The Mandalorian 15: The Avenger. All references and quotes from the Star Wars saga
In The Avenger, the group is also joined by an old acquaintance, Mayfeld, whose imperial past will be essential to get hold of essential information to find the location of Gideon's spaceship. Obviously, references and quotes from the Star Wars saga cannot be missing in The Avenger either.
WARNING: The following contains a series of important spoilers on the fifteenth episode of The Mandalorian
Una second chance
To recover Mayfeld, the group led by Mando goes to a prison where the criminal, met during the episode The Prisoner, is sentenced to forced labor. The first scene of the episode sees a spaceship passing through the skies of this prison world, cutting through the scene similar to the one in which Tantive IV with Leia aboard appeared in A New Hope.The landfill where Mayfeld is found looks like a recovery center of scrap accumulated during previous wars.
We can see TIE Fighter, remains of X-Wing, which are moved through the use of an old AT-AT converted to crane, similar to that seen in The Heir. The recovery of these materials, which are recycled for the construction of new spaceships, had already appeared in the novels of the Aftermath trilogy.
Undercover mission
Migs Mayfeld's plan is simple: infiltrate a remote imperial mining outpost to gain access to the Empire's information network. This refinery processes rhydonium, a highly explosive material that is mentioned in The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, and is located on the planet Morak, mentioned in the Aftermath trilogy of novels.Read also: The Mandalorian 2: all you need to know
Infiltrating inside the imperial installation requires a difficult decision on Mando and his companions to follow the convict inside the base, but who will accompany him?
When I Mando proposes to Boba Fett to follow Mayfeld, the bounty hunter must decline the offer
“They could recognize my face”
Being a clone of Jango Fett, Boba could be easily recognized by the imperial scanners . A danger that also puts Cara Dune out of action, considering that this installation is managed by the ISB, the old Imperial Bureau of Security, to which Gideon also belonged, and often mentioned in Star Wars: Rebels.
It is therefore up to Mando to follow Mayfeld, a choice that requires him to give up his armor and show his face, going against his creed. On the other hand, Pedro Pascal, by contract, must show his face at least in one episode per season.
Inside the imperial refinery, Mayfeld and Mando are surrounded by every type of imperial soldier, including the shore troopers seen in Rogue One and defense cannon soldiers sporting an elongated helmet first seen in A New Hope, worn by the military operating the Death Star commands.
When Mando and Mayfeld come blocked by Valin Hess, former head of the convict during his past as an operative for the Empire, a discussion arises in which several names known to fans of the saga are mentioned. From the planet Tanaab (named in Return of the Jedi and the novel Tarkin) to the infamous Operation Ash. The latter, mentioned for the first time in the comic The Empire in Pieces, is developed more in the video game Star Wars: Battlefront, in which it is discovered that it was a plan of the Emperor implemented after the Battle of Yavin, which provided for the destruction of the fundamental planets of the Empire at risk of ending up in the hands of the Rebel Alliance.
Note how Hess refers to the fact that the remnants of the Empire are reorganizing and that, according to him, the people want the order, convinced that only the Empire is able to respond to this need. This could again be a reminder of the birth of the First Order.
During his escape from the imperial installation, Mayfeld displays incredible sniper skills using the cycle rifle, a weapon that Boba Fett brought with him from Tattoine. We are talking about the typical weapon of the Tusken marauders.
Also during the extraction from the mining plant, we have a reference to Attack of the Clones, when to escape two TIEs, Boba Fett releases in the wake of the Slave I a seismic charge. Move that his father Jango made to sow Obi-Wan inside an asteroid field near Geonosis in the aforementioned Episode II
In the footsteps of Gideon
At the end of the episode, Moff Gideon receives a holomessage from Din Djarin, who warns him of his arrival to recover the baby. The words used by Mando are the same with which the imperial officer had demanded the delivery of Grogu in the seventh chapter.The Mandalorian: The Avenger
Only at the end of this episode is it possible to understand who is the avenger of the title, namely Migs Mayfeld. Billed as a rogue, Mayfeld has a chance for redemption, which is carefully constructed throughout the episode. The emotional contrast between the convict and Mando is well defined, we talk about personal beliefs and breaking points, and in The Avenger we witness the consequences of these two moods.On the one hand, Din is willing to show his face, in order to obtain the information necessary to save Grogu, on the other Mayfeld risks disrupting the operation due to the internal wounds linked to the terrible Operation Cenere. The one who was introduced to us as a villain in The Prisoner at the end of The Avenger is a different character, more human and with whom the viewer can empathize.
This is one of the strong points of The Mandalorian, that faithful to the tradition of Star Wars plays very well on the emotional level, attracting viewers with characters who know how to leverage the right emotional chords. A role that touches most to Mayfeld, who with cynical detachment does not fail to point out that in the eternal clash between the Empire and the New Republic, innocent people and populations of remote planets remain wounded for which the domination of one or the other, which in a different way they still intend to exploit resources for their warfare, it makes no difference.
The Avenger is also a good action episode, thanks to the pirate assault sequence on the transport and shooting at the imperial base. An opportunity exploited to perfection to further define the close relationship between Din Djarin and his armor: wearing imperial armor, the Mandalorian initially fights following a muscular memory, which clashes with the fragility of the imperial endowment. It is interesting to initially see Mando in trouble, then witnessing his demonstration of martial prowess in dealing with a large number of pirates. The adrenaline flows and leads us towards a finale that heralds a showdown that makes the next and final episode of this second season of The Mandalorian particularly awaited.
