It's finally almost time. The second season of The Mandalorian, the live-action Star Wars show on Disney+, premieres Friday, October 30. With its return, we'll get more Mando, more Baby Yoda, and more space battles. That's reassuring given that there has been no new live-action Star Wars content since The Rise of Skywalker last year.
Have you mounted a Season 1 rewatch to prepare for the new episodes, though? It's entirely possible you might not have time. That's okay, though. GameSpot has your back. We went through all of Season 1 to figure out everything you should know before sitting down to re-enter the world of The Mandalorian on Friday.
Take a look below at the major plot points, characters, and more that you should remember when The Mandalorian Season 2 launches on October 30. Also, make sure to take a look at our Season 2 wishlist to find out what needs to happen in the new episodes.
What's the story?
On the surface, The Mandalorian is a simple story of a bounty hunter taking missions around the galaxy. A synopsis for the series reads, "The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic."
Still, anyone who's watched until the end of the Season 1 premiere knows the show is about so much more. What begins as the story of a lone Mandalorian quickly evolves when The Child, a young alien that looks a lot like Yoda, is introduced. Initially, Mando was tasked with returning The Child, colloquially known as Baby Yoda, to a client with ties to the fallen Empire. However, he quickly realized Baby Yoda was going to be harmed in the transaction and instead decided to protect the creature.
Enter Baby Yoda
If there is literally anything you know about The Mandalorian, it's the existence of Baby Yoda. The little green alien was a pop-cultural phenomenon. Whether it's using the force (yes, Baby Yoda is force sensitive), drinking soup, eating a frog, or playing with a knob from Mando's ship, everything Baby Yoda does is endlessly entertaining. And, chances are, you already own merchandise of the character.
At the end of Season 1, Mando was given a new mission: Return The Child to its home. That's going to be the driving force of Season 2 and it's also an exciting story for longtime Star Wars fans. After all, while Yoda is one of the franchise's most iconic characters (and Yaddle from the prequels showed that he wasn't the only one from his species), little is known about that alien race--including what they're called or where they're from.
The Empire
As noted in the synopsis, The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. That said, the remnants of the evil force are still around. You still see armies of Stormtroopers, Empire officers, and the like throughout Season 1. The first half of the season saw The Client (Werner Herzog) as the primary antagonist. His character was mysterious but very clearly associated with what's left of the Empire. Later, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito)--a former Imperial officer now leading former Empire troops--became the antagonist. While Vader is dead and the Empire has seemingly fallen, it's clear the order is alive and they want Baby Yoda, presumably to make use of the infant's force sensitivity.
Mando
The hero of the story, Mando's actual name is Din Djarin--though you don't learn that or see his face until the end of Season 1. Throughout the course of Season 1, it's revealed Mando was orphaned when his parents were killed in an attack by the Empire. He was taken in by the Mandalorians and trained to be a bounty hunter. Prior to the end of Season 1, he hadn't shown anyone his face since he was a child, due to Mandalorian customs.
After discovering The Child, Mando quickly bonded with the creature and ultimately couldn't leave it with The Client. Now, he's been tasked with returning Baby Yoda to its home, wherever that may be.
Greef Karga
Initially, it seemed Greef Karga was being set up as an antagonist. As an agent of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, he attempted to kill Mando when he broke the code by refusing to hand over The Child. However, when the Client attacked Karga's city as retaliation for not getting his hands on Baby Yoda, Mando stepped in to help. By the end of Season 1, the two were on friendly terms once again with Karga once again taking on his role as guild agent.
Cara Dune
Cara is a mercenary that Mando meets on the planet Sorgan. It's revealed she was a shop trooper in the New Republic, before leaving the military. Together with Mando, she helped to defend a village on Sorgan from raiders, forming a bond with him in the process. Mando later enlisted Cara to help him battle the remnant of the Empire that wanted to get their hands on Baby Yoda. At the end of Season 1, she agreed to step in as Greef Karga's guild enforcer.
Moff Gideon
With so many heroes, of course, you need a villain. Moff Gideon was an Imperial officer before the fall of the Empire. Now he's risen to the rank of Moff in what's left of the order--and has possession of the Darksaber, which we'll get to. He also has his sights set on The Child.
It hasn't been explicitly stated what Gideon on doing with The Child, but he and the remnants of the Empire clearly want control of the infant's force sensitive powers. What's more, he's willing to do anything or kill anyone to get it. Thus far, though, Mando, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga have out-maneuvered him. Still, as previously mentioned, we now know he has the Darksaber.
The Darksaber
What, exactly, is the Darksaber? It's a lightsaber that, according to Star Wars lore, was created by the Mandalorian Tarre Vizsla--who was also the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order. It features a black blade that radiates white light. This saber was first introduced in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and went on to also play a role in Star Wars Rebels. Its appearance in the Season 1 finale of The Mandalorian is the first time the blade has appeared in live-action and it remains to be seen how, exactly, Moff Gideon gained possession of it.
Who died?
While we've covered the major players that survived Season 1 of The Mandalorian and will continue to play a major role moving forward, there are some that weren't so lucky. The aforementioned Client was killed by Moff Gideon, after failing to deliver The Child. The death cemented Gideon as the true antagonist of the series.
Season 1 also saw the death of Kuiil, the Ugnaught that helped Mando protect The Child in the first half of Season 1. He was killed by a pair of scout troopers under Moff Gideon's command while trying to return Baby Yoda to Mando's ship.
The last major death in Season 1 wasn't technically a death at all: IG-11, the bounty hunter droid that had been reprogrammed to protect The Child. The droid, voiced by Taika Waititi, sacrificed itself in the Season 1 premiere, self-destructing to take out an army of Moff Gideon's troopers.
When can we watch more?
The second season of The Mandalorian premieres Friday, October 30, on Disney+. New episodes will be released every Friday.
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