The Mandalorian: Director Robert Rodriguez shares his favorite moments from the set

Director Robert Rodriguez has shared what it was like directing Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian.

Episodes of The Mandalorian are getting bigger and better every week — and they’re all leading up to what should be one exciting season finale. (That’s set to drop next Friday, Dec. 18, so the clock is ticking down.) And the most recent chapter, season 2 episode 6, has carried on that tradition of phenomenal episodes. Now, the director of that episode is speaking out about what it was like to be a part of creating The Mandalorian and how he was able to put his creative touch on the series.

Speaking to SFX, director Robert Rodriguez shared his experience in directing the episode — and as a Star Wars fan, it seems like he was like a kid in a candy shop when it came to being on set. If you recall, his episode (“Chapter 14: The Tragedy”) had a lot to pack into it: the official introduction of Boba Fett, the reveal of the Dark troopers, and other exciting moments like the return of Fennec and Baby Yoda’s brave defense against his stormtrooper captors.

According to Rodriguez, he was asked by Jon Favreau to direct the episode because he needed a “last-minute replacement.” (Luckily, Favreau is friends with the Spy Kids and We Can Be Heroes director, so that’s one of the reasons he was tapped to direct this episode.) We honestly would have loved to see a Mandalorian episode a la Spy Kids’ creative aesthetic, but Rodriguez did an excellent job bringing this Star Wars story to life. Here’s what he told SFX about getting to work on the series:

"What a dream. And it’s fulfilled all my… it’s beyond my expectations, I mean, it was SO fun, you can’t imagine what it’s like to walk on a set that has the classic look of The Empire Strikes Back feel and look. It’s right after that era, right after the Return of the Jedi. It’s that era. So you really feel like you just walked into your childhood.All of a sudden you go up and touch things and go, “That’s the thing that Han Solo talked into when he shot the machine and told the stormtroopers not to come up.” I was like, “Wow, I thought I recognized that!” It’s just a really strange, exhilarating experience to be in your childhood sets for real. And getting to make action! It’s really cool… The visual language is so embedded in our heads. So I have one of those [selfies] “Look, it’s me next to a control panel, isn’t that cool?” It was so fun."

With Rodriguez’s love for this original trilogy era of Star Wars, SFX has also hinted that there are quite a couple more Easter eggs in Chapter 14. Our friends over on WinterIsComing.net have already rounded up a couple of Easter eggs that only the best fans know, but we’re anxious to know if there are any others we might have missed.

What’s in store for the final two episodes, we can hardly imagine. We know for sure that Mando and his crew need to find a way to rescue Baby Yoda. But with two episodes remaining, we’re not sure if they’ll be successful by the end of the season or if they’ll leave us on a cliffhanger for season 3. We may also get a cliffhanger if a Jedi does come to Baby Yoda’s call as a mentor. The young child needs someone to look after him and train him, so now we must wait to see if there are any trained Jedi still out there who would be willing to train young Grogu.

For more, keep up with The Mandalorian category on Dork Side of the Force.