In Episode 5 of Season 3 of The Mandalorian, viewers witness all dots of the story coming together as the pirates on Nevarro, the dysfunction within the New Republic, and the dream of retaking Mandalore are all connected. Although the plot in The Pirate has been heavily foreshadowed, there are still a few surprises in store for fans, hinting at what’s to come in the future.

The episode starts with Greef Karga, the leader of a bounty hunter guild, in an urban planning meeting that is interrupted by the return of Captain Gorian Shard, a notorious pirate. Greef had been hesitant to rely on a remote bureaucracy, but his lack of a plan to combat the threat posed by the pirates beyond asking for help from the New Republic is disappointing. Despite having a background in piracy, Greef seems to have forgotten the harsh realities of life on the Outer Rim. As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that the Outer Rim is a dangerous place where even the most competent individual cannot fend off a capital ship. The New Republic is too bureaucratic to provide timely aid, leaving the people of the Outer Rim to fend for themselves.

The New Republic base is home to a familiar face from Star Wars Rebels, Zeb Orrelios, who makes his live-action debut in this episode. He is a former crew member of the Ghost, a ship that appears in several Star Wars animated shows. Although it’s exciting to see him in live action, it’s a shame that he’s not immediately dispatched to Nevarro with Teva to help fight the pirates. Instead, Teva is forced to fly to Coruscant to request aid from the New Republic through proper channels.

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The scene on Coruscant is a bureaucratic mess, with Colonel Tuttle telling Teva that the New Republic is not interested in intervening in the situation on Nevarro. The dialogue is repetitive, and it feels like the writers are working too hard to prepare viewers for plot points that are fairly obvious. The civilian population being bombarded by the pirates should be a horrific scene, but it’s played for laughs, which takes away from the intensity of the fight that follows.

The Mandalorians make a triumphant return to the show, dominating the pirate forces on land and in the air. Although the fight lacks the intensity of The Tragedy from Season 2, it is still beautifully animated, with Joseph Shirley’s score perfectly complementing the action on-screen. Shard’s unwavering determination to fight even when things look bad lends further credence to the idea that he is working for someone else.

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Overall, The Pirate is a decent episode, with all the dots of the story finally coming together. While some of the dialogue is repetitive, and the humor detracts from the severity of the situation, the action sequences are impressive, and it’s great to see familiar faces from previous Star Wars shows make appearances. The episode sets the stage for what’s to come, with the dream of retaking Mandalore becoming more of a reality with each passing episode.