‘The Mandalorian’ Recap – ‘Chapter 14: The Tragedy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Chapter 14 of ‘The Mandalorian’.
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There are a great many reasons as to why Star Wars fans continue to stick with this long and storied franchise. For some, it is the spirit of adventure that keeps them coming back for more. Because the prospect of traveling through the galaxy, far, far away is too good to pass up, since these stories always offer up breathtaking and exotic locations that wow folks in ways, they never thought possible. For others, well it is all about the grand and sweeping story of this universe, since good vs. evil is always on the menu and the endless struggle between the two does indeed captivate one’s imagination. 

But for the vast majority of the rest of us, two key elements of this franchise suck us in time and time again. Specifically, the fact the action in these stories is unparalleled in science fiction since the sweeping and epic battles that take place in the SWU keeps our hearts pumping, and we are also big fans of how the characters in these stories are challenged in an incredible manner. Because the insurmountable tasks they sometimes face are almost inspiring in a way, since none of the heroes of this universe back down from a fight or a challenge and they will give it their all, in order to save the day. And really, all of this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because those two epic reasons for loving the Star Wars franchise were on full display during this week’s episode of The Mandalorian.

Because ‘Chapter 14: The Tragedy’ saw Din and Grogu arrive on Tython to give the little guy a chance to connect with the Force and potentially contact a powerful Jedi. Something that should have been a simple and peaceful act, were it not for the fact that there were others to follow them to this world. Such as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, who have been tracking Din and the Razor Crest for some time and thankfully they weren’t here to stir up any trouble. They just wanted Boba’s armor and it is a darn good thing that they showed up when they did. For Moff Gideon also made a point to drop by Tython in order to get his hands on Grogu and that is what led to all the action in question. Because Boba and Fennec and Din were united in defending this tiny Padawan and they went all out in keeping in him safe.

But alas, despite some breathtaking and jaw-dropping action sequences, wherein Boba reclaimed his amor and beat the ever-living hell out of the Stormtroopers on the surface, a happy ending simply wasn’t meant to be in this tale. For eventually, Moff Gideon grew tired of this little song and dance and destroyed the Razor Crest before deploying the Dark Troopers to grab hold of Grogu. Leaving Din in a horrible place since he’d failed in his mission to protect the little one and that’s where the challenge in question came into play. For really, Din had two choices, to rise up and go after the Kid or walk away and hit the reset button on his life and thankfully, with a little support from Boba Fett and Fennec… he opted to rise to the occasion.

If anything, this was just… one wild and amazing episode when all is said and done. Because not only did it serve up one action packed story, it allowed for all of us to geek out on an epic scale. After all, we were treated to the official return of Boba Fett, and holy cow was it just incredible to see him kick some Stormtrooper butt. Because he was simply relentless and merciless in driving them back and of course… fans that grew up in the 1990s, that were fortunate enough to play Star Wars games from Lucasarts; finally got to see the Dark Troopers in action. But all geeking out aside, it is obvious now that the stage is set for the final two episodes. Because clearly, Din is going after Grogu and he is going to pull out all the stops in keeping him safe and it should be interesting to see how this final battle between Moff Gideon and Din Djarin is going to play out in the weeks to come. Until next time.  

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