The following contains major spoilers for the first episode of the second season of The Mandalorian.
As the first season of The Mandalorian wrapped up, our hero had a quest. He was tasked with reuniting The Child with his people, so to speak. However, it seems that the citizens of the Star Wars universe know even less about The Child's race than we do, meaning this is going to be no simple task. Season 2 gave us the beginning of that quest and if the first episode is any indication, this journey is going to be an exciting one.
The end of the first season also left us with several burning questions, and the second season launch answered...basically none of them. Instead, it simply created a host of new questions. Here are the big ones we have after watching the most recent episode, "The Marshal."
How Much Time Has Passed Since Season 1?
The second season of The Mandalorian opens with our title character on his quest to find The Child's brethren. Specifically, he is looking for other Mandalorians, believing that they can help guide him on this quest. What's unclear is if this is the first path that Mando has tried to find more big-eared green creatures, or if there have been others. It certainly doesn't appear a great deal of time has passed since the end of Season 1. Certainly, The Child is not noticeably older, but are we picking up right after the events of Season 1? When Mando arrives on Tattooine, it seems it's been a while since he was last there, but how long has it been?
How Did The Jawas Get Boba Fett's Armor?
The single biggest moment in the new episode likely came when Boba Fett's armor walked into a bar. It wasn't him in it, of course, but it was clearly the same set of Mandalorian armor that Star Wars fans are keenly familiar with. We learned from Timothy Olyphant's Cobb Vanth that he purchased the armor from Jawas, and even saw the exchange, but how did the Jawas get the armor in the first place? If Boba Fett was eaten by a Sarlacc, then was the armor not digested? Did the creature spit it up? If Boba Fett did survive, as we're being led to believe, then that raises even more questions. How and why did Fett lose his armor to the Jawas?
What Did The Tuskan Raiders Find Inside The Krayt Dragon?
The Sand People agree to work with the humans to defeat the Krayt Dragon on the condition that they get its body after the beast is dead. One assumes that part of the reason they wanted it was for the meat. If the Tuskan Raiders are now going to leave the townspeople alone, they need food to survive on their own. However, we see there was something else inside the creature that was apparently quite valuable. One of the Tuskans finds what appears to be some sort of pearl that was quite a big deal (some Star Wars fans may know a bit more about this object, but the episode never makes it clear what we're seeing). What's the value of this object to them? What will they be doing with it? Will it be important later?
When Will We See Moff Gideon Again?
Overall, I loved this new episode, but I can't be the only one who was disappointed that the first episode of Season 2 didn't jump straight into the big questions left open at the end of Season 1. Where is Moff Gideon? Where's the Darksaber? All these questions were raised not by what the new episode showed us, but by the fact that it didn't show us any of this. Surely, some of these questions will be answered at some point, but if not now, then when?
Is The Mysterious Stranger Boba Fett Or Not?
With the initial appearance of Boba Fett's armor in the episode, and then a look at actor Temeura Morrison on the plateau at the end, the episode certainly wants us to believe that Boba Fett lives. However, the episode certainly did not make it clear who the stranger was. And there is another possibility. Since Boba Fett was in fact a clone of Jango Fett, just like all the other troopers of the Clone Wars, this figure could conceivably be one of them, though older. Was this the same mysterious figure who appeared in an episode of Season 1? We can assume that answer is probably yes, but then it all leads us to the bigger question: just what role will this man be playing in Season 2? Will we be traveling back to Tattooine again this season, or will this mystery man be coming after Mando?
Will We See Cobb Vanth Again?
One can only hope the answer to this question is yes. Timothy Olyphant was awesome as Cobb Vanth, and he and Mando made an excellent team. In the world of Star Wars it seems like, unless you're dealing with the Jedi, everybody else in the galaxy is only looking out for their own self-interest and is willing to screw their best friend to get ahead. Cobb Vanth was an honorable man who only wanted to do right by his town. He was a breath of fresh air and a welcome addition to the live-action Star Wars universe. Hopefully, this won't be the last we see of him.
Where Exactly Are The Other Mandalorians?
The new episode opened with Mando on the hunt for more of his clan, and while the information he gained led him to a set of Mandalorian armor, it didn't actually lead him to another Mandalorian (at least not directly). The agent Mando got his info from was apparently somebody who knew a lot about Mandalorians, and if his only lead didn't actually lead to Mandalorians, that would lead one to believe that the rest of them are quite well hidden. Will Mado continue to look for his kind in the next episode, or will his newly one prize lead him in a completely different direction?
Certainly, we'll get answers to at least some of these questions as Season 2 of The Mandalorian continues. The real question is how quickly those answers will come. Season 1 followed Mando as he attempted to keep The Child safe, but without any specific goal in mind. Now, he has a quest and so one certainly hopes he will begin to make some real progress in that quest this season. And maybe we'll get answers the biggest questions we have, about the origin and history of The Child and his people.
