‘The Mandalorian’ Recap – ‘Chapter 13: The Jedi’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Chapter 13 of ‘The Mandalorian’.
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There really is no greater moment for a television series, then when it finally finds its proverbial groove. Because when it does, the audience is often treated to a powerful tale. One that assaults the senses in every way imaginable and leaves its fans talking for days on end over what happened in that story and well, this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because The Mandalorian finally found its groove this week. For ‘Chapter 13: The Jedi’ was the perfect episode that we’ve all been waiting for, and what made it so great and so incredibly worth our while, is the sheer fact that it was filled to the brim with epic moments, delightful reveals and surprises and of course… the return a franchise fan favorite.
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For this is a story that featured the first live-action appearance of Ahsoka Tano, and well, her arrival on this series did not disappoint. Because not only was she still handling unfinished business from The Clone Wars and Rebels, she was still a noble Jedi. One that was eager to right wrongs and save lives and her skills haven’t diminished either, since she was able to wow us with all kinds of incredible lightsaber work and while it was just amazing to see her in live action form for a change and see Rosario Dawson offer up a quality performance as the character… it was the little things that made her appearance worthwhile. Such as the fact that she is still haunted by what happened between her and Anakin Skywalker all those years ago, and that little touch just added depth to an already rich character. 

But while it was wonderful to see Ahsoka back in action, there were plenty more incredible moments waiting for us in this tale, such as the noble quest that Din and Ahsoka took part in. For the city of Calodan on the planet Corvus was ruled by a ruthless magistrate named Morgan Elsbeth, who ruled through fear and responded to loyalty with cruelty. And she also had ties to the Empire, but more on that in a moment. Because it was up to our intrepid heroes to save the good people of this city from Morgan’s special brand of evil, and that led to some incredible action sequences. The kind that sent our hearts racing and took our breath away and they were also shot in a gorgeous manner, giving this episode a fascinating feel. Since it resembled a classic western at times, with just a hint of Kurosawa for good measure.

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Michael Biehn as 'Lang'. (All photos courtesy of Disney.)

Yet while that sequence was also a treat in its own right, one that featured screen veteran/Sci-FI legend Michael Biehn, it’s the big reveals/surprises in this tale that matter most. Because Grand Admiral Thrawn was name dropped in this tale since that is who Morgan was working with in regard to the Empire, and it is simply incredible to know that he’s still around post Battle of Endor and his arrival by name has all kinds of implications for the future of this series. After all, he could in fact be Moff Gideon’s boss, since a Moff has to report to someone and if that is the case, and Gideon fails in his mission (which he likely will), that could mean that Thrawn will step in and handle matters himself. Which could in turn lead to a live-action appearance of another fan favorite from the Extended Universe as well. But what is truly stunning about this tale, is that it still had more surprises to send our way.
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For this story also took the time to finally allow for The Child to spend time with an actual Jedi and well, the connection that he and Ahsoka shared, helped for us to learn a lot about this little green guy. For instance, we now know that his name is Grogu and that he was being trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when the Old Republic fell, and that someone rescued him from the temple when Order 66 came into play and he’s been in hiding ever since. And sadly, his time away from the Jedi has allowed for his powers to diminish and his current situation has also put him quite the precarious place. For Grogu is full of fear and uncertainty and a tinge of anger as well, and that’s a dangerous place for a force sensitive being to be, as we have learned over the years, and that is precisely why Ahsoka was unwilling to train him.

But not all hope is lost for young Grogu. For Ahsoka gave Din advice on what to do with the little guy next. In that, Din must take Grogu to the planet Tython, and on this world the little one must sit atop a seeing stone near a temple that has a strong connection to the Force, so that he can finally choose his own path. For if he reaches out with the Force, a powerful Jedi may arrive to help guide him and if not, then he can finally live his life as he sees fit and it should be interesting to see which path Grogu chooses. In the end however, this really was the finest episode of this series to date. Because not only did it offer up incredible action and adventure and stunning visuals, it did a fan favorite justice and it offered us answers and plenty to look forward to in the future, and at this point it is outright safe to say that the wait for next week’s episode is going to be a difficult one. Since we are all wondering what kind surprises await Din Djarin and Grogu on Tython. Until next time.

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