Why The Mandalorian Took Off His Armor In Season 2, Episode 7

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7 “Chapter 15: The Believer.”

Din Djarin removes his armor and helmet in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7, “Chapter 15: The Believer,” which shows the importance of Baby Yoda and hints at his own character growth. As teased in the previous outing, “The Believer” sees Mando and Cara Dune spring Mayfeld out of the New Republic prison in order to have him locate Moff Gideon. They’re ultimately successful in their mission, but it comes at a high price for Din, who has to both remove his armor and later show his face.

When it becomes clear that Mayfeld can’t accomplish his infiltration of the Imperial base alone, the Mandalorian makes the difficult decision to go with this. As had been previously established, Mando is not supposed to take off his helmet in front of anyone else, and while he’s able to get around that in order to switch into the Stormtrooper costume, it does mean he has to briefly leave his beloved beskar behind. As if that weren’t enough, he’s then forced into removing that helmet too, meaning all of his codes and rules are being broken.

In terms of story, Din Djarin removing his armor in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7 shows just how much Grogu means to him. This is something that show has already hinted at in season 2, as the Mandalorian removed his helmet in front of Baby Yoda previously. While that could’ve been because he’s just a Child – and a foundling at that – it’s also increasingly clear just how incredibly strong and special the bond between the pair of them is. Din hammers home this message at the end of “The Believer” when he tells Gideon he’s coming for him, exclaiming the villain has no idea how much Baby Yoda means to him. Mando is willing to do absolutely anything it takes in order to save him, which is why he’s willing to remove his armor in the first place, and why he then shows his face as well.

This also fits nicely with Din’s own character development and growth, too, and how he is having his belief system challenged (which adds another layer to the episode’s title). Previously, Mando had been steadfast in his thinking that his helmet could not be removed in front of anyone, but that has been changing in The Mandalorian season 2. After meeting Bo-Katan – a Mandalorian with even deeper ties to the culture than himself – and her peers, all of whom remove their helmets yet are clearly true Mandalorians, it’s shaken-up what his idea of the code truly is. It’s no coincidence that removing his helmet in front of Baby Yoda happened after that, and now a further shift in his ideology has happened.

This is important for Mando’s arc – and for Disney’s own needs, too. While The Mandalorian is still finding plot reasons to force him to remove his helmet and armor, it is gradually increasing the amount it happens. This means that, eventually, it can have Din realize that “the way” isn’t necessarily it, and begin to forge more of his own identity alongside Grogu. For Disney, this means they get to have their star actor showing his face off far more, which means they get a greater return on Pedro Pascal, who himself is a talented actor who can be given even greater chances to emote without his helmet on (though it’s already impressive how much he conveys with it).

Interestingly, this comes at a time where both Mando and Grogu are at something of a crossroads: the former with turning away from The Way of the Mandalore, and the other choosing a path that could be to the Jedi or away from them. The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7, then, further suggests that Din and Grogu will go their own, unique way in the end.

About The Author