‘The Mandalorian’: 5 Burning Questions From Episode 3

Will Thorne

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(SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on if you have not watched the first three episodes of Disney Plus’ “Star Wars” spinoff series “The Mandalorian.”)

Well, that was epic.

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Episode 3 of “The Mandalorian” ended in a massive shootout, with Pedro Pascal’s character escaping by the skin of his teeth, thanks to more than a little help from his fellow Mandalorians. Pascal jetting off into the distance with the adorable Baby Yoda safely playing by his side felt like the end of a three-episode arc to introduce viewers to the world and its ragtag assembly of characters.

With few clues as to where he and his little friend will go next, here are some burning questions following Mando’s death-defying escape.

Where is Werner Herzog?

As the Mandalorian blasted, zapped and punched his way past multiple stormtroopers to rescue Baby Yoda, there was one character conspicuously missing. Very little has been revealed about Werner Herzog’s “the Client” so far, other that he has some connections with the (supposedly former) Empire, and that he was looking to “extract the necessary material” from Baby Yoda … that can’t be good. The mystery was heightened even more by his absence from the rescue mission. Herzog hinted in an interview with Variety that his character would “set the story on its path,” but he also said he only plays a relatively small part. Surely he can’t be this season’s big bad, can he? Perhaps Herzog was just being as mysterious as his character.

Where do the Mandos go from here?

Contrary to the belief of the Client, episode 3 reveals that Pedro Pascal is far from the lone Mandalorian roaming the galaxy. Pascal takes his Baby Yoda bounty to an underground lair, where a whole host of Mandalorians are hiding out. However, the episode ends with the entire brigade coming to Pascal’s rescue, thereby exposing their existence publicly. While it’s not revealed exactly how many, if any, Mandalorians are killed in the intense battle, it seems highly unlikely they will be able to return to their lives of slinking around in the shadows. Fans will be eagerly waiting to see if the big bruiser Mandalorian or even the golden-masked Mandalorian leader will return in subsequent episodes. One thing is for certain, the Mandalorian code of never taking off their helmets will have to broken at some point. It’s a classic Chekhov’s gun, why mention that rule at all if it won’t be broken?

How did Baby Yoda find itself in this predicament?

There were plenty of moments to fear for the life of Baby Yoda in this episode. Whether it was in the hands of the slightly creepy Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) or when blaster fire was showering from all around him. But the little scamp made it out alive and well enough to continue playing with his little ball once on board the Mandalorian’s ship. The question remains how did the infant find itself in the hands of mercenaries? Why isn’t it enjoying a peaceful 50th birthday somewhere nice, maybe with its family or people who don’t want to “extract the necessary material” from it? One imagines that Baby Yoda’s origins will be revealed at some point in “The Mandalorian,” but until then, more eating frogs and playing with spare parts, please!

Can the Mandalorian learn to be a dad?

Hunting down bounties, dispatching stormtroopers, dry humor. These are all things the Mandalorian has proven to be good at so far, but parenting is not on that list. As with every “adult protecting a small child from bad guys” movie or TV show, the Mandalorian will have to learn how nurture Baby Yoda, allowing it to grow (well, maybe a foot) and live a happy 800-year life. The Mandalorian has been shown to be a reluctant guardian to date, but frankly what else is he doing with his life? Bounty hunting is a dangerous profession, as has been mentioned, and maybe adopting a vastly powerful force child will do him some good.

Have stormtroopers learned to shoot?

The answer is an emphatic no.

Watch “The Mandalorian” cast react to to Baby Yoda:

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