Chapter 21: The Pirate

"Chapter 21: The Pirate" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American television series The Mandalorian. It was written by showrunner Jon Favreau and directed by Peter Ramsey. It was released on Disney+ on March 29, 2023 and received generally positive reviews.

"Chapter 21: The Pirate"
The Mandalorian episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 5
Directed byPeter Ramsey
Written byJon Favreau
Cinematography by
Editing byJeff Seibenick
Original release dateMarch 29, 2023 (2023-03-29)
Running time36 minutes
Co-starring
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Chapter 20: The Foundling"
Next →
"Chapter 22: Guns for Hire"
The Mandalorian season 3
List of episodes

Plot

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Gorian Shard invades Nevarro in retaliation for Vane's expulsion. Greef Karga contacts Carson Teva asking for help before evacuating the people from the city to escape the attacking pirates. Suspecting that the attack is a prelude to a new rise of the Empire, Teva informs one of his superiors but Colonel Tuttle shows indifference, telling him that the New Republic doesn't have enough resources. Teva tracks down the Mandalorian covert and asks Din Djarin for help. Djarin convinces the covert to come to Karga's aid despite their prior confrontations with them. Bo-Katan assumes command of the attack force. As the Mandalorians overcome the pirates in the city below, Din and Bo Katan engage Shard's fighters above. Realizing they are beaten, Vane flees while Shard is killed when his command ship gets blown up by both Din Djarin and Bo-Katan.

Karga and the people of Nevarro express their gratitude, welcoming the Mandalorians back to the city. The Armorer meets with Bo-Katan, acknowledging the Mythosaur's reappearance as an omen that Bo-Katan is the one who can reunite all Mandalorians, and has her remove her helmet to symbolize this new position.

On his way back to Adelphi, Teva encounters the wreckage of Moff Gideon's prison transport, which went missing during transit. Upon scanning the wreckage, a fragment of beskar alloy was found suggesting that Mandalorians may have broken Gideon out.

Production

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Development

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The episode was directed by Peter Ramsey, from a screenplay by series creator Jon Favreau.[1]

Casting

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The co-starring cast for this episode returned from previous episodes, including Carl Weathers as Greef Karga, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Captain Carson Teva, Katy M. O'Brian as Elia Kane, and Emily Swallow as The Armorer.[2] Tim Meadows also appears as Colonel Tuttle, in a co-starring role.[3][4] Steve Blum reprised his role as the voice of Star Wars Rebels character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, and directors Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, and Dave Filoni reprised their roles as New Republic pilots Sash Ketter, Jib Dodger, and Trapper Wolf, respectively.[5] Parvesh Cheena, Nonso Anozie, and Shirley Henderson reprise their voice roles as Karga's protocol droid, pirate king Gorian Shard, and the Anzellan crew, respectively.[2] Marti Matsulis reprises his role as Vane.

Music

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Joseph Shirley composed the musical score for the episode, while Ludwig Göransson composed the themes.[6]

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has a score of 100% based on reviews from 21 critics, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Mandalorian's seemingly diffuse story strands this season finally come together in "The Pirate," a rousing battle installment that's given extra panache by director Peter Ramsey."[7]

References

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  1. ^ Couch, Aaron (January 16, 2023). "'The Mandalorian' Reveals Season 3 Trailer, New Directors". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Saavedra, John (March 1, 2023). "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 Easter Eggs Explained". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Reportedly Casts Tim Meadows for Season 3".
  4. ^ Lussier, Germain (May 27, 2022). "The Mandalorian Season 3 First Footage Debuted at Star Wars Celebration". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Young, Bryan (March 29, 2023). "The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 5 Goes Full Pirate". /Film. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. ^ "Joseph Shirley Scoring 'The Mandalorian' Season 3". Film Music Reporter. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Pirate". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
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