There was certainly a lot to be thankful for this past weekend, especially for Star Wars fans who have been watching season 2 of “The Mandalorian” with extreme anticipation. And while “Chapter 13: The Jedi” had plenty of surprises that not only got fans of “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” excited for some incredible confrontations, it finally gave a name to The Child, aka Baby Yoda. Though the characters will now acknowledge the star as Grogu, I don’t see many sharing that sentiment.
But Baby Yoda finally getting a name, Ahsoka Tano’s guest appearance along with the General Thawn name drop, and Aliens actor Michael Biehn weren’t the only things to cheer for. The last chapter also had Diana Lee Inosanto as the tyrannical Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth. She ruled Calodan on the planet Corvus with an iron fist and a powerful staff made of pure Beskar.
The city itself gets its inspiration Akira Kurosawa film. There’s the thick fog, large warning gong, citizens either running in fear or publicly strung up while being electrocuted. And Ahsoka is there to liberate its people from its villainous oppressor. But don’t underestimate the Magistrate, as Inosanto uses her martial arts skills to duel against the formidable Ahsoka. The actress and stuntwoman learned many forms of martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do, which she learned from her father, Dan Inosanto, a student of Jeet Kune Do founder Bruce Lee, who was also her godfather. Besides all her entertainment accolades, she also serves as a martial arts trainer for major films.
And that wasn’t the only surprise to drop during “The Mandalorian.” Disney Legend and former Imagineer Wing Chao appeared in the latest episode as Governor Wing, whose city was overtaken by Elsbeth. Chao worked with Disney for over 37 years from 1972 to 2009 and oversaw over 100 projects on Disney’s theme parks, cruise lines, and luxury hotels. Though the highly respected architect has earned numerous recognition awards in the architecture and design community, I’m sure Disney fans will recognize him for being named a Disney Legend at the 2019 D23 Expo.
As aforementioned, there is a lot to be thankful for when it comes to “The Mandalorian.” The live-action Star Wars show has done so much for representation that it has nowhere else to go but up.
Watch Chapter 13: The Jedi now. New episodes of “The Mandalorian” appear exclusively on Disney+ every Friday.
