready to brim over with tears as he nods to the Child in reassurance. This is goodbye … for now.
It’s difficult to find the words to express how impressive what Jon Favreau and his team have pulled off here is, but to keep it simple — wow. Whereas Grogu was the best kept secret leading up to the show’s premiere, Luke Skywalker no doubt took that prize for season 2. This episode tied off the second season’s journey in a truly remarkable way, and though it’s ultimately devastating to have watched Din say goodbye to the Child once more, it’s simultaneously a satisfying direction for Grogu’s own story to go in. Meanwhile, the implications of Din accidentally, technically inheriting the title of Mand’alor will be absolutely fascinating to dig into in season 3. Stay tuned for our full review of season 2, coming soon!
The episode’s post-credits scene was an adventure in itself — one with a very exciting reveal — and you can read more about it here. Seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian are now streaming exclusively on Disney+. Check out the rest of our recaps here.
