Spoilers The Mandalorian Season 3

[Noname Given]

So they were called the living waters cause they had a dang mythosaur living in them? I did not see that coming!

IDK - when she read the plaque and it said of the first Mandalorian: "he killed the beast in the water..."; yeah I was expecting something to appear and attack Din; and I originally thought that's what happened when he went under; but when she was taking him back to the surface, no I wasn't surprised to see the creature...I was surprised it didn't immediately come after them though.

 

[Reverend]

According to BespinBulletin.com the pirates from Episode #1 of this season will be the villains in Skeleton Crew, the Jude Law series set at the same time as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka.

I wondered why they seemed oddly well defined. Would have been a bit weird if they were being set up as the main antagonists this season, so this makes more sense.

"he killed the beast in the water..."

Tamed. He tamed the beast. Not the same thing.
Also; between that and the "previously on", it's clearly telegraphed and not meant to be a surprise.

As for why it didn't attack. That thing is ginormous. They're way too small to bother with. Plus it look like it just woke up, so is probably more perturbed than hungry.

 

[Set Harth]

The only thing I liked about the pirates was that the front of their flagship appeared to be inspired by Dark Empire.

 

[Tuskin38]

Based on the trailers, I think we'll see the pirates again.

 

[Ithekro]

Likely a reprisals raid on Nevarro, but with more Mandaloreans present. Half expect IG-11 to become the Marshal.

 

[Reverend]

Likely a reprisals raid on Nevarro, but with more Mandaloreans present. Half expect IG-11 to become the Marshal.

That does seem to be where that plot thread is going. I mean his stated reason was to take him to Mandalore, and they've already done that. So, why else even introduce the concept?

 

[KennyB]

Serious Paperclip vibes

 

[thribs]

This cloning story must be related into the creation of Snoke. He mentions combing multiple DNA strands together. That’s what Snoke looked like. Multiple alien species combined as one

 

[KennyB]

I did not see 80% of this episode going the way it did.

 

[thribs]

It was nice to finally see Coruscant post Jedi finally

 

[KennyB]

The look on the Mon Calamari’s face when he mentioned he had been trapped was my favorite line/moment

 

[Reverend]

Random thoughts: -

• I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly didn't have "Monument Plaza in live action" on my bingo card this week, much less a return visit to the "Galaxies Opera House"!
• Curious where all those TIE's appeared from. Fighters that size couldn't get all they way out there on their own. Even more curious is that they didn't show whatever ship they launched from. Mayhap because it would be a little too . . . recognisable?
• They're certainly expanding the scope of the show by several orders of magnitude. Not only are we out of the outer rim for I'm pretty sure the first time; almost the entire episode bar the bookends is spent entirely away from Mando. It almost felt like an episode of Clone Wars.
• LOTS of aurebesh in this one. The YT lore video people are going to be busy today!
• All kinds of neat touches and details; almost too many to list, but the New Republic version of the old LAAT/le police gunship was my favourite. I guess some Imperial tech is OK to keep? Oddly appropriate though since I'm pretty sure it was originally designed for 'Underworld' (Lucas's abandoned attempt at a show rather like this one) before being inherited by '1313' (the young Boba videogame that almost was) then finally 'Clone Wars'. Also, the version of it that showed up in 'Jedi Fallen Order' was originally built for 'Ragtag' (the 57th SW game EA cancelled during their totally worthwhile period of holding the exclusive licence.) That thing certainly has a knack for escaping cancelled projects!
• I half expected Bo and Paz to know each other. I mean, we don't know Paz's relation to Pre, so it could be anything from son to a distant nephew several times renewed, to just a foundling adopted into House Vizla. But still; for a second there I thought there might be some recognition beyond just "Nite Owl".
• Bo is keeping the live Mythosaur to herself for now. You can almost see her wheels turning; Someone clearly has a new plan to rally her people back together. If only she had a cult of fanatical Mandos to serve as a new powerbase . . .
• Oh an Bo Katan being considered redeemed for her little dip? Called it! (Well, technically I said all she had left to do was recite the creed, but I guess that part is considered optional.)

Serious Paperclip vibes

On the contrary, it felt like the exact opposite of Paperclip, and yet still vaguely sinister in a well meaning but deeply naïve bureaucratic kind of way. By rights, you'd think New Republic Intelligence would be watching an asset that dangerous like a hawk-bat.

One can't help but wonder though, if there's a SW version of Mossad (circa 1960) actively going after ex-Imperials with or without official sanction from the Senate. Maybe that's who Cara was really recruited by?

 

[EmoBorg]

Based on what i have seen, this Elia Kane, the comms officer, is still loyal to the Empire. She "betrayed" the scientist and made it look like that the New Republic tortured him after he was captured. That could make the scientist turn against the New Republic and rejoin the Imperials. Smart play by her.

 

[Finn]

Astonished she was left alone especially since she had worked for Moff Gideon.... and he thought he could have brought back that huge case (screaming Imperial) to the Amnesty place without anyone noticing, rather than bringing an ordinary duffel bag?


Yeah....plot reasons.

 

[thribs]

Based on what i have seen, this Elia Kane, the comms officer, is still loyal to the Empire. She "betrayed" the scientist and made it look like that the New Republic tortured him after he was captured. That could make the scientist turn against the New Republic and rejoin the Imperials. Smart play by her.

I think she erased his mind.

 

[The Wormhole]

So, I'm guessing when filming this season they had to work around Pedro Pascal's schedule for The Last of Us? After all, last week Mando spends most of the episode captured and we follow Bo-Katan and Grogu going through the ruins of Mandalore, this week is almost entirely Dr. Pershing on Coruscant. Or is this just balancing the scales after having essentially two Mandalorian episodes on Book of Boba Fett last year?

I'm not complaining, I'm enjoying this season anyway. Just an observation.

 

[thribs]

I don’t think Pedro’s schedule on last of us matters since the majority of scenes you see are with a body double. He only does the voice in most scenes. That was the case in the previous seasons as well.

I wonder why you’re not allowed to touch the mountain?

 

[Reverend]

I think it's fairly obvious that Kane is a plant, and the New Republic don't know she worked for Gideon (her fellow amnesty housing residents certainly didn't.) At first I assumed she was there to extract Dr. Pershing, but now it looks like she's there to silence him. Clearly he knows too much about Imperial cloning projects.

Also recall that Gideon was ex-ISB, which means Kane may be also. She certainly seems to be practiced in tradecraft.

Side note: kind of worrying (and no doubt deliberate) that we get a mention of Imperial warlords plural still at large, AND the Alliance fleet being in the process of decommissioning along with the old Imperial war machine.
We know disarmament and political complacency will bite the New Republic in the arse when the First Order shows up, but if they're really already building to a Thrawn led campaign, they're going to seem a little extra dumb for making the same mistake twice!

I don’t think Pedro’s schedule on last of us matters since the majority of scenes you see are with a body double. He only does the voice in most scenes. That was the case in the previous seasons as well.

I wonder why you’re not allowed to touch the mountain?

It's an ancient site on a plant of 1 trillon. If they let people touch it, it would have already been worn down to nothing centuries ago. Same reason you're not allowed to touch Stonehenge, or even walk on the grass around it without special permission. Erosion is a thing.

 

[thribs]

There is that line where Kane says she has no choice. She may not want to do this but is being forced to in some way

 

[Reverend]

I doubt it. She seemed fairly nonchalant, snacking on biscuits while turning his brain into scrambled eggs.
As for what she said 1) she was referring to her initial recruitment, 2) you can't trust a word a double agent says.

I'm guessing she was born and raised on Coruscant, maybe in the lower levels, and Imperial service was her only escape. She was a Navy officer and went to the Academy, so I doubt she was pressganged or caught in a general draft, otherwise she'd have just been stuffed into Stormtrooper armor and shoved into combat.

I'm guessing maybe she must have tested high to get into the Royal Imperial Academy, and was recruited by the ISB from there.