The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 1, titled “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” dropped on Disney+ on October 30, 2020. The episode runs for 50 minutes. The premiere brings back the fan-favorite bounty hunter and the Child (Grogu) for another adventure across the galaxy. Din Djarin is on a mission to find other Mandalorians who can help him return Grogu to his people. The episode introduces several new faces while bringing back some familiar ones from Season 1.
Pedro Pascal returns as the lead character Din Djarin (The Mandalorian). Pascal provides the voice and physical performance for the helmeted bounty hunter. He became known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Narcos before taking on this iconic Star Wars role. In this episode, Mando searches for information about other Mandalorians. He visits an underground fight club run by a gangster named Gor Koresh. The encounter does not go as planned, but Mando learns that someone wearing Mandalorian armor has been seen on Tatooine.
The Child, known as Grogu (Baby Yoda), also returns. Fans gave him the nickname Baby Yoda because of his strong resemblance to the famous Jedi Master. The character is around 50 years old during the events of Season 2 but still looks like a small child. Grogu is not played by a traditional actor. The show uses a mix of puppets, animatronics, and computer-generated effects to bring him to life. In this episode, he stays close to Mando and watches as his protector deals with dangerous enemies.
New Faces Join the Cast in Season 2 Episode 1
The premiere episode features Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth, the marshal of a small desert town called Mos Pelgo on Tatooine. Olyphant is best known for his leading roles in TV series like Deadwood and Justified. His character, Cobb Vanth, first appeared in Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath novels. In the show, Vanth buys a set of Mandalorian armor from Jawas and uses it to protect his town from criminals and creatures. He wears the armor that originally belonged to Boba Fett, the famous bounty hunter from the original Star Wars trilogy. Vanth agrees to give Mando the armor if Mando helps him kill a Krayt dragon that has been terrorizing the town. The two form an uneasy alliance and work together with local Tusken Raiders to take down the giant beast.
John Leguizamo appears as the voice of Gor Koresh, a one-eyed Abyssin gangster who runs an underground fighting ring. Leguizamo is a well-known actor who has appeared in films like Moulin Rouge!, the John Wick movies, and Chef, which was directed by Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau. Gor Koresh pretends to have information about other Mandalorians but actually tries to steal Mando’s beskar armor. Mando quickly defeats Koresh’s guards and hangs the gangster upside down. He leaves Koresh to be eaten by wild creatures after getting the information he needs.
Amy Sedaris returns as Peli Motto, the lively mechanic who works in Mos Eisley on Tatooine. Sedaris first played this role in Season 1 Episode 5. She is known for her work on Strangers with Candy, BoJack Horseman, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. In this episode, Mando visits Peli to get his ship, the Razor Crest, repaired. She helps him find the location of Mos Pelgo, which has been erased from most maps after the Empire fell.
Big Surprise Appearance in the Final Moments
The episode ends with a major surprise for Star Wars fans. Temuera Morrison appears as Boba Fett in the final scene. Morrison is a New Zealand actor who previously played Jango Fett and the clone troopers in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He portrays an older, worn-looking Boba Fett who watches Mando from a distance as he rides through the desert. For years, fans believed Boba Fett died after falling into the Sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi (1983). This episode confirms that he survived and is now searching for his armor. Morrison’s appearance sets up a bigger role for Boba Fett later in the season.
Other actors appear in smaller roles. Isaac C. Singleton Jr. plays a Twi’lek doorman at Gor Koresh’s fight club. David Choe, known for his work as a street artist and podcaster, appears as a ringside spectator. Miguel A. Lopez and Xavier Jimenez play Tusken Raiders who help Mando and Cobb Vanth fight the Krayt dragon. Leilani Shiu appears as a Jawa. W. Earl Brown plays a Weequay proprietor. Karisma Gideon appears as a character named Jo. Several other actors play villagers, bodyguards, and fighters in the background.
Behind the Scenes: Direction and Production
The episode was written and directed by Jon Favreau, who serves as the showrunner for The Mandalorian. Favreau also created the series and has written most of the episodes across both seasons. According to the Writers Guild of America, Favreau wrote six out of eight episodes in Season 2, including the premiere and the finale. This marked Favreau’s first time directing an episode of the show. He had previously directed films like Iron Man, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King.
The production used advanced filming technology called StageCraft, which was developed by Industrial Light & Magic. This system projects digital backgrounds onto large LED screens surrounding the actors. It allows the cast to see their environment in real time instead of acting in front of a green screen. Filming for Season 2 took place at MBS Studios in Manhattan Beach, California, and on a 100,000-square-foot backlot in El Segundo, California. Production began on November 22, 2019, and ended on April 3, 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread lockdowns.
The episode’s Krayt dragon battle was a major technical achievement. Favreau later explained that the sequence used a mix of practical effects, green screen filming in Los Angeles, and computer-generated imagery created by Industrial Light & Magic. The digital sand in the desert battle was rendered in a way that was not possible just a few years earlier.
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What Critics and Viewers Said About the Premiere
The episode received positive reviews from critics and fans. Many praised the action sequences, the introduction of Cobb Vanth, and the surprise Boba Fett appearance. A review from Den of Geek noted that the episode “firmly convinced me of the threat of the Krayt dragon, of the coolness and value of Mandalorian armor, of the beauty of the off-white Tatooine desert”. Another review from The Fandom Post called the Krayt dragon fight “big and crazy fun” and said the action was “rightly restrained at times and focused”.
Some viewers had mixed feelings about the episode’s pacing. One review mentioned that the episode “was relatively light on story, but served as an excellent reintroduction to the series” and noted that “the visuals were cinematic grade”. Others pointed out that the episode leaned heavily on fan service, but most agreed that it was still an entertaining start to the season.
“What we all want from a Star Wars project is very different. The Mandalorian leans into my enjoyment of the spaghetti western and so much more. Entertaining and engaging to me.” – The Fandom Post review
The Boba Fett reveal at the end generated significant discussion among Star Wars fans online. Many took to social media to share their excitement about Morrison’s return to the franchise. The appearance confirmed that the character had survived the Sarlacc pit and would play a role in future episodes.
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