WARNING: There are some spoilers for these episodes.

These two episodes of the Mandalorian were ultimately what fans were looking forward to going into this season. The leaks and rumours raised expectations to a very lofty height, with the appearance of two beloved Star Wars characters expected. Such anticipation is very hard to live up to, however these two episodes of The Mandalorian, ‘The Jedi’ and ‘The Tragedy’, absolutely smashed it out of the park.

With her name being dropped in episode 3, much loved Clone Wars and Rebels character Ahsoka Tano takes centre stage. The opening section of the episode throws us straight into the action as Ahsoka hunts armed thugs in a dark and misty forest with her unique white-bladed lightsabers. This was the stuff of dreams for many watching. Her appearance was always going to be the main talking point of the episode, with Rosario Dawson perfectly bringing the character previously voiced in animation by Ashley Eckstein to life in live-action. Her facial expressions, tone and mannerism were impressively done; she nailed the aspects that made fans love the character whilst also adding her own charm to it. Her duel with the episode’s villain was also a major highlight. 

But this is still a show about Din Djarin and The Child, and the episode still manages to progress their story further. The father-son bond was touchingly explored, and in an unexpected move we were given little Baby Yoda’s actual name: Grogu. We were given backstory as to his life in the Jedi temple before the events of Revenge of the Sith, while a new mystery was also raised: who rescued him from the Temple? But those are questions that will have to wait. The episode also guest starred some familiar faces in the form of Aliens and Terminator star Michael Biehn as well as martial arts royalty Diana Lee Inosato, who both brought their respective skills to the table. If all this wasn’t enough, we were also given another name drop. One that sets us down a road leading to a huge Star Wars event: Rebels villain Grand Admiral Thrawn. 

With the announcements from the Disney Investors meeting, the future of Star Wars promises a great deal.

The following episode sees Din and Grogu following Ahsoka’s advice and heading to a temple to let Grogu decide whether or not to call a Jedi that can train him. We get an adorable scene with Din and Grogu at the start which should have been a warning sign on its own, but coupled with the title card: ‘The Tragedy’ flashing up we were in for some heartbreak. However, I did not expect to see the iconic ship ‘Slave I’ fly through the sky. While Boba Fett made an appearance at the end of the opening episode, many expected that to be it. But he reappears looking for his armour and after some great dialogue and call backs, he, Fennec Shand and Din team up to fight off Gideon’s stormtroopers after they too arrive. 

What ensues is some of the greatest Star Wars action sequences we’ve ever seen. Boba lives up to the hype as he smashes his way through stormtrooper after stormtrooper before reuniting with his legendary armour. Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen are excellent and the music score during these sequences is out of this world. It’s all capped off with some great emotional consequences, making it one of the show’s very best episodes. Boba Fett is back with a bang, and he’s finally living up to his reputation.

Image Credit: Disney+/Lucasfilm