The latest episode of The Mandalorian has just dropped, and “Chapter 19: The Convert” has left Star Wars fans desperate for a time machine so they can watch next week’s show ASAP. The episode focused on Doctor Pershing, a character first introduced in season one, and one of the more intriguing so-called villains in the Mandalorian universe.
If you want to know all about this mysterious character and how he’s changed since his introduction, then read ahead for our guide to who Doctor Pershing is in The Mandalorian.
Who plays Doctor Pershing in The Mandalorian?
Doctor Pershing is played by Omid Abtahi, whose previous credits include Bones, American Gods, NCIS, and 2016s Damien.
Who is Doctor Pershing in The Mandalorian?
Doctor Pershing is a human scientist who was introduced as working for the Imperial remnant, although exactly what he was trying to achieve with his experiments was never confirmed. What we did find out in the season one episode “Chapter 2: The Child” was that his project was related to Grogu, or Baby Yoda as the internet christened him.
Initially, he and The Client placed a bounty on Grogu, as they knew they needed the small creature for their research. The title character of the show (current subject of the web’s daddy obsession, Pedro Pascal) took up the commission and delivered Grogu to Pershing and The Client, only to change his mind and escape with Baby Yoda, eventually becoming his protector.
Doctor Pershing has popped up again and again throughout the first two seasons of the series, and is the Mandalorian’s main source of information on Grogu’s origins, and why the last defenders of the Empire are so desperate to capture him. We’ve also discovered that Doctor Pershing created the Dark Troopers, who have spent most of the series menacing the Mandalorian.
Although he seems like an antagonist, Doctor Pershing is presented as nuanced compared to many other villains in the Mandalorian universe. His main drivers and motivations are never truly revealed, and little is known about his backstory, making him the perfect foil for fan theories.
What happened to Doctor Pershing in the latest episode of The Mandalorian?
In “Chapter 19: The Convert,” we see Doctor Pershing has joined the New Republic’s Amnesty Program and is now known as Amnesty Scientist L52. The former bad guy even expresses his thanks for being able to join the program and earn something like redemption, especially after all the harm he caused.
As the episode unfolds, Pershing appears to be trying really hard to focus on the good. A loner in the Amnesty Program, he seems uncomfortable around reminders of his past, especially Elia Kane, a face from his time serving the Empire. This feeling is ratcheted up when he mentions he misses the yellow travel biscuits that used to form part of the Empire’s ration packs, only to find a case of them left outside his door later that day, making him wonder: Who’s trying to make him think of the past?
At first, he suspects Elia, but then they have an in-depth discussion about how easy it was to make themselves believe their previous work was righteous. During this chat, Pershing reveals he’s struggling with his scientific potential being wasted, complaining that while he might have used his smarts for evil before, the New Republic could use his skills now if they’d just trust him. Elia, making sure they’re alone, implies she could help him get the equipment he craves even though it’s prohibited, as she knows he’d now use his research for good. They hatch a plan to source what he needs.
However, as they begin their quest, there are issues immediately. The pair are confronted by some droids who they have to flee from, which leads to a pretty fun chase ending with Elia and Pershing jumping from a moving train. They eventually make it to the secret lab Elia was talking about, only for Pershing to find he’s been double-crossed by his former colleague and painted as a stooge of the Empire. The doctor is arrested and then interrogated, before being hooked up to a machine that will calm “select traumatic memories.” The doctor believes it will wipe his brain. As the machine begins to work, we see Elia turn up the machine’s power, while having a bite of one of those yellow biscuits that used to be a staple of the Empire’s ration packs.