The Mandalorian Chapter 10 recap: Baby (Yoda)’s Day Out

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 packs in adventure and suspense as everyone’s favorite bounty hunter transports a mysterious passenger.

You can’t predict a single moment from The Mandalorian Chapter 10. The Disney Plus show seems to be reveling in subverting viewer expectations this second season, never more so than in “The Passenger.”

Though the episode doesn’t contain any major reveals, unlike the premiere, there’s plenty of fun to be had, particularly with the Child. Parents often complain about their children being a handful, and Mando is learning that the hard way in The Mandalorian Chapter 10.

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 recap: Ambush in the Desert

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 sees Mando and his charge, the Child, continuing their search for the Mandalorians that can show them the path to the Jedi. On the way, they’re ambushed by bounty hunters looking for the Child. Clearly, Moff Gideon still has a big bounty out on the Child—the Mandalorian would do well to hide the child a bit better.

The hunters are smart—they lie in wait for Mando’s speeder bike to trip him over. This is a classic move and one that was used to great effect by the Ewoks against the Empire in Return of the Jedi.

But even when overwhelmed, Mando is no slouch. He makes quick work of the hunters except for one who grabs the Child. That’s the only point when Mando’s resolve wavers, but he’s quick-witted and outsmarts the last hunter to get the Child back.

Bounty hunters should probably remember that jetpacks come with controls—next time, take both, or you’ll end up being sent flying through the air with no parachute.

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 recap: The Passenger

The run-in with the bounty hunters may not have hurt the mission, but it does leave Mando and the Child without a bike and a very long walk back to civilization—which appears in the form of yet another Tatooine cantina.

Amy Sedaris’ Peli Motto is back for The Mandalorian Chapter 10, and she is on form! First, she tricks Mando into covering her bet with a fellow gambler—a substantial amount of 500 credits—then she convinces him to take on a passenger.

The scene between Motto and Mando at her docking bay is reminiscent of another Return of the Jedi scene, between Han Solo and C3PO—another fun little throwback that fans will love.

According to Motto, she knows someone who can take Mando to the Mandalorians he is searching for—she’s been saying that since the premiere episode of the season! He just needs to take this one trusted person to the next planet over.

The passenger, nicknamed Frog Lady (Misty Rosas), is taking her spawn—the last of her line—to this planet because her husband has found it to be hospitable for them. That’s fine, except for the fact that they have to travel at sublight—the hyperdrive will kill her spawn.

Sublight speed puts the Razor Crest on everyone’s radar, but this could be Mando’s last chance to find answers, so he agrees to it. It’s only after he agrees that Motto admits she met Frog Lady ten minutes ago. So much for ‘trusted’!

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 recap: The Crash

The mission should have gone fine, except for a series of misadventures. First up, the Child takes a shine to the spawn—and by shine, we mean he finds them delectable, and Mando has to physically restrain his charge from devouring the last of Frog Lady’s line. Hoo boy, The Mandalorian Chapter 10 isn’t turning out the way we expected.

Then, two New Republic pilots— Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and Dave Filoni returning as Trapper Wolf—discover the Razor Crest and ask some tough questions. Why isn’t the ship’s transponder on? Why are they in this area? Who else is on board? Mando really doesn’t want to answer and makes a break for it near the closest planet he can find.

The icy rock is hard to navigate, and New Republic pilots are good even on bad days, but Mando’s quick thinking—and a few hulls scrapes later—the ship is hidden in a crevasse.

But the thing about unexplored Star Wars planets is that you can’t trust your surroundings. The crevasse is fine—the ground? Not so much.

The ship soon sinks to the bottom of a ravine, damaging the hull further and ripping a hole in one side. With frigid air, leaking fuel, and no communications, the Razor Crest passengers are in dire straights. And then it gets worse.

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 recap: Icy Planet Adventures

While repairing the ship, the Frog Lady decides to take a trip through the planet. As if The Mandalorian Chapter 10 doesn’t have enough problems for its protagonists.

Mando discovers Frog Lady enjoying a dip with the Child in tow with her spawn in a warm geyser. It isn’t safe outside, so Mando gathers up all the spawn in their container and valiantly tries to convince Frog Lady to return to the ship.

Meanwhile, the Child decides to explore the cave and the many rocks around. Only, they aren’t rocks. They’re eggs. Denied Frog Lady’s spawn, the Child cracks open one of the eggs and eats what’s inside. Big mistake.

This act seems to awaken all the other eggs and their older siblings. But worse, their mother soon appears, and she is big. Fans of Star Wars: Rebels will immediately recognize these massive spiders—these are the krykna, denizens of Atollon, a Rebellion base before Yavin IV. Clutching onto the Child, Mando carries the spawn container on his shoulder, shooting at what he can.

But the numbers are overwhelming, and the krykna are all over and inside the ship. They’re safe for a while in the cockpit, long enough for Mando to make a last-ditch attempt to escape. The music swells as the ship rises, and it looks like they’re about to be free of this dreadful planet… and then the krykna mother leaps onto the ship and brings it crashing back to earth.

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 recap: The Rescue

With no escape in sight, it doesn’t look good for our favorite bounty hunter, his child, or their passenger in The Mandalorian Chapter 10.

But fortunately, the New Republic pilots return and fend the krykna off. They know who Mando is and that he has arrest warrants in his name. But they also know that Mando protected their fellow officer, Davan, way back in Season 1, and for that, they let him go. They don’t help out with fixing the ship, sadly.

With what little is running on the ship, Mando, the Child, and Frog Lady make their way to her husband’s planet. It’s a long trip in a cramped room, but it’s better than nothing. As Mando nods off for some rest, Frog Lady holds her spawn container close and away from the Child. It’ll be okay for a while—the Child has been saving one spawn as a snack for the journey.

Final Thoughts: The Mandalorian Chapter 10 Embodies the Franchise’s Adventurous Spirit

The Mandalorian Chapter 10 was such a fun and adventure-filled episode. Everything that could go wrong did, leaving Mando in one of the most precarious situations he’s ever been in. The Child getting everyone in trouble because he couldn’t stop eating whatever he found was hilarious, though a bit disturbing. The Child appears to be quite bloodthirsty and uncaring at times.

The shift away from Boba Fett was a bit jarring, though. Unless he has a ship and knows how to help Mando, I’m not sure how we’re going to see the character again this season. One hopes he will return—to pad up Fett’s legacy and to see more of Temuera Morrison.

The second season of the show has had a solid start though it still needs more female characters. One of the New Republic pilots could easily have been a woman. As great as it is to see Lee, a life-long Star Wars fan, and Star Wars behind-the-scenes stalwart Filoni, having another speaking female character would have been great.

This was an enjoyable episode and very well-directed, but there’s still work to be done this season.

What did you think of The Mandalorian Chapter 10? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Mandalorian streams weekly on Disney Plus.