Chapter 21: The Pirate

"Chapter 21: The Pirate" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American television series The Mandalorian. It was written by showrunner Jon Favreau and directed by Peter Ramsey. It was released on Disney+ on March 29, 2023 and received generally positive reviews.

Plot
Gorian Shard invades Nevarro in retaliation for Vane's expulsion. Greef Karga contacts Carson Teva asking for help before evacuating the people from the city to escape the attacking pirates. Suspecting that the attack is a prelude to a new rise of the Empire, Teva informs one of his superiors but Colonel Tuttle shows indifference, telling him that the New Republic doesn't have enough resources. Teva tracks down the Mandalorian covert and asks Din Djarin for help. Djarin convinces the covert to come to Karga's aid despite their prior confrontations with them. Bo-Katan assumes command of the attack force. As the Mandalorians overcome the pirates in the city below, Din and Bo Katan engage Shard's fighters above. Realizing they are beaten, Vane flees while Shard is killed when his command ship gets blown up by both Din Djarin and Bo-Katan.

Karga and the people of Nevarro express their gratitude, welcoming the Mandalorians back to the city. The Armorer meets with Bo-Katan, acknowledging the Mythosaur's reappearance as an omen that Bo-Katan is the one who can reunite all Mandalorians, and has her remove her helmet to symbolize this new position.

On his way back to Adelphi, Teva encounters the wreckage of Moff Gideon's prison transport, which went missing during transit. Upon scanning the wreckage, a fragment of beskar alloy was found suggesting that Mandalorians may have broken Gideon out.

Development
The episode was directed by Peter Ramsey, from a screenplay by series creator Jon Favreau.

Casting
The co-starring cast for this episode returned from previous episodes, including Carl Weathers as Greef Karga, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Captain Carson Teva, Katy M. O'Brian as Elia Kane, and Emily Swallow as The Armorer. Tim Meadows also appears as Colonel Tuttle, in a co-starring role. Steve Blum reprised his role as the voice of Star Wars Rebels character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, and directors Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, and Dave Filoni reprised their roles as New Republic pilots Sash Ketter, Jib Dodger, and Trapper Wolf, respectively. Parvesh Cheena, Nonso Anozie, and Shirley Henderson reprise their voice roles as Karga's protocol droid, pirate king Gorian Shard, and the Anzellan crew, respectively. Marti Matsulis reprises his role as Vane.

Music
Joseph Shirley composed the musical score for the episode, while Ludwig Göransson composed the themes.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has a score of 100% based on reviews from 21 critics, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Mandalorian seemingly diffuse story strands this season finally come together in "The Pirate," a rousing battle installment that's given extra panache by director Peter Ramsey."