'The Mandalorian': Chapter 6 gives us another glimpse into the protagonist's past, and he may be much, much older than he seems

Spoiler alert for Episode 6 of ‘The Mandalorian’ 

Part of the mystery associated with the Mandalorian never taking his helmet off is lost given that we know exactly what the actor playing him, Pedro Pascal, looks like. However, we may have taken this knowledge for granted, as a look into the Mandalorian’s backstory reveals that the character might be a lot older than originally assumed. 

When the need for money sees the Mandalorian approach an old friend, Ran (Mark Boone Jr), for help, we learn that the two characters go back. Way back. When introducing the Mandalorian to associate Mayfield (Bill Burr), Ran mentions that he used to work with Mando way back when “we were all young, trying to make a name for ourselves.” With apologies to Mark Boone Jr, Ran is someone who definitely has quite a few decades under his belt. If the Mandalorian worked with Ran when Ran was young, that puts the Mandalorian at a much older age himself. 

With knowledge of what Pedro Pascal’s face being a quick google search away, there are only two real surprises in regards to what is underneath the Mandalorian’s helmet - that he’s another species entirely, or that he’s a man much older than Pedro Pascal. If that’s the case, then Mando is in very good shape for his age - wearing heavy armour all day long is tiring enough without all the strenuous activity he goes through, episode after episode. 

It is the only real clue we have to the Mandalorian’s age. While we know that he was a child when he was rescued from an Empire attack, when the Empire itself had been in charge for a few decades, at least, placing a high upper limit on how old the Mandalorian may be. 

But then again, as the 50-year-old Baby Yoda most definitively proves, age is very much just a number. 

The next episode of ‘The Mandalorian’ airs December 18 on Disney+.