credit: The Mandalorian
Rejoice, Star Wars fans. The third season of The Mandalorian will be arriving next year in March. We knew this was coming for a while, but finally knowing the release date only gets us pumped up even more. The 1st of March will pick up from where Mando’s story left off from where we last saw him. The Book of Boba Fett, which basically became the prelude for season 3, had our titular hero reunite with his adopted son, Grogu. You know what? Let’s just keep calling him Baby Yoda. That’s the name we will always remember him by. So what’s next in their journey? Probably the biggest test for both characters.
The Mandalorian himself is on a journey of redemption, despite the fact that he never really did any wrongdoing. He broke the rules of his creed by removing his helmet and allowing another living being to see his face. So in order to regain favor with his former creed, he must travel to the planet where they originated from. And now that Baby Yoda is back with him, it could set up even more interesting possibilities.
What We Know So Far
Based on the teaser trailer for season 3 of The Mandalorian, it looks like the center of the story behind it will be Mando forming a fragile alliance with Bo-Katan. The last time we saw them interact, Mando (or Din Djarin) defeated Grand Moff Gideon in single combat and, by Mandalorian law, became the rightful wielder of the Darksaber. Bo-Katan was clearly bothered by this, and the only way she could rightfully claim it was by defeating Mando in single combat herself. Mando was willing to yield it without dueling, but Gideon claimed there was no other way. And before we could see how that situation got resolved, the Dark Troopers arrived with that awesome theme music.
Thanks to the Book of Boba Fett, we know that Mando walked away with the Darksaber. However, we also saw that he is struggling to use it because, according to The Armorer, he is actually rejecting it. This is an interesting element to look into for Mando’s development in season 3. What is the significance of the Darksaber anyway? That is something that has to be explained in season 3, and when it eventually does, they have to mention Tarre Vizsla, who was the first Mandalorian Jedi. If season 3 dives into this history, it will show the connection the Mandalorians have with the Jedi. Since the modern Mandalorians, even Mando himself, are only familiar with the Jedi as their enemy, it will be very interesting to see how Mando learns about this.
credit: The Mandalorian
The Characters
But The Mandalorian isn’t just about the titular hero. We are also still very curious about Baby Yoda. Who rescued him from the Jedi Temple during Order 66? That’s something that might not even be answered in season 3, but it doesn’t have to be. In the trailer, we saw multiple Mandalorians partner up with Mando in their mission to take back Mandalore. It looks like that will be the focus of season 3, and Bo-Katan will likely try to find a way to obtain ownership of the Darksaber. Could this lead to another civil war?
And speaking of which, who will be the main antagonist of season 3 of The Mandalorian? The main recurring villain of the series is Grand Moff Gideon, played brilliantly by Giancarlo Esposito. The last time we saw him, he was taken into custody by former Rebel Shocktrooper Cara Dune. His obsession with Baby Yoda will probably still be a problem for Mando, and his fellow Imperials will likely try to finish what he started. But based on the teaser trailer, it looks like season 3 will focus a lot on the revolution on Mandalore.
If that’s the central focus of season 3, then we could be looking at another antagonist that will be Mando’s biggest challenge. We should be getting more original characters to expand the franchise, but there are characters we have seen before that could fit into the series. For fans of the Clone Wars, it would be cool to see how he would fair against rival bounty hunters. Some good challengers could be Embo, the Kyuzo bounty hunter who fought with and against Ahsoka Tano. And how epic would it be to see him use that Kung Lao-like hat in action? But a real serious threat that could give Mando and the other Mandalorians the worst kind of trouble is Durge.
credit: The Mandalorian
This character was killed in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars series, but he was still an existing character in the canon timeline. The Star Wars comics continued his story, and he can very much make a live-action debut as a major antagonist. If certain Jedi like Obi-Wan struggled to fight him, then Mando and his fellow Mandalorians would certainly have their hands full with him. He may not fit as the main antagonist, but he can be the perfect physical challenge for our titular hero.
What are your thoughts, Star Wars fans? What are some of your expectations for season 3 of The Mandalorian? Will Mando regain favor with his creed? Will Baby Yoda finally speak? So many possibilities and so much ground to cover. March will be a special month.
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