Katee Sackhoff says Bo-Katan is key to The Mandalorian season 2 story. While The Mandalorian season 1 told a largely self-contained story, the creative team opened things up for season 2 by including numerous connections to the larger Star Wars canon. Viewers have already seen Boba Fett's return, and characters from the animated Star Wars shows are finally coming to live-action. The most recent Mandalorian episode, "The Heiress", featured Sackhoff as Bo-Katan, who she voiced in The Clone Wars.
Bo-Katan was among a group of three other Mandalorians Din Djarin teamed up with to overtake an Imperial ship, and she eventually pointed Din in the direction of Ahsoka Tano. The episode reveals Bo-Katan and her allies are on a mission to find the darksaber, which is currently in the possession of Moff Gideon. That bit of information suggested Bo-Katan's role would be larger than just a one-episode guest spot, and it appears as if that's true.
Speaking with ET to discuss her debut on The Mandalorian, Sackhoff expressed her excitement over appearing on the show and hinted bigger things are in store for the character:
"I'm excited to see what everybody thinks because she truly is so special. And she's been such a pivotal character in this world and she's so important to the story in Mandalorian."
Gideon is the main antagonist on The Mandalorian, as he's after Baby Yoda for nefarious motives. While he hasn't had a sizable presence yet in season 2, odds are he will have a larger role in the second half of the season. If Bo-Katan is hunting Gideon (who's looking for Din and Baby Yoda), it stands reason to believe Bo-Katan and Din's paths will cross again. "The Heiress" was likely an episode designed to introduce Bo-Katan and set her up for a return down the line, as season 2 builds towards its climax. It wouldn't be surprising to see Bo-Katan and Din team up against Gideon in a later episode, since they each have their reasons for wanting to eliminate the moff.
Bo-Katan was a favorite amongst Clone Wars fans, and now more viewers are going to become familiar with her thanks to her jump to live-action. It's nice to hear that Bo-Katan is "important" to the narrative, and isn't just an empty bit of fan service for Star Wars canon aficionados. While The Mandalorian's focus remains on Din and Baby Yoda's quest, longtime Star Wars fans were excited to get a chance to see these Clone Wars characters in live-action. It would have been disappointing if Bo-Katan was insignificant in the grander scheme of things, considering the key role she had on the animated show. It'll be interesting to see how she fits into the rest of The Mandalorian season 2 and if she evolves to a supporting player in the subsequent seasons being worked on.
Source: ET