The Mandalorian season 3: Everything you need to know about the Star Wars show’s future
The Book of Boba Fett is coming in less than a month, so let’s take a look at what’s going on with the Disney Plus series that spawned it.
Will Mando and Grogu reunite in the show’s third season?Lucasfilm
The Mandalorian, the live-action Star Wars series that introduced Baby Yoda, brought back Boba Fett and saw the return of a certain beloved Jedi, is getting a third season and several spinoffs on Disney Plus. A behind-the-scenes special revealed the production secrets of the epic season 2 finale, and season 3 began started shooting in the fall.
Let’s take a look at where Mando’s adventures, which take place a few years after Return of the Jedi, are likely to go next. We’ll be diving into full SPOILER territory for the first two seasons, so be warned if you aren’t up to date.
When is season 3 coming to Disney Plus?
We don’t have a release date for the next season yet, but it’ll come out after The Book of Boba Fett (which is scheduled to start Dec. 29 and got its first trailer on Nov. 1).
In October, Carl Weathers, who plays Bounty Hunter Guild boss Greef Karga, tweeted about gearing up to shoot season 3. (He previously confirmed that he’ll direct at least one episode.)
“Mandalorian, season #3 begins for Yours Truly, on tomorrow,” he wrote. “Greef Karga will be back on Disney+.”
So we’ll likely see the third season hitting Disney Plus sometime in 2022. It’ll probably come out after the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, which started shooting earlier this year.
What else do we know about season 3?
The second season ended with a post-credits scene teasing Boba Fett’s show. It was initially unclear if this was season 3, with the focus shifting to Boba, or a spinoff. Jon Favreau, the show’s creator, soon clarified that it was a spinoff (more on that below) — Mando’s adventures will continue in the third season.
Since season 2 seemed to wrap up the Baby Yoda plot line, with Luke Skywalker taking Grogu for Jedi training, you might wonder where the show can go next. Mando’s mission — reuniting the little guy with his own kind — is done, so his priorities will shift.
During season 2, Mando (real name Din Djarin) also ran into another group of Mandalorians, led by Bo-Katan Kryze. She was on a mission to retake their home world Mandalore and get the Darksaber (a Mandalorian symbol of leadership) back from Gideon. In the season finale, Mando took possession of the Darksaber and inadvertently became the leader of the Mandalorians. It seems likely that he’ll join Bo-Katan’s mission in season 3.
We also found out that Mando isn’t a typical Mandalorian. Bo-Katan revealed that he’s a Child of the Watch, a “cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society.” That’s why he isn’t supposed to remove his helmet and reveal his face to anyone. But he gradually became more open to showing his face during the first two seasons. We haven’t seen other members of his clan since season 1, but he’ll probably have some questions next time their paths cross.
Disney also announced three of its many upcoming Star Wars shows — The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Rangers of the New Republic — that will be set around the same point in the timeline as The Mandalorian, so plot threads from the those could feed into season 3 (or some future season).
What’s the deal with Boba Fett?
The closing shot of season 2’s first episode revealed a mysterious man (Temuera Morrison) watching Mando from afar. He appears to be wearing Tusken Raider gear, and then he turns around, revealing the face of Boba Fett — the bounty hunter who fell into the sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi.
The Mandalorian armor that Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) was wearing in the episode was Boba’s, and he tracked Mando until he could reclaim it in the season’s sixth episode.
After helping Mando rescue Grogu from the Imperial Remnant in the season finale, a post-credits scene revealed Boba’s next move: seizing power in Tatooine’s criminal underworld, leading directly into The Book of Boba Fett.
Morrison played bounty hunter Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones and also portrayed the clone troopers in that movie and Revenge of the Sith. Jango was recruited by Count Dooku to serve as the genetic template for the clone army used by the Galactic Republic, as part of Darth Sidious’ convoluted plot to wipe out the Jedi. Part of Jango’s payment was an unaltered clone that he could raise as his son — Boba — but the elder Fett was killed during the Battle of Geonosis.
The younger Fett was played by Daniel Logan in Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars CGI animated series, but The Mandalorian takes place decades later, and a grown-up Boba would look identical to Jango.
However, Boba isn’t the only person with Jango’s face. Even though clone troopers were designed to age at an accelerated speed, some could still be alive. The Rebels series finale revealed that Commander Rex fought in Return of the Jedi’s Battle of Endor (a few years prior to the events of The Mandalorian), while Commander Wolffe survived until at least the end of Rebels (which took place years before A New Hope).
We saw a mysterious person approach assassin Fennec Shand’s body on Tatooine in the final moments of the fifth episode of season 1, with Fett’s trademark spur sound effect, and the sixth episode of season 2 revealed that it was indeed Boba. He saved her life, and she teamed up with him to repay the favor — she’ll also join him in The Book of Boba Fett spinoff series.
Fans of the Legends material (developed in novels, comics and games prior to 2014) will recall that Boba escaped the sarlacc in that continuity and went on to become the leader of Mandalore in a very different (and noncanon) post-Return of the Jedi galaxy.
Other Mandalorian spinoffs
Ahsoka Tano, the former Padawan of the late Anakin Skywalker and star of CGI animated series The Clone Wars, made her live-action debut in season 2. She’s played by Rosario Dawson, whom you might remember playing Claire Temple in Netflix’s Marvel shows.
Her spinoff series, Ahsoka, is coming to Disney Plus and will probably see her hunting for Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Imperial villain was last seen in the finale of animated series Rebels, which is set years before The Mandalorian, but we don’t know why Ahsoka is after him. This show’s release date is unclear — it’ll likely be 2022 at the earliest.
There’s also Rangers of the New Republic, which fans speculated initially would feature Marshal Cara Dune. In February, Lucasfilm said Gina Carano, who played Cara in the first two seasons, will no longer be in The Mandalorian or future Star Wars projects. Then in May, Variety reported that the show is “not currently in active development.” This likely means we’ll never see it, but elements from the show will probably make their way into other projects.
What about Baby Yoda?
This little guy captured everyone’s heart the moment he appeared in the first episode. We also learned that he was 50 years old and could use the Force, but we were well into season 2 before we learned anything else about him.
In that season’s fifth episode, Ahsoka Tano communicated with him using the Force and discovered that his real name is Grogu. He was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, before being hidden when the Empire wiped out the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith, and in the decades since, he’s suppressed his powers to stay off the bad guys’ radar.
The Imperial Remnant apparently wanted him so it can use his blood to create Force-strong beings. But it’s unclear if this is for Moff Gideon’s own ends, or if Gideon is knowingly working for the reborn Palpatine or unknowingly doing the hidden Emperor’s bidding.
He went with Luke Skywalker to be trained in the ways of the Force in the season 2 finale, but you just know he’ll be reunited with Mando at some point.
Oh, and the most detailed version of the puppet apparently cost around $5 million.
What happened in seasons 1 and 2?
You’re in luck! I wrote detailed recaps of each episode that you can use to catch up:
Season 1
Chapter 1: The Mandalorian
Chapter 2: The Child
Chapter 3: The Sin
Chapter 4: Sanctuary
Chapter 5: The Gunslinger
Chapter 6: The Prisoner
Chapter 7: The Reckoning
Chapter 8: Redemption
Season 2
Chapter 9: The Marshal
Chapter 10: The Passenger
Chapter 11: The Heiress
Chapter 12: The Siege
Chapter 13: The Jedi
Chapter 14: The Tragedy
Chapter 15: The Believer
Chapter 16: The Rescue
Is there a bounty of Mandalorian merch?
Merchandise hunting is a complicated hobby, but you know you want it. Since the show’s debut in November 2019, a mountain of toys and other collectibles have been released. Highlights include Hasbro’s six-inch Black Series and Vintage Collection.
There was a steady stream for season 2 as well, like Lego’s huge Baby Yoda set, Polaroid’s Mandalorian-themed instant camera and Hasbro’s crowd-funded Razor Crest. Lucasfilm revealed new collectibles each Monday during season 2’s run — a merchandising push known as “Mando Mondays.”
The coolest item revealed was probably the Force FX Elite Darksaber replica, which has a removable blade, a metallic hilt, makes excellent sound effects and comes with a lovely stand. It’ll set you back $265.
Are there any tie-in books?
A bunch of books were revealed on the official Star Wars site in June 2020. However, Adam Christopher’s tie-in novel and Pablo Hidalgo’s Ultimate Visual Guide were canceled on March 9, reportedly for scheduling reasons. Christopher is instead writing Shadow of the Sith, a book about a Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian adventure that ties into the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
If you’re into the show’s aesthetic, Phil Szostak’s The Art of The Mandalorian Season One is available now.
Is there a bounty of Mandalorian merch?
Merchandise hunting is a complicated hobby, but you know you want it. Since the show’s debut in November 2019, a mountain of toys and other collectibles have been released. Highlights include Hasbro’s six-inch Black Series and Vintage Collection.
There was a steady stream for season 2 as well, like Lego’s huge Baby Yoda set, Polaroid’s Mandalorian-themed instant camera and Hasbro’s crowd-funded Razor Crest. Lucasfilm revealed new collectibles each Monday during season 2’s run — a merchandising push known as “Mando Mondays.”
The coolest item revealed was probably the Force FX Elite Darksaber replica, which has a removable blade, a metallic hilt, makes excellent sound effects and comes with a lovely stand. It’ll set you back $265.
Are there any tie-in books?
A bunch of books were revealed on the official Star Wars site in June 2020. However, Adam Christopher’s tie-in novel and Pablo Hidalgo’s Ultimate Visual Guide were canceled on March 9, reportedly for scheduling reasons. Christopher is instead writing Shadow of the Sith, a book about a Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian adventure that ties into the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
If you’re into the show’s aesthetic, Phil Szostak’s The Art of The Mandalorian Season One is available now.
What’s the deal with the documentary?
Season 1 got an eight-episode Disney Plus making-of series called Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian. It includes interviews with the cast and crew, footage from the show’s production and roundtable conversations hosted by Favreau.
The second season didn’t take the episodic approach for its behind-the-scenes feature; much of the behind-the-scenes footage was all stuffed into a one-hour special instead. A special focused on the season 2 finale dropped in August, revealing the digital trickery used to pull off that incredible young Luke Skywalker cameo. Director Peyton Reed also shared a photo of Mark Hamill bonding with Grogu.
What’s a Mandalorian?
Mandalorians are humans from the Outer Rim world of Mandalore, its moon Concordia and the planet Kalevala, whose story was largely told in The Clone Wars and Rebels.
Their world went through major political upheaval during the Clone Wars and early days of the Galactic Empire’s rule, but many of the clans united under the rule of Bo-Katan Kryze after she took control of the Darksaber. The black-bladed weapon was created more than 1,000 years earlier by Tarre Vizsla (the first Mandalorian to join the Jedi Order) and became a symbol of leadership.
Who’s in the show?
Pedro Pascal (best known for playing Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones) is the bounty hunter behind the helmet: He’s a lone Mandalorian gunfighter operating in the outer reaches of the galaxy.
He’s joined by a star-studded cast, though a couple of these characters didn’t survive:
- Gina Carano as ex-Rebel Alliance shock trooper Cara Dune
- Carl Weathers as bounty hunter boss Greef Carga
- Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon
- Omid Abtahi as Dr. Pershing
- Emily Swallow as the Mandalorian Armorer
- Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze
- Sasha Banks as Koska Reeves
- Simon Kassianides as Axe Woves
- Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano
- Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett
- Ming-Na Wen as assassin Fennec Shand
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Captain Carson Teva
- Bill Burr as sharpshooter Mayfield
- Natalia Tena as mercenary Xi’an
- Clancy Brown as mercenary Burg
- Julia Jones as villager Omera
- Amy Sedaris as mechanic Peli Motto
- Timothy Olyphant as marshall Cobb Vanth
- Diana Lee Inosanto as magistrate Morgan Elsbeth
- Nick Nolte as mechanic Kuiil (dead)
- Taika Waititi as assassin droid IG-11 (destroyed)
- Werner Herzog as the Imperial Client (dead)
- Richard Ayoade as droid Zero (destroyed)
- Ismael Cruz Cordova as criminal Qin (presumed dead)
- Mark Boone Jr. as Ranzar Malk (presumed dead)
- Jake Cannavale as rookie bounty hunter Toro Calican (dead)
- Michael Biehn as mercenary Lang (dead)
