What We Learned in the Season 1 Finale of The Mandalorian

Din Djarin being hidden away by parents in episode 8 of The Mandalorian

After not having learned much about neither the protagonist, Mandalorians, nor the broader Star Wars universe since episode 4 of The Mandalorian, the season one finale brings us some further information.

Names
Starting with finding a little more about the characters, we learn that the main [ex-]Imperial bad guy is Moff Gideon, our protagonist’s name is Din Djarin, and Cara Dune’s full name is not only Carasynthia Dune, but that she comes from Alderaan (she must have been off-world at the time of the Death Star’s destruction of her home world).

B2 battle droid shooting people in episode 8 of The Mandalorian

Mandalorian Creed
We learn a little bit more about the relationship these Mandalorians have and their creed, as the armoreress tells The Mandalorian, regarding The Child, “It is a foundling. By creed, it is in your care,” and that, “By creed, until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father.”

Mandalorians Are Not a Race
We also learn that Mandalorians are, apparently, not a race:

Din Djarin: “I was not born on Mandalore.”
Greef Karga: “But you’re a Mandalorian!”
Cara Dune: “Mandalorian isn’t a race.”
Din Djarin: “It’s a creed.”

Armoreress saying The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore The Great in episode 8 of The Mandalorian

People Are Not Aware of the Jedi
When Din Djarin mentions that The Child uses telekinetic powers and is baffled by it, the armoreress says she is familiar with such things and says, “The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore The Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers.” Clearly, by describing her source material as “eons past” means she is familiar enough with these songs, but that they are also really old songs.

Moff Gideon describing The Night of a Thousand Tears

Siege of Mandalore
We don’t get much here about the Siege of Mandalore, which has been hinted at in various Star Wars media, such as the season two finale of Star Wars Rebels and in the beginning of the Ahsoka novel (see here for my podcast appearance on Skywalking Through Neverland on this book), but I’ll take what we can get for now. Moff Gideon mentions that “gunships outfitted with similar ordnance laid waste to fields of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears.” Definitely an intriguing name for a battle and I’m super-excited to see more about the Siege of Mandalore in forthcoming episodes of Star Wars The Clone Wars.

Darksaber

Speaking of Moff Gideon, one of the biggest surprises of the episode was saved for last: the emergence of the darksaber. When we see Moff Gideon cutting his way out of his TIE fighter using the darksaber, it is very exciting to see! For those less familiar with the darksaber, there is a lot to see on-screen, although this is the first time we’ve seen it in live-action.

Second Season Set-up
The season one finale clearly sets up an intriguing second season with Din Djarin on a mission to return The Child to his people, yet still possibly being pursued by darksaber-wielding Moff Gideon….

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