Warning: article contains spoilers for ‘The Mandalorian’s’ first episode of season three.
The first episode of season three of The Mandalorian dropped on March 1. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of father-son duo Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu since the last season ended over two years ago.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to binge the latest season as it releases episodes weekly.
We last saw Grogu leave with Luke Skywalker in an emotional finale. Din let Luke take Grogu to train him in the ways of the force. Worried viewers have been speculating how Grogu will be reunited with his space-dad. Those who have seen The Book of Boba Fett will know how Grogu and Din reunite. For fans of The Mandalorian this episode may be confusing as their reunion is not explained in the recap. If you want more Grogu and Mando content, I strongly recommend watching The Book of Boba Fett.
Season two was filled with cameos, including Rosario Dawson’s debut as live-action Ahsoka. It also showed Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and of course Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Fans will be hoping to see some of these characters return. This may be unlikely with The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka spin-off shows.
Season three kicks off with the episode titled ‘Chapter 17.’ Starting with a bang, the initiation of a new member of the clan is interrupted by a super-sized space crocodile. The Mandalorians, of course, spring into action.
While the Mandalorians put up a good fight, Din and Grogu swoop in to save the day.
Later, Din and The Armorer (Emily Swallow) have a conversation which reminds viewers that Din is no longer a Mandalorian. He has removed his helmet and consequently broke the creed.
The Armorer explains that the only way to atone is to bathe in the waters below the mines of Mandalore. This is no small feat, and it paves the way for an interesting plot in this season.
Throughout the episode, Din begins to piece together his plan to get to these waters. This episode also sets up the possible return of IG-11 (Taika Waititi). We last saw IG-11 as the droid sacrificed himself in season one. However, in Luke’s words from Star Wars: The Last Jedi: “No one is ever really gone.”
During Din’s mission to rebuild IG-11 and bring him to Mandalore to explore the planet, he runs into space pirates.
Towards the end of the episode, we are treated to an exhilarating space-chase which introduces a possible new villain for the season, space Pirate King Gorian Shard (Nonso Anozie).
And as the cherry on top of the return of the series, Bo-Katan returns.
She reveals that Din still possesses the dark sabre after defeating Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and asks him to lead the battle to retake Mandalore.
This episode sets up a lot of potential for action-packed plot lines and wastes no time getting into the story.
Although, it does leave us with some unanswered questions. One of which is how much will we see Grogu use the Force? We see him using it to spin himself around on a chair, but other than that the presence of the biggest signature Star Wars has to offer is lacking. Also, will Bo-Katan become an enemy of Din’s? This seems to be set up with their frosty conversation this episode.
Hopefully, these burning questions will be answered throughout the season. All-in-all it is a solid first episode that leaves you craving more.
The Mandalorian is available to stream now on Disney+.
Featured Image Credit: @TheMandalorian on Instagram
Second year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
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