1. Pirates. Apparently Gorian Shard was still miffed at Greef Karga for Karga’s expulsion of the pirates from Nevarro in Chapter 17. Shard positioned his Cumulus class Corsair over the main settlement of Nevarro and commenced with aerial bombardment followed by ground troops. The inhabitants were forced to flee the city. Before fleeing, Karga made sure to send out a message for help.
2. The New Republic. Captain Teva receives Karga’s plea for help while convalescing at Adelphi Outpost. Apparently, his unit is called the Adelphi Rangers. We were all excited to see live action Zeb Orrelios hanging out at the pilots’ bar. It is unclear if he is an Adelphi Ranger or just passing thru. Still, Captain Teva clearly valued his opinion. Rather than wait for a reply message, Teva jumped in his X-Wing and flew directly to Coruscant. The requisitions officer was not impressed with Teva’s plea for help on behalf of Nevarro. His opinion was further solidified by the sly insinuations of Elia Kane. What is clear here is that the New Republic is too big to identify real threats. Instead, they are responding to known brush fires instead of hunting down the main source of all the issues. In short, the New Republic is suffering from the same symptoms the Empire did. They are too large of a bureaucracy to find and eradicate each and every identifiable problem. Captain Teva knows something significant is brewing. However, the New Republic can’t be bothered with his so-called fantasies.
3. A Brave Pilot. Realizing that the New Republic is unlikely to sanction help for Navarro, CPT Teva hunted down the Mandalorian. We learned a new fact. Apparently R5 served the Rebellion in years past. That was how Teva was able to locate the Covert. CPT Teva is a brave man. How did Captain Teva know that R5 was Djarin? He knows how secretive the Mandalorians are. He respects them. However, he also knew that Din Djarin would like to know what is going down on Nevarro. He knew if anyone could help the citizens of Nevarro in a timely fashion, it was the Mandalorian.
4. A Debate. Mandalorians appear to be democratic. They discuss and debate matters of importance. The speaker holds the hammer and makes his thoughts known, just as Djarin did. It is easy to forget that many of these same Mandalorians fought against Karga to help Djarin out of a serious jam. Now, he is asking for them to help him save Karga and his people. He offers them a carrot; land and a home. Paz Vizla starts his comments off as if he intended to debate and argue against Djarin’s words. It appeared that the Covert was against the idea, until Vizla reminded them that they are Mandalorians. He honored Djarin’s bravery in saving Ragnar and pledged to join the quest. Vizla’s words swayed his Covert to action. This is an important turn of events.
5. The Battle. Bo-Katan and Din Djarin formulated the battle plan. Bo-Katan dropped Mandalorians into the city while Din Djarin pulled the pirate snub fighters away from Corsair. Then Bo-Katan and Djarin would work together to destroy the pirate air assets while ground troops secured the city. Simple and effective. We were treated to Mandalorian tactics and prowess in battle.
6. A New Home. True to his word, Karga gave the Mandalorians a huge tract of land to settle on. This is an important development for not only Nevarro, but for the Mandalorian people as a whole. This covert is no longer satisfied with hiding in the dark.
7. A Challenge. The Armorer realizes the importance of uniting her people. She orders Bo-Katan to remove her helmet. This was an important lesson in trust. The Armorer acknowledges that Bo-Ktan saw a real mythosaur and takes this as a sign. The Armorer asked Bo-Katan to remove her helmet as an illustration that she is the one to unite the members of the Old Way to the members of the new Way. Bo-Katan will be sent to find other Mandalorian tribes to come and join this covert on Nevarro. The challenge is twofold. Recruit as many Mandalorian as possible so that they can go and eventually re-take and repopulate their home world.
8. A Revelation. Captain Teva finally found what he was looking for. Stumbling across a derelict Lambda class shuttle, he investigates. He finds that Moff Gideon was on the transport at the time it was attacked. He also finds beskar ore. Is it possible that Moff Gideon has a loyal covert of Mandalorians to himself? Maybe. However, if he escaped, he had help and I think it’s more likely that his loyal troops have beskar armor or weapons. But, what if a group of Mandalorians decided to secure him for their own ends to exact their own justice? It is also possible that a group of Mandalorians inspected the ship after he was taken. It is unclear what resources the New Republic are martialing to recapture the Moff. The details of the missing shuttle were classified. It makes you wonder what else is the New Republic hiding…. Whatever the case is, Moff Gideon is back in the game.
9. Final Chapter Thoughts. Bo-Katan cares for Djarin. Her immediate reaction to Djarin’s resolution to help his friend was that he cannot go alone. Tone of voice and body language are important to watch here. During the debate they sat closely together, touching shoulder to shoulder. It is unclear what Djarin’s feelings are towards her, but it is clear that she likes him. There is a power triad forming. The Armorer clearly holds great admiration and power among her people. She is the teacher. She is the holder of the faith. She is the Armorer, and yet it seems that Din Djarin and Bo-Katan are speeding towards a union together. Both show reverence and honor towards the Armorer. Djarin has the Dark Saber. Bo-Katan can unite the old and the new worlds of Mandalore. Djarin has a foundling to raise that Bo-Katan is developing an affinity for. I think we are looking at a power couple in the making and together with the Armorer, they will lead their people to a new dawn.
