The Mandalorian 2.4 Review - 5 Ups And 2 Downs From Chapter 12
1. The Dark Trooper Program Returns?!
Lucasfilm
The cloning reveal was definitely a big doozy, but the deep cut Chapter 12 pulled at the end is something no one saw coming.
Shifting perspective to Moff Gideon's cruiser, we learn that one of the mechanics who repaired the Razor Crest had planted a tracker on the vessel. An officer informs Gideon of the news, but there's something different about the room the Moff is in. Something that, to longtime Star Wars fans, is sure to come as quite a shock (or at least it should do - there's always the chance things might not be what they appear to be).
It's difficult to be absolutely certain, but it looks as though Gideon is inspecting a battalion of Dark troopers. Dark troopers, for those who don't know, were a key weapon in the Imperial arsenal in the old Legends continuity, and were essentially super-strong battle-droid versions of stormtroopers. The Dark trooper program itself was first introduced in the classic Dark Forces video game, and became a staple of other Star Wars titles in the years following.
This would appear to be the Dark troopers' first appearance in the new canon. (Unless we can't the Star Wars Commander mobile game... which we probably shouldn't?) Here's hoping they end up being just as memorable as they were in LucasArts' old titles.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
