It’s been 2 years since the most controversial episode ofThe Mandalorianto date premiered, and after sitting with it for this long, I’ve finally gained a proper appreciation for it. On the whole,The Mandalorianseason 3 was fairly controversial; it was far from the spaghetti Western inStar Warsthat it had once been. It was ultimately met with mixed reviews, though some episodes were certainly treated much worse than others.
One such example is episode 3 “Chapter 19: The Convert,” the longest episode ofThe Mandalorianto date, which only follows its titular character for upwards of 10 minutes. The heart of the episode lies with Doctor Penn Pershing and Elia Kane, two of Moff Gideon’s former underlings who become a part of theNew RepublicAmnesty Program to find new purpose and redemption. This story was met with heightened resistance due to its divergence from the Mandalore story, but I’ve found new respect for it as of late.
“The Convert” Is An Absolutely Riveting Star Wars Story
This Political Thriller Is Worth The Watch
While “The Convert” may stand apart in a jarring sense from every other episode inThe Mandalorianseason 3,it still ought not to be seen as a bad episode or story. The events of this episode are absolutely vital to the future ofStar Wars, which makes it easier for me to see why they wanted to force it into something likeThe Mandalorianseason 3 so badly.
The events of this episode are absolutely vital to the future of Star Wars.
This story gives us so much context about the New Republic Amnesty Program, which I imagine will be key in futureStar Warsprojects such asAhsokaseason 2andThe Mandalorian and Grogumovie. It’s also just downright entertaining,emulating a political thriller that’s nearly comparable withAndor. Katy M. O’Brian and Omid Abtahi both have a chance to shine, too, proving that they’re more than capable of being so much more than the secondary characters Pershing and Elia Kane were inThe Mandalorianseasons 1 and 2.
Unfortunately, It Still Doesn’t Fit In To The Mandalorian Season 3 At All
Ultimately, though, “The Convert” will never be fairly judged as an episode ofStar Wars, because in reality, it’s an episode ofThe Mandalorianfirst and foremost - and it simply doesn’t fit in. In a season that, unfortunately, was already struggling with pacing issues in its storytelling,taking a major step away from the Mandalore arc with “The Convert” greatly worsened the problem. It’s also hard to make sense of how Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze’s adventures in the opening and closing sequences fit with the rest of the episode.
I Still Can’t Believe Star Wars Fans Hate This Clone Wars-Inspired Mandalorian Season 3 Episode Even After 2 Years
This season 3 episode of The Mandalorian remains the least popular of the entire show, but I don’t think the negative response is really fitting.
In fact, the only ties this story even has to the rest ofThe Mandalorianseason 3 are Pershing and Kane’s connection to Moff Gideon, who appears later and merely references something about Pershing’s research being lost “for now,” and the New Republic Amnesty Program reappearing with Captain Bombardier in “Chapter 22: Guns For Hire.” Otherwise,there’s no real connective tissue between “The Convert” and the rest of the season whatsoever. It’s a great shame to everyone involved, and it could have been avoided.
Did Star Wars Make A Mistake Canceling Their Other Mandoverse Spin-Off?
How Many Other High Caliber Episodes Were Lost?
“The Convert” is the most extreme example ofThe Mandalorianseason 3 compensating for the TV show’s canceled spin-off series,Rangers of the New Republic, but it’s far from the only one. The TV show was ultimately scrapped when its intended star, Gina Carano as Cara Dune, was dropped by Lucasfilm, and thusits key storylines were woven into other shows- most notablyThe Mandalorianseason 3. That showed in the moments that followed Carson Teva and, of course, the majority of this particular episode.
Everything We’ve Figured Out About Star Wars' Canceled Mandalorian Spinoff
Had The Mandalorian’s canceled spinoff, Rangers of the New Republic, not been canceled, Star Wars' New Republic era might have looked very different.
While details about whatRangers of the New Republicwas meant to be are still limited, it’s become more and more clear thatthe TV show intended to establish more about the New Republic in a way that would become essential to otherThe Mandalorian-era stories.Ahsokaseason 1 did some of the work in proving this, too, by showing us more of the New Republic in action - even key members of its senate.
In retrospect, seeing excellent stories like “The Convert” fit into the wrong places makes me wonder ifStar Warsmade a mistake canceling this show. At the end of the day, what’s done is done, and it cannot be changed, but if even just one episode ofRangers of the New Republicwould have looked like what we got with “The Convert” inThe Mandalorianseason 3, then I can’t help but mourn what else we may have lost by never getting to see more of this story fleshed out in a proper way.
