Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian will be a hard one to follow up. From what it might set up for Din Djarin’s arc to what it could mean for the franchise as a whole, it’s bound to be referenced as one of the most meaningful chapters of the series when it’s all said and done.
Besides the live-action debut of Bo-Katan, one of the most significant moments we got was the mention of former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, and how Din Djarin is now on his way to meet her so she could assist in dealing with The Child. But even though everybody wants this encounter to happen as soon as possible, the series will most likely take its time and make us wait just a little bit longer. There are some details that hint at it, both in the footage we’ve already seen and the production information on who’s directing which episodes, something that entails that Ahsoka will have her own episode to shine in a couple of weeks.
This next episode, Chapter 12, is set to be directed by Carl Weathers, who also plays Greef Karga, one of Mando’s returning allies. Since Weathers has been quoted in saying that this episode will allow him to go a bit deeper into his own character, it’s fair to assume that this could be the episode where most (if not all) of the trailer footage he was featured in came from. That would mean that Mando would be back in Nevarro, perhaps looking for parts to repair the Razor Crest to give himself a better chance of reaching the forest planet of Corvus in one piece, and could end up getting caught in an already developing conflict on the planet. An interesting possibility will be for him to cross paths with the Mythrol (portrayed by comedian Horatio Sanz) he captured in the first chapter of the series. All we know about him is that he was dropped off in Nevarro and that he had quite a few credits to his name. Since he also featured in the trailer footage there it is probable that Mando, alongside Karga and Cara Dune, may end up breaking him out, turning him into an ally in the fight against the remaining forces of the Empire.
Another reason why Chapter 13 is all but assured to be the Ahsoka-centric one is that that will be the only episode this season that Dave Filoni will be both writing and directing. Filoni, who played X-Wing fighter pilot Trapper Wolf in chapters 6 and 10, is, amongst other things, the “father” of the Ahsoka character. He developed her during his tenure in The Clone Wars and later in Star Wars Rebels, and it makes sense for him to be the main voice behind her live-action debut. Having Filoni completely devoted to an entire episode at a time Ahsoka is due to make her first appearance makes it pretty obvious what that episode will be about.
There is obviously the possibility of her showing up at the end of Chapter 12, making for an incredible cliffhanger as we wait for Chapter 13. But the way that the series didn’t play coy when mentioning her name as the Jedi Djarin should be go looking for, shows that the cat is already out of the bag, so there shouldn’t be any need for a surprise of that kind. We already know she is coming, and so her first appearance should come when it can be thoroughly developed and appreciated. The opposite point can obviously be made since that, for Filoni to truly have an entire episode to properly introduce Ahsoka to general audiences, she should be there from the start so as not to waste a single minute with the focus on something else. For that to happen, an appearance on the final seconds of Chapter 12 would be in order.
Another interesting aspect of this next chapter of The Mandalorian is that it could probably show us the rest of the trailer footage that hasn’t yet been featured on any episode so far, thus making us go into the final half of the season with little to no visual references of what could be coming our way. If this does happen we’re sure to get some stormtrooper action, something that could bring Moff Gideon back into the frame (as we saw on the last episode), perhaps even making him follow Mando as he searches for Ahsoka. Gideon’s interest in Baby Yoda is certain to be related to him being force-sensitive, and having him meet up with a full-fledged former Jedi could make matters all the more interesting.
