The Mandalorian season 2: The 5 best moments from Chapter 11

The Mandalorian’s latest episode was an action-packed installment that involved a dangerous run-in with the Empire. What were the biggest moments?

The Mandalorian spent its last two episodes with Mando and Baby Yoda fighting monsters in episodic installments, only making minor references to the show’s overarching plot. That changed this week, when Mando finally received some information relevant to returning Baby Yoda to the Jedi — and had a run-in with the Empire in the process. (We even got a Moff Gideon appearance, even if it was short and not in the flesh.)

In that sense, Chapter 11 proved itself the strongest episode of season two so far. It had action, adorable Baby Yoda moments, and hints at what’s to come — all things we look for when logging onto Disney+ to watch a new episode of The Mandalorian each week.

So, in an episode full of great moments, which stood out the most?

The Other Mandalorians

After two episodes searching for other Mandalorians, some finally arrive just in time to save Mando and Baby Yoda from being eaten by a monster courtesy of some two-timing squid aliens that promise to take Mando to his people — only to betray him and attempt to steal his Beskar armor.

The arrival of the other Mandalorians is pretty epic, even if only one of them turns out to be from Mand’alor. That character, however, happens to be one that fans will recognize from Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels: Bo-Katan. And with her appearance, Bo-Katan brings a whole new perspective of Mandalorian culture, one that focuses on a different clan with different practices than Mando’s people, who are apparently called The Watch.

This bit of world-building makes this epic rescue scene even more intriguing, and it suggests we’ll see some unexplored aspects of the galaxy in the future.

Taking the Empire’s Ship

In terms of action, the most suspenseful moments of Chapter 11 are undoubtedly when Mando helps Bo-Katan and her gang invade and steal from an Imperial ship in exchange for information. Not only does this action sequence show how powerful Mandalorians — especially those who have spent years navigating the underbelly of the galaxy — truly are, but it also gives us some typical Stormtrooper action. That’s something we don’t get a ton of during this series, but it’s always nice when we do see the Empire show its face (and its inability to aim).

Moff Gideon’s Message

Perhaps we just get overly excited whenever Giancarlo Esposito is onscreen, but Moff Gideon’s brief appearance during Chapter 11 definitely makes the top moments. With so many episodic villains who are quickly dispatched, it’s nice to come across a truly menacing force on the show — one that Mando and Baby Yoda will inevitably need to contend with at some point.

Even more jarring is Moff Gideon’s followers, who are so dedicated to the remains of the Empire that they’re willing to sacrifice themselves. It’s easy to see how the First Order was eventually formed with people like this still around.

That Big Name Drop

When Mando is finished helping Bo-Katan with her mission, she gives him the name of who he should seek out to find the Jedi — and it’s a fan-favorite character from the Star Wars animated series. We all knew Ahsoka Tano would make an appearance this season, but it was still exciting to hear her mentioned this week (and to realize that Mando and the Child will run into her very, very soon).

Baby Yoda Making Friends

This week’s installment sees a bit of growth for Baby Yoda, who actually managed to rankle fans during Chapter 10. With no sense of the impact his actions have on others, the Child was eating eggs and other creatures left and right last week. This week, when Mando leaves him with the Frog Lady and her partner, it seems Baby Yoda has a bit of growth. By the time Mando returns from his mission, the Child is adorably playing nice and petting the Frog Lady’s hatched child.

Even cuter is when Mando pulls Baby Yoda away from his new playmate and needs to inform him that, no, he doesn’t want any other “pets.”

We love to see Baby Yoda making friends!

Honorable Mentions

That’s right. This week’s episode was so great, we’ve got honorable mentions! These two moments didn’t make the top five, but they still needed a shoutout:

• Frog Lady reuniting with her partner was adorable, especially after everything she went through to get home.
• Baby Yoda eating soup was both adorable and hilarious — especially when something jumped out of it and Mando asked him to avoid playing with his food. Star Wars, am I right?

What did you think of this week’s episode of The Mandalorian? What were your favorite moments from Chapter 11? Sound off in the comments below.