[Editor’s note: The following containsspoilersforThe Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 4, “The Siege."]
One of the most controversial aspects of theStar Warsprequel trilogy was the introduction of midi-chlorians. In the previousStar Warsmovies, The Force and Jedi were a mystical order. The Force was a spiritual power that special people could tap into, but it connected everything together. But inThe Phantom Menace, we’re told that the reason certain people can interact with The Force is because of midi-chlorians. Here’s how Qui-Gon Jinn explains it:
“Midi-chlorians are a microscopic life form that resides within all living cells… Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll hear them speaking to you.”
As far as storytelling goes, that’s kind of a bummer, as it moves The Force from the realm of the mythical to the realm of the scientific. But science is now partially where The Force resides, and while the Sequel Trilogy made a point to simply ignore midi-chlorians and get back to communicating directly with The Force,The Mandalorianis trying to turn lemons into lemonade with its overarching plotline.
We’ve known that the remnants of The Empire, and specifically Moff Gideon, are trying to capture The Child (aka Baby Yoda). In this past week’s episode, “The Siege,” we learned their plan. They took some of Baby Yoda’s blood to create test subjects, and those test subjects did not survive. We can only speculate on who or what those test subjects are: They could be attempted clones of The Emperor, perhaps the basis for Snoke, or maybe they’re just Force-sensitive clone troopers. A misshapen organism in a vat of liquid doesn’t really tell us too much.
The larger point is thatThe Mandalorianhas taken midi-chlorians (or the “M-count” as the scientist refers to it, so that no one actually has to say “midi-chlorians”), and tried to turn them into a positive plot point. And to be fair, midi-chlorians now have far more value in a post-Return of the Jediworld than they do in the Prequel Trilogy. There aren’t many Jedi left, so someone like The Child is obviously a valuable asset, especially if you’re going to turn more from the realm of the spiritual/mythological (whereThe Mandalorianhas never been that comfortable) and more towards the “scientific,” where you can take a midi-chlorian rich creature and use its blood to your own ends.
Of course, The Empire will never succeed in this endeavor beyond resurrecting the Emperor or creating Snoke, and even if they do, I doubt it would kill Baby Yoda because if you kill Baby Yoda, you’re able to’t sell more Baby Yoda toys. And that would be the real tragedy.
