"The Mandalorian: Chapter 9--The Marshal"

 "The Mandalorian: Chapter 9--The Marshal" written and directed by Jon Favreau

Wow!! So many wonderful surprises and canon connections!!!! I was floored by this episode. Yes it was a bit of a side story which is slightly odd for a season opener and unfortunately, my best friend considered it mostly filler. But I thought it was a great start to what is looking to be a wild ride of a season!! There will be spoilers in this review if you have not seen it yet, so heads up!

I loved how Jon Favreau pulled off epic connections that only a well-entrenched fan would get! At first I thought it was all totally obvious but then realized I was in a select group that got all the references, which is a super fun place to be. Although it leaves the more casual fan in the dark which could be a bad thing if it's done too much and isn't done well. Luckily, this episode did it very well and even the casual fans, my best friend included, were left excited by it. 

The only thing that frustrates me about this show, is that they don't do planet name cards so that we know what planet we're on. How is a trivia buff supposed to know the correct trivia if the information is nearly impossible to find?!? Frustrating. In reference to this episode, I want to know what planet they started on and I don't know how to find out that information...ugh! Even Wookieepedia doesn't know what planet it was...

So what were the connections?? 

Well, first off we get Cobb Vanth!!!!! A character from a handful of "Interludes" in the Aftermath Trilogy of adult novels!! I absolutely LOVE that they took a minor character from a set of side stories in a novel trilogy and put him on screen!!! So many exclamation points!!! When he appeared on screen wearing Boba Fett's armor (see below), I said out loud several times, "Please be Cobb Vanth, please be Cobb Vanth." And when it was, I did a fist pump into the air and yelled with triumph. So freaking awesome!! I also really enjoyed his character in the show and I couldn't stop proclaiming at how bada** his speeder was! A podracer engine as the bulk of the vehicle?? Too freaking cool!! Now, I know a lot of people are saying it's Anakin's pod-racer's engine, but I'm not so sure. Yes, they resemble each other, but first of all, the red throws me off and second of all, it's missing a couple of fins. Of course, it's been decades since Ani raced so who knows, it's certainly possible or it could just be another pod-racer's engine...

The whole episode itself is centered around one big connection: the krayt dragon! We finally get to see one that's not a skeleton! Now, I will say, it's tendency to "swim" under the sand like a giant worm is all too reminiscent of Dune and shai hulud--it even responds to vibrations on the ground. I feel as if they could have come up with something a bit more unique and new than what was shown. But the krayt dragon is a lot scarier than shai hulud with super sharp teeth and a spikey hide (see below). Throughout the episode, the goal is to kill this krayt dragon that has been tormenting Mos Pelgo and turns out, the Tusken Raiders in the area also want the krayt dragon dead. So the townspeople and the sand people team up to bring down the dragon. I really enjoy seeing Din Djarin speak to the Tuskens in their own language, using hand motions and grunts, it shows that he's a really decent guy with a good heart. There's a bit of contention between the townspeople, including Cobb Vanth, and the Tuskens but they manage to work out their differences to accomplish their goal. Of course, it's Mando's quick thinking that actually kills the dragon as he's swallowed alive with a bantha covered in explosives and uses his weapon to stun the dragon into throwing him up, after which the explosives are ignited and the dragon finally is slain.  Once it is fileted open, the Tuskens start cutting off large swaths of meat and discover a pearl inside the beast! The idea of a krayt dragon pearl is apparently not as commonly known as I thought because all my friends kept saying, but it's not a bivalve... Haha, oh well, it is Star Wars afterall.

The third connection is one that I'm a little confused on. When Mando leaves Gor Karesh, the Abyssin at the beginning of the episode who wants Mando's beskar armor more than anything, to die, hanging from the lamp post, Gor says that he swears on the "Gotra" his information is correct--that a Mandalorian can be found on Tatooine. Why would this organic being, want to swear on the Droid Gotra that something is true?? Or is there another Gotra that I don't know about...super weird.

Another connection was R5-D4 being with Peli Motto in Mos Eisley!!! I again, gasped aloud with joy. How wonderful that someone did actually end up with R5-D4 despite his blowing up his own motivator, sacrificing himself to push R2-D2 to accomplish his mission. I'm so happy he found a loving home. *heart*

Finally, we have the last 5 seconds of the entire episode when who turns around and faces the camera for all to drop their jaw at, but Boba Fett!!!!! I didn't realize until the next day that I was one of a select group of people, fans that are a little too obsessed, that knew immediately who this character was. When I asked my best friend who it was, he said, "The other Mandalorian, duh." in reference to the Mandalorian Gor Karesh mentioned that was supposedly on Tatooine. Another person I met for the first time the following day said the same thing. They had no clue it was Boba Fett!! But it just took one glance for me to suck in a breath of air, and release a squeal of "No way!!!" I was watching with another person and he was like, "How could you even know that?" I said that it's Temuera Morrison, Jango Fett!!! It could only be Boba...especially since he's the only clone without growth enhancers. Oh my goodness, I was over the moon at this surprise reveal--in the first episode!!! WHAT?!? (see below) Due to some pretty horrendous acts Boba has committed in recent comic book issues, I'm not so much on the Boba train, so I'm really interested to see what they do with him in this series...

Trivia:

-Cobb Vanth orders shots of spotchka for Mando and him once they meet

-Cobb Vanth uses silicax oxalate crystals (see below) stolen from the Mining Collective to buy Boba Fett's armor from Jawas

So I loved this episode!! The connections were spot on and the whole episode itself was a joy. Watching humans working with Tuskens made my heart warm and getting to see a minor literary character on screen was super exciting. With Boba now in the mix, I cannot wait to see what happens from here...

ETA: Hmmm...something I just thought of, when Mando and Cobb Vanth are talking outside the krayt dragon's lair, they say it's living in an abandoned Sarlacc pit. Mando saying this is possible if the dragon ate the Sarlacc...could it be that the krayt dragon in the show ate the Sarlacc that Boba jet-packed into, thus releasing him from its digestion?!?... I mean, Mando did say the Tusken Raiders had been studying the dragon's digestive patterns for years so maybe this doesn't hold up, but I thought it was a neat idea.