The ability The Mandalorian has of making almost every single storyline detail matter down the line might help to predict what pay-offs we might be getting this Friday on the Season 2 Finale. But then again, the ability The Mandalorian has of making almost every single storyline detail matter down the line also makes it difficult to zero in on which ones will actually be the focus of this final episode. It goes both ways. We’ve already discussed how Mando’s armor, his beskar spear, the Dark Troopers, and Gideon’s Darksaber might come into play as the season ends. But for now, let’s center on the characters.
In terms of returning characters, “Chapter 15: The Believer” gave us what is sure to be the main crew that’ll be by Mando’s side, helping him to retrieve Grogu. But there is another character that, ever since its introduction earlier this season, was bound to show up again as her own journey shares the same objective as Din’s. That character is, of course, Bo-Katan Kryze. Both she and Mando are looking for Moff Gideon, as he has something both of them want back and so being, her return shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
On the other hand, we’ve already had characters that were initially introduced only to properly return the following season. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand both showed up for the first time in “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”, and it wasn’t until “Chapter 14: The Tragedy” that they were a bit more fleshed out, with their arc perhaps more deeply explored on this week’s season finale. This could then mean that Bo-Katan’s return in search of the Darksaber might be something we’ll only witness next season. If this is the case, and as her story is so intrinsically connected to Moff Gideon’s, that could mean that this season might end much in the way The Empire Strikes Back did. With the hero having lost the final confrontation with his enemy and having to regroup before going after a missing friend.
This sort of bittersweet ending isn’t unfamiliar to The Mandalorian. Even though season 1 ended on a high note with Moff Gideon defeated and Din and Grogu leaving Nevarro unscathed, IG-11 was destroyed and Kuiil was killed while protecting Grogu. That showed us that in this world victories come at a price and that no matter the way season 2 wraps up, there might be more loss to endure. Din and Grogu aren’t obviously going anywhere as the show would lose its heart if any of the two were to leave it. Fennec Shand could be a possibility but her previous “death” and the lack of connection to the character would make it a terribly impactful death. That leaves Boba Fett.
Chapter 14 reintroduced us to the old Boba Fett but it also presented us with a somewhat new Boba. On the one hand, he delivered on the expected toughness of the character but he also came through as an honorable warrior, not just a ruthless bounty hunter. It seemed like after the events of Return of the Jedi, having lost his armor, he went through some sort of rebirth and is now wanting to leave his old ways behind and live a more withdrawn life. “I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy. Like my father before me”.
And now, being in Din Djarin’s debt until Grogu is returned safely feels like an opportunity to make good on not only a promise made but also on erasing a few of his own ghosts that might still haunt him, making him much more at peace with his past. As we saw on Attack of the Clones, Boba lost his father Jango while he was still a child. Jango was, as Din found out in Chapter 14, a foundling just like Din himself. That will make Boba see the relationship between Din and Grogu as he did the one with his own father. By reuniting Din and Grogu, Boba will allow for Grogu to have something he missed out on, a life with a father figure, and that might just be his ultimate selfless act, especially if he has to give up his own life for it to happen.
Jon Favreau has said that he’d like to further explore the character, but having Boba die shouldn’t stop that from happening. The Boba Fett show that is said to be in production could very well be a prequel that either shows us how Fett survived the Sarlacc pit or some of the events that took place before his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. That is perhaps the more enticing option as we would get a full suited Boba Fett in his prime, where the adventures could live up to the character’s legacy. But as far as The Mandalorian is concerned, and considering how the chess pieces are now placed, Boba Fett could go out as the hero no one expected him to be. In the end, it might not happen. But it would be one hell of a sign-off.
