*This article contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian.*
The era of renowned single-dad Pedro Pascal is truly upon us. Disney released a new official trailer for season 3 of The Mandalorian during Monday night’s NFC wildcard game, continuing their run of dropping important trailers late during forgettable football games. It’s been over two years since Din Djarin and Grogu graced our screens (in their own show at least) and the new footage gives us a lot to cover.
The single dad era
If you were to say that 2023 belongs solely to Pedro Pascal, it would be hard to disagree with you. We’re just ramping up into an instantly iconic show with The Last of Us, and before that even comes to an end, we’ll be diving head first back into The Mandalorian. Can you even imagine? Two days of the week, dedicated to watching Pedro Pascal be a loving, nurturing father. No one could possibly have any complaints, right?
Unfortunately I can’t spend this entire article talking just about Pedro, or The Last of Us, however the new Mandalorian trailer isn’t a bad spot to settle on. There are some eye-catching details to go over, including some lightsabers, the return of a fan favorite character from the sequel trilogy, and most importantly, a lot of our two favorites-Din and Grogu.
The Mandalorian is back
The trailer opens with a Din Djarin monologue about the Mandalorian people and the state of their populace, which he describes as “scattered.” It appears he’s also in charge of a small colony of Mandalorians, which would be a fitting responsibility for someone who is such a natural leader. One of the most famous tropes in storytelling is the idea that those who do not seek to lead will always make the best leaders, and Din Djarin embodies this ideal to a T.
It seems that a central part of season 3 is going to be Din teaching “the way” of the Mandalorians to others, specifically Grogu. After Grogu makes the choice to leave Luke Skywalker and abandon his training, the two are undoubtedly bound to one another in a father-son type relationship.
Around the halfway mark of the trailer, we see four lightsabers in what looks to be an Order 66 flashback. We know that Grogu was rescued from the Jedi Temple, though the identity of his savior is yet to be revealed. It is ramping up to look like these questions will be answered in season 3.
The Mandalorian returns to Mandalore
From what we’ve seen in the trailers, the larger goal of this season will see Din Djarin return to Mandalore to absolve for his transgressions. If you last watched The Mandalorian in 2020, and didn’t subject yourself to watching The Book of Boba Fett, you’re probably wondering what transgressions I’m talking about.
During a two episode stretch focused only on Din, The Armorer reveals to him that because he took off his helmet and broke the Mandalorian code, he is “Mandalorian no more.” To atone for these sins, the Mandalorian must visit the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore.
A common theme in the first two seasons is that while there is a larger, overarching goal at play, each episode features its own location and set of characters with their own individual arcs. This season will likely follow the same format, with the main objective of the season is return to Mandalore while encountering new acquaintances and embarking on exciting adventures. It’s no small task to follow up the ending of season 2, which features a de-aged Mark Hamill reprising the role of Luke Skywalker, but I’m sure there are big plans in store.
This is the way
The trailer features the return of several characters, some from previous seasons and others from the sequel trilogy. We see Carl Weathers‘ Greef Karga, along with one of the few positive things to come out of The Rise of Skywalker, Babu Frik.
The trailer also features Amy Sedaris‘ Peli Motto, shouting the iconic “May the Force be with you!” at Din and Grogu as they depart from Tatooine. Giancarlo Esposito‘s Moff Gideon Is unfortunately absent from the new footage, although Esposito stated in the past that Gideon will be a major player in season 3.
The Mandalorian has done a phenomenal job of upping the stakes as we’ve traveled through two seasons. The most important dynamic, however, is the Din and Grogu relationship, which at this point would be almost impossible to mess up. After a long wait, the hype surrounding this show could not be any higher, and if the new trailer is any indication of how things are going to play out, we’re in for a wild ride.
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