Anyone who’s seen a handful of episodes of The Mandalorian knows its namesake protagonist is pretty good in a fight. But in the Star Wars galaxy, a person is often judged by how well they can handle their ride — especially when they’re being chased. So how good of a pilot is Mando, and how does he stack up against some of the franchise’s best pilots? The answer is Din Djarin is an above-average pilot, but don’t get cocky, kid!
Mando vs. the Jedi
We’ve seen that Djarin is incredibly competent when it comes to evading pursuers, and can even put up a good offense if necessary, but could he stand up to the two greatest star pilots in Star Wars canon? Probably not. Both Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke displayed a natural talent for flying (evidenced by Anakin’s pod racing and Luke’s adventures in Beggar’s Canyon) well before they began training in the ways of the Force. Once their abilities were honed by their Jedi masters, the two became legendary pilots, pulling off stunts that most fliers wouldn’t even conceive of, much less try.
Even Obi-Wan Kenobi, who disdained flying more than his naturally adept pupils, would easily outfly Djarin with his Force awareness. Mando’s best bet against Jedi pilots is to jump to hyperspace ASAP.
Mando vs. the Smugglers
Honestly, Djarin might stand a pretty good chance against any run-of-the-mill spice smuggler trying to get his cargo to market. But the legendary Han Solo would be a different story. Han isn’t force-sensitive in any canonical way, but he’s easily one of the best pilots in the galaxy, even matching skill with Luke Skywalker based purely on his ability to take risks and think outside the box. Never tell Solo the odds, but the odds are pretty good he could easily smoke Djarin in a dogfight.
Solo’s fellow Millennium Falcon pilot, Lando Calrissian, is probably a more even match for Djarin, but one should never discount Lando’s ability to spot hidden advantages and press his luck when the Sabbacc chips are down. This face-off has relatively even odds in either pilot’s favor.
Mando vs. Alliance pilots
All things being equal, the Mandalorian probably has a pretty favorable advantage over any regular military pilot. We’ve already seen Djarin outfly Alliance pilots in his old ST-70 class Razor Crest M-111 Assault Ship, which wasn’t in the best of shape at any point during the series. Now that he’s behind the stick of his highly customized N-1 Starfighter, he’s more than a match for any standard fighter pilot. Given Djarin’s flight experience, paired with the abilities of his craft, he could probably take on pilots of the Alliance’s fastest fighter, the A-Wing interceptor.
Mando could have quite a fight on his hands if he were pitted against an Alliance pilot, however. Wedge Antilles, who flew in every major battle in the original trilogy, and went on to lead Rogue Squadron, could most likely take down Djarin fairly easily. Djarin would also have his hands full going up against the likes of Hera Syndulla, one of the best blockade runners in Alliance history.
Mando vs. Imperials
Mando has already proven his ability to take on Imperial TIE fighters very handily, no matter what ship he’s flying. He even took down Moff Gideon’s TIE without any ship at all. But the newest season may see the introduction of faster, deadlier TIE variants such as the TIE Interceptor and TIE Defender. If he is engaged by higher numbers, in the favored Imperial style, he could easily find himself crashing and burning. Fans will have to wait and see if season three introduces any Imperial pilots that are a match for our favorite Mandalorian.