- Title: The Mandalorian – Chapter 17: The Apostate
- wiki: link
Catching up viewers since the end of the last season, and events which occurred on Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, the Third Season premiere of The Mandalorian jumps around a bit bringing back several characters for more fan service purposes than plot and eventually sends our Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu to Mandalore. Before getting there, however, our travelers will stop by the Mandalorian cult he dishonored by removing his helmet, and seemed to outgrow only to pulled back in, fore the sole purpose of reiterated plot points already discussed on The Book of Boba Fett. We then get another return and an odd request of on Nevarro involving a completely disabled murder droid (in a side quest that then appears to be completely abandoned as the Mandalorian forgets about search for a part and simply continues on to Mandalore).
Despite its narrative issues, and unashamedly catering to fans, “The Apostate” does feature the same look and feel of the other two seasons. We also get a potential new enemy for Din Djarin and Nevarro in space pirates with a history with the planet (and who the Mandalorian murders several of before leaving for Mandalore). The return to Nevarro is mostly to set up these events (offering both a shoot out in the streets of the city and a space battle in a small asteroid field above the planet) which will likely be a thread to be picked up later in the season. We end with a cameo from Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) who lost the support of her followers when returning home without the Dark Saber. Despite her snide remarks about Din using the saber to unite and bend Mandalorians to his will, she seems less than interested in his quest to return to the surface of the planet for an archaic ritual.
