The Mandalorian season 3 will build on a lot of established lore - including key episodes from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin has changed a lot since his introduction in The Mandalorian season 1. The lone gunslinger now travels with Grogu at his side, and he unwittingly became master of the Darksaber - the ancestral weapon of the ruler of Mandalore.
Mandalore was ravaged by the Empire, its peoples scattered across the galaxy in a forced diaspora. Bo-Katan dreams of uniting the Mandalorians under her rule, but Din Djarin now stands in her way, for she cannot do this without taking the Darksaber from him. Meanwhile, Din Darin's decision to remove his helmet means he has been cast out of the sect he was previously part of, and redemption can only be found on a sacred quest to Mandalore itself.
The stage is set for a truly spectacular third season of The Mandalorian, one that asks what it truly means to be part of this ancient culture. But that in itself means viewers will likely need to be familiar with a lot more of the lore if they're to make sense of Din Djarin and his Mandalorians. Here are all the episodes from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels they will want to check out ahead of The Mandalorian season 3.
"The Mandalore Plot" - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 2, Episodes 12-14
The story begins with "The Mandalore Plot," running through Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2, episodes 12-14. This three-part story technically serves as the introduction to canon Mandalore, with the show abandoning a lot of the lore previously established in the old Expanded Universe. It's particularly notable for the introduction of Duchess Satine Kryze, an old flame of Obi-Wan Kenobi's, and the Darksaber itself. The villains of this story are members of a Mandalorian sect called the Death Watch, who are particular important because Din Djarin's own group is descended from the Death Watch.
"Corruption" & "The Academy" - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3, Episodes 5 & 6
A loose two-part story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episodes 5 and 6 serve as important chapters in the continuing story of Mandalore. This explores the relationship between Mandalore and the various factions in the Clone Wars, and in so doing sets up the planet's tragic fate. Viewers will immediately sense Duchess Satine's reign is becoming dangerously unstable; Mandalore cannot possibly remain neutral for much longer.
"A Friend In Need" - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 14
Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 4, episode 14 introduces viewers to Bo-Katan Kryze, and establishes her relationship to Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano; suffice to say there's a lot of humor to the fact Bo-Katan sends Din Djarin to Ahsoka decades later. The episode sees Duchess Satine try to use Mandalore's position of neutrality to broker a truce between the Republic and the Separatists, but of course it's doomed to failure. Expect a lot of callbacks to this particular story in The Mandalorian season 3.
The Shadow Conspiracy - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5, Episodes 14-16
One of the two most important Mandalorian stories in Star Wars lore, Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5, episodes 14-16 marks the tragic end of Duchess Satine's reign. Mandalore has long been unstable, but this story is the one that really dooms the planet to decades of violence, as Darth Maul claims the Darksaber and becomes rightful ruler of Mandalore. There's a sense in which Darth Maul was the last true Mandalorian leader, for he claimed the Darksaber in the time-honored way.
The Siege of Mandalore - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episodes 9-12
The Mandalorian civil war erupted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, episodes 9-12, which are set at the same time as Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Led by Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan, the Siege of Mandalore is the Republic's last attack during the Clone Wars. Darth Maul's true plans are revealed, but the former Sith apprentice is nevertheless defeated. The heroes of Mandalore believe they have won their world a bright future, but they are unaware of key events taking place elsewhere, as the Republic falls - transformed into the Empire. The age of the Empire will not be kind to Mandalore.
Trials of the Darksaber & Legacy of Mandalore - Star Wars Rebels Season 3, Episodes 15-16
Darth Maul essentially abandons the Darksaber after the events of "The Siege of Mandalore," but Mandalorian Rebel Sabine Wren discovered it years later. Star Wars Rebels season 3, episodes 15-16 is a two-part story that forces Sabine to face what it means to wield the Darksaber, and in so doing to confront a bitter past she's desperately tried to forget. The return of the Darksaber brings new hope to the Mandalorians, giving them the courage and confidence to oppose Mandalore's Imperial overlord, Gar Saxon. Still, for all this story is full of hope, Mandalore remains leaderless by its conclusion.
Heroes of Mandalore - Star Wars Rebels Season 4, Episodes 1-2
Another of the most important Mandalorian episodes in Star Wars canon, "Heroes of Mandalore" continues the story of the nascent Rebel uprising on Mandalore. It sees the return of Bo-Katan, given the Darksaber by Sabine because she is recognized as a true leader. Unfortunately, as viewers of The Mandalorian will realize, this isn't the way the Darksaber is traditionally supposed to be passed from one leader to the next; rather, it is meant to be won through combat. The bright promise of Bo-Katan's leadership is doomed to be extinguished by the Empire, in a purge alluded to in The Mandalorian's various flashbacks but as yet unseen. Expect Bo-Katan to have learned a heavy lesson from the events of "Heroes of Mandalore." Although she aspires to lead the Mandalorians, Bo-Katan knows she must be considered the uncontested ruler of Mandalore, and to accomplish that she must win the Darksaber properly this time.
The story of Bo-Katan and Mandalore is a fascinating one, weaving its way through Star Wars animation in a single consistent narrative. Now it's moving from animated form to live-action, with the plot begun in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and continued in Star Wars Rebels now bubbling to the surface once again in The Mandalorian season 3. It's going to be thrilling to see how things play out.