Countdown to ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3: Revisiting Chapter 12 “The Siege”
As we start to gear up for the release of The Mandalorian season 3 on March 1, 2023, we’re taking a look back at each episode of the show so far through the lens of concept art. This will be a weekly series of reviews until the premiere of season 3 next year. You may find our previous entries in this series here.
While we will be revisiting all of the artwork displayed in the episode’s credits, bear in mind that this is not a fully conceptualized review of the episode. We still have those from when each episode came out, and we’ll link to them at the end.
The hits literally never stop coming in season 2 of The Mandalorian. After the previous episode set up a visit from a certain fan-favorite Jedi, I can remember a very loud sect of fans immediately decrying this episode for making us wait. I also remember those fans suddenly silenced when they realized Chapter 12, titled The Siege, had a lot more to offer than just a quick detour. Jon Favreau just needed to further the larger story of The Mandalorian a bit more before giving fans the episode of a lifetime.
Mando and Grogu are on their way back to Nevarro for repairs, which naturally means reintroducing Cara Dune and Greef Karga. We met the former first, and while the scene was fun, I can’t hide my disappointment that we didn’t get to see the little guy in the back of the concept art breathe fire into someone’s face. Huge missed opportunity. I take it all back. 0/10 episode.
*Checks notes and sees they are called lava meerkats* Okay, that’s the coolest name ever. I’ll forgive this transgression.
While walking through the streets of Nevarro, it’s clear this is not the same city Mando left. With Karga and Dune essentially in charge as the city’s Magistrate and muscle, there’s a chance for a better future.
The trio go to school to drop Grogu off for a fun day of learning about trade routes. Mando is reluctant as he wasn’t prepared to part with his companion, but Karga says that he shouldn’t bring a child to where they are going next.
This episode features possibly the most pulpy fun of the season with Grogu. Opening the episode with a charming scene trying to do some electrical work, we stay with him as he sits in a classroom, which in of itself is funny because Grogu barely fits in the desk. He spots a stack of wafers (blue in the episode) on the desk of the kid next to him and asks for one. Since no was the wrong answer, Grogu resorts to using the Force to claim the cookies as his own.
One of my favorite things in The Mandalorian is the gag over what Grogu will use the Force to do. Sometimes, it’s to genuinely help people, and others… it will be to do things like this. A kid has to eat.
The concept art makes it seem like Magistrate Karga’s office was thought of as a place to lounge around and go about your day. Inside the episode itself, there isn’t time for any of that as we get right down to business.
While Nevarro City is making a comeback, Karga and Dune brief Mando on their chief concern. Outside of the city lies an all-but-abandoned Imperial base. Dune explains the people of Nevarro can’t be free while it stands. Karga wants it clear so Nevarro can truly thrive as a trade anchor for the entire sector.
The mission is simple. Infiltrate, blow the reactor, and get out. Joining them on the mission is the Mythrol, who Mando captured way back in Chapter 1 and froze in carbonite. He now finds himself serving Karga for 350 years as a means to pay off his debt. Because Karga is such a forgiving and understanding guy, he is willing to knock off 100 years if the Mythrol steps up to the plate and does some of the dirty work.
They park their speeder at the front gate upon arrival. Mando flies overhead to do some scouting and get a lay of the land. We stay with the others on the ground as they pry open the door to the lift. Soon enough, we hear a struggle and are greeted with a stormtrooper thrown off the landing pad.
When they finally reunite with Mando on the landing pad, it’s immediately clear the base is not as safe to investigate as initially thought. The Mythrol points out a fancy armored transport that definitely will not be needed for an escape later on. This is still a fairly easy in-and-out job after all.
Oh, how one moment can change everything. After rigging the reactor to blow, the escape is on. Needing to find a different route, the team comes across a room with two engineers. They take them out and are then taken aback by several tanks with deformed beings inside (way more deformed than what’s on display in the art above). Cara deduces that this facility is actually a lab, which prompts them to dig a bit further, leading to the discovery of a transmission from Dr. Pershing.
He says that their experiments have failed because their donor did not have a high enough “M count” and would soon face the same fate. Pershing goes on to talk about “the Child” and says they have used up that initial dose of blood. If the experiments are to continue, Pershing says they would once again require the Child. He signs off with an ominous “I will not disappoint you again, Moff Gideon.”
So there is a lot to break down. First off, Mando is shocked to learn that Gideon could be alive and might be looking for Grogu as they speak. He immediately parts ways to go and ensure the kid’s safety. Secondly, this is our first real look into what the Empire is trying to do. Most theories come back around to thinking it has something to do with preserving Emperor Palpatine, and I still am firmly in that camp. Nothing else makes sense at this time, but that’s why it’s one of the show’s big mysteries. It’s on Jon Favreau’s shoulders to surprise us with the answers. Lastly, I just hope it’s not forgotten about in the midst of everything going on with Mandalore in season 3. Trust the process.
This angle is never quite shown as Mando flies out of the base via the heat shaft. The way the prior scene played out signals he isn’t about to waste any more time with simple troopers when his partner is in danger.
Meanwhile, the chase sequence of the escape is next, and director Carl Weathers knows exactly how to handle it: copy George Lucas’s homework and redo A New Hope dogfights with your own Mandalorian-flavored twist. There is even a last-minute save from a scoundrel’s ship as the Razor Crest swoops in after the TIEs get Greef, Dune, and the Mythrol right where they want them. Weathers left no doubt he still has that eye of the tiger.
After the chaos, Mando and Grogu waste no time leaving as they seek to get off Gideon’s potential radar. They have a date with a Jedi anyhow.
Surprisingly, there isn’t a piece of concept art that directly represents the end of the episode, which sees the return of Moff Gideon. He still seeks to capture Grogu and fulfill whatever the Imperial remnant on Nevarro was trying to do. But that’s not all as the camera slowly reveals Gideon’s new weapon: dark troopers are on their way to wreck Mando’s day. A great way to end a great episode.
If you are interested, you can find our original review of Chapter 12 of The Mandalorian, from November 2020, right here.
Our “Countdown to The Mandalorian Season 3” series will continue next week, when we’ll be revisiting Chapter 13. Stay tuned!
Nate uses his love for Star Wars and movies in general as a way to cope with the pain of being a Minnesota sports fan. When he's not at the theater, you can usually find Nate reading a comic, listening to an audiobook, or playing a Mario video game for the 1,000th time.
