The Mandalorian season 3 is just around the corner, however, many Star Wars fans that last saw Din Djarin and Grogu saying their goodbyes in the season 2 finale could be caught off guard by how much has happened since then in the show’s spinoff The Book of Boba Fett completed its job on Disney Plus.
As series creator Jon Favreau has put it, The Book of Boba Fett is meant to act as The Mandalorian’s season 2.5, but with an average runtime of 50 minutes per episode that amount to nearly 6 hours of television, plus significantly lower Disney Plus viewership than Mando’s adventures, not everyone got that message. Regardless of that, Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian does appear in the final 3 episodes of Boba Fett’s own series that set up upcoming events, so with that in mind, here’s a quick briefing of everything one needs to know ahead of season 3.
How Grogu And The Mandalorian Wound Up Back Together
In The Book of Boba Fett’s sixth episode, after Din Djarin has already been reintroduced in a solo outing, the bounty hunter pays Grogu a visit on a lonely planet where Luke Skywalker is currently training the young prodigy. On his trip, besides running into Ahsoka Tano and RD-D2, Mando leaves behind a small present for the Child, a beskar chain mail forged from his own spear meant to protect the youngling from any harm.
It’s precisely that cute chain mail that prompts Luke to ask Grogu to make a tough decision as he keeps on stumbling during his training: choose Yoda’s lightsaber and forgo any attachments to his past life to follow the way of the Jedi; or accept his protector’s gift and pursue the way of the Mandalorians. As The Mandalorian’s season 3 trailers confirm, Grogu chose the latter, then being flown off to Tatooine to reunite with Mando.
What this means is that Grogu’s path is now locked, he is now closer to becoming a Mandalorian, just like his father figure, and though some Star Wars fans could consider this wasted time, this plot detour did show a very intriguing flashback to Grogu’s memories during Order 66.
What Happened To Boba Fett?
Speaking of Star Wars’ OG Mandalorian, Temuera Morrison was last seen resting in his bacta tank in The Book of Boba Fett’s post-credits scene. Throughout his own series, viewers are basically given a quick rundown of how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc’s belly, gained the respect of Tuskens, retrieved his armor, and eventually ended up killing Bib Fortuna to start running things in Tatooine, though taking over Jabba the Hutt’s operations proved to be a tougher endeavor.
Thank to enlisting Mando's help, Fett eventually defeats the Pykes and kills Cad Bane, although the series does establish him as a severely wounded character that needs his daily bacta tank beauty sleep. The Book of Boba Fett made many mistakes, but by solidifying the bond between the two bounty hunters, the spinoff sets up a Boba Fett cameo in The Mandalorian’s season 3.
Why Was The Mandalorian Banished?
This is perhaps the most important plot line that will define much of season 3, as after confessing his sin of removing his helmet the Mandalorian is cast out of his clan by the mysterious Armorer, despite him wielding the mythical Darksaber, with the only path to redemption lying in living waters of Mandalore. This is why in all the previews, Din Djarin can be seen arriving at the now-destroyed planet, where he must atone for his transgressions fueled by his desire to connect with Grogu that revealed Pascal's face.
How Does The Darksaber Work?
Believed to be created by Tarre Vizla, the Darksaber has been featured The Clone Wars and Rebels, yet the most important thing to know about it is that in order to command its power, the Darksaber must be won in combat. This is what Mando did in season 2 by taking it from Moff Gideon, nevertheless, the blade comes with a few caveats, for example how absurdly heavy it is due to the owner's inner thoughts and feelings flowing through its mysterious light beam.
The Darksaber also brings governing privileges over the entire Mandalorian clan, the title of Mand’alor, which is why Paz Vizla (Tarre’s descendant) and Bo-Katan Kryze want it for themselves. As Din Djarin’s relationship with Grogue blossoms, expect the Mandalorian’s skill with the blade to grow too, and also plenty of suitors looking to win it over in combat.
Mando And Grogu's New Gear And Ship
Besides Luke Skywalker’s CGI-enabled cameo, the most striking revelation in The Book of Boba Fett could have been that Din Djarin and Grougu will now be flying in style across the galaxy in their new tricked-out Naboo N-1 Starfighter. This means The Mandalorian’s season 3 is likely to feature more intense air combat as, for all its positives, the show always told audiences the Razor Crest was not suited to that kind of work.
One small side note though, even if Grogu was seen on the N-1 vulnerable compartment that is usually reserved for droids, he won’t be flying in that spot, as the Mandalorian is likely to be getting his own astromech droid in R5-D4. On top of that, while the trailer showed Grogu making use of his force powers, the chain mail will provide some extra protection to make Din Djarin's job of protecting him a lot easier in season 3 than what Pascal has to do as Joel in The Last of Us.
Season 3 of The Mandalorian will premiere on Disney Plus on March 1, 2023.