It’s a fun first scene in which the captain getting to enjoy the comfort of a tank where she can snack on fish is a great way of depicting her status before she deftly tries to talk her way out of trouble by offering bribes to whatever warlord she’s come across. Unfortunately, the Mandalorians have been hired to break up her tryst with a Mon Calamari prince. Their embrace demonstrates the excellent details of the costumes and it’s only a shame we didn’t get a spectacularly gross kiss to really show off the captain’s tentacles in action.

The zaniness continues into the main plot of “Guns for Hire,” where Din and Bo-Katan’s attempts to quietly make contact with Axe Woves are interrupted by the rulers of Plazir-15, the Duchess (Lizzo) and Captain Bombardier (Jack Black). This is a direct democracy where the people happen to have picked an ancestral noble and her ex-Imperial husband, who have rewarded them with prosperity and tranquility by using a workforce of former Separatist and Imperial droids and hiring the Mandalorians for protection. Between them, Bo-Katan, and the absolute dysfunction of the New Republic, this season has really gone all in on the idea that a benevolent monarchy is a great form of government.

Plazir-15 is gorgeous, with the rulers holding court in a decadent ballroom filled with all manner of aliens and vibrant colors. The Duchess’ holographic train blends well with her bejeweled dress and Black looks suitably dapper with a curled beard and a mischievous grin and he enlists the Mandalorians in a bit of borderline legal violence.

Of course, the Duchess is immediately smitten with Grogu, who continues to show that the way to his heart is through his stomach, even if Din would rather he be a bit more cautious around strangers. Grogu even winds up using the Force to help her win a sport with giant pill bugs that feels like a science fiction version of the croquet scene from Alice in Wonderland. It’s cute material that helps build up a location that could stick around and continue moving the series more in the direction of true space opera.

It’s not all fun and games, though. Unfortunately, the planet’s droid workforce is malfunctioning, demonstrated in a hilarious sequence of videos showing them throwing a fit while picking up garbage and menacing guests with knives at a hibachi bar. The episode offers a neat contrast between Din and Bo-Katan as the princess is far more comfortable being diplomatic and the droid-hating former bounty hunter prefers to cut to the chase, ideally with plenty of violence.

For a brief shining minute, it seemed possible that the malfunctions were part of some form of droid uprising, but instead, we get the droids all explaining they are happy to serve their short-lived makers and only fear being decommissioned. If there are any droids that share L3-37’s radical views on droid equality, these aren’t the ones you’re looking for.

As soon as Christopher Lloyd shows up as the planet’s head of security Commissioner Helgait, moaning that no one on the planet knows how to work anymore, it’s pretty clear he’s the one responsible. You don’t get a guest star like that and only use him for one scene. The other guest stars are much less suspect since Grogu’s a good judge of character, and Bombardier is clearly there as a contrast to Elia Kane to make the point that not all former Imperials are irredeemably evil.

Even as he’s monologuing at the end of the episode about how great Count Dooku was, it’s not particularly clear why Helgait did this. He said he supports democracy but isn’t he living on one? We get no indication that anything is actually going wrong here that he’s trying to disrupt except for things being very decadent and silly. It’s a telegraphed “twist” part-way through a plot that never threatens to truly surprise despite its goofy setting.

The investigation has some good moments, like when Din is able to use his dealings with Kuiil in Season 1 to get through to Plazir-15’s Ugnaught droid mechanics, and a rogue surgery bot shooting lasers around a lab. But there’s no real meat to the mystery and the whole thing ends with more frivolous pomp as the Mandalorians are presented with a giant key to the city and Grogu is inexplicably knighted.

The side quest completed, Bo-Katan can finally meet with Axe and challenge him to a knockdown, drag-out fight for control of the fleet. The brawl is well done even if the conclusion is inevitable, with good use of the jetpacks as a way to spice up the grappling and close combat.

But what’s supposed to be the real triumphant moment of Episode 6 has been obvious since Episode 2 of this season. It took me a while to notice that Bo-Katan had even given Din back the Darksaber since it so clearly belonged to her after she defeated the monstrous creature that captured him, proving herself in combat by using the blade far better than Din ever has. Honestly, I’d prefer Axe’s request of making the two of them actually fight over it, but Din’s been embarrassed enough this season by needing to be repeatedly rescued. He doesn’t need to actually lose a fight to the person who has effectively taken his place as the Mandalorian at the center of the show.