The penultimate episode of The Mandalorian season two keeps the Star Wars video game connections coming. The season began with a KOTOR reference, and at one point had Battlefront 2’s main actress working puppet nostrils. The latest adventure brought back Bill Burr’s character, Migs Mayfeld, to help Mando infiltrate an Imperial facility. It also turns out that Mayfeld has a tragic backstory that connects to the story of Battlefront 2’s campaign.
Let’s clear one thing up first, though: we’re talking about the 2017 Battlefront 2. This one put players in the boots of Iden Versio, a special forces Imperial trooper. Versio took part in Operation: Cinder, a contingency plan cooked up by the former Emperor Palpatine. The plan saw weather-controlling satellites slaughter entire planets’ worth of populations. Even people loyal to the Empire suffered Cinder’s wrath, including Versio’s homeworld. This led the Versio to defect and later join the Rebellion.
Apparently Mayfeld had a similar experience to Versio. In the episode “The Believer,” Mando and Mayfeld don Stormtrooper disguises. They end up in a mess hall where they’re invited to join an Imperial officer for a drink. Mayfeld, a former Imperial sharpshooter, reveals that he recognizes the officer as one that participated in Operation: Cinder. Even worse, Mayfeld was there to witness it.
The viewer can see the traumatic memories play out on Mayfeld’s face in a moving performance from Burr. Earlier in the episode, Mayfeld waxes philosophic with Mando about the moral lines people draw and cross. He seems jaded at the idea of believing in anything, and makes mention of doing whatever helps one sleep at night. It becomes clear during the Operation: Cinder conversation that every life lost in the event weighs on Mayfeld. When he can no longer handle the burden, he shoots the Imperial officer.
From there a standard Mandalorian action sequence plays out as the two must escape the base amidst a firefight. As they leave, Mayfeld shoots some explosive material, destroying the base and everyone in it. With that, he declares that he might actually sleep peacefully.
The episode overall added some fascinating moral perspective to Star Wars. It also made great use of the story of Battlefront 2, which didn’t get great reception. Operation: Cinder was technically created in a 2015 comic book, but the Battlefront 2 version is probably what most Star Wars fans recognize. In The Mandalorian, we saw a much more harrowing version of what the event does to a person.
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