The Mandalorian season 2 premiere: Why was that ending such a big deal?

The Mandalorian’s second season premiere had a surprise for us at the very end of the episode — but why was that ending such a big deal?

The Mandalorian season two is finally here, and the premiere has already thrown plenty of exciting surprises our way. Between Timothy Olyphant’s guest appearance and all of the adorable Baby Yoda moments, the episode probably didn’t even need to end on a high note — but it did, and it’s that much better for it.

Throughout the season premiere, fans are treated to several callbacks to the Skywalker Saga, but the most notable one is Olyphant’s character showing up in Boba Fett’s armor. It’s an exciting moment when fans see someone in that familiar garb walking toward Mando, but it quickly becomes clear that it’s a feint. The armor was obtained from the Jawas, and the person inside of it is no Mandalorian. Poor Mando can never catch a break, huh?

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But even if fans found themselves temporarily disappointed with the lack of Boba Fett in the most recent episode, the final moments of “Chapter 9: The Marshal” will have reignited their hopes going forward. The last shot shows a bald man watching Mando and Baby Yoda speed across the desert, pistol and Tusken Raider pole at his side. When he turns, it’s not immediately obvious who he is — but if you recognize the actor, you’ll be able to put the pieces together.

The actor is none other than Temuera Morrison, who played the role of Jango Fett in the Star Wars prequel movies. And if you’ve been following news for The Mandalorian season two, you’ll know that Morrison was cast to play an older version of Boba Fett in the Disney+ series — giving us an answer to the question of who’s watching Mando at the end of Chapter 9.

Given that Mando now has Boba Fett’s armor, there’s a good chance he wants it back. And Boba has showed no signs of being as honorable as Mando is — so it’s very possible these two will butt heads over the next few installments.

As far as what Boba Fett has been up to all these years after the Empire fell — and why he never took his armor from Cobb Vanth — those are all questions that need to be answered as the season continues. We’d also like to know how Boba Fett survived his fall into the Sarlacc pit — though the Kyat dragon eating the Sarlacc certainly may have had something to do with it.

The second season premiere of The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+. What did you think of that ending? Sound off in the comments below.