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The Armorer - Blog Posts
the armorer: grogu is too small, he cannot train yet
din: *hands on hips, points finger* FIRST of all lady, my baby can-
top 4 fave characters change my mind
the reason why din knows nothing about mandalorian history is because 1) he doesn’t ask questions unless it’s directly related to what he’s doing and 2) the armorer doesn’t volunteer information unless she’s asked questions or it’s directly related to what she’s doing
thinking about how the armorer
didn’t fight din for the darksaber after he said he’d taken off his helmet even though a) mandalorians will be cursed if an unworthy person wields it and b) she would have won easily
told din about the living waters instead of just saying there’s no way to redeem himself now that mandalore is a dead planet
let him keep his armor despite the whole “beskar belongs to mandalorians” thing
conclusion: the armorer believes din will restore mandalore in order to redeem himself in the living waters. also she is pro din for mand’alor
this reminds me of chapter 8 when it’s revealed that all the mandalorians in din’s covert were forced to take off their helmets after saving din. the armorer, who in the show represents the ultimate moral authority on the creed, appears to approve of their decision because they were prioritizing one aspect of the creed over another (i.e. helping fellow mandalorians > keeping the helmet on). she considers it a tragedy but not a sin. this is evidenced by the fact that she says “we were forced to reveal ourselves” rather than morally separating herself from the others by using they/themselves.
I keep seeing people say that Din broke his Creed in Chapter 15 but I think that is a misread of the scene and the show overall. I think what happened was that Din re-ordered the collection of tenets his follows so that the child’s safety supersedes all else.
The two most important parts of the Creed (as represented in the show) are wearing armour and protecting foundlings. In Chapter 3, Din is faced with a moral problem - does he protect this foundling or reclaim his peoples’ armour? His chooses the latter, and then goes back on that decision to rescue the child. That episode is titled The Sin for this exact reason - he made the incorrect moral decision, but he was no less of a Mandalorian for it.
In Chapter 15, he is then presented with the exact same problem, but this time he chooses the child over the armour. This is why that episode is titled The Believer - Din is in the process of reorganising his religious priorities, not abandoning them. Just as he was a Mandalorian when he decided to forsake the child, so too does he remain a Mandalorian when protecting him.
armorer: *gives din a jetpack* when you have healed, you will begin your drills. until you know it, it will not listen to your commands
din: i understand
also din: *uses the jetpack like ten minutes later to singlehandedly blow up a spaceship while on a head injury*
Star Wars incorrect Quotes
Paz: mom! he made fun of me for getting Capri Suns, and then he drank eight of my Capri Suns.
Din:Paz. You're in your 20s and you're arguing over Capri Suns
Paz: either you ground him or I fight him and my fists are already up.
MY BABIES I LOVE THEMMMMMM
Mand’alor the Resolute
So, I don’t remember where exactly I saw this, but I remember seeing a tumblr post talking about the Armorer taking the darksaber and becoming the Mand’alor. I thought the idea was fucking amazing and ran with it! I fiddled with the lighting and colors for forever but I’m really happy with the final outcome!
I named the Armorer, who we see as a stoic and calm authority figure within the Coven, Mand’alor the Resolute for her stability both in demeanor and in beliefs. I do not see her budging from what she believes. Yet, she is a strong and benevolent figure towards Din and the others within the Coven. Her title reflects those traits. In her hand, she wields both the darksaber and her hammer, as she still holds onto her role as Armorer even as a leader of the Mandalorians. Even in her design, the Armorer exudes the power of an Elder, cloaked in furs with a beautifully crafted helmet that looks more ceremonial than practical. It’s easy to see this figure as a leader, and many all too easily follow the Armorer in her footsteps
Your headcanon of The Armored having already adopted Boba and Fennec sight unseen is DEEPLY making me look forward to when they all do meet.
I have written them meeting a few times, but haven't yet found a version I'm super happy with. I'll get there eventually.
In the meantime, have this bit of Paz and Din being told off in front of Luke, Boba, and Fennec. In this little bit, Paz has been refusing to train with Luke and Din's youngest sister started a rumor that he and Luke were an item.
-----------
Buir turned around and identified Luke immediately. She left Din and Paz to go stand in front of him (still ignoring Fett and Fennec somehow) and held out a hand. Luke was enraptured by her helmet. It took him a moment to notice the hand. When he did, he dropped Fennec, and, to Din’s utter shock, took it, dipped his head and brought buir’s knuckles to his bare forehead.
Paz’s hand came up behind Din’s neck to squeeze at it in equal anxiety.
Buir watched this in complete silence. Luke released her hand and lifted his eyes.
Buir held his gaze for a long moment before wrenching her body around to practically glow with fury at Din and Paz.
This time, Paz and Din executed a long-practiced maneuver called ‘huddle and pray.’
“He does not need to be asked for respect,” buir said with perfect consonants.
Scary. So scary. There was nothing to say to her now.
“Why must I ask this from my own son and comrade, and yet the ancestral enemy gives it without hesitation or stumble, hm?” buir asked.
There was literally nothing to say. Buir knew this. She held the silence before rounding on Luke again and gently taking his hand in hers.
“You are a very sweet boy, I see this,” she said. “Forgive my children, they are under-socialized and we lost the smaller one down a mine when he was young. He has never fully recovered.”
Um? Din had, actually?
It took about fifteen years and was not helped by Paz telling him that bats would nest in his ears at night if he didn’t turn over often enough, but he’d gotten there in the end, hadn’t he?
Fett lifted his eyes to the sky and pressed a fist into his nose and mouth next to Luke. He appeared to be blinking back tears.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” Luke said in the meantime. “And it’s alright. I fell into a cistern when I was three and now have a petrifying fear of drowning. Din has been nothing but kind to me. And I’m sure that Paz is a nice person deep down. Somewhere.”
“You poor thing,” buir crooned. “Your optimism hurts my eyes, but I will accept this kindness on behalf of our covert. Thank you for your efforts in attempting to teach Paz through non-violence, although I have some recommendations for you. Namely, a motivator.”
Paz whimpered into a palm. Din cringed.
“His name is Ban,” buir said. “He is useless to us all, and unfortunately our founding elder’s grandchild. But he has done much reading on you, my dear, and he is enthused to provide you with the means you need to keep Paz focused on lessons.”
Luke frowned and cocked his head.
“I’m not sure I understand, Ms.—uh—”
“You may call me ‘Goran,’” buir said benevolently. “It means ‘Armorer’ in our language. And perhaps I was being too delicate. What I mean is that Paz learns best when complex maneuvers have absorbed his anxious energy. Ban is his assigned provider, since Din has helpfully evicted himself from the position, and I am pleased to say that he is the most exhausting of the current line-up. I will set him to assignments in and around this moon so that Paz will have things to do in the space between your lessons. This should alleviate some of the pressure on you in the meantime.”
Luke forgot to blink for a good ten seconds.
“You’re giving me another Mandalorian?” he asked.
“A worse one, yes,” buir said.
Fett wiped at his streaming eyes.
Din couldn’t stand by in silence any more.
“Buir,” he said, shoving Paz away from him so that he could come and brush the tips of his gloves against her elbow. “Luke already has—”
“So familiar,” buir scolded immediately.
Luke’s eyebrows shot up. Din didn’t bother, he backtracked.
“Jedi Skywalker already has more Mandalorians than he can deal with,” he said. “He’ll be uncomfortable with Ban’s energy, even in short bursts. I’ll volunteer to do the work. Paz and I can hunt together. It will be sufficient; we can keep each other in line.”
The silence that followed was not comforting. It spoke of a scowl and a whole lot of skepticism.
“Did I say ‘Din?’” she asked.
No.
“When did I say ‘Din?’”
She hadn’t.
“Funny. That’s what I thought, too.”
Fett covered his whole face and shook.
“You are busy, ad’ika. Stressed, I’m sure,” buir said sympathetically, “You stand here before me in a shocking state. We will handle that momentarily, whoever touched your helmet last deserves to be boiled.”
Fennec stood up on her own power abruptly and dragged Luke off-balance.
“Goran,” she said with the utmost respect, “Perhaps you would do us the honor of overseeing Vizsla’s training? See, Luke is scared of him, aren’t you, Luke?”
Luke tried to pull out of Fennec’s grip with no success.
“I’m fine, actually,” he said.
“He’s miserable,” Fennec said over him. “He messages me in tears every night.”
“I do?” Luke asked.
Fennec crammed the side of her boot into his as a threat. Buir chose not to read into any of that. Her bullshit threshold was too high after Din and Paz within three feet of each other for more than five minutes now.
“I’m afraid that my responsibilities do not allow me to maintain this kind of surveillance over an individual member,” she said with perfect diplomacy. “Ban will report back to me, as will Paz should Ban make more than his share of nuisances. Is this satisfactory to you, Jedi Skywalker?”
Luke was trapped between a rock and a hard place, but not without hope. He gazed over buir’s shoulder to Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, who had apparently chosen to limit those who could see them for the moment. Kenobi tossed up a finger and did a fun little spin and a jog. Luke’s father glanced after him and gestured that they’d be right back.
Luke cleared his throat.
“If you would allow me to consult with my Master,” he said. “Just one moment.”
He wriggled out of Fennec’s grip and bounded off in the direction that his father stood. Together, they chased after Kenobi.
Because I keep forgetting this headcanon and need to remind myself:
The Armorer studies the fighting style of all the Mandalorians in their covert. Each one she watches, notes their strengths and weaknesses, and adjusts their armor accordingly as resources allow. All warriors are unique, and despite their many strengths, all have at least one weakness that could prove fatal. She realizes early on that Din Djarin always tends to lead with his right shoulder and consequently takes most of his hits there (check out chapters 1, 2, and 12 for starters, I think there’s more as well). So when he brings back an ingot of pure beskar, it’s not just idle fancy that leads her to immediately make him a right pauldron first off.
The vod has a blind spot the size of a bantha over this shoulder, she thinks as she forges the gleaming beskar. But perhaps I can help him keep this arm yet.
share with us an Armorer headcanon please thank u
Just one???
I can’t do that. Have these.
The Armorer’s pronouns vary among their foundlings and the covert. They use all pronouns, so each person sort of lands on one or a few that feels right. Din calls them she/her, but freaks out when other people he knows call them that because that’s HIS set and people outside the covert don’t understand that; they just keep calling them his ‘mom.’ He is deeply offended on the Armorer’s behalf. They do not care that much.
The only exception to this is that when orders are given out, they want a ‘yes, sir’ and nothing less.
The Armorer has tried to poison Elder Vizsla (Paz’s grandparent) on no fewer than four occasions.
The Armorer is very close to their Second in Command, Eegang. Eegang reciprocates the closeness, but also is subject to some of the Armorer’s innermost thoughts, many of which make him check over his shoulders at least twice a day.
The Armorer only drinks clear liquor.
They love all of their children (including the estranged ones), but get along best with Din and Shimmol (their youngest daughter) because those two do such stupid and wild shit so seriously that it makes them laugh.
The Armorer’s sleep schedule is less of a schedule and more of a pile of hours with a label on them that says ‘sleep?’
They met Jango once. They were not impressed.
They only know about Jedi because they were once weirdly invested in Obi-Wan and Satine Kryze’s affairs as covered by Mandalorian tabloids.
They consider Grogu their grandchild.
They are interested in Luke and are trying to figure out if he is going to try to seduce Din into an affair (see: Obi-Wan and Satine Tabloid Stories).
They have already adopted Boba and Fennec without having met them.
This is what I have for now. I will ruminate on this further.
Din sabotages his ruling as Mand’alor but it keeps back firing at him
So let’s say Bo-Katan manages to drag Din’s ass into taking on the title of Mand’alor after many escape attempts and threats. She sends Cara, Boba Fett, Fennec, anyone to drag his stubborn ass back.
None of them manage to catch him. So as last resort, Bo-Katan gets the Armorer and it takes one parental disapproving look from her and Din comes back like a resigned puppy with his tail between his legs. (Paz is laughing his ass off in the background).
Many mandalorians come to challenge him for the dark saber, and with a long suffering sigh, Din accepts. Unfortunately for him, he ends up winning.
The challengers are like: “omg, this Mand’alor is so strong, we stan 😍” even after they got their asses handed by Din.
Word spreads about the many achievement Din accomplished to the point people basically make poetry about him, and Din hates it so much that to blow off some steam he takes on more bounty jobs and ditches his responsibilities. Royalty isn’t meant to take on jobs such as bounty hunting, right? What a great opportunity to stain his image.
Din takes a bounty. Turns out, it involved some imps, and of course Din does the job, and of course mandalorians hear about it and are like “omg, our Mand’alor is so cool he took down imps on his own, we stan 😍😍”
His next move is to ditch important plans and meetings with important people to later hide at Luke’s jedi academy to be with his son. Luke doesn’t mind. He gets a call from Leia demanding to speak with Mando, but Luke, not really involved with politics so he doesn’t realize that Mando is a big deal right now, tells her he’s spending time with his son. After that, word spreads about the Mand’alor postponing his duties to take care of his foundling. The mandalorians, having a sacred creed about foundlings, are like “omg, our Mand’alor is such a dilf, we stan 😍😍😍”
Din hides at Boba’s palace. Boba won’t treat him differently, plus he gives goods drinks.
But of course, mandalorians find out and “Omg our Mand’alor is so cool he hangs out with criminals and does hot mandalorian shit 😍😍😍😍😍”
The people who’ve meet Din during his bounty hunting days begin to make stories about him.
“Mando is flawless.”
“I heard his beskar armour’s insured for 10000 credits.”
“I heard he does modelling commercials…in Nevarro.”
“One time he meet Luke Skywalker in an imperial cruiser and he ( THE Luke Skywalker ) told him he was pretty.”
“One time he punched me in the face…it was awesome.”
Din is SO pissed, because no matter what he does, people APPROVE of him. He could literally shot a random dude for no reason and everyone would worship him. He could kick someone’s ass for no reason, and the person would thank Din and ask his hand in marriage because what a fcking priviledge to be punched by the Mand’alor. He could literally start a war and the mandalorians would follow him which is really concerning and he doesn’t like the thought of having that much power. But the more he tries to avoid his responsibilities, the more people seem to like him.
So Din, reluctantly accepts his fate, and becomes a regular guest at Boba’s palace to get drunk twice a week and bitch about his life while the rest of the squad is in between pity him and laugh at him.
Mandalorian Jetpacks
Happy Fett Friday! SO glad the lore now allows Mandalorian Jetpacks to fly for longer periods of time.
Even though I ❤️ playing Star Wars Bounty Hunter way back in the day, I absolutely HATED how you were granted only mere seconds of flight time before your jetpack would shut off & force you to land so that it could re-charge/ cool-off from overheating.
In Attack of the Clones, after Jango Fett eliminated Zam Wesell with a Saber Dart, his Jetpack allowed a very quick escape from Obi-Wan & Anakin. And it was a QUICK escape. Unlike in Star Wars Bounty Hunter, Jango didn't fly for a few seconds, then land to let his Jetpack recharge, then fly for a few more seconds, then land again, then fly a little bit more, then once again land, and then….
Hell, he never would have made it out of there if he had to do keep doing that slow-ass shit…
This is what happened. Jango took off. The sound of his Jetpack igniting drew the attention of Obi-Wan & Anakin. They observed Jango flying up higher & higher, furthering the distance between them so rapidly the Jedi realized that a pursuit at that point would be futile.
That's why it felt good to finally see Mandos airborne for extended periods. Throughout The Mandalorian TV series Boba Fett, Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, The Armorer & many other Mandalorians propelled themselves through the air & kicked shebs. During the Battle of Mandalore, it was so awesome to witness waves of Mandos that flew high above Mandalore, engage the Empire in battle & take back their homeworld. Because Mandalorians are stronger together....
….THIS IS THE WAY…! 😎
already tired of seeing people say "wow so now the armorer decides that there can be more than one Way 🙄 she casted din out of the covert and made him go through all that for nothing" y'all could not have misunderstood the armorer more. choosing to follow bo-katan is her way of making a statement. the children of the watch separated themselves from the rest of mandalore and have been an isolated group ever since. they follow their creed strictly and believe that real mandalorians never show their face. but following bo-katan is supposed to symbolize a new era for them. the armorer has accepted that if they really want to revive mandalore then all mandalorians have to be a united front and this means being open minded to the way others live.
this development doesn't mean that their creed is all of a sudden void. din didn't atone "for nothing" tcotw will most likely still follow their creed the way they always have. never showing their face isn't a nuisance or a consequence, it's just their way of life. din risked his life to bathe in the living waters because he wanted to. his creed is sacred to him. he wasn't just labeled an apostate he also felt like one. he atoned for himself. he genuinely values and believes in his creed.
i think that allowing bo-katan to lead them shows immense growth. learning that they can maintain their own beliefs while still being accepting of others is a huge step. i think its important that they're realizing that not being a child of the watch doesn't make you less of a mandalorian.
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS !!! T H E M !!!
Mandalorians may be barbaric nomads, but they respect the traditions of the talking stick like no other
those people who said they wanted to see Din Djarin on his knees. are you happy now?? LMAO
Mandalore Reunited? (spoilers)
After marinating in the ending of this season the last three days I think another issue I have is over how people are just... okay with the darksaber being destroyed that easily. I've seen people argue about the symbolism of it no longer being needed to reunite Mandalorians and lead, but I honestly think it'll do the opposite and I'll be surprised if I'm wrong with any upcoming season/show that reflects on the planet's future.
Bo-Katan led to the planet's current state after disagreeing with her pacifist sister on how they should rule the planet. For Satine, it was with peace. For Bo, it was through their warrior heritage. The problem with Bo now being Mand'alore after so long of trying is that... we still haven't seen her character growth. She hasn't atoned for what she's done nor has she been honest and open about her actions with the people who's about to rule. The show could/should have had Bo mention Satine and, in a single sentence, both honor her dead sister's wishes and show her growth by verbally confirming that she was going to lead by combining their ideas of democracy to form a perfect balance of both. Bo-Katan just last season was still racist with terroristic tendencies and that doesn't just... go away. There was a reason why her fleet abandoned her the moment she couldn't get back the darksaber for the Nth time.
So my problem overall with it is that we don't KNOW if Bo has reunited Mandalore yet. Lighting the forge, Axe battle crying his nationalistic pride, and the Mandalorian version of clapping doesn't equate to peace amongst Mandalorians. If anything, it reminded me of how we all united to help one another during and shortly after the horrors of 9/11. For a moment, we all were just people helping each other. Then came the surge of xenophobia and Islamophobia that presented itself in a way that we hadn't seen before and it only got worse since. Yes we had xenophobia, religious prejudice, and racism before; but everything after 9/11 just felt... different. More intense.
Will that happen with Mandalore? It may not. But I have a hard time believing, after so many years of division and prejudice, that the Mandalorians from Din's covert, Bo's fleet, and the Survivors would magically get along no problem. There's already Mandalorians, like the survivors, who were there before the Purge and their nostalgia may make accepting any different political outcome difficult. You have Bo's fleet who believe you have to be pureblood to rule or be considered a Mandalorian, and then you have Din's covert whose strict ideas of The Way are reminiscent of a spiritual community that anyone can be baptized into and not born into. If that were the case we wouldn't have wars or conflict, or even have future conflicts in Star Wars.
Are Mandos going to be okay with others not wearing their helmets all the time? Are Mandos going to be okay with sharing space with people who never take off their helmets? What is the weight of Ragnor's baptism for those not in the covert? And if there's no darksaber anymore to determine who the ruler is, then what are the plans moving forward for leadership? There's technically never been an established order of leadership, the planet had always been led by Warlords and Satine was (I believe) the first to inherit her father's titles after his death and that was extremely controversial. Paz and Axe couldn't even peacefully argue over a game of SW chess, it's naive to assume a moment of unification to take back a planet will erase that decades long prejudice. Not even Din has been able to get over his droid thing that he's had since he was a kid.
Honestly, putting it to words, I won't be surprised if this caused another civil war. The prior one was fought between the New Mandalorian peace movement and traditional nationalists (Satine vs Bo) and with three very different sects of Mandalorians uniting on the planet for the first time in years, I can't fathom the peace lasting long. I can't imagine people not arguing about what The Way is, or overcoming decades long prejudice and resentment after the purge all because they got a planet back.
It's sweet and idealistic to imagine this would be the case, Mandalore as a planet deserves it. Future Mandalorians deserve to not live under warlord leadership. But that would require Bo to not only overcome her own prejudices and the lack of patience she has for diplomacy (ex: the robot bar and the Ugnaughts), and it'll take time for us to see if she learned anything from Din and his people during her time with his covert. And although Bo not needing the darksaber to rule or unite the planet and its people is a sweet idea rich in symbolism, it's naive to accept it as a final truth when Mandalore and Bo-Katan's complex histories loom over the future of the planet regardless of turned leaves and open minds.
Again, I might be completely wrong. Maybe they took the easy way out and decided, for once, Star Wars can just leave out the Wars part regarding Mandalore? Maybe Bo did learn her lessons and with The Armorer she's able to find a middle ground for everyone? Maybe everyone is able to put things aside for the planet and won't need Din and Grogu to come and play diplomat between everyone again? I guess we'll see, and despite all of this, I am excited and curious to see the future of Mandalore moving forward in this show and others (and movies!) that take place in the future.
Mando Finale Thots (Spoilers Below Cut)
I was honestly disappointed with the Season Finale. Was it fun? Sure. Did it have everything I ever wanted for Din and the gang? Almost. But this is why I can't be happy with what we got:
What happened to Paz?? If he died this heroic death why was he never brought up again? I'm glad his son got his baptism finally but like... what about his dad's funeral?? You're telling me that Din wouldn't be mourning the loss of his childhood rival?? Either Paz isn't dead and will make a return next season in a villainous role or the writing was weaker than white people's tolerance to spice
What was the point of the Dr. Pershing episode?? It took precedence over the premiere AND the finale yet nothing came of it?? That whole episode could've been a fucking email if it wasn't that important to the season's overall plot
What happened to the armor the Armorer gave to Grogu?? It was never brought up again and you can't tell me Season 2 and BOBF Din WOULDN'T have been sobbing under his bucket upon seeing it. Also, who bathes Grogu?? Din is a parent is he allowing his son to be a stinky stank and that's how he never saw the armor?? Whack.
How could the darksaber, an ancient indestructible weapon that is capable of slicing through beskar... be defeated in a Ghetto Stomp. Either that wasn't the real darksaber or they got lazy and tossed a major SW artifact out the window because it no longer serves them and they wanted the easy way out hoping no one would notice
Why was everyone suddenly okay with Bo-Katan?? She's a racist terrorist who not once had gone in depth or atoned for her war crimes and I'm genuinely disturbed that people chose to forget that. It's like cheering on Hitler because you liked him as a person outside of his political beliefs. I wanted Bo's redemption to be fulfilling while holding her accountable cause like what the actual fuck how is anyone okay with Bo's leadership after so many failed attempts and lies
The build up was to show that Gideon is so full of himself he had to clone himself?? I doubt that was the big reveal, what they saw in the lab on Navarro wasn't Gideon. I refuse to believe they needed Grogu just to make a more OPed version of Gideon. Gideon isn't stupid why would he clone himself with powers he doesn't have when he knows he'd just overthrow himself? That was bait and I'm not buying that or that he's dead that was a clone
Whomst the fuck wasn't watching Grogu and how did he manage to save Din without being detected????
The Mythosaur deserved better. I'm glad it's getting it's centuries long nap in, but I still refuse to believe the darksaber or Din being a himbo was the reason for her seeing it and then barely remembering to mention it again in the end like if it doesn't come back I'm suing Disney
Why was Din made out to be such a damsel until it was convenient? You're telling me this man easily passed out sinking to the bottom of a historic well despite knowing how to swim and his armor being canonically light, but was able to take down half an army by himself?? Din in the finale was the Din I knew who would never have perished from just being a dumb ass not watching his step. Even Grogu conveniently using the force after refusing to all season felt cheap and you can't change my mind
It's great Din adopted Grogu and all but he still hasn't called him his son?? Just his apprentice?? We spent three seasons with everyone else calling Grogu his son and Din his father but the titular character can't?? Where was that cuddly fatherhood from season 2 and episode 1 of this season? He's been treating Grogu like a nephew at most and I just... give me my space dad back
And why did they name drop Dooku but not Satine? What were the stakes? Why is there a season 4 when there's nothing that really needs to be said or done? Going back to the space western season 1 and 2 promised is fantastic but like... at what cost? Are they going to pretend season 3 never happened? Will it all be a dream? Will the peace be destroyed and Din and Grogu need to save Mandalore themselves and the galaxy with the friends they made along the way???
Season 3 Finale Predictions
Okay ya'll, we're half an hour away. Here are my predictions:
[ ] Paz survives
[ ] If Paz doesn't survive, Din adopts Ragnor
[ ] Bo-Katan tries to ride the Mythosaur and fails
[ ] Grogu, Din, or Boba rides the Mythosaur
[ ] Din finally calls Grogu his son after a near death experience
[ ] It's revealed that Bo-Katan had planned on turning Din and his cult over to Gideon for Mandalore and the Darksaber but changed her mind and the siege was a plan to double cross Gideon
[ ] Bo-Katan dies but convinces Din he's worthy of the darksaber and ruling Mandalore during her "Swan Song"
[ ] The Mandos survive the Siege but have to camp out on Navarro into Season 4 or they decide Nevarro is a better place to start over
OR
[ ] Or Mandalore is blown up and they all start over on Nevarro until they figure out where to go
[ ] The whole galaxy shows up to rescue Din from Sorgon to really obscure characters who only showed up once before but you're expected to remember
[ ] Bonus: characters who show up to help are from completely different movies and shows that should absolutely not be showing up to help yet here they are
[ ] Cobb Vanth shows up and no one comments on his new robotic limb
[ ] The Armorer drops a huge truth bomb that explains her shady behavior without being the true anti-hero of the season
[ ] Koska is the whistleblower
[ ] The episode will have the action we've been craving with the storytelling we deserve but ends on a cliffhanger that will be a month long shit show "discussion" on Twitter and Vlogs/Podcasts
[ ] Season 4 comes out 6 years from now
[ ] The episode hints at Din somehow being a future mentor to Rey in the upcoming movie
[ ] An unnecessary subplot written in just to serve as a segue into Ahsoka or any of the other upcoming Star Wars but adds nothing to Din's show and story
I know, another post by me. If you're going "oh my god not again just stfu Billie" I absolutely will not and I am not sorry so anyone who doesn't want spoilers, just skip over this, otherwise enjoy my 3/5 A.M episode 7 thoughts/theory.
Who's Behind the Betrayal?
I know, another post by me. If you're going "oh my god just stfu Billie" I'm not sorry so anyone who doesn't want spoilers or to hear my dumbass 3 A.M thoughts on who it could be just skip over this, otherwise enjoy. Or suffer. Whichever you prefer.
The Armorer
I know a lot of people have their eyes set on The Armorer, but I'm not completely sold on her being the one who sold everyone out. I could see The Armorer wanting Bo out of the picture so that she can go back to having a tight lead on her cult again and didn't plan on Din or even Paz getting hurt, but it's still a leap of faith to trust someone like Gideon to keep up his end of any bargain. One I can't see The Armorer risking. She's not dumb. But in terms of not wanting to get people hurt, I honestly wouldn't put it past her that she doesn't care. I know people may get offended over that but after 35+ years with Din, she was willing to toss him out the moment he admitted he had gone helmetless and that was all I needed to know that her loyalty ends the moment you stop following her standard of the Creed. Even her reaction to being at the forge surrounded by the empty helmets of following Mandos in Season 1 felt empty, like she's able to disconnect from loss like that and she either has experienced it enough to where it's water off her shoulders or she just doesn't care.
It IS suspicious as hell that Gideon's goons had Beskar armor, but she would have had to sneak away from the covert enough times to not be detected and I have a hard time believing no one would notice her constantly coming and going at all hours. Even if she came up with an excuse to go off world, it just feels contrived that no one would pick up on odd or questionable behavior like that. We're assuming one must be trained to forge the Beskar armor and isn't something anyone can just pick up and do, but someone from the Survivors on Mandalore or even Bo's fleet could easily have been Armorers before the Purge.
The other thing that tripped me up at first and I know many others is why she changed her mind so quickly to make Bo out to be this person of prophecy after dismissing her Mythosaur claim when she warned Din in BOBF that:
"Bo-Katan is a cautionary tale. She once laid claim to rule Mandalore based purely on blood and the sword you now possess. But it was gifted to her and not won by Creed. Bo-Katan Kryze was born of a mighty house, but they lost sight of the way. Her rule ended in tragedy. They lost their way, and we lost our world."
At first, I had a hard time believing The Armorer would willingly follow someone who she knows was the reason for Mandalore's downfall. But after re-thinking it, I realized The Armorer never went into detail as to how Bo was a cautionary tale outside of being a tragic leader victim of circumstance when the Armorer only mentioned "they" and not "she." Pair this with how she told the Mandalorian Survivors that
I realized The Armorer may not have any idea that Bo is the reason for Mandalore's current state nor does she realize that Bo had been a member of the very terrorist group she mentioned. The Armorer said she was from the Moon just like Din was, and it's possible that everything she heard was second hand information because she genuinely didn't seem to know that Bo has a crime rep sheet as long as she is tall.
Bo, throughout this season, has been made out to be a broken leader who lost her way and Bo has been playing into that. This is probably the first time she's had a semi-clean slate. And if the Armorer knew about Bo's past and is just fucking with her... I guess we'll find out but I genuinely do think that The Armorer wouldn't follow someone like that if she knew they were part of their people's/planet's downfall and is doing this purely out of a change of heart for Bo, but we'll see.
Koska Reeves
I know others are guessing Axe, but between him and the Armorer it feels way too obvious. We already know Axe's loyalty starts and ends with whoever he thinks is worthy of owning the darkaber, and we already know even then there's no true loyalty to Bo or anyone else from him, so I honestly wonder if the spy/whistleblower would be Koska and not Axe. Koska's loyalty to Bo is much like Axe's despite the fact that Bo treats her like a close friend/confident. When sitting together on the survivors' ship and Bo barely scratched the surface as to what she had done and her involvement in Mandalore's current state, Koska opened her mouth as if to spill the beans and Bo just waved her off like
Koska clearly knows of Bo's tragic past to some extent, probably the most out of any of the other Nite Owls, and would be the last Bo and Axel would expect to be a spy. However, I just can't think of a good motive for her to side with Gideon. But it's hard to rule her out when, as I mentioned, the whole fleet and even Din's cult behind Bo aren't there because she's a worthy leader to follow, but is someone that Din has put his faith in and is the current "owner" of the darksaber." Loyalty to Bo, outside of Din's naivety, doesn't exist. At least, not without major conditions. And this leads me back to...
Bo-Katan Kryze
Do I think Bo is the spy/traitor? No. At least not intentionally.
If you've seen Bo in CW and Rebels, there's two things that have always been consistent about her character: Bo will do anything to achieve her goals regardless of who or what gets hurt and she never learns her lesson. In the past, she worked under both Maul and Count Dooku until both betrayed her. Her loyalty starts and ends with who best benefits her goals, and that has remained the same even in Mando. When she mentioned:
“In exchange for submitting to the Empire and disarming, all remaining cities and Mandalorian lives were to be spared. It was the only chance I had to save our people.”
I couldn't put my finger on why that confession bothered me the way it did. And it clicked: that doesn't sound like Bo. This is Bo-Katan Kryze, the woman who joined a terrorist group because she disagreed with her sister's pacifist ways. This is the woman who burned down a village and enslaved the people there for fun. This is the woman who trusted TWO Sith lords to help her and her fellow terrorists to achieve their goals and only fought against them the moment they were betrayed and not because "Siths are bad." This is the self serving woman who will do anything to get what she wants, including hiding the Mythosaur from Din after gaslighting him that it doesn't exist, and I have a very hard time believing what she said is true when she's never done anything like that in her history as a SW character because it requires the type of sacrifice that Bo wouldn't do willingly. So her comment made me wonder if that was a white lie pertaining their current predicament.
I could see Bo originally planning on sacrificing Din and his cult to Gideon in exchange for them to leave Mandalore alone and the darksaber so she can rebuild the planet just as she's been saying she's wanted to for decades. It's the only reason I can think of (other than bad writing) to explain why she openly lived in a castle in the same sector as Mandalore despite knowing an Imperial presence was present. It would explain why she felt so confident walking around Mandalore despite knowing the true threats were Imperial and not the Troll species or angry robots. It would explain why TIE fighters chose to blow up her home only AFTER Din was in her presence and wasn't too bothered by it. And it explains why she hide the Mythosaur from Din. Bo losing her home means now having a reason to be welcomed into Din's cult and earning their trust to push them into Gideon's trap, but I don't think Bo expect to end up experiencing what it's like to actually like to have people around you who are there because of honor and loyalty and not because you're waving around an ancient, glowy sword that people need to listen to.
Bo witnessed first hand, finally, how respected Din is within his covert and even the people of Nevarro. She saw how much foundlings meant to them, and how far they'd go to ensure the safety of their people that didn't come with strings attached. She witnessed Din's selfless acts and how he gave her unfair credit for a lot they got accomplished and, even if all of that was part of her initial plan, I don't think Bo realized how good it felt to be seen and welcomed as a hero for once and not a terrorist. Although she made a weak attempt at admitting out loud how she may have had a part in Mandalore's current state, she still hid the truth from everyone to have control over the siege because she knew people would back out of helping her. Because until Din volunteered himself and Grogu
No one was willing to volunteer. As I said: no one here willingly follows or trusts Bo. She hasn't earned that trust between her history and her "onward!" and not "follow me" leadership tactic. So with Din not only volunteering but saying this to Bo:
Bo, for the first time, experienced someone believing in her and willingly following her as a leader and not as a resented leader who people only follow because she had the planet's royal talking stick in hand.
She expected Din to reject her as a leader after her weak admission to her sins and that look she gives him after he walks away isn't because she's fallen for him (I won't piss on people who want to see it as such), she's looking at him with awed guilt. She's touched that she finally has someone who respects her as a person and not as the Heiress and that makes her feel guilty if it is revealed that she had planned on sacrificing him and his covert to Gideon all for a chance to rule again and awed that maybe, just maybe, she could be something other than a selfish jinx to their people. Her expression is very bitter sweet.
So where I think, if my theory is right, that her intensions had originally been malicious, I think her experiences with Din's cult inspired her to try to turn the tables on Gideon. That would explain why he wasn't surprised to see her but was surprised to see her fleet working with Din's cult. I don't think Bo knew or expected there to be a full on base built right under her nose like that nor did she expect Imperial soldiers to have Beskar armor. I have no doubt her reaction to Din being kidnapped and Paz potentially killed was genuine, along with her trembling in panic not just from losing her two best fighters, but also from the grief of once again setting history up to repeat itself. I think she'll try to use the darksaber to get people to help her save Din and Paz but will be met with silence because she's not the person they followed and believed in in the first place. I can see her trying a last ditch attempt at winning everyone over by finding and riding the Mythosaur but will be unable to find it. I'd put money on Din, Grogu, or even Boba being able to ride it before Bo does. And I know some people may be upset by this, but I also wouldn't be surprised if she dies doing the first selfless thing with her people in mind in her decades long journey. When Din mentioned Bo's song was not yet written without realizing that it's been told three times over, it was a perfect set up for Bo's death to be a "Swan Song." It would honestly be a beautiful way for Bo to go and giving the saber and title to Din before going out with a bang, recognizing that he's the one that the galaxy and strangers on the internet trying to figure out how to get to him through their TV would follow and be the peace bringer the galaxy has longed for. But like I said: we'll see.
No One's a Spy
I know some of you may be wondering why I didn't mention the surviving Mandalorians they run into, which is fair, but I think they'd be too obvious to be the spies. I am surprised Bo and Din's respected people didn't suspect them of anything and trusted them right off the bat on top of them somehow not knowing that the Empire built a whole base without their knowledge and somehow either forgot or choose to forgive Bo for being the reason they're even like that in the first place, but I would put money on that being bad writing cause it would be really out of character for Din and his people at the very least to not suspect these strangers of any malicious intent. They're so distrusting it wouldn't be logical for them to be blindsided by the most obvious choice. So in the end, the other option is no one is the spy. No one set anyone up to be betrayed and it was an unfortunate circumstance cause by poor planning and strategy and now everyone's paying for it. But we'll see tonight/tomorrow!
I meant to post this earlier this week but I've had a bad chronic flare up from a food allergen. I'm fine, but I'm exhausted and in a lot of discomfort waiting for the flare to pass. Until it does, I'm curious to hear all of your thoughts and I'll see you on the other side.
Look, I don't care if you ship Bo and Din. But for the love of Morgan Freeman please STOP saying Grogu needs a mother. As a child of a single parent and that parent being the child of a single parent, it's so dehumanizing to see Din be reduced to a man requiring a partner to fulfill his child's need for a nuclear family. I haven't felt the need to say this as I haven't seen this kind of aggression with other ships and I think it's because its heteronormative, and I really need people to just... stop.
If you ship them, fine. If you love the idea of Grogu gaining a bonus parent who makes him and his dad happy, awesome! But to reduce Din and Grogu to two people who need someone to complete them after Din has done SO MUCH for Grogu as his child on his own is insulting. Single parents are often harshly judged in our every day lives because people think their children can only be fulfilled and successful with two (HETERO) parents when that's not the case. It also reduces the growth Grogu inspired in Din to overcome his religious trauma and realize he's a good father and Mandalorian even if Din doesn't think that of himself. Needing a partner or another parent to fill in a missing piece that doesn't exist is unfair to real people and characters alike. Even for Bo as a female anti-hero in a male dominate show to be reduced to "mother" when she has decades of history that has made her a fleshed out, stand alone SW character who doesn't need another show to be fulfilled by its protagonist. It's insulting to any female SW characters to be reduced to being just a partner or parent and their original purpose isn't even acknowledged or considered in the plot just so that the romantic itch can be scratched without any real reason or purpose other than "why not?" Just... learn to not dehumanize female SW characters or undermine single parents and children of single parents. This isn't shaming fanfic writers or readers or anyone for wanting Din to be happy and liking the idea of someone being a bonus parent to Grogu, this is towards the people who keep insisting Din and Grogu will be happier and complete with a partner/parent. And I hope this comes across that way cause I know some people make get offended over this when it's not intended to do so.
I went No Contact with half of my family after my white great uncle told me he blamed my directionless lifestyle on not having a strong male figure in my life when I was doing just fine and he knew nothing about my life. The way he talked about my mom was enough for me to realize how many people agreed with him and I burned that bridge so fucking fast because my mom was a fierce woman who didn't need a man to be an awesome mother and made it very clear that any partner would be second fiddle to me and my siblings. We came first. As did her career. Romantic partners and parenthood should add zest to the life you already live, not uproot it to fit into theirs or uproot theirs to fit into yours. So don't do that to Din and Grogu, no matter who you ship him with.
Din vs Bo as a Leader
I've seen people say that Bo is the rightful ruler of Mandalore and owner of the darksaber and deserves to lead and I'm genuinely curious to hear from others as to why that is because I'm having a very hard time seeing that point of view. Semi-spoilerish for people who aren't up to date but I kept it vague enough to not be a problem I don't think.
Since CW and Rebels, Bo has continually made choices that negatively impact the people around her. She's a morally gray character who has a list of war crimes on her rep sheet that honestly makes some real life bad guys look green and it baffles me that people want her redemption to be easy. I'm not saying she should never be redeemed, I genuinely believe people should have the chance to turn over a new leaf cause being human is hard, but how she's acting and being treated in Mando feels like a middle finger to those her actions caused harm to. Like she can be sad about her sister all she wants but she willingly joined a terrorist group who spelt it out for her that they planned on publicly executing Satine and followed the orders of two Sith lords, and she didn't see that as a deal breaker. Being sad over that is like being upset that you got shot in the foot when you fired the gun yourself when you continue to make choices that negatively impact others. And this season alone Bo hasn't tried to be a leader to her people, she cared more about the title and the weapon it comes with than actual democracy. She wields it well, yes, but so did Sabine who taught her how and gave her the weapon despite not knowing how badly Bo has fucked up with it in the past. The moment the darksaber was in Din's hands and she lost her crew, she didn't try to scout Mandalore and find other Mandalorians to help her with her decades long failed plan. She didn't try to put any plans together with outside help to achieve her goal or even try to establish a new territory for her people to be safe on until they can find a way to make Mandalore a livable again. She was never an active leader, just someone who craved leadership and believed was owed it because of her birth right and that reflects in the selfish choices she's made while in a leadership position, which include harming Din and Paz. She didn't lead her people into the siege and trap that awaited them, Din did. He shouldered and strong armed his way through and was willingly going to sacrifice himself if it meant a safe planet for his people and foundling. And she wasn't the last out, Paz was, and for that his clan suffered major losses. She had focused more on weapons and supplies for her fleet and siege than the actual people who would help her achieve her goal, and not once has she discussed what she planned on doing once Mandalore was safe for all Mandalorians again. Reuniting and rebuilding isn't the same as establishing a political system that benefits the well being of her people with the promise of a stable economy, fair societal roles, establishing an intergalactic democracy to avoid what Nevarro went through, and combining the differing traditions/beliefs the remaining Mandalorians have to not favor one over the other and unintentionally cause a civil war. Each time she's gained leadership it's always met with mixed support, often not universally, and has led to her downfall three times now for a reason.
Just the same, I've seen people argue that Din doesn't want to lead/rule and isn't the kind of man who'd be a good leader and I strongly disagree. Since the first episode, Din established himself as a selfless character even if it irritated him to be accommodating. He still tried to compromise with the Jawas, didn't turn his back to Frog Lady needing a ride, was willingly going to sacrifice himself to a Krayt Dragon for people he had just met and entrusted with Grogu, went head first into every battle even for people who didn't deserve it (Ran's Crew), was everyone's Ride or Die at least once, became multilingual which was used more to keep the peace than to gain information on his quarries, and has united and mediated more unlikely foes to friends than anyone else in the SW universe. Even if his actions originated with a selfish need (gaining Boba's armor back for Mandalorians, exchanging his services for info on where Mandalorians/Jedi are for Grogu, etc) he still went above and beyond because it's the honorable and right thing to do and his compassion has earned him friendships across the galaxy and allyship on every planet he's visited whereas Bo can't get even her own people behind her without a legendary sword in her hand. You can't tell me all the people Din met on his journey WOULDN'T lay down their lives for him if he asked?? Paz already did despite Din's choice to rescue Grogu despite unintentionally causing a massacre because Paz recognized the selflessness behind Din's choice that carried over to Paz's own foundling and that is what gained his respect and allyship. Din hadn't asked for anything in return, and his own motive for moving the covert was so that their children could play in the sun and the future generations can flourish. I'm fairly certain even Sorgon would join forces whether it's to take care of Din if he had a bad head cold or taking back a whole planet for him. Same with Peli and her droids, Tusken Raider survivors, Freetown, Boba and his syndicates, Frog Lady and her hoard of warrior toddlers, Karga and the grateful people of Nevarro, Ahsoka, and Miggs Mayfield. We've made jokes about Din accidentally making friends all over the galaxy for a reason. He's so selfless that he never saw himself worthy of his Creed, of being Grogu's father, of being a leader when everyone else has told him otherwise. Din's view on leadership reflects his own self esteem wrecked by his cult and it would take everyone he's ever helped to make him see that he is the leader that the galaxy needs to reunite not just The Mandalorians, but all the people and their planets I mentioned. Leadership comes with a burden for Bo, but for Din, it comes with the strength and camaraderie Bo has only ever dreamed of having and that The Armorer overlooked because of her narrow, traditional views. And this is a side comment, but Din mastered riding the stubborn Blurgg after Kuill made fun of him for not being able to conquer it when Mandalorians rode Mythosaurs into battle. Din riding a Mythosaur would be a great call back to that and would gain more respect as a leader than just having the darksaber. In my opinion.
I genuinely hope Bo comes to these conclusions herself and recognizes that Din is more deserving of the role than anyone else and passes the darksaber back to him and helps him see his potential than just saving the day yet again from the very gun she shot everyone with. Redemption for her starts with letting go of the very thing that's plagued her her whole life and leadership is recognizing when you need more time before you can be the example people need to be the best versions of themselves. This isn't a Bo hate post or any stan post, this is a fan post who wants a fair redemption arc for Bo and a chance for Din to rise up to the best version of himself he's capable of being. So yes, I want to hear everyone's thoughts whether you agree or disagree that doesn't involve Bo being the rightful heir or wanting her redemption cause you like her as a character. I want to hear deeper reasons than surface level motives, cause as I said, your favorite hurting over the consequences of her decades long actions she never learns from isn't a good enough reason for her to lead or have the darksaber but I'm down for any other explanations people have regardless if you're a casual fan of the show or lifelong SW fans like myself.