Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for The Mandalorian’Season 3, Episode 5.

After spending half of Season 3 wandering without direction in a galaxy far, far away, The Mandalorian finally gave Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal/Brendan Wayne/Lateef Crowder) and the Children of the Watch a clear goal: they will take control over Mandalore once again and rebuild their culture. That’s not an easy task, since the survivors of Mandalore’s destruction are scattered, lonely, and feeding old resentments. Even before the Empire decided to destroy their home planet, the Mandalorians were already split into different factions, each fighting for control. Still, if the Children of the Watch hope to retake Mandalore, they must find a way to unite all their people. That is why, in a shocking turn of events, the Armorer (Emily Swallow) bends her faith and asks Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) to remove her helmet.

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The Importance of the Helmet for the Children of the Watch

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Image via Disney+

The first season of The Mandalorian allowed Star Wars fans to dive deep into Mandalorian culture and learn more about their Creed. And while there are many rules guiding Mandalorians and showing them “the Way,” the most iconic aspect of their culture is related to their armor. That’s because, as Season 1 of The Mandalorian underlines, true Mandalorians are forbidden from ever taking their helmets in front of others.

Season 2 of The Mandalorian kept exploring Din’s beliefs by showing how he was part of the Children of the Watch, a specific Mandalorian tribe viewed as religious fanatics by other former inhabitants of Mandalore, such as Bo-Katan. In fact, in the many centuries since the first Mandalorians colonized Mandalore, the people became much more flexible with their culture’s beliefs. As such, most Mandalorians don’t refrain from removing their helmets and showing their face in public. That’s the case of Bo-Katan and the Nite Owls, but also of Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and other bounty hunters.

While wearing your helmet all the time is not a directive Mandalorians live by, the orthodox traditions of the Children of the Watch still turned Din into a pariah once he broke this rule. In Season 2, Din removes his helmet to say goodbye to Grogu after leaving his surrogate son in the care of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). It’s a touching moment that proves how much Din loves Grogu, to the point of betraying the Children of the Watch’s teachings. Nevertheless, he gets expelled from the tribe by the Armorer, who acts like a guide and a priest for orthodox Mandalorians.

Din’s quest for redemption puts things into motion in Season 3 of the show, as the only way to be forgiven for his transgressions is to bathe in the Living Waters of the Mines of Mandalore. That leads Din to discover the air is no longer poisonous in Mandalore, which means the planet is ready to be reclaimed. In addition, since Din gets Bo-Katan’s help to find the Living Waters, she gets involved in the redemption ritual and even sees a Mythosaur with her own eyes. The creature, which many thoughts were just part of ancient legends, is real, which Bo-Katan takes as a sign of the importance of “the Way,” leading her to join the Children of the Watch. And now, in Season 3, Episode 5, The Mandalorian shows it's not only Bo-Katan who’s ready to become more flexible for the sake of Mandalorians everywhere, as the Armorer proves she’s ready to accept the helmet rule as optional.

The Armorer Takes a Huge Step Towards Mandalorian Unity

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Image via Disney+

In the latest episode of The Mandalorian Season 3, the Children of the Watch join forces to save Nevarro from destruction at the hands of pirate king Gorian Shard (Nonso Anozie). As the experienced military leader she is, Bo-Katan coordinates the attack and leads the Children of the Watch to victory. After the fight, the Armorer requests a private audience with Bo-Katan, asking the former Nite Owl to remove her helmet. At first, Bo-Katan is suspicious, but she’s reminded that the Armorer holds a special position inside the Children of the Watch’s hierarchy and shouldn’t be disobeyed. It seems like an evil plot to kick Bo-Katan out of the tribe. But instead, it’s a leap of faith from the Armorer, who enlists Bo-Katan as the person who can finally unite the Mandalorians and take back Mandalore.

As the Armorer underlines, the Mandalorians are going extinct. So, if they ever hope to save their dying culture, all the Mandalorians must be united under the same banner. Bo-Katan is the first warrior actually to see a Mythosaur, is loyal to the Way, has put her life at risk to save foundlings, and proved to be a military expert. Besides that, Bo-Katan walked between two worlds, having lived with the Children of the Watch, but also having removed her helmet for many years. As such, she’s the perfect person to reach out to every Mandalorian tribe and show how there are different manners to follow the Way. The Armorer still believes the right way to be a Mandalorian is to keep your face covered. Still, she’s willing to accept that other tribes might have different rituals. To her, the most important thing is that everyone should join forces, retake Mandalore, and rebuild their home.

The Armorer does more than show respect for Bo-Katan; she also parades the warrior without her helmet in front of the Children of the Watch — and in doing so, the Armorer sends a clear message to her followers that they also must accept the help of people who are not so strict about the Creed. It’s an unexpected development, for sure. Still, without some flexibility, the Children of the Watch would remain isolated from other Mandalorians and unable to return home. The Mandalorian has always played with the idea that the Armorer could be a villain and that the Children of the Watch were zealots. Even so, time and time again, Din’s tribe has proven to be courageous, honorable, and always willing to help those in need. By accepting Bo-Katan as one of their own, even without her helmet, the Armorer and the Children of the Watch have taken a huge step toward Mandalorian unity.

New episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3 come to Disney+ every Wednesday.