The Mandalorian: What we learned from episode 4, ‘Sanctuary’

The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda won’t get many chances to rest.

There’s no hope of retirement for the Mandalorian.

The fourth episode of The Mandalorian shows a tantalizingly settled image of Mando (Pedro Pascal) and the Child, a baby from Yoda’s species. After running away from Greef Carga (Carl Weathers) in a shootout over Baby Yoda in episode three, Mando seeks refuge in a small town on the planet Sorgan. What’s Sorgan like? “Real backwater skug hole,” Mando says as he approaches the planet in his ship. “Which means it’s perfect for us…. Nobody’s gonna find us here.”

While that’s the best line of the episode, titled “Sanctuary,” we see that there are actually beautiful people and beautiful landscapes out in the country of Sorgan. The lifestyle is lovely enough for Mano to consider leaving Baby Yoda to grow up in this community. But it’s hardly a safe haven. Mando and his new ally Cara Dune (Gina Carano), a former Rebel shock trooper, combine forces to defend the village from a group of raiders, who have an Imperial AT-ST. Once the the two soldiers win that battle, Dune kills a bounty hunter, who is pursuing Baby Yoda. While this episode came with few major revelations, one thing became clear: Mando and Baby Yoda have to keep moving. There’s no settling down.

Here are three things we learned from the episode.

1. Mando is not taking off the helmet anytime soon.

The widow Omera (Julia Jones) and her child Winta, who live in the village on Sorgan, seem to adore Mando and Baby Yoda.

Despite Omera’s apparent love interest in Mando, he rebukes her attempts to take off his helmet. Had she removed it, it’s easy to imagine the scenario Dune suggests during the episode: Mando could settle down and start a family with Omera. Because, as we learned in this episode, the Mandalorian’s cannot put their helmets back on after removing them in front of people. Mando has been wearing a helmet around people since he was a child. Taking off the helmet would be a clear step away from the Mandalorian way. While a life with Omera is clearly a tempting prospect for Mando, it’s also not happening. This is The Mandalorian — and not Star Wars’ version of Modern Family.

Mando keeps his helmet. He wants to respect his religion and stay on the move. And his ship only has room for one: Baby Yoda.

2. Cara Dune makes for a formidable ally.

Photo courtesy of Disney.

She and Mando dueled to a draw in the early stages of the episode. Dune decides to kick butt first and take names later, because she fears that Mando is on Sorgan to find and kill her. When they fight their way to the point that they have blasters to each other’s heads, they decide to pause the fight and share a bowl of soup to sort out their issues in a more civil way. But in that fight, Dune proves she’s an elite warrior on par with Mando. She also proves a competent leader and strategist in preparing the villagers for the attack of the raiders.

At the end of the episode, she parts ways with Mando. But don’t be surprised if she makes her way back into Mando and Baby Yoda’s lives. She shares the same wanderlust as Mando. That much was clear when she admitted to growing bored of playing bodyguard for the New Republic politicians. (And she may or may not be a part of the shooting for season two.)

3. The Client was onto something when he wondered: “Is the world more peaceful since the revolution?”

Mando, Baby Yoda, Dune and Kuiil are all trying to find their place in the galaxy after the fall of The Empire. While “Return of the Jedi” ends on a high note, this story explores the darker time that follows. The galaxy is reorganizing. The intergalactic governments are changing, and the ripple effects seem to have no bounds. And, of course, we already know that the New Republic and First Order are quietly jockeying for power.

Warrior types seem restless without the fighting. Dune would rather play vigilante in the outer rim than protect politicians in the New Republic. Even the raiders in the fourth episode — probably associated with the empire (because they own an AT-ST) — seem to have nothing better to do than rob krill farmers. That can’t be a particularly lucrative source of income. But the intergalactic economy is taking a downturn — that seemed apparent in the first episode when Mando is having trouble getting sufficient work as a bounty hunter. There is a consistent lawlessness on every planet we’ve seen to this point. Mando seems ready to navigate it as he acts as Baby Yoda’s personal protector.

[vertical-gallery id=873797]