The Mandalorian: What to expect in the season finale

The Mandalorian season finale isn’t far off from now, but fans are dying to know what happens in Chapter Eight. Will it end with The Child’s demise?

We all expected The Mandalorian season 1 finale to be a spectacular event, but we never anticipated the stakes would be so high going into “Chapter Eight.”

Warning! Spoilers ahead.

If you’ve watched the latest episode, then you know “Chapter Seven: The Reckoning” concluded with Kuill (Nick Nolte) being shot down.  Baby Yoda was taken by rogue Storm Troopers. Meanwhile, Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano) were left to fend for themselves as a battalion of Storm Troopers led by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) surrounded them.

While there’s no telling what’ll happen next, it’s safe to say The Mandalorian season finale will include a few casualties. Now, we don’t expect the titular character Mando to meet his end, though odds are Cara or Greef (Carl Weathers) will wind up dead before everything is said and done. Our money is on Cara. She’s too noble for her own good and appears to be searching for a road to redemption. That could end badly for her.

On the other hand, it’s possible IG-11 (Taika Waititi) will save them from certain death. Even though Mando remains skeptical about trusting a reprogrammed droid, perhaps Kuill was correct in his assumption. He believed training the droid to suit another purpose would make it a protector rather than an assassin, and maybe he was right. Of course, that’s yet to be seen.

More from Star Wars

• Is Tales of the Jedi on Netflix?
• Is Andor on Netflix?
• Is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on Netflix?
• Is Obi-Wan Kenobi on Netflix?
• Check out Amazon’s Star Wars Day deals page to save on LEGO sets, Funko Pop! figurines, T-shirts, and more

Fans also need to remember that the Guild has yet to make an appearance. They may come to the rescue at the last moment, saving Mando, Cara, and Greef from unfortunate demises. Mando made some enemies by not adhering to their code, but he did so for an honorable reason. And reasonably speaking, his Mandalorian brethren have learned exactly why he chose The Child over them by now.

When does the season finale air?

As far as release dates go, that’s another aspect left up for debate. We mentioned that Rise of Skywalker takes precedent this week so fans have to wait at least another week for the season one finale. And since a new episode isn’t likely to premiere on Christmas Day, it’s safe to assume Chapter Eight will be released on Dec. 27, 2019, according to GameSpot.

Originally, it looked like episode 7 would be released on Friday, Dec. 20, but that’s the same day The Rise of Skywalker comes out. So, it looks like Disney moved up The Mandalorian episode to Wednesday (Dec. 18).

The silver lining is that a second season of The Mandalorian is already in production. Jon Favreau confirmed he’s begun work on season two on multiple occasions, most notably during a conversation with Collider. 

During that interview, Favreau spoke about having written the second season prior to the freshman season’s premiere. He has yet to comment on the plot of season two, which means we’ll have to wait for the season one finale to make any sort of predictions.

But if we were to guess, the sophomore season will probably follow Mando’s search for a home that suits The Child. None of the planets he’s traveled to since adopting Baby Yoda have been hospitable to them so Mando will likely venture to distant worlds for something viable. Or, maybe the Mandalorian will deliver his new ward to the Jedi Order.

One aspect of The Mandalorian that’s yet to be explored — and could hold all sorts of Star Wars Easter Eggs in it — is the fact that season one takes place five years after Return Of The Jedi. The setting is important because Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) reestablished the Jedi Order during that time. Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren destroyed what Luke had amassed in The Force Awakens, but before that tragic event, Luke’s regiment of Jedi in-training was thriving.

The reestablished Jedi Order pertains to The Mandalorian because of Baby Yoda. The last few episodes have made it clear that Mando’s new friend is Force Sensitive, most evidently when the youngling strangled Cara Dune. Because of that, the crew needs to find someone familiar with The Force to care for it. And that’s where Luke Skywalker comes in.

It may be premature to suggest, but perhaps Favreau intends to set up a Luke Skywalker cameo in season two. Disney owns the rights to all things Star Wars-related and getting Hamill to reprise his role in a single episode shouldn’t be an issue. The question is how Luke could play a role in The Mandalorian, without creating continuity errors in the movies.

Are you excited for The Mandalorian finale?