Todd Giammo
Greetings from a galaxy far, far away! This week, we continue our journey with Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) and The Child, as I review and analyze The Mandalorian S2E2, “Chapter 10: The Passenger.” I am glad you are joining me this season, and will do my best to provide you with some valuable insights.
Before we get started, I want to touch on one item from last week’s episode, “The Marshal.” After Mando slays the krayt dragon, the Tusken Raiders harvest its meat. As they work, one Tusken finds what looks like a pearl. He holds it triumphantly over his head, while the whole tribe celebrates. I meant to research this and figure out if this object is significant. Was it really a pearl? Was it an egg? Honestly, I forgot to follow up on that.
Reader Jim left a comment about the lore associated with the krayt pearl. I did some follow up, and apparently, it was established in the book Heir to the Jedi that krayt pearls are extremely valuable. Additionally, in Star Wars Legends (non-canonical media from prior to Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm), these pearls were formed when a krayt dragon swallowed a kyber crystal—the crystal that powered a Jedi’s lightsaber. Given their genesis, krayt pearls could also power lightsabers and create powerful weapons. That pearl seems be a little big for a lightsaber, but these Tusken might be set for life. Thanks, Jim!
Do It for the Children
The Mandalorian S2E2 “Chapter 10: The Passenger” puts the focus on children and family. It explores the lengths beings will go to protect them. Obviously, Mando’s relationship with The Child is a big part of this. There are two other families to discuss in this episode, too.
The episode begins immediately following the events of “Chapter 9: The Marshal.” Mando and The Child are still riding back to Mos Eisley on the speeder bike they borrowed from Peli Motto. They aren’t alone in the desert, though. A band of four marauders sets a trap to bring down the speeder bike. There is a Nikto alien, a human, an alien that appears to be the same species as the character Scrapjaw Motito from The Force Awakens, and a helmeted humanoid.
These bandits crash Mando’s bike and then attack him. The Child seems pretty resilient, as he takes an incredible spill, but then gets right up. Mando quickly takes out three of the crew, while the Scrapjaw Motito-like alien holds a knife at The Child’s throat. Mando strikes a bargain with the alien, to give him his jetpack in return for the release of The Child. Of course, Mando has a plan to get it back, by remotely launching the alien into the sky.
It is not clear to me whether the marauders are bounty hunters specifically looking for The Child or just a group looking for someone to rob. One does tell “Scrapjaw” to grab the child, so it could go either way. If they are looking for The Child, that would indicate that he and Mando are still targets of an Imperial Remnant bounty, even though Greef Karga canceled it. Regardless, Mando is willing to give up anything of value that he has to see The Child returned safely to him. We definitely see just how protective of The Child he has become. Mando also takes very seriously the fact that they are now a clan.
The Child truly accepts The Mandalorian, too. When “Scrapjaw” releases him, The Child runs to Mando for protection. Later, The Child snuggles up to Mando when he is tired. It is clear throughout the episode that The Child understands and views Mando as his father.
Frog Lady
In The Mandalorian S2E2, Mando is still searching for help finding The Child’s people. His lead on additional Mandalorians ran dry when he discovered Cobb Vanth was not an actual member of his creed. When he gets back to Mos Eisley, Mando finds Peli Motto playing Sabaac (the card game last seen in the movie Solo) at the local cantina. She is playing with an insectoid alien named Dr. Mandible, who knows a source with a lead on some Mandalorians.
This source is Frog Lady. Yes, her name is apparently Frog Lady, and she speaks Frog. While this kind of name seems somewhat out of character for Star Wars of late, it fits in perfectly with the original trilogy. Most background or minor character aliens didn’t have actual names back then. The crews simply referred to them by whatever real-world creature they modeled them on or some feature of their appearance. Kenner followed suit and made some of these famous by turning them into action figures: Walrus Man, Hammerhead, Snaggletooth, Squid Head, Prune Face and Yak Face.
Frog Lady is willing to tell Mando where he might find other Mandalorians, but wants a ride there. She and her husband are the final beings in their family line, and her husband has been searching for a place for their offspring to thrive. Frog Lady says, as interpreted by Peli, that her husband found an estuary (coastal brackish water) moon, around the gas giant Kol Iben. There, he has seen multiple Mandalorians. The Frogs, if you will, have given up everything they have to move to a strange world that will allow their line to continue. Frog Lady doesn’t have much time, as she is carrying her unfertilized eggs around in a jar and needs to get there quickly.
Speed Kills
Mando agrees to take her, but there is a catch. Frog Lady says going to hyperspace will kill her eggs. As such, they will have to travel the entire way at sublight speeds. Apparently, sublight speeds can still be pretty fast. This gas giant, even if it is in the closest system, must still be pretty far away. Mando warns that traveling at sublight is extremely dangerous, and will make the ship a target.
When “Chapter 10: The Passenger” tells us that hyperspace kills eggs (at least Frog eggs), this is definitely a new topic for Star Wars. We have seen pregnancy unaffected by hyperspace, when a pregnant Padme traveled from Coruscant (the Republic’s capital) to Mustafar (the lava planet). While we didn’t actually see her enter hyperspace, Mustafar is in the Outer Rim Territories and so far away from Coruscant that she must have. Of course, maybe going to hyperspace while pregnant was actually what killed her, not a broken heart. That would probably make more sense.
The Ice Planet
On the way, Mando and crew are met by a pair of X-Wing fighters. Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and Trapper Wolf (Dave Filoni) interrogate Mando to find out about his affiliations. They eventually realize he was involved in Qin’s escape from the New Republic correctional transport in “Chapter 6: The Prisioner.” When they threaten to take him in, Mando runs. The chase results in the Razor Crest crashing on an unknown ice planet, but hidden from the X-Wing pilots.
While they are stuck on the planet, Frog Lady becomes increasingly concerned for her eggs. She insists that Mando must find a way to get her to the estuary moon before it is too late. We also find that The Child really likes to eat eggs. Throughout the episode, he is constantly snacking on Frog Lady’s eggs and Mando is trying to stop him. The odd part is, it isn’t clear if Frog Lady actually realizes her eggs are slowly disappearing.
Beware of Spiders
When Mando won’t allow The Child near Frog Lady’s eggs anymore, he discovers another type of eggs in a nearby cavern and starts to eat them. Through this scene, I definitely felt an Alien vibe. I was certain something bad was about to come out of the eggs, which turned out to be true. Small ice spiders start to hatch, which are quickly joined by larger ice spiders. Finally, the mother or queen spider shows up, and all chaos breaks loose.
The spiders are relentless and determined to get Mando and company. Maybe they are just hungry. Given the theme of the show, I think it is just as likely they are trying to protect the newly hatched spiders. Just when all seems lost, the X-Wing pilots find the Razor Crest, and save our heroes. They have determined that back on the prison ship, Mando captured three wanted fugitives and tried to save New Republic officer Lt Davan. As such, they agree to let him go.
Not Dead Yet
As the episode ends, the Razor Crest is in the near-destroyed condition we saw in the season trailer. Mando has to seal everyone in the cockpit in order to continue the trip, as the crash breached the hull. Luckily, he is able to get the engines running again. The Razor Crest looks beyond repair. The cargo hatch flapping as the Razor Crest flies through space made me wince. Hasbro’s version of the Razor Crest for the 3-3/4” action figure line has an escape pod. This makes me wonder if next episode will see the end of Mando’s ship. That said, Kuiil was able to rebuild it after the Jawas tore it apart in “Chapter 2: The Child.” Maybe there is hope.
Mandalorian Lore
Season 1 taught us a lot about Mandalorian lore, as I discussed in my review and analysis of “Chapter 9: The Marshal.” I expect The Mandalorian Season 2 will continue to teach us what it means to be a member of this creed.
In The Mandalorian S2E2, we learn that Mandalorians must honor their word. When Mando is ready to call off the deal because the Razor Crest has crashed, Frog Lady pushes him by saying his creed demands he live up to his word. She says stories on Mandalorian honor must just be stories for children, thus goading him into trying to complete the mission.
Thoughts and Theories
Here are a few takeaways from The Mandalorian S2E2 that I didn’t discuss above.
- As a bounty hunter, Mando has operated in a gray zone between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic. At the end of the episode, he may be in a better place with the New Republic. Rumors persist of Ahsoka Tano showing up this season, and the Indian Disney+ Instagram account seems to have confirmed it. If that is true, being in good graces with the Republic may help him connect with her, as Ahsoka worked for the Rebellion through the fall of the Empire.
- I assumed the water planet shown in the Season 2 trailer was Mon Cala. Now I have to wonder if it was the estuary moon that is Mando’s current destination. I guess Mando could still be headed to Mon Cala, but Mon Cala has previously been described as an ocean planet. I am not aware of any reference saying it is a moon.
- Zero, the droid from “Chapter 6: The Prisoner,” makes a small return. Frog Lady activates him to use his vocabulator to translate what she is saying to Mando. This makes me suspect that a more complete return for Zero is in the future. Will Mando reprogram him as an ally or will he return as an enemy?
- Frog Lady suddenly hopping like a frog was a little over the top for me. It didn’t look right and she certainly wasn’t any faster.
- Peyton Reed joins the list of directors for The Mandalorian. He has previously done projects like the two Ant-Man movies and Bring It On.
Easter Eggs and References
A few items in The Mandalorian S2E2 that stood out to me:
- Ralph McQuarrie originally designed the ice spiders for The Empire Strikes Back. At that point, Lucasfilm called them knobby white spiders and planned for them to appear on Dagobah. They did not make the cut. Their strange shape was explained by a backstory that said these creatures were actually mobile trees. Once they had sufficient nutrients, their legs would turn into roots and they would grow into tree forms seen on the swamp planet.
- The Treadwell droid that was roasting the krayt dragon meat originally appeared in A New Hope. He is with Luke Skywalker on his Uncle Owen’s moisture farm.
- The furry alien in the cantina is a Gigoran. These aliens appeared in both Rogue One and Solo, as well as a few games prior to those movies.
- At one point, Peli tells Mando to “Stop your cryin’. You’ll rust.” Is this a reference to the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz?
Memorable Lines from The Mandalorian S2E2
- “If you put one mark on him, there’s no place where you will be able to hide from me.”
- “You finally found a Mandalorian and ya killed him?”
- “Pay up, thorax!”
- “I’m not a taxi service.”
- “May the Force be with you.” “And also with you.” (Haven’t many of us said that for years?)
- “We can wait.”
- “What say I forego the bounties on these three criminals, and you two help me fuse my hull so I can get off this frozen rock?” “What say you fix that transponder, and we don’t vaporize that antique the next time we patrol the Rim?”
- “I’m kidding. If that happened, we’d all be dead. Sweet Dreams.”
A Bounty Captured
The Mandalorian S2E2 “Chapter 10: The Passenger” continued The Mando’s journey, but didn’t seem to add much to the story. There may be hints that the Imperial Remnant still has a bounty on his head and we may have seen Mando start to develop a relationship with the New Republic. Past that, nothing stood out to me as either a moment of character growth or a significant step in his journey. This wasn’t my favorite episode, but I still enjoyed it. Hopefully, The Mandalorian S2E3 will show us the next meaningful step in Mando’s search.
If you have comments, theories or other easter eggs I didn’t mention, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
This is the Way.
