Season 2, Episode 3, titled “Harvest,” directed by Ariel Kleiman and written by Tony Gilroy, continues the story of the rebels facing crisis and distress on two separate fronts. Cassian realizes that his friends can never truly be safe during the reign of the Empire, while Mon Mothma slowly loses those around her to ensure the Rebellion’s success. This is an episode filled with heartbreak, highlighting the sheer cruelty of the Empire across the galaxy—illustrating why organizations like the Sith, who rule the Empire, should never exist. They are vile and cruel to the point of finding joy in suffering purely for the sake of cruelty.

The central theme of the episode is sacrifice. Cassian and his friends have sacrificed so much, including their normal lives on Ferrix, to become rebels fighting the Empire’s oppression. As a result, they are constantly on the run, even though many of them yearn for a return to normalcy. The same can be said for Luthen Rael and Mon Mothma, who must play their individual parts, employing ruthless methods to ensure the Rebellion’s long-term survival. This necessity fills their lives with tragedy, as they lose friends and family along the way. The Empire, merciless and ruthless, uses its own leaders and operatives as pawns to serve the Sith’s will, discarding them once they are no longer useful. Dedra Meero exemplifies this, raised into a sacrificial pawn for the Empire’s strength. However, Dedra’s humanity is not completely lost—she retains enough to desire a genuine relationship with Syril Karn.

Cassian Saves His Friends

Cassian (Diego Luna) reestablishes contact with Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau), Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) assistant, who is still grappling with the aftermath of Cassian’s failed transaction and the death of Porko. Kleya orders Cassian to stand by for further instructions, but a stressed and confused Cassian defies her. Instead, he pilots the TIE Avenger to Mina-Rau after learning that something bad is happening there, including a communications blackout.

Cassian’s fears are confirmed when an Imperial squad attempts to arrest Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier), and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain). The farmers who sheltered the fugitives betrayed them out of fear of Imperial punishment. Nevertheless, the fugitives harbor no resentment, with Brasso even putting on an act to ensure the farmers are not suspected of aiding criminals. Thankfully, Cassian arrives just in time, piloting the TIE Avenger to kill the Imperial squad and rescue his friends. However, during the escape, Brasso is killed while ensuring Bix and Wilmon reach the ship safely. Cassian’s realization becomes painfully clear: as long as the Galactic Empire exists, his friends will never know peace.

The Wedding Begins

At the Mothma Estate on Chandrila, the wedding between Leida Mothma (Bronte Carmichael) and Stekan Sculdun (Finley Glasgow) proceeds successfully. The Chandrilan wedding ceremony is intriguing, bearing similarities to Jedi initiation rituals. For instance, Stekan is given a ceremonial knife to cut Leida’s braid, mirroring how a Jedi Master would use a lightsaber to sever a Padawan’s braid upon their promotion to Knight. This suggests that Chandrila may have adopted aspects of Jedi culture—or perhaps it was the other way around. Theories surrounding this connection will undoubtedly be fascinating to explore.

The ceremony culminates in the unveiling of the Chandi Merle statue, astonishing the guests. This ancient artifact, commissioned by Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane) with the aid of Luthen Rael, serves as a wedding gift. Davo explains that the Chandi Merle is a temple figure – one of twelve – stolen 25,000 years ago when Chandrila was sacked by Rakatan invaders. Until now, only eight had been accounted for. With this ninth figure recovered, six have now been returned to Chandrila. The adventure Luthen and Davo undertook to recover the temple figure fostered a “friendship” between them, born out of their shared effort to return this sacred relic home.

This scene, alongside the wedding ceremony’s traditions—particularly the cutting of the braid—may hint that James Mangold’s upcoming Dawn of the Jedi film will feature Chandrila as a key setting, with the Infinite Empire as antagonists. There might even be a depiction of the ancient battle where Chandrila’s temples were sacked by the Rakatans. It would also be interesting if one of the first Jedi were Chandrilan, incorporating their cultural traditions into Jedi practices. Such theories are intriguing, especially given the lack of canonical detail about the Jedi’s earliest formation outside of Legends material.

The Wedding Gift

The wedding may appear happy and joyful. However, for Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), it is anything but a celebration. She becomes deeply disturbed when she realizes how far her old friend Tay Kolma (Ben Miles) has fallen. Tay, now aspiring to emulate Davo Sculdun, seeks power and wealth over principle, making him unsuitable to chair the charity that secretly funds the Rebellion. Worse still, Mon is unable to secure enough funds to guarantee Tay’s silence.

Consequently, Luthen informs Mon that he has already ordered Tay’s assassination to eliminate any potential leaks. Horrified yet powerless to intervene, Mon drowns her sorrow by joining the dance among Chandrila’s elite, masking her anguish behind a facade of grace.

Meanwhile, Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) follows Tay and discovers that his driver has been replaced by Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu)—Vel’s estranged lover and Luthen’s operative. Realizing the grim implication of Cinta’s presence, Vel understands that Tay will not live to see another sunrise on Chandrila.

The Awkward Meal

Meanwhile, Eedy Karn (Kathryn Hunter), Syril’s overbearing mother, arrives uninvited at Dedra Meero’s (Denise Gough) and Syril’s (Kyle Soller) shared apartment for supper. Throughout the meal, Eedy recounts her past, sharing how her husband abandoned her and Syril, likely contributing to her unhinged and controlling behavior.

Despite her attempts at civility, Eedy’s domineering nature grates on both Syril and Dedra. During the meal, Dedra reveals her own troubled upbringing: after her parents were arrested for criminal activity when she was just three, she was raised in an Imperial Kinder-block, institutions created by the Galactic Empire’s Sub-Adult Group to cultivate loyal Imperial citizens. These Kinder-blocks were likely established covertly by Darth Sidious during the Republic era, grooming children to become future servants of the Empire. The fact that the Jedi were unaware of these schemes highlights the Sith’s terrifying influence and cunning.

The supper concludes awkwardly. Although dessert is prepared, Syril, overwhelmed by his mother’s behavior, retreats to his bedroom. Dedra, furious on his behalf, sheds her courteous persona and assumes the commanding tone of an ISB supervisor. She forces Eedy into a “deal”: Syril will maintain minimal but consistent contact—twice-monthly visits and calls—but only if Eedy refrains from generating further anxiety. Dedra also threatens to expose Eedy’s lie about Uncle Harlo, having discovered his criminal records through ISB files.

In effect, Dedra takes control of Syril’s relationship with his mother, protecting him from further emotional damage and asserting her dominance over the situation.

Rating: 9/10