Bo-Katan’s trio of Mandalorians was short one person in The Mandalorian season 2 finale. Absent from the action was Axes Woves (Simon Kassianides). Earlier in the season, Mando (Pedro Pascal) visited the moon called Trask and encountered three Mandalorians, one of which being Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff), a character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. She was the leader of a group called the Night Owls. Her two companions in The Mandalorian were Axes Woves and Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks). To Mando’s surprise, all three were willing to remove their helmets.
In the show’s season 2 finale, Mando and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) paid a visit to a cantina to solicit the Night Owls’ help in assaulting Moff Gideon’s cruiser and rescuing Baby Yoda. Believing that this was her chance to recover the Darksaber from her enemy, Bo-Katan agreed to join them in the attack. Both Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves aided Mando, Cara Dune (Gina Carano), and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) in the final battle against Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and his forces. The two were also present on the ship’s bridge with the other main characters when Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill via a CGI double) made his grand entrance and took down the dark troopers.
An obvious omission from the big fight was Axes Woves, who was nowhere to be found in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, nor were his whereabouts mentioned by either Bo-Kotan or Koska Reeves. As for why he wasn’t around, it’s possible that unless the issue was actor availability, The Mandalorian will offer a reason for this in season 3. Axes Woves actor Simon Kassianides hinted at this being the case on Instagram by promising answers [via Reddit]. It may be that Bo-Katan sent him on an important solo mission.
Bo-Katan’s ultimate goal is to retake Mandalore, so what Axes Woves could have been doing offscreen in the finale may be related to that in some way. To get Mandalore back, she needs allies, so Axes Woves may have been searching for other Mandalorians sympathetic to their cause. When he returns, he could return with the company of a small Mandalorian army ready to follow the one who wields the Darksaber. This could be a problem in season 3, particularly since Bo-Katan’s plan fell apart when Mando incidentally got his hands on it.
An admittedly less exciting – but equally plausible – reason for his absence is linked to the cargo ship they secured from Moff Gideon’s underlings in Bo-Katan’s first episode. She could have left him in charge of it to make sure pirates or any other enemies didn’t seize their new resources. It would make sense for her not to want to leave the cargo unattended. Either way, viewers may see Axes Woves again in The Mandalorian season 3. The Moff Gideon story may be over (for now), but the conflict with Bo-Katan and the Darksaber could just be heating up.