“Star Wars: The Mandalorian” has long promoted the idea that Mandalorians decide to wear their masks all the time to fit in with a specific creed — not a religion. But one of the most recent episode showed the Disney Plus series may have more to say about religion than we think.
In episode 3 of season 2, titled “The Heiress,” the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child (Baby Yoda) meet Bo-Katan Kryze, a former leader of the planet Mandalore (who had previously appeared in “The Clone Wars” animated series).
She takes off her Mandalorian mask, which prompts Mando to freak out and accuse her of not being Mandalorian. But Bo-Katan suggests that Mando is apart of a cultish version of the Mandalorians, who live with their masks on all the time.
This moment is a sign of Mando embracing a standard belief and plural belief, according to Daniel Burke of CNN. But it also shows a potential sign for “The Mandalorian” and how it tackles religion.
Burke posits the show will likely include Mando taking off his mask and embracing the other side of the creed — where you can live without the mask.
This might not be in the best interest of the show, though, he writes.
Because this is Hollywood, it seems inevitable that the Mandalorian will eventually go the way of the creedless Unitarianians, steadily shedding his beliefs one by one.
It would be nice if that didn’t happen. It’s much more interesting to watch someone struggle with their beliefs, rather than surrender them. What if Djarin stayed true to his Way and the others to theirs, without either side trying to convert or coerce the other.
We could use more models of how different people can coexist without common creeds, even if they come from a galaxy far, far away.
I wrote about the religious connections in “The Mandalorian” last season, specifically in the episode “Sanctuary.” In that episode, we learned that Mando was taking the oath to always wear his mask and stay true to his faith. He’s even asked to take off his mask — but he denies to do so.
He holds strong to his faith. Holding strong to your religious oaths and expectations is a big theme of this show. Mando is a dangerous character. He kills, he attacks, he fights, he protects. But at his heart, he holds onto his beliefs. And that is a lesson any viewers can accept and embrace.
It’s unclear what this means for the future of show, and whether “The Mandalorian” will explore the masked elements of it in the future. But there’s definitely an underlying theme of religion that could be talked about if people want.