It has already been five years since Disney+'s successful launch with its premier live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. With three seasons and twenty-four chapters in total, each episode is sure to pack a punch. However, some stand out as extra-special.
Here are the 5 best episodes of The Mandalorian in the past 5 years.
5. Chapter 1: The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian came out the gates swinging when it first launched in November of 2019 as the flagship series of Disney+. The first episode is as important as any episode in the series as it had to drive home the premise of the show while hooking the audience onto what could happen next. The reveal of what would then be known to the world only as ‘Baby Yoda’ as the target for Bounty Hunter ‘Mando’ set the Star Wars fanbase ablaze while surprisingly remaining one of Lucasfilm’s best-kept secrets until launch day. The adventure sets the tone for The Mandalorian and introduces some of the key fixtures in what has resulted in three seasons, such as IG-11 and the cub to Din Djarin’s wolf, who is now known as Grogu (of which there is a film titled The Mandalorian and Grogu coming in 2025).
4. Chapter 24: The Return
Along with strong beginnings, many series on Disney+ have also had the strong fortune of rewarding endings, and the final chapter in The Mandalorian Season 3, titled "The Return," is no different. While many of the episode titles have several meanings, and even The Book of Boba Fett had an episode titled "The Return of the Mandalorian," this particular return seems fitting as it sees not only Mandalorians taking back Mandalore but also the return of Din Djarin and Din Grogu to the status quo of wolf and cub (primed for their big screen escapades no doubt). Moff Gideon deploying Praetorian Guards and attempting to launch a higher form of Dark Troopers consisting of Force-wielding Beskar-clad clones are just some of the many highlights of this grand finale expertly directed by Rick Famuyiwa.
3. Chapter 3: The Sin
Deborah Chow certainly earned her spot at the table of Star Wars directors with her episodes of The Mandalorian, including "Chapter 3: The Sin," before going on to helm the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. "The Sin" reaches a pivotal moment in the series where Mando must make a decision: To continue his mediocre living as a Bounty Hunter and move on from Grogu, or step in to help his new foundling when he needs it the most. Of course, Din does not make this transition smoothly and encounters some trials along the way. This episode has some of the greatest action in the series and features scene-stealing performances from Werner Herzog’s character, The Client. When Greef Karga, played by the late great Carl Weathers, sets every Bounty Hunter in the Guild onto Mando and Grogu, the Mandalorian covert comes out of hiding to support the pair. It is a sight to behold.
2. Chapter 13: The Jedi
Another quintessential entry comes in the form of the thirteenth chapter in Season 2, "The Jedi," where Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, makes her live-action debut. The character was created by Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni and made popular throughout The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Dave cut his teeth introducing Ahsoka by directing the episode and then creating a whole spin-off season of the Ahsoka series, which also features Diana Lee Inosanto’s character Morgan Elsbeth, who was also introduced in this episode. Ahsoka is instrumental in guiding the duo to an ancient Jedi seeing stone, where they not only encounter Boba Fett and Fennec Shand but ultimately can connect with Luke Skywalker as well.
1. Chapter 16: The Rescue
A moment in time that felt very special for many Star Wars fans who often wondered what it would be like to witness Luke Skywalker in his prime in a post-Return of the Jedi world. Not only was this a satisfying conclusion to the season and what many might consider the high point of the series, but it was also a way to confirm to the fandom what Luke was up to in the early days of the New Republic, far removed from the events of the sequel trilogy. It makes sense that if Grogu were to reach out through the Force during this era of The Skywalker Saga, it would be Luke who would answer the call. The ferocity with which a cloaked (and de-aged Mark Hamill) Luke can take down the menacing Dark Troopers is not unlike the intensity of his father Darth Vader’s own hall sequence at the end of Rogue One. We know, thanks to The Book of Boba Fett, that Luke has an opportunity to train young Grogu while he builds out his Jedi Academy. However, in a lot of ways, the events that follow in The Mandalorian’s third season seem to pale in comparison to the heart-wrenching scene of Din Djarin delivering Grogu to the Jedi and having to say goodbye. Now that they are reunited, we will say where their relationship goes next when The Mandalorian and Grogu comes out next year.