“The Mandalorian” is getting ready for a new adventure. The first trailer for Season 3 of the popular “Star Wars” series has been released by Disney+, and the series will premiere in 2023.
It’s been a long time in the making, but the time has finally come. Din Djarin and Grogu will return in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, following a nearly three-year hiatus during which Lucasfilm premiered other Disney+ live-action series. But, with the release of The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the upcoming release of Andor, it’s finally time for the return of this television juggernaut, arguably the flagship of Star Wars programming in the post-Skywalker Saga era.
Season 3 will see Mando and his little Force-sensitive pal trying to tie up a lot of loose ends from season 2 and Boba Fett. In fact, the latter spinoff series is critical to understanding what the hell is going on in the season 3 trailer, which was released today during the D23 studio showcase. In our trailer breakdown, we’ll go over all of the Mandalorian and Jedi baggage.
Din Djarin is dispatched on a quest by the Armorer
So, remember how I mentioned Mandalorian and Jedi baggage? One of the major cliffhangers from The Mandalorian season 2 finale was resolved a year later in The Book of Boba Fett. Despite leaving with Luke Skywalker to complete his Jedi training, Grogu decides in the spinoff series that his heart isn’t in it, especially when his Mandalorian father is flying around looking all sad and lonely. Grogu has rejoined Din by the end of Boba Fett, just in time to assist him in taking down a baby rancor rampaging through the streets of Mos Espa on Tatooine.
Season 3 will, of course, have to address another major ongoing issue. Din obtained the Darksaber from Moff Gideon at the end of Season 2, making him the rightful leader of the Mandalorian people by tradition. Not only does this put him at odds with Bo-Katan, who had spent years searching for the blade she needed to reunite the Mandalore tribes, but it also puts Din in an awkward position with his own clan of religious zealots, the Children of the Watch.
This is convenient because Din has some unfinished business there…
Bo-Katan Returns
We knew Katee Sackhoff would return as Bo-Katan Kryze in season 3, and not just because there’s still a lot of unresolved Darksaber squabbles to settle. Remember how she agreed to assist in the rescue of Grogu from the Empire at the end of Season 2? It came with one condition: once Grogu was safe, Din would have to assist her and the Nite Owls in retaking Mandalore. Din, as a mercenary with a strict code of honour, will have no choice but to keep his promise.
In the trailer, however, we see that Bo-Katan isn’t overjoyed to see him as he enters her throne room. “Your cult divided our people,” Bo-Katan is likely to say to Din during this reunion. “Where were you at the time?” She’s probably referring to the Night of a Thousand Tears, the Mandalorians’ term for the Empire’s destruction of their civilization, and how the Children of the Watch avoided it because they all lived on Concordia, Mandalore’s moon.
Bo-Katan made it clear in season 2 that she has no affection for Din’s group, and she may have even less now that he possesses the weapon she desires. Assuming Din is asking Bo-Katan for assistance in his quest to reclaim his Mandalorian citizenship in this scene, he’ll have to persuade her that working together is preferable to competing. In any case, if Bo-Katan wants the Darksaber, she’ll have to fight him for it.
And where, exactly, is this throne room? Because it is still standing, we must assume that this fortress is not on Mandalore, which is in ruins following the Empire’s siege of the planet. Is this Bo-seat Katan’s on the Mandalorian planet Concord Dawn? It would be fantastic to see this location in action!
Mandalore and a Large Number of New Mandalorians
But, rest assured, we will see Mandalore at some point this season, as evidenced by a shot of the ruins of what appears to be Sundari’s domed capital city. In the trailer, we see a ship flying over the wasteland, but it is not Din’s ship…
If you’re still not sure how much emphasis season 3 is placing on Mandalorian drama, the trailer introduces us to pretty much every other Mandalorian warrior in the galaxy. It’s incredible to see all of these soldiers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters dressed in various colours and shapes of armour. Is the above image hinting at a collaboration between Bo-Nite Katan’s Owls on the left and Din’s Children of the Watch on the right?
In any event, the teaser makes it apparent that we’ll see a lot of Mandalorians in action in season 3, flying down with their jetpacks and guns blazing.There will be a large ground combat between Mandalorians and an unknown opponent at some time. But where is all of this taking place? It appears to be the same location where Din and Greef met earlier in the video. This appears to be a touch too opulent for Nevarro.
Greef Karga Is Back, But Don’t Expect Cara Dune
Carl Weathers returns as Nevarro magistrate Greef Karga, and he looks better than ever in his new, more regal robes. In the clip, Greef greets Din once more before (presumably) accompanying him on another mission. Greef fires his blaster at a gang of thugs that includes some Niktos, a Trandoshan, and a Klatooinian in another shot. Greef appears to be prepared to combat the Nikto in the centre, who is undoubtedly the gang’s leader. I have no notion what this is about.
While it was predicted that Weathers would return to the show, we know for a certainty that he will not be accompanied by Gina Carano’s Marshal Cara Dune. Disney did not ask Carano to return after many issues enveloped the actor in the run-up to and after season 2.
Din Djarin’s N-1 Starfighter and the Space Battle
Season 3’s CGI muscles will be stretched quite a bit during a space war sequence in which Din’s newly acquired and upgraded N-1 Starfighter (similar to the ones from The Phantom Menace) will engage in a dogfight with enemy fighters within an asteroid field. It’s difficult to identify whose faction the hostile ships belong to, although they don’t appear to be Imperial.I’m not sure if this is related to the previous combat, but we also witness the starfighter destroying some kind of facility on one of the asteroids. All of these space photos are stunning!
What Is Doctor Pershing Up To Now?
Omid Abtahi returns to his role as the enigmatic Doctor Pershing, an Imperial scientist who previously worked alongside Moff Gideon in seasons 1 and 2. The teaser confirms that, even though the Moff has been apprehended, Pershing is still alive and well, presumably carrying on with his horrible cloning experiments.
Peli Motto, R5-D4, and…Babu Frik?
We later see this little droid flying on Din’s N-1 in the trailer. Perhaps this legendary droid will join Clan Mudhorn in season 3! What if the episode reveals that this robot was, in fact, a Jedi all along? (If you know what I mean.)
Meanwhile, Babu Frik (or another Anzellan droidsmith) appears to have returned. Fans of The Rise of Skywalker will be pleased.
What Are the Fireworks Celebrating?
The trailer concludes with Din and Grogu flying over a city ablaze with fireworks. But what precisely is this location commemorating? If they’re anything like us, they’re just glad to see Din and Grogu again!