3x05 Chapter 21: The Pirate

[7.5/10] I would call this episode simple but effective. Greef Karga and Nevarro are under attack by pirates. They need the Mandalorians’ help. The Mandalorians come defeat the pirates. There’s more to it than that, obviously, but that's the gist, and it works.

Writer/showrunner Jon Favreau has the shtick down. We’ve seen the burgeoning community Karga has built in the outer rim, and the way he plans to build into a place that could truly thrive. So when some buccaneers who are bigger on texture than character show up to tear it all down, it’s easy to be sympathetic and want our heroes to, well, do something to protect them.

The texture is good though! One of the complaints about the live action corner of the Star Wars on television is that there haven't been enough aliens in the mix. None of the pirates left a big impression on me in terms of personality, but the prosthetics and puppeteering on them is super impressive. From the mossy Gorian Shard, to his Mr. Smee-like ugnaught lieutenant, to the surprisingly expressive Vane, and the motley collection of other baddies, you can tell the production team went wild here, and it adds personality to what are otherwise a collection of disposable villains.

Likewise, the action here is predictable, but solid. Mando distracts the pirates in his Naboo starfighter. Bo-Katan air drops her new comrades in Nevarro to take back the streets. And the people of the city rally to get the last of the baddies. There’s some very cool moments, from Paz Vizla bursting out his turret once more, to the Armorer taking out the goons who’ve commandeered Greef’s office. There’s few real stand out sequences, but some nice moments of character amid all the tumult.

Despite the straightforwardness of some of this, there are some nice bits of character development and major arc storytelling that take place here. My favorite of them is Paz Vizla speaking out in favor of helping Din save Nevarro. The pair have been foes for a while, but after Mando helped save Paz’s son, the fences have been mended. And again, even if it’s predictable, the feint of Paz seeming to pour cold water on Din’s request for help, only to ultimately offer his full-throated support is a nice emotional turn in the story.

It’s a story of the Mandalorians coming out of the shadows and moving to a new phase of their existence. The idea that helping Greef is a bridge to finding a new home for their kind is a cool deal, one where you can see the show paying off tidbits it set up earlier in the season. Bo-Katan removing her helmet at the behest of the Armorer, being dubbed someone who “walks in both worlds,” and being tasked to go unite the different Mandalorian factions feels appropriately momentous given how far she’s come and how seriously the Armorer takes the creed.

With all this Mandalorian business going on, we continue to gain insight into the blind bureaucracy of the New Republic and the forces within it working to rebuild the Empire. I like centering that story on Captain Teva, who’s a familiar face at this point in the show. He’s a good avatar for someone who sees connections that should interest the New Republic’s institutions, and wants to provide aid to those who need it regardless of technicalities like membership, but whose pleas fall on the deaf ears of a new government dealing more in requisitions than rebellions.

In truth, I actually don’t love the tone of this. This is my soapbox, but there’s a sense of glorifying the rough-and-tumble battle while downgrading the hard work of building a government and the institutions that can help people in their day-to-day lives. Star Wars is basically stuck telling a story of a New Republic that ossifies and becomes vulnerable to the First Order down the line. But at the same time, it sucks, at least a little, to see the people trying to make a go of civilization once the glow of the Rebellion wears off treated like hapless middle managers.

That said, it’s in keeping with Star Wars’ focus, and still nice to see Captain Teva sticking to his principles and trying to get Mando involved in his place. Plus, it’s a nice excuse for some cameos. It’s always nice to see Tim Meadows, and despite my gripes, he plays the “I’m in charge of TPS reports, not warships” role well. More than that, it’s especially cool to see a photorealistic Zeb from Rebels depicted in a live action setting! There’s not much of a point to it, beyond a “Hey! It’s Zeb!” moment, but it’s still nice to see in a season of The Mandalorian that's had more than a few shoutouts to the animated corners of the Galaxy Far Far Away.

Captain Teva’s crusade which motivates those cameos isn’t just a “We gotta help the little guy” quest. He sees a connection between Moff Gideon’s disappearance, the pirate takeover of a planet he once commanded, and other suspicious activity. The way Elia Kane subtly manipulates her superior to stop Teva from interfering suggests this conspiracy continues to run deep within the New Republic. There’s hints that various members of the proto-First Order are plotting a comeback, but it’s interesting to see them in action as the pieces fall into place, and only folks like Teva can see the bigger picture.

Overall though, this is a fairly straightforward story of people who need help, and people who deliver it. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Much of Star Wars is taking basic, elemental ideas and doing them in a way that nonetheless resonates with people. The Mandalorian is no exception, nor should it be.