The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6 Recap – Who are The Dutchess and Captain Bombardier?

I made a point in my recap of The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 5 about how this season seems to have fixed the show’s long-standing case-of-the-week problem by more closely integrating its lighthearted segments into the main story.

So, it stands to reason that Chapter 22: Guns for Hire is mostly an unconnected procedural mystery.

But don’t fret! When it comes to Bo-personal Katan’s arc and the general efforts of the Mandalorians to retake their homeworld, it ends with what may be the most pivotal moment yet. So, my point remains. right now.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6 Recap

Who Are the Dutchess and Captain Bombardier?

The remaining members of Bo-fleet, Katan’s now under the command of Axe Woves and still featuring Koska Reeves, played by professional wrestler Mercedes Varnado, a.k.a. Sasha Banks, are of particular significance this week.

They appear to be well-spoken mercenaries in the frigid opening, but their base of operations is Plazir-15, where The Dutchess (Lizzo) and Captain Bombardier have recruited them to provide security (Jack Black).

Former Imperial Bomber has contributed to Plazir-15’s transformation into a thriving independent democracy and a vibrant monarchy.

The planet has hired the Mandalorian privateers as a security force as his former service to the Empire prevents the planet from establishing a military, and combat droids that have been modified for civic duty automate day-to-day tasks on the planet.

But, it is the issue. The droids appear to be acting in unison when they malfunction. Some people are losing it and causing destruction.

People are being attacked by others. Mando and Bo-Katan walking around armed is essentially a social equality issue because Plazir-15 is a pluralistic country and weapons are fundamental to Mandalorian culture. Bombardier and the Dutchess, therefore, employ them to look into the situation. In return, they will ask the New Republic to acknowledge Mandalore as a separate system.

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Why Can T the Droids on Plazir-15 Be Shut Down?

The droids on Plazir-15 were originally reprogrammed for civic service, as we all know, and things looked to be going smoothly until they weren’t.

Now when they are pestering people and damaging property, there is a failsafe cutoff switch that nobody can activate because the public voted against any disruption of droid services. They don’t have to work thanks to automation. They won’t know how to survive without the droids.

Hence, until the problem is resolved, Mando and Bo-Katan must locate and decommission the problematic droids. This resembles, essentially, an episode of a procedural mystery show, complete with all the expected elements—a chase scene, questioning witnesses, a visit to the morgue, etc.

How Were the Droids Reprogrammed? And By Who?

The Ugnaughts that look after the droids are adamant that there hasn’t been a malfunction, but since Mando is familiar with their language because of his interactions with Kuiil, they provide him a list of the droids that might be prone to kicking off.

One of them is at the loading docks, where Mando kicks the battle robots until one of them collapses. He pursues it with Bo-Katan, shutting it down in the process. On its person, they discover a spark pad that directs them to a droid bar.

The bar owner clarifies that the droids are concerned about being replaced by people. Droids consume lepenthe, a lubricant that also fixes their programming, in case you were wondering. The errant droids all drank from the same batch of liquid.

Mando and Bo-Katan discover that the droid they grabbed still has active nano-droids ingested through the lepenthe after having some fluid removed from it.

The nano-droids carry a chain code that exposes that the Techno Union originally produced them, and that the Security Office, specifically Chief of Security Commissioner Helgait, played by Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Futures, illegally requisitioned them directly.

Read More: Review of The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4: The Foundling

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6 Ending Explained

When challenged, Helgait makes a threat to press the failsafe button, reverting all of the droids to their aggressive battle forms, and releasing them on the unwary populace. Before Bo-Katan can knock him out, the Separatist begins a lengthy speech on Count Dooku.

The Dutchess sentences Helgait to exile. In addition to being given access to Plazir, Mando and Bo-Katan are also given a meeting with the Mandalorian privateers. Despite doing nothing more than aiding The Dutchess in her space croquet fraud, Grogu is elevated to the rank of a knight in the Ancient Order of Independent Regencies.

Read More: The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 Recap – How Does Mando Plan to Redeem Himself?

Bo-Katan challenges Axe Woves to single combat when they eventually come face to face. The Way is this.

Even though Bo-Katan prevails in the fight, it doesn’t do much to improve her reputation. Whilst they do have a strong belief in the Darksaber, which their leader should ideally wield, Mandalorians also have a strong belief in the outcome of battles. Bo-Katan doesn’t at the moment.

Mando, though, does. He offers to give it to Bo-Katan as he never wanted it in the first place. But that’s not how it functions. Bo-Katan must earn it first. Nonetheless, she technically did because she rescued Mando from his kidnapper back on Mandalore. The group accepts this after Mando explains it to them. If Mando’s opponent was defeated by Bo-Katan, then she effectively won the match. She has a right to the Darksaber.