The Mandalorian Chapter 21: The Pirate Review | A new, indepedent home for Mandalore emerges

Bo-Katan rises while Din Djarin and Grogu fade into the background in The Pirate, which is the best episode of season three so far.

Following Chapter 20’s flashback-heavy approach, The Pirate focuses on the here and now. The episode features scenes taking place on multiple planets. However, even in those sequences, the focus is on the events taking place on Nevarro.

Independence is a hopeful notion, but not without consequence. Nevarro’s independent stance results in The New Republic being noncommital in providing aid. Furthermore, it’s a sign of Nevarro’s vulnerability to criminals, the fragments of the empire and in this case pirates.

The pirates outnumber Greef Karga’s forces and he’s forced to send out a distress call to The New Republic. Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) hears the call and is moved by Karga’s plea for help. Teva heads to Coruscant to ask for backup but is denied since Nevarro signed the treaty to join The New Republic. He eventually meets the Mandalorians at their current base of operations.

The Mandalorians are reluctant to help since Karga was responsible for some of their members dying. However, Djarin convinces the Mandalorians to protect Nevarro and in exchange, they can claim Nevarro as their home instead of a base of operations.

Djarin and Grogu are pushed further into the periphery in The Pirate, which is a recurrent and disappointing theme this season. Bo-Katan continues to be the best character in season three of The Mandalorian. However, I’m still a little confused as to why Djarin and Bo-Katan can’t share the spotlight.

However, Tim Meadows as a commanding officer in The New Republic works surprisingly well and the action sequences continue to shine. Jon Favreau‘s story does a strong job of starting to connect some of the seeds planted in prior episodes. However, The Armorer conceding leadership to Bo-Katan so she can recruit more people seems too easy.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into Chapter 21: The Pirate. There may be some minor spoilers. The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney Plus.

Resisting The Pirate

Karga is busy with his magistrate duties when he’s interrupted by invading pirates. He doesn’t have enough capable warriors to fend them off for long. Karga sends out a call for help to The New Republic.

Captain Teva hears the call and heads to Coruscant. The supervising officer (Meadows) can’t help Teva. If Karga had signed the treaty, then they would be an Alliance planet and under the protection of the fleet. Ella Kane returns and pushes back against Teva’s desire to help. Teva remarks she still has a very imperial approach to things, which doesn’t go entirely unnoticed by the supervising officer.

Teva departs Coruscant and finds Din Djarin with the other Mandalorians. He promises not to reveal their location but encourages the Mandalorians to do the right thing. They’re reluctant to help, but Djarin convinces them to aid Nevarro.

Teva also plays a major role in the ending. He comes across a derelict imperial cruiser that was supposed to be transporting Moff Gideon. There’s a slew of human remains in the ship. The only evidence is beskar armor, which seemingly implicates a Mandalorian

Teva continues to be a terrific recurring character. He’s an intelligent rebel officer with unimpeachable character. If someone needs aid, he wants to help. Teva also serves as an important reminder. As bumbling as The New Republic is, there are heroes trying to make the galaxy a better place.

Independence

The Mandalorians have been on the move for some time. They’ve had places that work as a temporary refuge but haven’t yet found a home. Yet they’re unbeholden to the empire or The New Republic, which makes them the only option to save Nevarro.

Saving Nevarro will enable these two growing independent societies to cohabitate. If the Mandalorians can defeat the pirates, they can potentially call Nevarro home. Nevarro would bring this sect of Mandalorians full circle. Afterall, they started the series on Nevarro and lived underground.

The Pirate also does a good job showing how independence is a double edge sword. For Nevarro, when times are bad, they can’t depend on any reputable individuals for aid. At least for Nevarro, they have someplace to call home. The destruction of Mandalore destroyed their home forcing the warrior species to live as nomads.

The Mandalorians establishing a permanent home on Nevarro benefits both parties. Greff Karga now has an army to protect his independent nation, while the Mandalorians have a place to call home. A home base is crucial for whatever happens next with Bo-Katan.

Walking between two worlds

Technically, there are a few characters trying to function in different capacities.

Teva tries to follow protocol. However, after he’s rebuffed, he reaches out to The Mandalorians and shows the warriors respect. Ella’s clearly using her subterfuge as a born-again republic officer to dismantle The New Republic from within. However, the main character who is walking between two worlds is Bo-Katan.

While Djarin does provide some aid, Bo-Katan leads the mission on Navarro. After the mission is complete, The Armorer has another conversation with Bo-Katan. The Armorer believes Bo-Katan can unite the diverging Mandlorians under one leader. The Armorer asks Bo-Katan to remove her helmet. Bo-Katan hesitates but eventually removes it.

Bo-Katan walks out of the underground bunker with The Armorer. The Mandalorians are shocked to see Bo-Katan without her helmet on. The Armorer reveals Bo-Katan can bridge the beliefs of “the way” with those of the other Mandalorians. Bo-Katan seems to accept this new responsibility.

The Armorer anointing Bo-Katan as the leader is a little too fast. Especially, considering how little The Armorer thought of Bo-Katan and vice versa last season. Perhaps, if last week’s episode had dove a bit deeper into the significance of the mythosaur then this progression would feel more natural and less shoehorned.

The Pirate final thoughts

In many ways, Chapter 21, is another setup episode for larger conflicts to come. However, the return of Captain Teva, strong action sequences and the cool murder mystery element lead to the best episode of season three so far with The Pirate.

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