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"It is time to retake Mandalore."
For those of you who have argued that The Mandalorian has delivered "filler" episodes lately, it's fair to say yesterday's effort was a welcomed improvement, right?
While it definitely feels like the series is including a lot of content once meant for the now-cancelled Rangers of the New Republic spin-off, that's proving to be far from a bad thing. In "The Pirate," Nevarro is attacked by the Pirate King Gorian Shard, prompting Greef Karga to plead with the New Republic for help.
Unfortunately, they decline (find out more about that by clicking here), but Din Djarin learns of what is happening and, with some help from Paz Vizsla, rallies his fellow Mandalorians to help rescue the planet.
He mentions that Karga offered him land there and suggests the covert can finally come out of hiding and live openly, restoring their Mandalorian culture and allowing the foundlings to live and play in the light.
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With that, Din and Bo-Katan Kryze lead the charge and help stave off the invaders. While Vane flees when it becomes clear the battle is lost, Shard goes down with his ship, debunking popular fan theories and rumours that he will be Skeleton Crew's main villain (Vane, on the other hand, is definitely someone we expect to see again down the line).
Once the fight is over, Karga welcomes the Mandalorians to his planet and offers them a huge piece of land where they can settle, allowing them to call his planet home.
The Armorer - who reveals that she worked on Mandalore prior to its destruction - summons Bo-Katan to the forge she worked from in the show's first season and demands that she remove her helmet. Explaining that Bo-Katan seeing the Mythosaur is a sign the "next age" is upon them, she tasks the former leader of Mandalore with finding more exiled Mandalorians.
After being part of both worlds, Bo-Katan is who The Armorer believes can unite them. It does, however, sound like she expects the Mandalorians who return to them to also walk "The Way," so how they'll feel about keeping their helmets on...well, that remains to be seen.
We also can't help but wonder whether Bo-Katan is going to need the Darksaber to win them over...