For all the Star Wars and Mandalorian fans, let me start this blog post with a disclaimer:
Spoiler Alerts!!!
Mandalorian Season 3, now streaming on Disney+, has been well-received by the fans. After blockbusters 1st & 2nd Seasons, Mandalorian Season 3 is live now. If you are uninitiated to this Sci-fi thriller, then this article will help you catch up on everything before you start binging on the 3rd season. And if you are an avid fan, this will help recap all the highlights you need to know before you get started with Mandalorian Season 3. So, without further ado, let’s dive in:
Backdrop:
The Mandalorian is a popular American space western television series created by Jon Favreau for Disney+. The series is set in the Star Wars universe, five years after the events of the 1983 film Return of the Jedi.
The story follows the titular character, a bounty hunter who wears the iconic armor of the Mandalorian warrior culture, as he travels the galaxy on various missions. Along the way, he discovers a mysterious alien creature known as “The Child” (affectionately referred to as “Baby Yoda” by fans), whom he decides to protect from those who seek to harm it.
The Mandalorian takes place on various planets across the galaxy and features a range of characters, including other bounty hunters, smugglers, former soldiers, and members of the Rebellion. The series is known for its unique blend of space opera and western themes, as well as its use of practical effects and puppetry in the creation of its characters and creatures.
Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian
The Mandalorian or Mando, played by Pedro Pascal, wears his mask constantly, but it serves more than just protective purposes. It’s an important component of the tribe in which he grew up.
A group of Mandalorians who practice the antiquated religion known as the Way of the Mandalore is known as the Children of the Watch. Mando was brought up by the tribe as a hunter after they discovered him to be an orphan. The tribe’s core belief is that members must always wear helmets to prevent others from learning their identities.
Naturally, if you’ve watched “The Mandalorians” first two seasons, you’re aware that Mando has had to break this rule in order to survive and complete his missions. As a result, in episode five of “The Book of Boba Fett,” Mando is expelled from the tribe for breaking the code.
Mando tries to beg for mercy, but the tribe’s chief, The Armorer (Emily Swallow), tells him that the only way he can turn back into a Mandalorian is by taking a bath in the planet Mandalore’s living mine water.
As a result, Mando will no longer have a tribe to help him out of a jam for the first time.
All will be excused if their recollections of everything that has occurred up to this point have become somewhat hazy due to The Mandalorian being off the air for so long. To get everyone back up to speed before The Mandalorian season 3, we’ve put together this helpful refresher and delved into some events you would want to know!
On The Mandalorian till now…
The Mandalorian’s “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” the season two finale, debuted in the middle of December 2020. In it, Grogu had been abducted by Moff Gideon, and Din Djarin set out to rescue him with the help of his two brand-new allies, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. After Djarin promises to give Bo-Katan the Darksaber that Gideon is currently holding, they enlist the assistance of Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves.
The team locates Gideon’s ship, where Din engages the evil war criminal in combat. Grogu is captured, but Dark Troopers have locked them all up on the bridge.
Luke Skywalker, who is the one and only, shows up to offer assistance. Luke offers Grogu the chance to leave with him after defeating the Dark Troopers. Din urges the youngster to finish his training despite his hesitation. They tenderly bid each other goodbye.
The Mandalorian’s season 3’s directors and writers
The third season of The Mandalorian will have eight episodes, just like the first two. This time, the series’ creator Jon Favreau wrote or co-wrote every one of them. The third episode also bears the name Noah Kloor, and episodes four and seven were co-written by Dave Filoni (Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Clone Wars, and The Bad Batch).
Disney lists Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey, and Bryce Dallas Howard as the season 3 directors of The Mandalorian.
Episodes of the Mandalorian have previously been directed by Famuyiwa, Weathers, and Howard. The newest additions to the series are Morrison (Black Panther’s cinematographer), Chung (Minari), and Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).
How things happened in The Book of Boba Fett
The Book of Boba Fett’s first season, which aired last winter, featured both Mando and Grogu, whereas there has been a sizable gap between seasons of The Mandalorian.
In order to learn more about the history of the Darksaber, Mando visited the Armorer (Emily Swallow), the leader of the traditional tribe of Mandalorian warriors to which Mando belongs. The Armorer asserts that the Darksaber is cursed and that if it is wielded by someone who lost a battle, Mandalore and its people will perish.
The Armorer informed Mando that he had broken their tribe’s creed by taking off his helmet, and that in order to become a true Mandalorian once more, he would need to travel to Mandalore and take a bath in the living waters found beneath the planet’s mines. Mando admitted to the Armorer that he had broken their tribe’s creed.
Grogu was busy working out with Luke on the planet Ossus. However, Grogu was unable to study the Jedi ways because of how close his bond had grown to Mando.
After receiving his very own beskar armor from Mando, Grogu had the choice of accepting Yoda’s lightsaber and deciding to follow the Jedi path or siding with Mando and becoming a Mandalorian. Without a doubt, Grogu chose Mando, and the two were united.
What to expect from The Mandalorian’s season 3
It appeared likely that Mando would soon be travelling to Mandalore in order to reclaim his status as a Mandalorian in light of the events of The Book of Boba Fett. He even says as much in the most recent season 3 trailer: “I’m going to Mandalore, in order to be pardoned for my transgressions.”
That means, according to Favreau, that we will witness the planet’s transformation into a desolate wasteland following the Great Purge of Mandalore that took place in the latter years of the Empire’s galactic rule. On the Inside Total Film podcast, Favreau expressed that the planet has a sorrowful past yet also holds an idyllic portrayal of its former state.
“We wanted to depict what occurred, and we referenced the Purge of Mandalore in a few places; in The Book of Boba Fett, we included a montage of the carnage. The results of all that destruction are now visible to us when we return to the planet in the bright sunlight.
The conflict between Mando and Bo-Katan over ownership of the Darksaber is also almost certain to intensify, as hinted at in the first season 3 trailer. She tells him, “Your cult split our people apart. Where were you when that happened?”
Wrapping up
Regarding the role Grogu’s Force training will play, Favreau has stated that Grogu was able to hone his skills while spending time with Luke. He also elaborated to Inside Total Film that The Book of Boba Fett allowed for a period of time to pass between the conclusion of Season 2 and the start of Season 3. Although he has always had a lot of Force potential, it takes training to make it into a skill that he could use when they are in difficult circumstances.
