The Mandalorian 2.3 Review - 7 Ups And 1 Down From Chapter 11

3. Learning Why Din Keeps His Helmet On

One of the big questions a lot of Star Wars fans had during The Mandalorian Season 1 was why Din's Mandalorian group keep their helmets on, but other Mandos historically do not. Chapter 11 gives us our answer, and it's pretty interesting.

After Bo-Katan and her other Mandalorians reveal themselves to Din and take their helmets off, he recoils, assuming instantly that they aren't true Mandalorians given they've just revealed their face. Lady Bo responds to this by saying Din is a "Child of the Watch", a reference to Death Watch, the group that rescued Din during the Clone Wars and a faction Katan herself once belonged to.

For those not aware, Death Watch was a Mandalorian terrorist group active during the Clone Wars who wanted to return Mandalore to its former glory, starting with the removal of the then government headed up by Duchess Satine Kryze (Bo's sister), which practiced a policy of pacifism and neutrality. They were led by Pre-Vizsla until he was defeated by Maul in single combat, at which point Death Watch split and ceased to exist.

Of course, those familiar with The Clone Wars (when Death Watch made their debut) will be aware that Pre-Vizsla, Bo-Katan and Gar Saxon took their helmets off all the time. So why were the foundlings treated so differently?

Death Watch were traditionalists, and we can infer here that they raised their foundlings to honour a strict version of the Mandalorian code. This puts Din in an interesting position as an outsider among the more traditional Mandalorian clans, but I would expect we'll get to see more of his face as the season draws to a close.