Every episode of The Mandalorian season 2, ranked worst to best

7 of 8

“Chapter 9: The Marshall”

The season premiere set a pretty high bar that was very tough to beat. Creator Jon Favreau brings us back into his Star Wars universe with a brilliant stand-alone episode that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to do anything but give us a great story. It’s everything we loved about the first season times 10.

“The Marshall” invokes a ton of classic Star Wars imagery: wipe cuts, flashbacks, cantina bars, and classic alien creatures abound. With the Krayt Dragon, Favreau visually references the worms in Frank Herbert’s Dune, which was one of George Lucas’ main influences for the original movie. In another ode to Dune, ecology and politics play a large part in the plot. The Tusken Raiders had previously been seen only as vicious killers that mercilessly hunt the good people on Tatooine. Here, we see that they are a cultured people defending their homeland and struggling to survive on a planet that has been overrun by outsiders and colonists. Without saying anything, Favreau shows us something that changes the way we think about the Star Wars universe.

“The Marshal” presents our hero as more than a quick gun and a shiny suit of armor. Din is a leader who can communicate with people of all walks of life and inspire others to follow him into battle. Din’s strength lies in his selflessness, which is what makes a true Star Wars hero. “The Marshall” also features a variety of fun references to the original movies. For example, Din sends Cobb Vanth flying away from danger by hitting his jetpack the same way Luke does to Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi, and Boba Fett himself makes a return!

“The Marshall” is both a fun adventure and a profound statement about what Star Wars is, all wrapped up in a tidy 50 minutes. That’s why it finds itself near the top of the list as one of the the best episodes this season.

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