In this week’s installment of The Mandalorian, entitled “The Jedi”, Mando is finally going to complete his mission to unite The Child with his own kind; the legendary Jedi Knights. And not just any Jedi, the nomadic duo find Ahsoka Tano, the padawan learner of Anakin Skywalker, and one of the greatest Jedi to ever wield a lightsaber.

    “The Jedi” is a love letter to Star Wars. There is such a familiarity in this episode. The lightsaber choreography, the lore, and easter eggs all seamed together flawlessly. From the first scene, to the last, the fangirl in me was screaming. Rosario Dawson plays the live action version of Tano, and she captures the character introduced in Clone Wars so well, that I honestly don’t want to see anyone else play her. She is still the passionate, strong minded person that went toe to toe with her master, and rejected the ideology of the Jedi. But she’s also wiser and hardened from surviving the massacre of her people. She sees great potential in Grogu (the Child’s real name is revealed to be Grogu, and I love it so much) but also sees his fear. If you’re reading this, you no doubt know that fear and a strong connection to the force can be a lethal combination. Ahsoka knows this all too well, and she is not ready to lead Grogu down that path. 

    This isn’t exactly the answer Mando was looking for, and despite the fact that he helps Ahsoka take down an evil magistrate, who also happens to be an apprentice of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Ahsoka still won’t train Grogu. She says he must choose his own path, and sends the two to an old Jedi temple so that he can do so. 

This might be my favorite episode of The Mandalorian, so far. It had everything I love about Star Wars. It’s” a galaxy far far away”, and I’ve always liked the idea that stories could exist in that setting without being essential to the Skywalker plot. The Mandalorian is just that. It’s a standalone story that occasionally touches the core of Star Wars, but not in a way that seems forced, without creating plot holes, and not at the expense of its own plot.