'The Mandalorian' Season 1 ending sees big revelations close this chapter, but there's more to come in Season 2
Spoiler alert for Episode 8 of 'The Mandalorian'
The series finale of 'The Mandalorian' brought a lot of surprises, snippets of information, and one major Easter Egg that sent fans of the animated series reeling. There's a lot to unpack, even with one of the series' most enduring questions remaining unanswered... for now.
Our protagonist, the titular Mandalorian himself (Pedro Pascal), however, has almost no secrets left from us, the audience.
Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) has done his homework and lets the Mandalorian and his allies know just how in control he is of the situation by revealing information they had been keeping to themselves, starting with the Mandalorian's original name — Din Djarin.
What's more, the episode finally lets us see Din's face, and the biggest surprise there is how unsurprising the reveal is.
There's nothing particularly noteworthy about Din's face aside from the general handsomeness of Pedro Pascal, but the reveal does let us know that the Mandalorian is but a simple human, fallible and afraid of death just like anyone else.
Moff Gideon also reveals that Cara Dune (Gina Carano), aka Carrison Thea Dune, is originally from Alderaan — giving her special reason to hate the Empire, as it destroyed her entire planet.
We also find out that Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), for all his double-dealings as the head of the Bounty Hunter's Guild on Navarro, was once on the prestigious side of the law as a Magistrate — though that life is behind him now, as he was disgraced from that position for reasons not yet revealed.
The episode sets up Season 2 in a big way, as a run-in with the Armourer (Emily Swallow) gives Din Djarin a newfound purpose based on Mandalorian creed.
Baby Yoda, who Din has taken responsibility for, is now officially a Mandalorian foundling under Din's care — to be raised in the Mandalorian way until Din either finds the child's people, or until the child comes of age, and Din has been tasked with finding the rest of Baby Yoda's mysterious species.
The species, which is so rare in the galaxy that even the prodigious 'Star Wars' lore has not named them, will likely be a big part of Season 2 as Din attempts to track them down.
The Armourer gives the Din two final gifts — a jetpack, rounding out his armor and accessories, and a signet. Knowing the full story of how Baby Yoda saved Din from the mudhorn, back in Episode 2, and how Din then saved Baby Yoda from the Imperials, is obviously enough to bind the two together as a "clan of two".
Having defeated the mudhorn together, the signet that the Mandalorian can now accept is that of the mudhorn the two defeated together.
Baby Yoda has now officially been indoctrinated into the Mandalorian creed and way of life, meaning it's only a matter of time before Din is outfitting the child for a helmet that can contain those long, green ears. The child is already wearing Din's necklace — a metal Mythosaur skull symbol, the mark of the Mandalorians.
The Mandalorian has now left his life as a bounty hunter behind entirely, stepping into a new role as a father to the child, though his name has been cleared — he and the child will no longer be pursued by the Bounty Hunter's Guild.
That doesn't take Din Djarin and the child out of danger, however, as Moff Gideon is revealed to be alive despite Din destroying his TIE fighter. What's more, Moff Gideon wields the Darksaber.
The appearance of the Darksaber may signify that Season 2 will place more focus on Mandalorian culture and history. Considering the Mandalorians are still in hiding, retrieving the Darksaber from Moff Gideon may just be what's needed to reunite the Mandalorian clans under one banner.
According to Jon Favreau, Season 2 has already begun production, but there is no word yet of when it is set to release.