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‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian’ season 3 chapter 17 ‘The Apostate’ recap/review

Despite a lot of over-the-top flashiness (which was still a lot of fun), ‘The Mandalorian’ manages to set up some great storylines for its third season.

It’s been a long wait since Star Wars: The Mandalorian concluded its second season back in 2020. We did get a large and important chunk of Din Djarin’s story in last year’s The Book of Boba Fett, but it’s still great to have everyone’s favorite space dad/badass warrior back in his own series.

Although I’m sure we’ve all seen the season three trailer, here’s where we stand as things kick off:

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

  • Speaking of the Armorer, she and Paz Vizsla declared Din Djarin to be an apostate from their cult for the sin of removing his helmet. According to their creed, the only way he can redeem himself is to bathe in the Living Waters below the Mines of Mandalore. This moment was rock bottom for Djarin since he was already missing Grogu like crazy after sending him off with Luke Skywalker to train to be a Jedi.
  • On his way to take an atoning deepwater bath, Djarin had an adventure with Boba Fett that resulted in him and Grogu being reunited. The Child may have given up his chance to be a Jedi, but he’s back with the person who loves and cares about him the most.
  • Din Djarin also got a brand new ship, which he’s now using to get back to the business of redeeming himself.

This week, Djarin and Grogu refocus their journey on fixing up an old friend and a perilous homecoming.

As always, the recap portion of this review will contain plenty of spoilers along with some brief explorations of Star Wars lore.

Monster Mash

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

The episode opens with the Armorer making a helmet inside a new forge. She then walks out of a cave accompanied by banner-holding and drum-beating Mandalorian warriors. She steps into the sunlight, where even more Mandalorians (both adults and children) are lined up in two columns to meet her, including Paz Vizsla. At the end is a large lake, where a young foundling is about to pledge himself to the Children of the Watch.

Moments after the boy is given his helmet and recites the creed, a giant monster bursts up from the water and begins wreaking havoc — which is just as random and awesome as it sounds. The Mandalorian warriors proceed to get their asses handed to them, futilely attempting to pierce the beast’s hide with every weapon they have.

Seconds before the monster can chomp down on Paz, Djarin swoops in with his new starfighter and blows a hole in the creature’s side.

*Side Note: Yes, this was a cool scene, but it also had several issues. For starters, lake monsters seem like the type of thing you should scout for before a large ceremony involving children. I’m also willing to forgive Djarin’s impeccable timing, but it’s hard to believe that an N-1 starfighter (even one that’s heavily modified) was packing enough firepower to take down a monster that a group of heavily armed Mandalorians couldn’t even scratch.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Following what had to be some very awkward greetings, Djarin goes to see the Armorer in her forge. Instead of thanking him for saving everyone, she reminds her former ally that he’s no longer a Mandalorian due to the unforgivable sin of removing his helmet. She also throws cold water on his potential redemption, claiming that the Mines of Mandalore have been obliterated along with the rest of the planet.

Djarin counters by pulling out a shard of glass with a Mandalorian inscription. He tells the Armorer that it was given to him by Jawas, who obtained it from a traveler who claimed to have recently visited the planet.

*Side Note: I can’t find this story anywhere in expanded universe materials, but I really hope we get to see how Djarin met this traveler (and maybe even the traveler’s visit to Mandalore) at some point in the near future.

As far as the Armorer is concerned, the glass only proves that the planet’s entire surface was crystalized via orbital bombardment. Djarin points out that the fact someone managed to set foot on the planet means it’s not poisoned (which many of their people believe). Djarin then declares that by law, he would have to be readmitted to the covert if he bathed in the Living Waters and returned.

Despite her obvious skepticism, the Armorer accepts his statement.

Friends Old and New

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Djarin sleeps in the pilot seat of his N1 while it hurtles through hyperspace. Meanwhile, Grogu looks outside and sees the silhouettes of some Purrgils following alongside them.


*Side Note: For folks who aren’t familiar with these creatures, Purrgils are basically giant whales that travel in pods through hyperspace. In the series finale of ‘Star Wars: Rebels,’ Ezra Bridger used the force to call upon some Purrgils to help defeat Admiral Thrawn, thus saving his homeworld of Lothal from the Empire.

In the process, both he and Thrawn disappeared to parts unknown.

If none of that made any sense to you, then don’t worry. But you may recall that in the ‘Mandalorian’ episode where Din Djarin met Ashoka, she was looking for Admiral Thrawn, which is no doubt linked to her search for Ezra (which is very likely going to be the primary narrative in the upcoming Ahsoka series).

Whatever the case, at least you know why any major Star Wars fans you know (myself included) began squealing at the top of their lungs when this scene happened.


Din Djarin eventually exits hyperspace and enters the planet of Nevarro, which looks a million times better than it did during the last two seasons. In addition to the lack of Imperial presence and criminals, the people appear happy and safe.

Much of this is thanks to our old friend Greef Karga, who has taken over as the planet’s High Magistrate. In addition to setting up legitimate commercial zones and schools, he also erected a statue of IG-11 in the capital’s town square, using whatever parts he could salvage after the droid heroically sacrificed itself back in season one.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

While Grogu amuses himself in an office chair, Karga and Djarin take a moment to catch up. Karga also offers the Mandalorian a parcel of land, explaining that his people’s rejection makes this the ideal time to move with Grogu to Nevarro.

Their meeting is interrupted when a protocol droid announces that a band of pirates is causing trouble nearby. The pair head outside and see that the pirates (led by a Nikto named Vane) are demanding they be allowed to drink inside a school building that used to be a bar. Karga tries to diffuse the situation, but Vane remains obstinate, pointing out this his boss (Pirate King Gorian Shard) helped pay for the original saloon.

After a brief standoff, Karga manages to shoot the blaster out of Vane’s hand before instructing him to tell his boss that pirates are no longer welcome on Nevarro. When one of the other pirates tries to shoot Karga, Djarin guns them all down except for Vane, who’s forced to flee.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Following that bit of bloody diplomacy, Karga asks Djarin to be his marshal. When Djarin asks what happened to Cara Dune, the High Magistrate explains that she was recruited for special forces after bringing in Moff Gideon, who’s currently awaiting trial for war crimes.

*Side Note: Dune better hope the New Republic military doesn’t have a vaccine requirement.

After turning down the offer, Djarin asks if he can attempt to repair IG-11 so the droid can accompany him on his trip to Mandalore. Karga assures his old friend that they can find him a working droid now, but IG-11 is the only one he trusts.

Later, Djarin manages to get the top half of the droid’s body to power on. Unfortunately, it immediately defaults to its last bounty mission (hunting Grogu) and begins coming after all of them like in the final scene from The Terminator movie. The rampaging droid is finally shut down via a bust of Greef Karga falling on its head (followed by a pun so bad that even my newly minted status as a father couldn’t make me appreciate it).

Karga then takes Djarin to a team of Anzellans to see if they can do anything with the droid.

*Side Note: You likely recognize these adorable aliens as being the same race as Babu Frick, who was one of the few things from the Sequel Trilogy that all Star Wars fans loved and agree on.

They initially say it’s a lost cause, but that a recovery may be possible if Djarin can find a compatible memory circuit…which of course means the Mandalorian will be going on a thrilling side quest to get one. Before Djarin leaves, Grogu is unable to restrain himself from hugging one of the Anzellans, which is both hilarious and completely understandable.

Hostility On All Fronts

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

As Djarin and Grogu head back into space, they’re ambushed by Vane and a squad of space pirates. Predictably, he wipes the floor with all of them (except for Vane) in a superbly choreographed dogfight sequences — although he does come very close to getting gunned down by Pirate King Gorian Shard, who looks like Swamp Thing attempting to cosplay as a Victorian-era prince.

Later, the pair arrive on the planet Kalevala, which is a planet in the Mandalore system.

*Side Note: Although the Kalevala hasn’t been seen much in the Star Wars franchise, it’s the location of some crucial events. In addition to being the birthplace of Duchess Staine Kryze (Bo-Katan Kryze’s sister), it was also where Death Watch assassinated Mandalorian Deputy Minister Jerec during the Clone Wars.

They park at a Mandalorian castle, where a despondent Bo-Katan Kryze greets their arrival with a mix of anger and indifference. After a cold greeting, Bo-Katan explains that her forces abandoned her when she returned without the Darksaber, thus causing her to lose all interest in retaking Mandalore.

Her bemused reaction to Djarin’s request to join her turns hostile once he reveals his plan to bathe in the Living Waters below the Mines of Mandalore. After chastising his faction for abandoning their homeworld (and his religious beliefs), she tells him that the mines are below the Mandalorian capital city of Sundari…which seems like something he would’ve already known, but whatever.

She then bids Djarin farewell on his journey, all while remaining seated on her meaningless throne.

The Verdict

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)

It’s strange that Din Djarin’s plan to find a memory circuit for IG-11 started by pledging himself to Bo-Katan’s cause to take back Mandalore. I get why he’d do that AFTER getting the memory circuit (and/or getting IG-11 repaired). At this point, however, it just felt like a way to give us a cool scene between the two.

That’s actually how a lot of this episode felt. From the random monster attack to the pirate dogfight, we got to see a lot of beautiful action sequences and set pieces that weren’t particularly organic to the narrative. In the episode’s defense, “The Apostate” needed to set up a lot of things while reminding general audiences why The Mandalorian is so much fun — even if it meant sacrificing some actual Mandalorians who should’ve been much better prepared/armed for some giant alligator hunting.

Thankfully, none of that was enough to derail a very solid opening chapter for the series’ third season. Some folks might be annoyed by the video game quest aspect, but that’s part of the show’s DNA. It’s also perfectly fine for a character like Din Djarin to go on lots of swashbuckling adventures — especially when they’re filled with so many great characters.

Carl Weather’s portrayal of Greef Karga in particular was the strongest it’s ever been. I wasn’t sure I’d like the character as a legitimate ruler, but he’s somehow even more intense and compelling. Katie Sackhoff was brilliant as usual, although it hurt my heart to see Bo-Katan so defeated. I know we’ll eventually get to see her fired up again (and maybe even being a villain), but you still gotta feel for her after everything she’s lost.

Meanwhile, Din Djarin’s quest into the ruined capital city of Sundair is going to make the wait for next week tough — particularly for those of us who are old school Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans. Considering all the incredible moments and battles that have taken place there, it should be fun to see what The Mandalorian cooks up for this visit.

 

Next Episode: ‘The Mines of Mandalore’

Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian’ season 3 chapter 17 ‘The Apostate’ recap/review
'Star Wars: The Mandalorian' season 3, chapter 17 'The Apostate' recap/review
Despite a lot of over-the-top flashiness, 'The Mandalorian' still manages to set up some great storylines for its third season.
Reader Rating0 Votes
0
As much as we all love Din Djarin and Grogu, 'The Apostate' did a great job reminding us that this series has wonderful supporting characters, too.
After changing its core narrative from the first two seasons, Season 3 is set up to tell an even better story.
Many of the big set pieces and action sequences weren't organic, but still a lot of fun...
...but still, you gotta wonder how a bunch of the galaxy's best warriors got their asses handed to them by a giant alligator.
Although the scene between Djarin and Bo-Katan was great, it still didn't make sense for him to visit her before getting IG-11 repaired.
7.5
Good

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