THE MANDALORIAN Review: Chapter 12 “The Siege”

The Mandalorian Review: Chapter 12 “The Siege”

By Michelle Gonzaba

Mando’s journey to reunite the Child with his kind hits a bit of a snag; his ship, the Razor Crest, won’t make it to Corvus without immediate repairs. They try to fix the mechanical problems themselves, but Mando quickly realizes a literal baby isn’t the best at fixing major electrical issues. He needs help from people he trusts, so he sets a course for the planet Nevarro.

On Nevarro, he reunites with Greef Karga and Cara Dune, who we haven’t seen since last season. While Mando has been away, Karga and Dune have built a thriving settlement free of Imperial forces. Well, almost free. While Mando waits for his ship to be fixed, Karga and Dune want to discuss a slight Imperial problem they have. But this kind of talk isn’t appropriate for the Child, so Mando reluctantly leaves him at the local school. Yes, the Child goes to school for the day.

There is an old Imperial base on Nevarro housing a skeleton crew and heavy-duty weaponry. They want to take it out before black market dealers steal and sell the weapons. Mando agrees and they set off to the base.

They aren’t the only ones on their way to take down the base; Karga brings his accountant/assistant Mythrol along as well. Mando, Karga, Dune, and Mythrol sneak in and make their way to the heart of the base. They are able to complete their plan and overheat the main reactor. While they do encounter numerous stormtroopers, the gang doesn’t meet much resistance throughout the base.

They don’t have much time to make it out before the base implodes, so they scramble to find an exit. As they continue their escape, they find themselves in some sort of laboratory. This lab has numerous types of beings suspended in liquid; it is all very Independence Day-like. They can’t leave without knowing what this lab is for, so Mythrol (after being ordered by Karga) searches the computer for information. He finds a disturbing recording that explains the lab’s purpose; the Imperials are attempting blood transfusions between those with midi-chlorians and those without. Unfortunately for the Empire, all of their experiments have failed because they need more midi-chlorian blood. After listening to the recording, Mando finally understands why they want the Child so much. But this isn’t the only revelation he has. The recording was sent to Moff Gideon, the same Moff Gideon Mando thought was dead. With this new information, Mando leaves the group behind and jets off to get back to the Child.

Karga, Dune, and Mythrol continue to fight their way off the base. After some back-and-forth with numerous stormtroopers (who are truly terrible shots), they are able to steal an Imperial ship and escape. After taking down some stray stormtroopers and watching the base implode, they finally breathe a sigh of relief. But their relaxation is short-lived; some escaped TIE fighters are on their tail. Dune and Karga try to fight them off with evasive maneuvers and guns blazing, but they won’t make it out without help. Luckily, Mando didn’t waste much time while he was gone. He, the Child, and his ship join the fight and destroy the remaining TIE fighters. After a brief talk with his friends, Mando and the Child continue their journey to Corvus aboard the newly repaired Razor Crest.

However, Mando’s fixed ship doesn’t come without a cost. One of the engineers who worked on it is working with the Empire. The engineer planted a tracking beacon on the Razor Crest and Moff Gideon can now follow every move Mando makes. Gideon is informed that Mando has the Child, and as he thinks of his next move, he gazes upon a row of brand new stormtrooper-like fighters. But unlike the typical bright white uniforms, these soldiers are wearing Darth Vader-like black.

Highlights and Observations

• The Child doesn’t use the force often. It usually only happens when his life or Mando’s life is in danger. We can now add “hunger” to the list of reasons to use the force. I guess the Child was hungry enough to steal food from his temporary classmate. Or possibly mad because the kid didn’t share with him? Whatever the reason, the Child does pay the price for it later; he throws up the blue treats during Mando’s attack on the TIE fighters.
• Mythrol has to follow Karga’s orders due to his debt, which will take 350 years to pay off. Sounds a lot like my student loans.
• If the Empire wants to win, they really need to retrain their stormtroopers. They might need to take a few days off from their evil plans and give them basic shooting pointers and fighting workshops.