Who Dies in Star Wars: The Mandalorian Finale?

The latest episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian ended the first season on Disney+ with a massive bang, resulting in the deaths of a few fan-favorite characters that should come as a shock to fans. Who dies in the season finale of Star Wars: The Mandalorian will likely be surprising, especially as we were just coming to know and love many of the allies the titular hero has gained along the way as he attempts to protect the Child affectionately referred to as Baby Yoda by many fans. But who bites the dust, and who makes it out for another appearance in Season 2?

Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Episode 8 – “Redemption” below.

The episode begins with confirmation that Kuiil, the Ugnaught who aided the Mandalorian in his quest to retrieve and protect the Child, was in fact killed by the speeder bike Stormtroopers who retrieved “the asset” at the end of the previous episode. It also confirms that the Client, played by Werner Herzog, was also killed in a rage after the arrival of Moff Gideon.

But those all occurred in the previous episode, and were only confirmed this week. Instead, we get a whole new bit of heartbreak as another major recurring character is destroyed for the greater good.

We first meet IG-11, voiced by the finale’s director Taika Waititi, in the series premiere as it takes up the bounty to retrieve and kill the Child. But after the Mandalorian shoots it and leaves it for scrap, Kuiil reassembles and reprograms the droid in order so serve as a protector and aide. When Mando returns with the Child, Kuiil sets the IG droid’s programming to nurse the baby.

So IG-11 immediately retrieves the Baby Yoda from the Stormtroopers and helps aid in the Mandalorian’s escape. But when they realize they’re going to be caught by Stormtroopers, the reprogrammed assassin decides to sacrifice itself for the safety of the Child, using its internal explosive mechanism and manufacturer protocol to self destruct, killing the squadron of Imperials and allowing the group time to escape.

It’s a sad end for the IG droid, and it’s also marred by the fact that many Mandalorian’s might have met the same fate after they aided in the child’s escape in the third episode of the series. The Mandalorian has a lot to make up for, and he’ll do it by protecting the child when the series returns.

There is no return date yet for Season 2 of Star Wars: The Mandalorian.