The Mandalorian season 2 premiere: 5 best moments from Chapter 9

The Mandalorian season two has finally arrived! What were some of the best moments from Chapter 9?

If there’s one thing all of us could use during this disaster of a year, it’s more Baby Yoda. Thankfully, The Mandalorian is prepared to deliver on that front with its second season, which dropped its first episode on Disney+ today.

“Chapter 9: The Marshal” takes us back to the galaxy as Mando searches for Baby Yoda’s people — a journey that, naturally, takes him to any number of dangerous places. After an action-packed opener at one of the many dens of depravity scattered throughout the galaxy, this week’s episode brings Mando back to Tatooine in search of another Mandalorian.

Unfortunately, the Mandalorian he’s looking for winds up being someone else in Beskar armor. Mando demands the man return the armor to him, but the guy demands something in return: help defeating a huge enemy, one that’s large enough to eat a Sarlacc and steal its home: the Krayt dragon.

If fans were hoping the second installment of this series would open with a bang, they got what they were looking for with the season two premiere. While the first season had to set things up prior to really digging into the action, this week’s premiere suggests that the pacing is going to be much better this season (giving us way more to look forward to).

So what were some of the highlights from Chapter 9?

The Opening

If there’s one thing that can be said about The Mandalorian, it’s that the show knows how to open with a bang. Last season, the premiere brought us Baby Yoda, a development that left fans freaking out for — well, we’re still going nuts to be honest.

This season jumps into the action immediately, and its opening scene is definitely a highlight of Chapter 9. The episode starts off with Mando and Baby Yoda at a Gamorrean Guard fighting arena, where a brawl quickly breaks out over Mando’s armor. It’s when many people turn their guns on Mando that we truly get to see the bounty hunter in action again — and if you’d gotten used to the big softy who spared Baby Yoda, this moment serves as a reminder that Pedro Pascal’s character is still dangerous as ever.

Not only does this moment boast plenty of action, but it contains one of the best moments from the trailer: Baby Yoda casually retreating to his little carrier as the shooting begins. A mood if there ever was one.

The Return of Peli

Amy Sedaris’ Peli Motto is the first familiar face we see this season (apart from Mando and the Child, of course), and her reaction to seeing the pair again is just about everything we could have hoped for. She pretty much encapsulates the viewers’ thoughts by telling Mando how excited she is to see the Child again. And then asking him “How much? Just kidding. Not really.”

Talk about relatable.

There’s also a comical line about how Mando likes droids now, which shows how much our characters have grown in just one season.

This scene is a short one, but it captures the Star Wars humor scattered throughout the show perfectly. (And, well, we feel more validated about being so excited over the baby.)

The Imposter

Following Mando’s reunion with Peli, the bounty hunter sets out to find the other Mandalorian that’s supposedly living on Tatooine. And having a character show up in Boba Fett’s gear is a heartstopper of a moment for anyone who can’t wait to see the character again. Unfortunately, it turns out to be an imposter — but the show does a solid job of tricking viewers all the same.

Instead of Boba being in that armor, we get Marshall Cobb Vanth (played by none other than Timothy Olyphant), who makes for a fun addition to the episode, even if he’s not the character we’d hope for. His dynamic with Mando, in particular, is fun to watch — his high-energy cockiness balances Mando’s quieter nature well, and the back and forth between the two is undoubtedly entertaining.

Mando Takes on the Krayt Dragon

The Krayt dragon is huge and dangerous, and it takes Mando, the titular Marshall, and a lot of help to defeat the dang thing. The whole fight against the giant, wormlike creature makes for a fun opening to the season, but the most intense and suspenseful moment comes near the very end: when Mando tells Cobb to watch the Child and allows himself — along with a detonator — to get swallowed up by the monster.

It’s not very long until our main character comes flying out of the Krayt dragon, which he’s successfully managed to explode to pieces. Still, it’s a pretty epic moment for Mando — and one that’s visually striking, if a bit gross afterward.

The Closing Shot

The final seconds of the episode are noteworthy for those hoping for more callbacks to the Skywalker Saga — and especially for those who were disappointed to see the person wearing Boba Fett’s armor was an imposter.

The episode ends on a figure looking down on the desert, holding both a rifle and a Tusken Raider pole. When the person turns around, he’s recognizable as Temuera Morrison, the actor who played Jango Fett in the prequel trilogy — and who was tapped to play Boba Fett in The Mandalorian. 

That ending is one way to ramp up excitement about this upcoming season. After all, fans are eager to see Boba Fett in action and learn how he survived the Sarlacc pit. It looks like we may not be waiting too long for those answers!

Have you watched The Mandalorian season two premiere yet? What were your favorite moments? Sound off in the comments below!