WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, "Chapter 15: The Believer," streaming now on Disney+.
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin breaks the creed of the Children of the Watch and removes his helmet in the presence of others. As important as this moment is for Din, it also feels like it was inevitable. Even though this isn't the first time viewers have gotten to see his face, the series has been building up to this moment for some time.
While The Mandalorian has never stated the full creed of the Children of the Watch, the rule that has been brought up the most is that they never take off their helmets in front of others. As Din tells Cara Dune in "Chapter 4: Sanctuary," if he breaks this rule, he can never put the helmet on again. While there aren't many members of his covert left, Din has continued to enforce this rule for himself and others throughout the show. At the same time, his beliefs are being chipped away little by little.
The first time Din's creed was challenged came in "Chapter 8: Redemption," when, despite his initial protests, he allows IG-11 to remove his helmet in order to tend to his wounds. The event is treated as a loophole because, as a droid, IG-11 is technically not alive. Nevertheless, it is still a defining moment for Din because he chooses to bend the rules and live, instead of dying with honor.
As Din meets more people in Season 2, he continues to uphold his creed, but he is met with stronger opposition than before, despite a few exceptions, like when Frog Lady invokes the Mandalorian code to make sure he honors their agreement. On the other hand, Din's faith is put to the test when he meets Bo-Katan Kryze. She is the first to explain to Din that other Mandalorians don't follow the same strict rules that he was raised with, namely removing one's helmet in front of others.
In spite of their disagreements, Bo-Katan and her allies still rescue Din and Grogu from the Quarrens, and Din helps them reclaim stolen Mandalorian weapons from the Empire. Even if it is new to him, Din comes to understand and respect that his way is not the only way.
Din's creed is challenged again when he meets Ahsoka Tano. In "Chapter 13: The Jedi," Morgan Elsbeth offers Din a spear made of pure beskar in exchange for killing the Jedi. Even though he never said he would do it, when Ahsoka later offers him the spear, he tries to turn it down since he "didn't finish the job." When Ahsoka convinces him to take it, she doesn't reframe the situation as a bending of the rules, like IG-11 did. Instead, she states that the spear belongs with a Mandalorian. He breaks the rules to reclaim the spear, but he knows it is the right thing to do.
Meanwhile, Din may not have had a moment to compare notes with Boba Fett, but they seem to respect each other's differences. Boba takes off his helmet while Din doesn't, and neither of them questions the other about it. Additionally, Din is prepared to let Boba out of their deal and stay stranded on Tython, but Boba insists on seeing it through and helping him get Grogu back. Rather than fighting over it, Din lets Boba follow his code while he pursues his own.
When Din finally removes his helmet, it is in a moment of necessity. First, he takes off his armor so he can disguise himself and enter the Imperial mining facility with Mayfeld. One could argue that, even without showing his face, Din already broke the rules by taking off his armor.
Later, he is forced to remove his helmet in order to access the internal Imperial terminal, revealing his face to Mayfeld and a room of Imperial officers. There is no doubt that Din broke the creed and took it a step further by putting his armor back on afterward. Even though Mayfeld is the only one who knows about it, Din will still have to live with his actions, which may spur him to reconsider his creed.
Although Din isn't giving up his creed in full, his experiences with other Mandalorians have certainly changed his perspective. He probably won't start removing his helmet in front of everyone, but perhaps he'll show his face to the person he's closest to, Grogu.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, with guest stars Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the new season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez.